A presentation of the book “Minsk: from Ruins to Prosperity” was held at the XXVIII Minsk International Book Fair

A presentation of the book “Minsk: from Ruins to Prosperity” was held at the XXVIII Minsk International Book Fair on February 19, 2021. The book was prepared by the Belarusian State Archives of Films, Photographs and Sound Recordings (BGAKFFD) together with the publishing house “Belarusian Encyclopedia named after Petrus Brovka”.

The edition has been prepared on the basis of exclusive postwar photographs and film documents available from BGAKFFD holdings (in all, there are 145 photographs and cinema footage from two documentaries “Our Minsk” (1944) and “Minsk is Getting Renewed” (1946). One of special features in the publication is the possibility to see unique newsreels with QR codes in the book and a smartphone. The book also contains photos by leading modern photographers and comments by a professional historian and guide I. Satsukevich.

The thematic presentation-excursion was held with the participation of representatives of BGAKFFD, the publishing house “Belarusian Encyclopedia named after Petrus Brovka” and the author of the text of the book.

The presented richly illustrated publication shows what damage was done to Minsk during the Nazi occupation, how the whole of Belarus rebuilt the capital in the post-war years and in what directions urban building is developing in sovereign Belarus. The book will bring a lot of new impressions to a wide circle of readers and gives a vivid insight into the little-known pages of Minsk’s history.