Brest Fortress

If you are going to see only one Soviet WWII memorial in your life, make it Brest Fortress. The scale of the fortress itself is so massive and the heroism of its defenders so vast, even the giant stone face and glistening obelisk are dwarfed in comparison.

Between 1838 and 1842 the entire town of Brest was moved east to make way for this massive fort. During the interwar period it was used mainly for housing soldiers and had lost most of its military importance. Nevertheless, two regiments bunking here at the time of the sudden German invasion in 1941 defended the aged fort for an astounding month. The whole structure withstood incredible attacks, including at least 500 cannon fires and 600 bombs. What is left of the fortress is too overwhelming to be poignant, but too emotional to be gauche.

At the main entrance, a looped recording of soldier songs, gunfire and a radio broadcast informing of the German attack echo from a large, star-shaped opening in a huge concrete mass on top of the old brick outer wall. Just inside to the left is the harrowing Thirst statue. Across a small bridge and to your right are the ruins of the White Palace, where the 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed. Further to the right is the Defence of Brest Fortress Museum. Its extensive and dramatic exhibits demonstrate aptly the plight of the defenders.

The centrepiece of the fortress ensemble is the huge Valour monument, a stone soldier's head projecting from a massive rock. Adjacent is a sky-scraping obelisk, with an eternal flame and stones bearing the names of those who died. There are often men and women in period military uniforms marching to sombre orchestral music.

Behind the Valour rock is the attractive Byzantine Nikalaivsky Church, the oldest in the city, which dates from when the town centre occupied the fortress site. Once part of a large monastery before being turned into a soldier's garrison club, it was gutted during the 1941 siege but has been restored and now holds regular services.