A small footbridge leads from the Trinity to the Isle of Tears, a memorial commemorating Soviet soldiers from Belarus who died in the decade-long war with Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989. The centrepiece is the chapel, with haunting figures of grieving mothers, sisters and widows at its base. A nearby fountain features the boy-like figure of an angel, rigged up to cry teardrops. You may notice that a certain part of his anatomy is shinier than the rest. This is explained by the tradition of newlyweds visiting war memorials on their wedding day, and a modern folk belief that if the bride gropes this poor young lad’s privates she’ll be guaranteed children.
