Preservation of Historical Memory. "Front on the Stokhid river"
In the period from February to August 2009 within the historical and lore project "Front on the Stokhid river " the team of the NGO FUTURUSXXI conducted five expeditions in search, descriptions and documentation of the Great War 1914-1918 monuments, still remaining in Volyn. The main work was done in the territories of Kamin-Kashirsk and Liubeshiv rajons .
The main focus of the first four expeditions was on finding and descriptions of fortifications dating from 1915 to 1917. The fifth stage of the work was to focus on identifying and describing the military cemeteries in the area of so-called "Chervyschanskyj Platsdarm”, where the fierce fightings during the summer 1916 and spring 1917 took place. In addition to the describing and documenting of the six military cemeteries, we have done military cemetery in the tract Radlina, where the area was cleared of debris, a wooden fence, a memorial cross and information shield were installed. Much assistance in this work we received from local residents
More than 80 people were participating in the expeditionary work . Among them were members of the NGO FUTURUS XXI, representatives of the Department of Culture and Preservation of Historical Heritage, amateur historians from Kyiv, the Youth Wing of the NGO "FUTURUS XXI, representatives of DP SLAP" Kamin-Kashyrskahrolis, students and teachers of local schools and from Lutsk, students of higher educational institutions, local residents.
It should be noted that the work of the expedition involved local older people, who willingly shared their memories of the war events, which were transferred to them by their fathers and grandfathers
In general, we concluded that the combination of work experience, wisdom, knowledge and skills to the older generation and energy, perseverance and curiosity of young gives a good result. And the future will form the expeditionary group on the principle of cooperation between generations.
There were examined the entire perimeter of the "Chervyschanskyj Platsdarm”and tens of kilometers of the river valley area Stokhid and Pripyat.
As a result were found:
• the location of more than 80 fortifications;
• nine military burial places (of which six were described);
• large number of the Great War field fortifications: the relatively well preserved Austro-German trenches and the trenches of the Russian Imperial Army, railway lines, and so on.
By the discovery of fortifications held:
• survey and description;
• Photography (made more than 300 photographs);
• schemes of 31 fortifications;
• preliminary documentations for the installation on the record as historical monuments.
For the nine identified military cemeteries were conducted following:
• survey and description of six military cemeteries, including the detailed analysis and description of two military cemeteries (in the tracts Dubinsky Bir and Radlina);
• grave schemes in four cemeteries (current cemetery in the village Toboly, in tracts Dubinsky Bir, Svoloky, Radlina,)
• survey of more than 100 tombstones;
• have inscriptions in 83 (eighty three) tombstones;
• photography of tombstones (made more than 200 images - see gallery section);
• photography of burial places (made 154 images of war graves);
• made wooden fence in the tract Radlina cemetery;
• installation of the cross and the information board at the cemetery in the tract Radlina;
• partial clearance of natural vegetation in three cemeteries (tract Dubinsky Bir, Svoloky, Radlina);
FUTURUS XXI further plans are to continue working on more detailed and extensive study of the Great War monuments in the Volyn region and in particular on the "Chervyschanskyj Platsdarm”.
To the end we offer:
• on the basis of the European Fund for Natural recreational, environmental and humanitarian activities "FUTURUS XXI establish a permanent “Chervyschanska Expedition” by involving representatives of the regional Department of Culture, Department of Culture and Preservation of Historical Heritage in Lutsk, local historical museum, other NGOs, academics, foreign experts, historians and everyone who is interested in historical themes;
• based on our experience - to form the expeditions with people of different ages;
• apply to government bodies of Ukraine and the international community to recognize the territory of the "Chervyschanskyj Platsdarm” as the international historical battlefield place.
For more information about on our expeditions and with your proposals apply to the e-mail address futurusxxi@gmail.com.
We welcome your suggestions.
Team FUTURUS XXI.