July 16, 1944: Partisan Parade in Minsk Marked the Liberation of the Capital

On July 16, 1944, a partisan parade was held in Minsk to mark the liberation of the capital. More than 30,000 partisans marched in the solemn procession. During the Nazi occupation, Belarusian partisans derailed 11,128 enemy trains and 34 armored trains, destroyed 948 enemy garrisons, and blew up 819 railway and 4,710 other bridges. Both the elderly and the young fought in partisan ranks, collectively bringing closer the Great Victory. After the parade, many participants continued liberating Europe from the 'brown plague' as part of the Red Army. Notably, the Museum of the Great Patriotic War traces its origins to that parade: a group of participants were the creators of the first museum exhibition. Today, a separate hall in the modern museum building is dedicated to forest units and their heroes.