Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Slovenia mushroom foraging
Slovenia • 6 days, 5 nights
Forest to Table in Alpine Slovenia
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The exterior of STRAAT.
STRAAT
The front of the St. Charles’ Church
St. Charles’ Church
The miniature theatre’s 200-seat capacity is slowly being filled with tiny figurines of beloved film characters, from classic movie stars to Muppets. Statler and Waldorf are perched in their usual spot at the front-right balcony. There’s even an ongoing call for visitors and locals to add their own favorite characters to the growing crowd.
East Van Vodville Cinema
Gombe mountains seen from Lake Tanganyika.
Gombe National Park
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The rocky Revere Beach coast in Revere, Massachusetts, just outside Boston.
Which Places With Bad Raps Are Actually Worth Visiting?
about 13 hours ago
A dugong displays the telltale “smile.”
Saving the Sea Cows of Vanuatu
about 13 hours ago
The first photo of the “woolly devil” made a stir among botanists when Deb Manley uploaded it to iNaturalist in March 2024.
How the Woolly Devil, Member of a New Plant Genus, Was Discovered on a Hike in Big Bend
1 day ago
You don’t need to go to Turkey to see hundreds of hot air balloons rising.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Find the Most Unusual Festivals in the U.S.?
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Belarus Lahoisk District Khatyn Memorial Complex

Khatyn Memorial Complex

A symbolic graveyard for the villages that perished during the Nazi invasion of Belarus.

Lahoisk District, Belarus

Added By
dearbarbie
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Kaminsky monument.   dearbarbie / Atlas Obscura User
The Kaminsky monument.   dearbarbie / Atlas Obscura User
Khatyn entrance sign.   dearbarbie / Atlas Obscura User
Names of destroyed villages.   dearbarbie / Atlas Obscura User
A now-marked mass grave.   dearbarbie / Atlas Obscura User
Flowers on monument.   dearbarbie / Atlas Obscura User
Foundation sculpture representing a single village.   dearbarbie / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Khatyn Memorial Complex is built on the former site of Khatyn village, and represents the many hundreds of homesteads destroyed in the Khatyn and similar massacres during World War II.

In January 1966, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus built the memorial complex in memory of the hundreds of Belorussian villages destroyed by Nazis during this period, making it the most significant war memorial in Belarus.

Sadly, the Khatyn massacre was not an unusual incident in Belarus during the second World War. At least 5,295 Belarusian settlements were burned, destroyed by the Nazis and some or all their inhabitants were killed as a punishment for collaboration with partisans. In the Vitebsk region 243 villages were burned down twice, 83 villages three times, and 22 villages were burned down four or more times. In the Minsk region 92 villages were burned down twice, 40 villages three times, nine villages four times, and six villages five or more times. Altogether, over two million people were killed in Belarus during the three years of Nazi occupation, almost a quarter of the country's population.

In memory of lives lost, each individual village destroyed is represented and those that have been since repopulated are honored by their names in tree sculptures, representing new life and survival. Bells ring every 30 seconds to commemorate the rate at which Belarusian lives were lost throughout the duration of the war. Possibly the most affecting piece in the complex is the statue of Yuzif Kaminsky, the only adult survivor of the Khatyn massacre. The 56-year-old was wounded, burnt, and left for dead during the killings, but recovered consciousness after the executioners had left. The statue shows him holding the body of his young son in his arms.

 

Related Tags

Military History Nazis Monuments Memorials World War Ii Military

Know Before You Go

The memorial complex of Khatyn is situated in Logoisk region of Minsk area, Belarus 223110. There is a sign for the memorial on the 54th km of the Minsk—-Vitebsk (M3) motorway. The car park and complex are located 5km after turning into the complex and driving through the woods.

Community Contributors

Added By

dearbarbie

Edited By

Rachel

  • Rachel

Published

January 28, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://khatyn.by/en/tragedy/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khatyn_massacre
  • http://www.belarusguide.com/travel1/Khatyn.html
  • http://www.insidebelarus.com/tour/the_khatyn_memorial_complex#ad-image-0
Khatyn Memorial Complex
Khatyn Memorial Complex
Lahoisk District
Belarus
54.334487, 27.945291
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Mound of Glory

Smaliavicki rajon, Belarus

miles away

Slepianskaya Waterway System

Minsk, Belarus

miles away

Museum of Stones

Minsk, Belarus

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Belarus

Belarus

Europe

Places 29
Stories 3

Nearby Places

Mound of Glory

Smaliavicki rajon, Belarus

miles away

Slepianskaya Waterway System

Minsk, Belarus

miles away

Museum of Stones

Minsk, Belarus

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Belarus

Belarus

Europe

Places 29
Stories 3

Related Places

  • The bust of Violette Szabo.

    London, England

    S.O.E. Monument

    A bronze bust commemorates the heroism of the secret agents who led covert operations against the Nazis.

  • Looking up the inside of the memorial tower

    Novo Selo Palanječko, Croatia

    Monument to the Detachment in Brezovica Forest

    A tower marking the spot where Yugoslavia began its resistance against the invading Nazis stands neglected, but not quite forgotten.

  • The ‘Furrow’ monument at the Stratište Memorial Complex

    Jabuka, Serbia

    Stratište Memorial Complex

    An abandoned monument remembering the "Pančevo Holocaust" now stands as a shadow of its former self.

  • Čačak, Serbia

    Čačak Mausoleum of Struggle and Victory

    This symbol of Yugoslav liberation decorated with 620 carved heads of mythical creatures is now a forlorn relic of another time.

  • Kilroy Was Here.

    Washington, D.C.

    Kilroy Was Here

    There’s a hidden military meme engraved on the World War II Memorial.

  • The Warsaw Uprising Monument.

    Warsaw, Poland

    Warsaw Uprising Monument

    A tribute to the Polish insurgents who fought in the failed attempt to end their city's Nazi occupation.

  • P.O. Box 1142 Memorial

    Alexandria, Virginia

    P.O. Box 1142 Memorial

    This simple stone memorial remembers a secret, Geneva Convention-defying interrogation base from WWII.

  • The Bebelplatz.

    Berlin, Germany

    The Bebelplatz

    The site of the famous Nazi book burning campaign of 1933 remembers its "Night of Shame".

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.