Kholm Gate

The Kholm Gate was one of the 4 gates leading into the Citadel of the Russian Brest Fortress. Kholm (Russian: Холм) is the Russian version of the town name Chełm as the road starting at the gate was once leading to Chełm. Hence the name of the gate Kholm Gate. It was designed in a classic style in the early 19th century. It faces the southern branch of the Mukhavets River. The outside façade of the gate was originally decorated with fanciful little turrets and a medallion. They are still there - the little turrets and the medallion – but they were disfigured forever during the opening hours of the war in June 1941. All the red bricks in the Kholm Gate are scarred by bullets and shells and blackened by smoke. Today this gate is an icon of the Brest Fortress.