Opening of the exhibition «In Memory of the Eternal Flame»

Published: May 08, 2024

On May 7, the exhibition «In Memory of the Eternal Flame,» dedicated to Victory Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders, was opened at the exhibition complex of the National Library of Belarus.

The project was prepared jointly by the National Archive of the Republic of Belarus, the National Library of Belarus, the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, the State Museum of the History of Belarusian Literature, the Belarusian Union of Artists, the National Film Studio «Belarusfilm», the Belarusian Red Cross, the Museum of the History of Medicine of the Republic of Belarus.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition project was attended by Director General of the National Library of Belarus Vadim Gigin, Chairman of the Standing Commission of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus on Health, Physical Culture, Family and Youth Policy Valery Malashko, Deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, Secretary General of the Belarusian Red Cross Dmitry Shevtsov, Director of the State Museum of the History of Belarusian Literature Sergei Usik, Director of the National Archive of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Demyanyuk, First Deputy Chairman of the Public Association «Belarusian Union of Artists» Natalya Sharangovich, Editor of the «Culture» channel of the Belarusian Radio of the National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus Lika Ptashuk.

The exhibition project presents rich documentary, book and visual material about the contribution of Belarusians and the entire Soviet people to the liberation of the country from the Nazi invaders. In thematic and chronological order, the heroic confrontation of the first months of 1941, the tragic circumstances of the occupation regime and the policy of genocide, the courageous anti-fascist resistance of Belarusians in the ranks of partisans and underground fighters, the victorious path of hero-liberators through Belarus to the West are shown.

At the exhibition, the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus presented unique documents:

– Minutes of the meeting of the Bureau of the Central Committee of the CP(b)B dated June 22, 1941 on the German attack on the USSR;

– a memorandum from the secretary of the Nesvizh district committee of the CP(b)B to the Central Committee of the CP(b)B on the situation in the region in the first days of the war;

– an act on the atrocities of the Nazi invaders in the Ozarichi death camp, drawn up in 1944 by Soviet citizens driven there;

– a quantitative diagram of rails undermined by Belarusian partisans on the most important railway lines in August – November 1943;

– a diagram of the growth in the scale of the partisan movement in Belarus from June 1942 to May 1944;

– a map of Belarus with the dates of the liberation of settlements from the Nazi invaders in 1944;

– minutes of the meeting of the Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus with proposals for the construction of the Mound of Glory and the Khatyn memorial complex in 1969;

– and other archival documents.

A special place in the exhibition is occupied by a section dedicated to the work of medical workers on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. Archival documents, posters, personal belongings and awards, wartime and post-war essays about the exploits of doctors on the battlefields are exhibited.

Among the books presented are editions of classics of Belarusian graphics by L. Ossetsky, P. Durchin, L. Rana, A. Kashkurevich and others. Sculptural compositions by M. Petrul, A. Sorokin, A. Krakhalev, Kh. Asadulaev allow you to see the fire of eternal memories with your own eyes.

The project will include screenings of thematic films: «War Under the Roofs» (1967), «Sons Go to Battle» (1969) directed by V. Turov, «Sign of Trouble» (1986) and «In August ’44…» ( 2000) directed by M. Ptashuk. The exhibition presents documents from the director’s family archive: photographs from the set, posters, manuscripts with distribution of scenes, scripts, personal belongings of the master.

Within the framework of the project, electronic resources created on the basis of archival materials are mentioned: «Partisans of Belarus», «Belarus Remembers. We remember everyone», «Chronicle of the liberation of Belarus», «Belarusian villages burned during the Great Patriotic War» and others. Their QR codes will be placed in the exhibition so that everyone can find their own threads to the eternal memory of the heroes who gave us freedom and a peaceful sky.