Memorial ceremony took place in Mauthausen
18.02.2025February 18, 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the death of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant General of Engineers Dmitry Karbyshev.
The day before, on February 16, the Embassy of Belarus in Austria took part in the memorial ceremony dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the tragic death of Dmitry Karbyshev, Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant General of Engineering Troops, in the Nazi concentration camp Mauthausen.
Belarusian diplomats laid wreaths and flowers at the obelisk and memorial plaque at the place of General Karbyshev's execution in the memorial complex “Mauthausen Concentration Camp” in Upper Austria.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Russian Embassy, Austrian anti-fascist organizations, the Austrian-Belarusian Society, a delegation of the Russian school named after D. Karbyshev, as well as representatives of the administration of the memorial complex.
The ceremony was held as part of the events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in in World War Two and became an important reminder of the heroism and resilience of Soviet prisoners of war who fought against Nazi ideology even in inhumane conditions.
The pages of D.M. Karbyshev's life are closely connected with Belarus. In 1911-1914 he led the work on strengthening the forts of the Brest Fortress, improving the engineering structures for its defense.
The beginning of the Great Patriotic War D. Karbyshev found himself in Grodno, he inspected the construction of fortifications of the Grodno fortified area. In August 1941, while trying to escape from the encirclement D. Karbyshev was seriously wounded and captured during the fighting in the Mogilev region. Refusing to cooperate with the Nazis, he was tortured and moved through various concentration camps. Since the fall of 1944 he was in the concentration camp Mauthausen.
On the night from February 17 to 18, 1945 Karbyshev was subjected to a cruel execution: he, along with other prisoners, was taken out into the cold and doused with ice water, beaten with clubs. This act was organized by order of the camp chief and became one of many tragic pages of the history of Nazi crimes.
To commemorate the feat of General Karbyshev, a monument symbolizing the courage and indomitable will of a Soviet man was erected in 1963 on the territory of the Mauthausen memorial complex. The obelisk is made in the form of a massive block of ice, reflecting the tragic circumstances of his death and the fortitude of his spirit. This monument has become one of the most famous symbols of the struggle against fascism and unbending strength of human will. Streets in Minsk, Brest and Grodno are named after D. Karbyshev.
Dmitry Karbyshev's feat will forever remain in history as an example of the highest devotion to the Motherland and unyielding spirit in the face of the enemy.
