A banner exhibition at the Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno dedicated to the tragedy of Belarusian villages burned during the Great Patriotic War
On February 16, 2022, the Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno hosted an opening of the banner exhibition of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus dedicated to the tragedy of Belarusian villages burned during the Great Patriotic War.
The Dean of the Faculty of History, Communication and Tourism, PhD in History, Associate Professor V. A. Belozorovich drew the attention of students to the need to preserve the objective historical memory of the events of the war. He stressed that a pre-planned and organised policy of extermination was carried out against the peaceful population of our republic; the burned and destroyed villages being one of the tragic symbols.
Director of the University Library N. V. Grinko in his address to the students noted that it is important for them, as future teachers, not only to know and remember the tragic history of our country, but also to pass it on to the younger generation of Belarusians.
Director of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (NARB) A. K. Demyanyuk in his welcoming speech spoke about the work carried out by the Archives to preserve the memory of those terrible events and to introduce documentary sources into scientific circulation. In particular, he noted that a number of collections on the subject had already been published: “Khatyn. Tragedy and Memory”, “Tragedy of the Belarusian Villages, 1941-1944”, “Khatyn Necropolis”, “Burned Villages of Belarus”, “Burned Villages of Russia” and others. With the direct participation of the Archives, a public database “Belarusian villages burned during the Great Patriotic War”, the only one of its kind in the post-Soviet space, was created and actively operates.
Alexander Dyukov, Director of the Historical Memory Foundation (Moscow) described how he participated in interviewing residents of Verhnedvinsk district about the events of the occupation. These valuable memoirs have already been partly published. He also drew attention that a similar database on burned villages is urgently needed for the Russian public.
After the ceremony, a university student gave a tour of the exhibition.
The information was prepared by S. V. Kulinok, Head of the Publications Department.
