Dalva is called Khatyn's sister - and this is not accidental. The fates of both villages are tragically similar: they were wiped off the face of the earth by the fascists and their accomplices. If Khatyn became a symbol of Belarusian pain, then Dalva is another terrible reminder of the atrocities of war.
On June 19, 1944, just two weeks before the liberation of Belarus, Dalva village ceased to exist. Along with it, 44 residents perished - old people, women, children. They were burned alive, like thousands of other civilians of Belarus during the years of occupation.
Memory forged in stone
Dalva tragedy is now commemorated by a memorial complex at the 77th kilometer of Minsk-Vitebsk highway. Its creation is the result of an oath given by the only surviving witness of the tragedy, 13-year-old Nikolai Girilovich. He swore at the grave of his fellow countrymen that their memory would live forever.
Years later, thanks to the efforts of Nikolai, his wife Rimma, sculptor Nikolai Terebun and the support of colleagues from “Belteleradiocompany”, the memorial was opened on July 15, 1973. Dozens of caring people took part in its creation, and financial assistance was provided by concerts organized by the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company of the BSSR.
"You can never get used to this kind of pain"
Every year on June 19, a requiem meeting is held in Dalva. This year, representatives of the council of veterans of the Belteleradiocompany, the Belarusian Peace Fund, the public association Belaya Rus, the management of Logoisk district, as well as schoolchildren from neighboring villages gathered to honor the memory of the victims.
— From year to year we remember something that we will never get used to. We will never accept and understand how thousands of people die, how some incomprehensible dark force raises its hand against a child. This is what happened in Dalva, on the eve of liberation. Today we gather here not only to honor those who died in Dalva and other burned villages of Belarus, but also to pass on the historical memory of those tragic and terrible moments to our children, — noted the deputy chairperson of Logoisk District Executive Committee for Social Sphere Anzhela Raemskaya.
Georgy Molchan, Chairman of the Council of Veterans of Belteleradiocompany, noted that the team has always supported Nikolay Girilovich’s initiative and continues to educate young people in the spirit of patriotism.
The director of memorial complex “Khatyn” Dmitry Viltovsky reminded those gathered of the terrible statistics: thousands of Belarusian villages shared the fate of Dalva and Khatyn.
Names written into history by fire
The tragedy of Dalva forever linked the names of Akulich, Butsvilovsky, Kukharenok, Falkovich, Grin and Girilovich. Their story is not just a memory of the past, but a warning to future generations.
We must remember so that this never happens again.
