By Elena Bormotova: Today, the Brest Fortress is a sacred place for every Belarusian. Every year, thousands of people fr om all over the world come to worship the heroism of its defenders. But, very few people know that before the famous citadel, there was an ancient city of Berestye. For 9 centuries, the people of Berestye lived here, ruled, and developed their city. It was in the territory of the fortress that the Brest Bible was published and the Brest Union was concluded. The first Town Hall in the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was built here. Brest became the first city to receive the Magdeburg Right. Later, in order to build a fortress, the ancient city was destroyed. Today, the only place wh ere you can see fragments of the ancient Brest is the archaeological museum of Berestye. By the ordinance of the President, a decision was made to reconstruct the city.
Today, entering the museum is strictly prohibited. Only people who monitor the state of the excavation are allowed in the territory of the ancient monument of archeology. After the restoration of the museum, everyone will have the opportunity to walk the ancient pavements. The main goal of the modernization works is that Berestye should become interactive.
The slopes are to be strengthened, and the drainage system updated. After the modernization, the ancient buildings will be illuminated with "intellectual" lights.
Instead of classical showcases with exhibits under glass, there will be holograms, mannequins, and mock-ups. The start of the exhibition is also planned for the current year. Undoubtedly, the renovation works will not replace the exhibition of rare archaeological items – there are more than 43,000 of them in the museum's collection. But, as a rule, only a small part is exhibited, just over a thousand. After the modernization, the rarities will return.
Improvement will also affect the territory of the fortress. It is planned to restore some objects and expand the museum’s expositions. The illumination of the citadel will also be modernized.
