On June 25, Vitebsk /Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. On the eve of the Day of Liberation of Vitebsk from the Nazi invaders, the mournful voice of a bell sounded over the city. The opening ceremony of the chapel with a bell took place today at the site of the former concentration camp "5th Regiment", reports BELTA correspondent. In the summer of 1941, the Nazis established a concentration camp at the site of the 5th railway regiment in the northwestern part of Vitebsk. From 1941 until the liberation of the city in 1944, about 150,000 civilians and prisoners of war passed through it, of whom 80,000 died. According to historians, the average age of concentration camp prisoners was 20-30 years. "We must not forget this tragedy, those who, at the cost of their lives, won back our lives and the independence of our homeland," said Yuri Panfilov, head of the Administration of the Zheleznodorozhny District of Vitebsk, at the ceremony. Unfortunately, it has not yet been possible to establish the names of all the deceased prisoners of the "5th Regiment" concentration camp. In memory of them, the city authorities intend to create a memorial complex at the site of the concentration camp - the Valley of Memory and Sorrow. Currently, an obelisk has been erected at the site of the camp in memory of the victims of fascism. The Day of Liberation of Vitebsk from the Nazi invaders is celebrated on June 26. -0-

BELTA