VITEBSK, 11 May (BelTA) – A solemn opening ceremony of the renovated Victory Square took place in Vitebsk on 8 May. A red ribbon was cut by Chairman of the Vitebsk oblast executive committee Alexander Kosinets, Chairman of the Vitebsk town hall Viktor Nikolaikin, Chairman of the Vitebsk oblast council of the association of veterans Gennady Gerasimovich and Hero of the Soviet Union Leonid Filipenko, BelTA has learnt.
The opening of the Victory Square on the eve of the 65th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War is deeply symbolic, said Alexander Kosinets addressing the veterans, residents and guests of the town. “This is a tribute of respect and memory to a great deed of the heroes-liberators as well as a reminder to us, the descendents, about the heroic past of the country,” he stressed.
The Victory Square in Vitebsk is the biggest in Belarus and one of the largest in Europe. It makes up over 72,000 square meters. The square is surrounded by residential and administrative buildings, with its fourth side facing the Western Dvina River. A cultural and business center of the complex includes catering facilities and chain stores of Vitebsk producers. There are two light show and two dynamically lit fountains, LED displays in the square.
A dominating structure of the square has become a memorial to the soldiers-liberators, partisans of Vitebsk. The monument was set up in 1974 and restored to the 65th anniversary of Great Victory. Repair works were also held at school No 2 located near the main memorial of the town.
The Park of Victors is also an important element of the square. There have been planted trees and set up an ally of Glory with military hardware there. “In the future there will be set up an observation wheel and a jump tower there. It will become a wonderful place for the patriotic education of the youth, a cultural and business center of Vitebsk,” the Chairman of the oblast executive committee stressed.
БЕЛТА