Chapel memorial to 1812 War heroes unveiled in Polotsk

POLOTSK, 21 May (BelTA) – A chapel memorial to the 1812 War heroes was solemnly unveiled in Polotsk on 21 May, BelTA has learnt. “The restoration and opening of 1812 War Memorial is a great event for the peoples of Belarus and Russia. It shows we are not going to rewrite our common history. It is time to restore the monuments and strengthen the links between the two nations,” PA Deputy Chairman, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia Alexander Babakov said at the ceremony. Deputy State Secretary of the Union State Sergei Shukhno read an address of welcome from State Secretary of the Union State Pavel Borodin. “The monument nurtures respect in the present and future generations to Belarus and Russia,” the address of welcome runs. Attending the ceremony was First Deputy Culture Minister of Belarus Vladimir Rylatko, Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk oblast executive committee Oleg Matskevich, representatives of the Union State Parliament, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Belarus. The memorial to the 1812 War heroes was erected in 1850 and then removed for recasting in the early 1930s. The same happened to five similar monuments that were set up in the mid 19th century at the places of the most important battles with the French. Only the chapel memorial in Smolensk survived. This monument and the relevant archives made a basis for designing a precise copy of the monument in Polotsk. The memorial represents a pyramid domed with a gilded cross. The pyramid is surrounded with eight cast-iron columns with domes and gilded eagles on them. The monument stands on a cylindrical pedestal. The monument is almost 24 meters high and weights 110 tonnes. The decision to set up the monument was taken at the 30th session of the Union State PA in Polotsk in June 2006. Over RUB44 million was allocated for these purposes from the Union State budget.

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