Description

City of Military Glory is an honorary title bestowed upon the citizenry of Russian cities, where defenders had displayed courage, steadfastness, and mass heroism in the fight for their Fatherland’s freedom and independence during the Second World War.

The first time a settlement on the present Belgorod territory was mentioned in 1237. The village was completely destroyed during Batu Khan’s invasion in the Russian land. It was founded again in 1596 (the official foundation date of Belgorod) by order of Tsar Feodor I Ioannovich.

It was a fortress on the southern border of Russia defending the country from the Crimean Tatars’ raids. Later, the border of Russia moved to the south and the fortress lost its military importance. The area became the part of Kursk guberniya of the Russian Empire.

The German Wehrmacht occupied Belgorod from October 25, 1941 to February 9, 1943. The Germans re-captured it on March 18, 1943 in the final move of the Third Battle of Kharkov. On July 12, 1943, during the Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in world history took place near Prokhorovka, and Red Army definitively liberated the city on August 5, 1943. The Belgorod Diorama is one of the World War II monuments commemorating the event.