Litaviec is a former village on the territory of Dabrynieŭski Village Soviet of the Kojdanaŭski District, destroyed together with its inhabitants on January 14, 1943 during the Nazi punitive operation “Jakob”.

The village of Litaviec is mentioned in the inventory of the estates of the Radzivils princes in 1620. Then it was owned by the Čapskis. Before the World War II, it was a small forest village in the Dziaržynski District. At the beginning of 1941, 227 inhabitants lived in Litaviec.

Since the summer of 1942, the Soviet partisan detachment "Bajavy" was deployed near Litaviec. On January 8, 1943, the Nazi punitive operation “Jakob” began in the territories adjacent to the forest of Stańkava from the Minski, Uzdzienski and Dziaržynski districts. The purpose of the operation was the destruction of partisan detachments in the southern, south-eastern and eastern directions from Minsk, and the massacre of the population of many partisan zones. Combat units from the front were involved for the operation, the forces of the SS battalions, gendarmerie and local police units participated in it. The centuries-old history of the beautiful forest village of Litaviec tragically ended on January 14, 1943. The Nazis attacked the village and killed 196 residents, including 58 children, and burned 42 yards. After the war, the village of Litaviec was not revived.

In 1956, a monument was erected on the grave of the victims of Nazism, and in 1986, the “Litaviec” memorial complex was built on the site of the burned village. The memorial was opened on July 5, 1987. It represents a whole bas-relief composition. An entrance sign is placed in a forest clearing, next to it — beams raised above the ground. They symbolize the remains of a house burned down by the Nazis. The paved “street” leads to the center of the former village — to the central bas-relief, where peaceful life is shown. And next to it there is a broken gate, the punishers are coming, and the life of a peaceful village is about to end. The lines of the national poet of Belarus Ryhor Baradulin engraved on the bas-relief are dedicated to this tragedy.

Trees are planted near the burned houses — symbols of life, but on one of them there is a stork's nest without birds — a reminder of the tragic destiny of the village of Litaviec.

Publication date: 25.02.2021.

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