On International Day of the Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camp Prisoners, employees of the Vitebsk Region State Archives took part in a commemorative rally at the 5th Regiment Memorial Complex

April 11th is celebrated worldwide as International Day of the Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camp Prisoners. It commemorates the international uprising at Buchenwald. It was on this day in 1945 during World War II that prisoners of Buchenwald, led by an international political center, launched an armed uprising, capturing the camp and holding it until the arrival of Allied troops.

During the Great Patriotic War, there were 578 death factories in what is now Belarus. Each served a different purpose, but they shared one common goal: to exploit, humiliate, and destroy our people.

In Vitebsk, the «5th Regiment» death camp (established on the site of the former military camp of the 5th Railway Regiment of the Red Army) operated from September 1941 to the end of May 1944. It was established as a camp for Soviet prisoners of war. From the fall of 1943, it was used as a transit camp for civilians being transported to Germany for forced labor. From February 1944, it functioned as a concentration camp.

During its existence, more than 150,000 people passed through it, of whom more than 80,000 died and were buried on the grounds of the 5th Railway Regiment, including approximately 4,000 civilians.

Representatives of the government, public organizations, and city residents came to the «5th Regiment» memorial (Stalag No.313) on International Day of the Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camp Prisoners.

Among the participants were employees of the Vitebsk Region State Archives.

1. Memorial «5th Regiment» (Stalag No.313) in Vitebsk

2-3. Laying wreaths and flowers at the obelisk to the victims of fascism at the Memorial «5th Regiment» (Stalag No.313) in Vitebsk

4. Ceremonial rally at the Memorial «5th Regiment» (Stalag No.313) in Vitebsk on International Day of the Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camp Prisoners

5. Employees of the State Archives of the Vitebsk Region participate in a celebratory rally at the Memorial «5th Regiment» (Stalag No.313) in Vitebsk on International Day of the Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camp Prisoners