Historical and Cultural Complex "Stalin Line"

The Historical and Cultural Complex "Stalin`s line" was founded to the sixty years anniversary of the Victory of soviet people in the Great Patriotic war, it was opened on the 30th of June 2005 in memory of Minsk defenders. It is the memorial of the year 1941 and the museum of the first days of the Great Patriotic war.

"Stalin`s line" is the chain of defensive installations along the former USSR frontier from Karelian Isthmus to the shores of Black sea. It consisted from twenty three fortified regions including more than four thousand permanent weapon emplacements (pillboxes). It was a strong reinforced-concrete covering force 1200 kilometers long. Four fortified regions – Polotsk, Minsk, Slutsk, Mozyr – were situated on the territory of Belarus. There were nine hundred sixty-six pillboxes. Fortified regions formed a united defence line. The entire line of the fortified regions had been built since 1928 till the autumn 1939. Minsk’s fortified region No 63, which was 140 kilometers long included 327 pillboxes. On the 26-28th of June 1941 at the lines of the Minsk`s fortified region started fierce fights with the attacker units of the fascist army.

The exposition Military-historical museum was created and planed so, that from the first steps a visitor could feel the spirit of the times. The opportunity to be absorbed in history is one of the distinctive features of the museum. The basis of the exposition is original pillboxes. All entrenchments and communication trenches with rifle-pits for machine-guns and with blindages and recesses for ammunition were reconstructed according to the designs of the year 1940.

The park of military equipment of different years is of special importance in the museum. It is the most complete exposition in the Republic of Belarus of all artillery and military equipment, which was adopted in different years, beginning from the war times.

Adapted for the stage reconstruction of fights is carried out in the museum, it gives us an opportunity to see the fights which took place at the line of the Minsk fortified region in June of 1941.

The Historical and Cultural Complex "Stalin’s line" is situated in 30 km from the Minsk and in 6 km from the ancient town Zaslavl.