Brest Fortress (Belarusian: Брэсцкая крэпасць, Bresckaja krepasć; Polish: Twierdza brzeska), formerly known as Brest-Litoŭsk Fortress, is a 19th-century fortress in Brest in present-day Belarus. In 1965 the title "Hero Fortress" was given[by whom?] to the fortress to commemorate the defence of the frontier stronghold during the first week of the German-Soviet War of 1941-1945 when Axis forces invaded the Soviet Union with the launch of Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941. The title "Hero Fortress" corresponds to the title "Hero City" that the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union awarded to an eventual total of twelve Soviet cities.