Exhibition project «Forever Together»

September 17, 1939 is the most important day in the history of the Belarusian people. The liberation campaign of the Red Army helped the residents of Western Belarus to reunite into a single Belarusian people.

The opening of the joint exhibition project «Forever Together» took place in the exhibition complex of the National Library of Belarus. It is dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the reunification of Western Belarus and the BSSR and to the Day of National Unity. The exhibition presents book-documentary and artistic-illustrative expositions, comprehensively revealing the meaning and significance of the holiday, symbolizing the unity of the people of Belarus in the pursuit of peace and independence.

The book-documentary part of the exhibition is organized with the participation of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus. The central part of the exposition is revealed through thematic sections: «Liberation Campaign of the Red Army», «People’s Assembly of Western Belarus» and «Establishment of Peaceful Life in Western Belarus». The exhibition gives visitors the opportunity to get acquainted with copies of archival documents of the central authorities: declarations, draft resolutions, telegrams of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (bolsheviks) of Belarus, the Council of People’s Commissars of the BSSR, reports of the People’s Commissariats of the BSSR, leaflets, minutes of meetings of the Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (bolsheviks) of Belarus, photographs and periodicals of the autumn of 1939.

The presented book editions in the sections «September 17 in the Historical Memory of the Belarusian People», «Life in Western Belarus», «Voices of Western Belarus» show not only the facts and events of that time, but also convey the atmosphere of everyday life of Belarusians and the mood of the intelligentsia of Western Belarus. Most poets and writers responded to this event with journalism or poetry.

The works of art of the participants of the first meeting of the Union of Artists of Belarus, presented in the exhibition, vividly convey the peculiarity of this significant time in the history of the country. For artists and sculptors, the reunification of Western Belarus and the BSSR became an impetus for active creative and organizational activities.

The central part of the exhibition entitled «In a United Belarusian Family» presents printed publications dedicated to the holiday – National Unity Day, established by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated June 7, 2021 No. 206. Books about the activities of various diasporas living in our country confirm that Belarus remains a country where, regardless of religion and religious affiliation, people can live and work comfortably and preserve their traditions.

The exhibition project serves as a reminder of the self-sufficiency of the Belarusian nation, the inviolability of Belarusian statehood, symbolizes the continuity of generations, forms a sense of involvement of each citizen in the fate of the country and strengthens the cohesion of society on the path to building a strong, sovereign and prosperous Belarus.

1. Exhibition poster

2. Visitors to the exhibition get acquainted with the documents of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus

3. Documents of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus at the exhibition

4. Archival documents at the exhibition