Brest Fortress

The Brest fortress has sustained its original outline of a star shaped fortification since its construction in the early 19th century.

The 1.8 km long barrack comprised 500 rooms to accommodate 12,000 soldiers within thick walls built from super strong red bricks.

The Citadel was surrounded by 3 fortifications as bridgeheads, that were made up by branches of the Mukhavets River and moats (ditches), fortified by earthworks 10 m high with redbrick casemates inside.

After the fall of the forts at Kaunas and Novogeorgievsk, the Russians abandoned Brest fortress, carrying away most of their stockpiled munitions.

After three days of heavy fights for the stronghold in the town of Brześć, the Germans captured the fortress and the Poles withdrew.

Polish armoured train number 53 (PP53), which made a reconnaissance advance to Wysokie Litewskie, was attacked by a scout patrol from the 10th Panzer Division.

Polish anti-tank weapons, artillery and AA guns were very scarce and were unable provide enough support for the infantry.

[citation needed] The following day Polish defenders withdrew from the town, but heavy casualties on both sides prevented the German units from continuing the attacks on the fortress.

At dawn General Plisowski ordered part of the Polish forces to retreat from the easternmost fortifications and regroup to the other side of the river and southwards.

The evacuation was completed by early morning, 17 September when the last unit crossing the bridge blew it up to hinder the Germans.

He surrendered with his remaining survivors on 23 July 1941 after holding out for 31 days and was held captive in Hammelburg and Ravensbrück concentration camps until his release after the end of the war in May 1945.

[citation needed] In the late 1960s, the construction of the war memorial complex "Brest Hero Fortress" was started.

In 2024, it was added to the list again, as a transnational nomination of memorials to the Great Patriotic War together with Russia's Mamayev Kurgan.