National Unity Day: History of the Return of Western Belarus

On September 17, Belarus celebrates National Unity Day. In 2026, it will be five years since this date received the status of a public holiday. For the first time in this status it was noted in 2021. The holiday is timed to the events of September 17, 1939, when the reunification of Western Belarus with the BSSR began. Read more about this in the project “Everything is clear with Marina Karaman” on ONT.

How Belarusian lands were divided

After World War I, Poland regained its independence. Its leadership sought to expand the borders to the borders of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth of 1772. As a result of the Soviet-Polish war and the Riga peace treaty of 1921, the Belarusian lands were divided: the eastern part became part of the RSFSR, the western part - Poland.

Western Belarus has lived under restrictions for almost two decades.

“All Belarusian-language schools, theaters, libraries and publishing houses have been closed in western Belarus. Books in the Belarusian language were destroyed, our citizens were forbidden to use Mova when applying to courts, local authorities and various departments, said Marina Karaman.

About the concentration camp Berez-Kartuzskaya

One of the most tragic symbols of this period was the Berez-Kartuzska concentration camp, established by the Polish authorities in 1934. People who were suspected of disloyalty or disagreement with the policies of the authorities were sent to the camp. Prisoners were subjected to harsh conditions of detention, humiliation and physical violence.

According to archival data, almost 3,000 people passed through the camp until August 1939. There is reason to believe that in the last month of its existence there were more than 6 thousand prisoners. The camp ceased operation on 17 September 1939.

“Be sure to read about the Berez-Kartuzskaya concentration camp. Or better yet, go to the Berezovsky Museum of Local History. In the so-called “red barracks” in the city center, there is a permanent exhibition dedicated to the hard labor regime of prisoners, the author of the project said.

Events of September 1939

On September 1, World War II began. After the defeat of the Polish army by German troops and the retreat of the Polish government on September 17, units of the Red Army entered the territory of Western Belarus.

Temporary administrations have begun to form in the region. Then elections to the People's Assembly of Western Belarus were held, the meeting of which was held in Bialystok on October 28-30, 1939.

The People’s Assembly adopted declarations on the establishment of Soviet power and the entry of Western Belarus into the BSSR. On November 2, this decision was supported by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. On November 14, the Supreme Council of the BSSR adopted a law on the inclusion of Western Belarus into the republic.

The USSR and Germany divided Poland, and it virtually disappeared from the world map until 1945. This is one of the insults that the Polish leadership still cannot forgive, said Marina Karaman.