Memorial complex “Zyslov”

The island near the village of Starosek became the center of the partisan movement and an airfield during the Great Patriotic War. Since August 1941, a hard-to-reach area in the thicket of the forest has served as a safe haven for the underground Komsomol regional committee, the headquarters of partisan formations and brigades, newspaper editorial offices, and a forest school. In 1942, it was possible to land a plane on the legendary island – so the first partisan airfield in the country was opened. From here, in 1942-1943, Belarusian scientists, wounded partisans, children of dead partisans and soldiers of the Red Army were evacuated behind the front line. In 1969, the memorial complex “Zyslov” appeared, which includes a 14-meter obelisk, mass graves, the sculpture “Grieving Partisan” and reconstructed dugouts, where you can still feel the atmosphere of the war years.