Sventiany Offensive of 1915: battle reenactment in Zabrodye village-museum

Every year on 11 November, the day marking the end of WWI, the village-museum Zabrodye which was once part of the front line, hosts public figures, historians, reenactors, and those who are into the history of the long-gone war. A lot of effort has been made to bring to life every detail of past events, including custom-made military uniforms, rifles, and sabers imitating the originals of the early 20th century. This all looks like black and white images of World War I come to life in plain view of the spectators…
In 2017, 99 years after the Armistice of Compiegne was signed, the Day of Memory of WWI Victims and the 100th anniversary of the peace treaty of Soly (Grodno Oblast) drew more than 70 members of military history clubs of Minsk, Brest, Moscow, and St Petersburg in Zabrodye. A memorial service was held in the Church of Sts Boris and Gleb to honor the soldiers killed in World War I. The service kicked off the historical reenactment of the Sventiany Offensive of 1915. After a 60-kilometer-long forced march, a cavalry regiment arrived at the battleground to face the first attack of “enemy” troops. The cavalry was followed by foot soldiers and the guns went off…

Check out the photos from the Day of Memory of WWI Victims and the battle reenactment on the former front line in our special photo story…

Photos by Andrei Matsur