On the participation of the institution «Belarusian State Archive of Film and Photo Documents» in the exhibition «By the Roads of War» (Gagarin, Russian Federation)

If in May 1945 there had not been a victory over fascism on earth, there would not have been a great space victory on April 12, 1961 – a manned flight into space.

It is symbolic that it is on March 9, the birthday of Yuri Gagarin, in the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Culture «United Memorial Museum-Reserve of Y.A.Gagarin» opened a dadatka section of international grammar and science readings «Relay race of memory: there was Peramoga on the ground at Peramoga in space».

The center of this scientific event was the exhibition «Roads of War», prepared by the Belarusian State Archive of Film and Photo Documents (hereinafter – BGAKFFD). To create the exposition, the archive used photographic documents from the collection of V.I.Arkashev, a military photojournalist.

In addition to unique photographs that tell about the hard times of the war, the exhibition tells about the combat path of the 354th Rifle Division of the Kalinkovichi Order of Lenin of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov. Its soldiers in the winter of 1944 took part in the Kalinkovichi-Mozyr operation, in March of the same year 9 thousand prisoners were released from a German concentration camp in the Ozarichi region. The section of the exhibition dedicated to the 354th rifle division, the liberation of the Gomel region and the rescue of the prisoners of the Ozarich death camp, is formed from archival documents from the funds of the BGAKFFD.

The exhibition «Roads of War» became part of the international historical and patriotic project «Relay Race of Memory», dedicated to the brotherhood of Soviet people in the fight against fascism.

Opening of the section «Memory Relay Race: Victory in Space had Victory on Earth». Exhibited photo exhibition «Roads of War» (photo from the site https://museumgagarin.ru)

Scientific reports of the section «Memory Relay Race: Victory in space had Victory on Earth». Exhibited photo exhibition «Roads of War» (photo from the site https://museumgagarin.ru)

Standard of the 354th Rifle Kalinkovichi Order of Lenin Red Banner Order of Suvorov Division (photo from the site https://museumgagarin.ru)