Khatyn was a village of 26 houses and 156 inhabitants in Belarus, in Lahoysk Raion, Minsk Region, 50 km away from Minsk. On 22 March 1943, almost the entire population of the village was massacred by the Schutzmannschaft Battalion 118 in retaliation for an attack on German troops by Soviet partisans. The battalion was composed of Nazi collaborators and assisted by the Dirlewanger Waffen-SS special battalion.
The massacre was not an unusual incident in Belarus during World War II. At least 5,295 Belarusian settlements were burned and destroyed by the Nazis, and often all their inhabitants were killed as a punishment for collaboration with partisans. In the Vitebsk region, 243 villages were burned down twice, 83 villages three times, and 22 villages were burned down four or more times. In the Minsk region, 92 villages were burned down twice, 40 villages three times, nine villages four times, and six villages five or more times. Altogether, over 2,000,000 people were killed in Belarus during the three years of Nazi occupation, almost a quarter of the region's population.
Source: Wikipedia.org
Copyright: Creative Commons 3.0
Select one of the most popular activities below or refine your search.
Discover the most beautiful and popular trails in the area, carefully bundled into appropriate selections.
Select one of the most popular categories below or be inspired by our selections.
Discover the most beautiful and popular attractions in the area, carefully bundled in appropriate selections.
With RouteYou, it's easy to create your own customised maps. Simply plot your route, add waypoints or nodes, add places of interest and places to eat and drink, and then easily share it with your family and friends.
Route planner

<iframe src="https://plugin.routeyou.com/poiviewer/free/?language=en&params.poi.id=5769274" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
© 2006-2026 RouteYou - www.routeyou.com