Andrei Halias

The "Pit" Memorial, located on Melnikayte Street in Minsk, is dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust, particularly the prisoners of the Minsk Ghetto, who were massacred by the Nazis on March 2, 1942. About 5,000 Jews were shot at this site, including children from a Jewish orphanage who, along with their caretakers, were buried alive in a large pit. This memorial has become a symbol of tragedy and a reminder of the horrific events that took place during World War II.

The first obelisk at this site was erected in 1947, and it bore inscriptions in Russian and Yiddish—something rare during the Soviet era, when the Jewish identity of Holocaust victims was rarely emphasized on monuments. This obelisk commemorates the thousands of Jews who perished at the hands of the Nazis. The Yiddish text, written by poet Chaim Maltinsky, is part of the memorial. Despite its great symbolic significance, shortly after the monument was installed, the poet and the stonecutter who worked on the memorial were repressed as part of the Soviet fight against "cosmopolitanism."

In 2000, the memorial complex was enhanced with a bronze sculptural composition titled "The Last Way," created by architect Leonid Levin and sculptors Alexander Finsky and Elza Pollack. The composition depicts 27 doomed martyrs slowly descending 17 steps into the pit where death awaited them. The figures are unified into a collective image — a symbol of horror and grief, felt by every visitor walking down the same staircase. The abstract style of the figures — with rough lines and cracks on the surface of the metal — embodies the distortion brought by death.

The memorial consists of several parts: the obelisk itself, the sculptural group "The Last Way," and the <a href="https://findit.city/en/belarus/minsk/leisure/recreation/parks/111/description">Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations</a> — those Belarusians who saved Jews despite risking their own lives. Each tree on the avenue honors one of these righteous individuals. Every year on March 2, mourning rallies are held here to commemorate the victims of the Minsk Ghetto and honor the heroes who saved lives.

The "Pit" Memorial is not just a monument, it is a symbol of a horrifying crime against humanity. The tragedy of this place is felt in every element, from the black granite to the sorrowful figures descending the steps.

“坑”纪念碑位于明斯克的梅尔尼凯捷街，纪念的是大屠杀的受害者，特别是明斯克犹太人隔都的囚犯，纳粹于1942年3月2日对他们进行了大规模屠杀。在此地，约5000名犹太人被射杀，其中包括犹太孤儿院的孩子们，他们和他们的看护人一起被活埋在一个巨大的坑里。这个纪念碑已经成为悲剧的象征，提醒着人们二战期间发生的恐怖事件。

1947年，这个地方竖立了第一座方尖碑，上面刻有俄文和意第绪文的碑文——在苏联时期，这是很少见的，因为当时很少在纪念碑上强调大屠杀受害者的犹太身份。这个方尖碑纪念了成千上万死于纳粹手中的犹太人。由诗人哈伊姆·马尔金斯基创作的意第绪文成为了纪念碑的一部分。尽管它具有巨大的象征意义，但在纪念碑竖立后不久，诗人和与纪念碑工作的石匠一起因苏联打击“世界主义”而被镇压。

2000年，纪念建筑群增加了一座青铜雕塑作品《最后的路》，由建筑师列昂尼德·列文和雕塑家亚历山大·芬斯基及艾尔莎·波拉克创作。雕塑表现了27位注定受难的殉难者，缓慢走下17级台阶，走向他们的死亡。人物形象被塑造成一个集体形象——恐惧和悲痛的象征，每个沿着相同台阶走下的游客都能感受到。这些人物形象的艺术风格偏向抽象，粗糙的线条和金属表面的裂缝象征了死亡带来的扭曲。

纪念碑由几个部分组成：方尖碑本身、雕塑群《最后的路》，以及<a href="https://findit.city/cn/belarus/minsk/leisure/recreation/parks/111/description">“世界民族正义者”大道</a>——那些在冒着生命危险拯救犹太人的白俄罗斯人。大道上的每棵树都铭刻着一位正义者的名字。每年3月2日，这里都会举行悼念集会，缅怀明斯克隔都的受害者并向拯救生命的英雄致敬。

“坑”纪念碑不仅仅是一座纪念碑，它是对人类罪行的象征。黑色花岗岩和缓慢走下台阶的悲痛人像，每一个元素都让人感受到这地方的悲剧。