Andrei Halias

The “Roses” Memorial in Minsk is dedicated to one of the most tragic events in the modern history of Belarus — the stampede at the Nemiga metro station, which occurred on May 30, 1999. On this day, a beer festival and a concert by a music group, which drew thousands of young people, were taking place in central Minsk, near the Svislach River. Suddenly, the weather worsened dramatically: a heavy rain with hail began. A crowd of over 2,500 people rushed to take shelter in the underground passage, leading to a stampede that claimed the lives of 53 people, mostly young individuals aged 14 to 20.

In memory of the victims of the Nemiga tragedy, a memorial called “Roses” was erected three years later. This monument consists of 53 bronze flowers symbolizing the deceased. Forty of them are roses, representing the girls, and 13 are tulips, symbolizing the young men. The flowers are scattered chaotically on stylized steps, and their stems are broken, reflecting the sense of loss and grief felt by the relatives and friends of the victims. The memorial profoundly conveys the pain experienced by the country on that day.

The memorial also includes a small chapel with a metal plaque inside listing the names of all the deceased along with a phrase from the Gospel. At the top of the chapel is an Orthodox cross, adding a spiritual aspect to the memory of the tragedy's victims.

After the tragedy, the area around the underground passage at Nemiga became a symbol of mourning for the residents of Minsk. Relatives and friends of the victims left photographs, icons, prayer texts, and brought flowers in memory of the deceased on the walls of the passage. However, over time, this place has become less frequently visited, and today, the youth often use the memorial as a popular meeting spot, which has led to the phrase “let’s meet at the roses.”

The Nemiga tragedy remains in the memory of the people of Minsk and Belarus, especially on May 30 and June 1, when the victims of that tragic day are remembered annually.

明斯克的「玫瑰」纪念碑是为了纪念白俄罗斯现代史上最悲惨的事件之一——1999年5月30日发生在涅米加地铁站的踩踏事故。那天在明斯克市中心，斯维斯洛奇河附近举行了一个啤酒节和一场音乐会，吸引了成千上万的年轻人。突然，天气急剧恶化：大雨夹杂着冰雹骤然降临。超过2,500人的人群急忙涌入地下通道避雨，导致发生了踩踏事故，53人不幸丧生，其中大多数是年龄在14至20岁之间的年轻人。

为了纪念涅米加悲剧的遇难者，三年后建造了名为「玫瑰」的纪念碑。这座纪念碑由53朵青铜花组成，象征着遇难者。其中40朵是玫瑰，代表女性，13朵是郁金香，象征着年轻的男性。花朵以混乱的形式散落在风格化的台阶上，花茎折断，反映了遇难者亲友们感受到的失落与悲痛。纪念碑深刻传达了全国在那一天经历的痛苦。

纪念碑上还有一座小教堂，里面有一块金属板，刻有所有遇难者的名字和《福音》中的一句话。教堂顶部竖立着一座东正教十字架，为纪念遇难者增添了精神层面。

悲剧发生后，涅米加地下通道周围的地方成为明斯克市民的悼念象征。遇难者的亲属和朋友在通道的墙上留下照片、圣像、祈祷文，并献上鲜花以纪念死者。然而，随着时间的推移，这个地方的访问者逐渐减少，今天，年轻人经常把纪念碑作为聚会的热门地点，因此出现了「我们在玫瑰处见面」的说法。

涅米加悲剧仍然铭刻在明斯克和白俄罗斯人的记忆中，尤其是在每年的5月30日和6月1日，人们都会纪念这一天的遇难者。