Opening of the Exhibition on the Trial of Nazi Criminals, «The Verdict of History», at the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War

On January 29, 2026, the temporary exhibition «The Verdict of History» opened at the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, marking the 80th anniversary of the Minsk Trial.

The exhibition is based on an analysis of case materials on massacres and punitive operations, eyewitness testimony, and materials from the collections of the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus, and the Belarusian State Archive of Film, Photo, and Sound Documents.

For the exhibition, the Belarusian State Academy of Film and Television Arts (BSAF) presented the film «The People’s Trial», 1946, directed by Yuri Mikhailovich Stalmakov and produced by the Soviet Belarus Film Studio in four parts. The film focuses on the crimes committed by Richter, Herf, and Erdmannsdorff. Film fragments and newsreel inserts were subsequently used in the production of other documentaries.

Andrei Gonchar, Director of the Belarusian State Film, Photo, and Sound Documentation Archive, emphasized in his speech that the exhibition speaks and remembers the sacrifice made by the Belarusian people during the terrible years of the Great Patriotic War. «I recommend everyone see the film that documented the trial. You can talk a lot and read the documents, but when you look at the footage, where the camera captures witness testimony and the impassive faces of the criminals, who do not discuss their crimes, it is sometimes very difficult to watch», he added.

The Belarusian State Film, Photo, and Sound Documentation Archive contains a large collection of documents dedicated to the history of Belarus during the Great Patriotic War, including the trials. Among them are 150 photographs documenting the trial itself, the faces of the participants, witnesses, judges, and the criminals themselves.

A.K.Demyanyuk, Director of the National archives of the Republic of Belarus. He donated the collection «Wilhelm Kube. Nazi Occupation Policy in Belarus, 1941-1943: Documents and Materials» to the museum and spoke about the preparation of archival documents from the Minsk Trial, which will be published in 2026.

The exhibition will remain open until March 2.

1. General view of those present at the exhibition, Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, Minsk, January 29, 2026.

2. Director of the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, A.N.Gonchar, and Director of the National Archives of Belarus, A.K.Demyanyuk. At the exhibition, Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Minsk, January 29, 2026.

3. View of spectators at an event at the Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Minsk, January 29, 2026.

4. Viewers examine documents at the exhibition «The Verdict of History», Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Minsk, January 29, 2026.

5. Photographic documents from the BGAKFFD archive, taken for the exhibition, Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Minsk, January 29, 2026.