Khatyn Tour - Memorial Complex

You will never find the Belarusian village of Khatyn on the modern world map. In the spring of 1943 it was barbarously burned and was not restored any more. Almost all of its inhabitants were killed. Only a few people miraculously survived in this terrible tragedy. Half of the people killed in Khatyn were children under 16 years old. Khatyn is not the only village that disappeared, but it’s one of the 629 Belarusian villages destroyed by Nazis during the Great Patriotic War.

Khatyn is a memorial complex, a unique architectural and artistic creation of the hands of outstanding masters who wish to perpetuate the memory and pain of the Motherland. The monument was officially opened on July 5, 1969. During the excursion you will learn interesting facts that were declassified only in the early 2000s, you will see the only village cemetery in the world, walk through the "village of the ghost" and feel the fleeting moment between the past and the future.

At the entrance to the complex you will be met by a six-meter bronze sculpture of an old man with a boy in his arms. An old man is one of three survived in the fire, but his son tragically died. Sculpture reflects the real scene of the day of this terrible tragedy.

To the right of the sculpture there is a memorial monument in the form of a roof of a burnt shed in which, in the spring of 1943, the fascists burned all the villagers. People managed to knock out the door of a flaming building, but all running-out in their burning clothes were killed from firearms.

In place of the former village streets there are footpaths made of concrete slabs. In place of former houses there is only a first joisting of a once-wooden house, currently made of concrete. Each house has a sign with the names of people burned alive and the age of children under 16. In each house there is a bell that rings every 30 seconds, reminding us of this terrible tragedy. At the entrance to the courtyard of each house there is an open gate, a symbol of the hospitality of the villagers. In place of former wells there are their copies made of stone.

The "Memory Wall" will remind us of the death camps, in which a huge number of innocent people died. The largest of them are mentioned on this wall, with indication of their location and number of dead people.

185 Belarusian villages were buried in the world's only cemetery of villages. All these villages, like Khatyn, were not reconstructed after the war, and have disappeared from the world map. On each grave there is the name of the village and the area of its former location, as well as a piece of soil brought from every place of the tragedy.

A trip to Khatyn proposed by our company will be interesting and will not leave anyone indifferent.

3,5 hours (the length of the route is 120 km)

Private professional guide
Excursion service in Khatyn
Transport services

At your hotel or any other location in Minsk

At your hotel or any other location in Minsk