Trip Planner:   Europe  /  Belarus  /  Minsk  /  Island of Tears

Island of Tears, Minsk

4.4

#4 of 187 in Things to do in Minsk

Monument Tourist Spot

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At Island of Tears, a sculpture of a guardian angel cries for Belarusian soldiers who died in the war in Afghanistan. Cross a flying arch bridge to get to the artificial island, also known as the "island of courage and sorrow." You'll see a large boulder with a bronze icon of the Mother of God at its entrance. In the center of the island is a memorial chapel surrounded by statues of mourning widows, mothers, and sisters. There are more than 770 names of Belarusians who died in Afghanistan inscribed on the walls of the chapel. The island’s surface is uneven; the many stones are meant to represent Afghan mountains. Willows, leaning over the water, symbolize sorrow. Use our Minsk trip itinerary site to visit Island of Tears on your trip to Minsk, and learn what else travelers and our writers recommend seeing nearby.

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Island of Tears Reviews

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TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

944 reviews

Google

4.5

• By 355stefang

  I visited here end of Autumn when there was snow and ice everywhere. There are a couple monuments. Quiet area. I could imagine this being a nice place to relax, have a picnic, and enjoy the views on.....  more »

• By tolgag386

  It is a walking distance if you staying central of Minsk . It has a beautiful monument of the nuns for the memory of the soldiers who were killed in Afghan war. It is a beautiful island surrounded...  more »

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Google

• By Mathew Chandrankunnel

  In rememberance of the fallen soldiers, the wounded and the handicapped in Afghanistan this monument is erected in 1996. It started ten years ago as more than eight hundred Belarusian soldiers died in Afghanistan and the berieved mothers cry is symbolically represented here. On the niche of the stone boulder the icon of Blessed Mother Mary and Child Jesus is depicted. This island is artificially created in the Svisloch river. This is monument that cries for ending all armed conflicts.

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• By Ake Dejemo

  I hope people will learn something from this

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