The Belarusian State Archives-Museum of Literature and Art marks 60 years since its foundation

On 9 June 2020 the Belarusian State Archives-Museum of Literature and Art marks 60 years since its foundation.

The Belarusian State Archives-Museum of Literature and Art (BGAMLI) was created by Decree of the Council of Ministers of the BSSR on June 9, 1960. Over 60 years of its existence, it has become one of the largest repositories of documentary sources on the history of literature, fine art, theater and music in Belarus. It has 520 fonds and collections created on the basis of personal archives of literary figures and art workers, as well as documents of creative unions, publishing houses, theaters, editorial offices of magazines and newspapers, the Belarusian I. Lutskevich Museum in Vilnius, the Belarusfilm cinema studio, the Belarusian State Philharmonic Society, the Belarusian Academy of Music, etc.

One of the most valuable parts of the National Archival Fonds of the Republic of Belarus are the personal archives of the writers A. Adamovich, A. Babareko, Ya. Bryl, G. Buravkin, M. Goretsky, V. Bykov, K. Kagants, V. Korotkevich, A. Kuleshov, Ya. Kupala, Ya. Kolas, M. Lynkov, I. Melezh, Ya. Pushcha, M. Tank, I. Shamyakin; composers A. Bogatyrev, G. Vagner, E. Glebov, V. Zolotarev, Yu. Semenyako, E. Tikotsky, N. Churkin; actors and directors G. Obukhovich, A. Kistov, A. Klimova, G. Makarova, P. Molchanov, B. Platonov, K. Sannikov, S. Stanuta, V. Vladomirsky, R. Yankovsky; singers L. Alexandrovskaya, I. Bolotin, S. Druker, M. Zabeyda-Sumitsky, R. Mlodak; artists and sculptors I. Akhremchik, V. Volkov, A. Glebov A. Grube, A. Kashkurevich, O. Mariks, S. Selikhanov, A. Tychina and many others.

In recent decades, the Archives-Museum has been actively replenished with documents of Belarusian cultural figures who lived and still live abroad. To the attention of the researchers are the collections of A. Olekhnik (Australia), N. Arsenyeva, Ya. Zaprudnik, V. and Z. Kipel (USA), S. Yanovich, B. Belokozovich, Y. Turonok (Poland), E. Shvedyuk (Great Britain), A. Kovalyuk, A. Kavko, I. Laskov et al. (Russia), V. Tselesh (Latvia), etc.

The Archives-Museum stores rare documents dated from the 19th – early 20th centuries. These are the manuscript of the second part of the “Belarusian Archive of Ancient Charters”, prepared by I. Grigorovich (1825); the manuscript “Belarusian Anthology” of 1889, compiled by Branislau Epіmakh-Shypila; the notebook of the Kostrovitsky family with autographs of the rebels of 1863; art works of Karus Kaganets; biographical documents of Tyotka; the journal “Goman” (1884) handwritten by Belarusian students, members of the “People’s Will” revolutionary political organization; a letter from M. Shagal to his teacher Yu. Peng from Paris (1927-1928) and other documents.

Among the many unique books and publications held by the Archives-Museum are the newspapers Nasha Dolya, Nasha Niva, Free Belarus, Zvon; magazines Maladnyak, Uzvyshsha; an Old Believer reprint of the Psalms of 1645, made in 1849, eight editions (starting from 1898) of the poem “Taras on Parnassus”, first editions of the works of M. Bogdanovich, Ya. Kupala, Ya. Kolas, books of V. Lastovsky, I. Lyosik and many others.

The museum collection totals about a thousand items, the bulk of which are memorabilia of the figures of literature, culture and art: phaleristics, folk costumes, artwork, musical instruments, watches, woodwork, dishes, writing instruments. Among them are personal belongings of B. Tarashkevich, M. Goretsky, A. Babareko, V. Dubovka, K. Builo, V. Vladomirsky, art works by A. Kashkurevich, S. Selikhanov, N. Duchits, A. Tychina, musical instruments of V. Efimov, M. Schneiderman, V. Skorobogatov.

The Archives-Museum organizes thematic and personal exhibitions, publishes documentary collections, prepares publications of historical documents, participates in international and national conferences, works closely with Belarusian and foreign museums, libraries and archives. Since 2001, literary studies “Uzvyshsha Readings” have been held, and since 2003, “Archival Readings”.

There is a reading room for users of BGAMLI documents, which offers catalogues (including electronic ones), inventories, reference books etc. for quick information search.

We invite you to virtually join the celebration of our anniversary on June 9th.