The reconstruction of the Great Patriotic War Events at the Soloviova Pereprava

From 19 to 21 of July the Kardymovsky district hosted the IV International Tourist Patriotic festival "Soloviova Pereprava" dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Smolensk region liberation from the Nazi invaders and to the 1150th anniversary of the regional center. This year the festival brought together more than 500 participants, including the representatives of Latvia and Belarus.

The highlights of the festival were the announcement of the Interregional "Memory Watch" results and the reburial of the remains of the Soviet soldiers killed in World War II. On July, 20 the remains of 37 soldiers were buried in the Memorial Field.

One soldier’s name was identified thanks to the nametag and personal belongings. That was Semionov Nikita Fadeevich, a soldier from the Mityagino village of Ranenburgsky district in the Ryazan region. His relatives were present at the burial ceremony and were given his personal belongings.

The traditional reconstruction of the World War II battle at the Soloviova Pereprava in which more than 100,000 Soviet people from all over the Soviet Union were killed has become an integral part of the second day of the International Tourist Festival. The defense of the Soloviova Pereprava lasted for two months. This is the very place, where for the first time in the history of the Great Patriotic War, the Hitler's command on the main line was forced onto the defensive. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the Soloviova Pereprava battle in that difficult period of the war.

Thanks to the military-historical performance put on by the reconstructors from Russia and Belarus, all the festival guests had an opportunity to experience the atmosphere of those times and feel the tragedy of the events that took place at the Soloviova Pereprava more than 70 years ago.

This year besides the infantry, the air force and authentic ammunition and pyrotechnics of those years were involved in the "battle", which made the reconstruction even more spectacular.

In the evening of July 20, there was an event called "The Candle of Memory", which started with the performance by the Chamber Orchestra of Smolensk. To the sounds of classical music hundreds of candles were lit up.

The participants observed a minute of silence in memory of those who never returned from the battlefields of the Great Patriotic War. After that dozens of air lanterns flew up into the sky and everyone could send a raft with a candle floating along the waters of the Dnieper River and thus honor the memory of the killed soldiers.