Republic

On December 21, 2007, the Fourth Hall, which is dedicated to the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, reopened at Brest Fortress Defense Museum after the reconstruction, BelTA learned from the administration of the memorial. The exposition tells about the most tragic pages of the history of the famous citadel - valorous defense in June-July 1941, battles at Terespol and Volyn fortifications, Brest region and in the town of Brest. The exposition features personal items, orders and medals, documents of the civilians and military. The exposition has become bigger after the reconstruction, the staff of the museum said. Research assistants together with students of Brest Polytechnic College have renewed the finished lay-out of Brest Fortress defense. Of great interest will be the reconstructed uniform of the Red Army and Wehrmacht soldiers of the early war period, photos made by the participants of the assault, which were donated to the museum from the German private collections. Brest Fortress Defense Museum was founded on November 8, 1956. Then the exposition, which was created by the Garrison Officers’ Club, featured personal items, military documents and other things, which were found in the fortress ruins. For example, these were a Komsomol card of Lieutenant Alexey Naganov, one page of Order #1 listing the units and officers in charge of the fortress defense, and the famous inscription "Я умираю, но не сдаюсь. Прощай Родина!" (“I’m dying but not surrendering. Goodbye, Fatherland!”) on the wall of a casemate, a clock with frozen hands, the colours of the 393rd antiaircraft squadron. Initially, the exposition was comprised of just a few exponents, 13 pictures and four staff. Today it includes more than 4,000 exponents in ten topical halls. More than 20 million people from over 130 countries have visited the Museum since 1956.