title: Mound of Glory
text: # Mound of Glory
  
  The Mound of Glory (Belarusian: Курган Славы, romanized: Kurgan Slavy, lit. 'Kurgan of Glory') is a memorial complex honouring Soviet soldiers who fought during World War II, located 21 km from Minsk, Belarus on the Moscow Highway. Designed by O.Stakhovich and sculpted by A.Bembel, it was established in 1969 on the 25th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus during Operation Bagration (1944).
  
  ## History
  
  The monument commemorates the Soviet liquidation of a German pocket during Operation Bagration.
  
  On August 18, 1966, the government of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic decided to construct a monument, to be named the Mound of Glory, in honor of the Soviet soldiers who fought in World War II and the liberation of Belarus. Construction started in November 1967 and was finished in 1969.
  
  In 2021, the Independence Day ceremony was held at the Mound of Glory.
  
  