Mound of Glory, War memorial near Minsk, Belarus

The Mound of Glory is a war memorial in Smaliavičy District, Belarus, composed of four tall bayonet-shaped obelisks. These rise over 230 feet (71 meters) and are surrounded by a ring featuring military motifs and portraits of soldiers.

Construction began in November 1967 following a decree by the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic to commemorate Operation Bagration of 1944. That offensive drove German forces from the region and marked a turning point on the Eastern Front.

The name refers to the liberation of Belarus during the Second World War and the site continues to host state ceremonies. Visitors often see school groups and families laying flowers or pausing at the reliefs showing soldiers in combat.

The memorial stands on the 21st kilometre of the M2 highway towards Minsk National Airport, with an Il-2 attack aircraft displayed at its foot. Two concrete staircases of 241 steps each lead up from the base, encircling the mound. The site is a state memorial, so access to the stairways and the surrounding park is open to visitors.

The 35-metre earthen mound was raised from handfuls of soil that thousands of people brought to the site during construction, which began in November 1967. At its foot stands an Il-2 attack aircraft, a detail many visitors pass without noticing.