The State Archives of the Vitebsk Region officially opened the «Volgograd-Vitebsk: Memory of Generations» project

The «Volgograd-Vitebsk: Memory of Generations» project will be implemented in 2026 by the regional state archives of the Volgograd and Vitebsk regions as part of a cooperation agreement between the two regions.

The project was officially opened on March 12, 2026.

Invited to the opening were the administration of the Zheleznodorozhny district of Vitebsk, heads of the Vitebsk education departments, and representatives of the teaching staffs of colleges, gymnasiums, secondary schools, and art schools.

The co-sponsors of the project on behalf of the State Archives of the Vitebsk Region are: the administration of the Zheleznodorozhny district of Vitebsk, the State Institution «Vitebsk Regional Library named after V.I. Lenin», the cultural institution «Vitebsk Regional Museum of the Hero of the Soviet Union M.F.Shmyrev», and the Limited Liability Company «Football Club «ML Vitebsk». Vitebsk Regional Branch of the Belarusian Society of Archivists.

Territorial coverage: Vitebsk and Volgograd.

The main theme of the project is to perpetuate the memory of those who fought in the Battle of Stalingrad (July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943) and the liberation of Vitebsk during the Belarusian offensive operation «Bagration» (June 25-26, 1944).

Project participants: students from gymnasiums, secondary schools, art schools, and colleges in Vitebsk and Volgograd, members of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union of Vitebsk, and youth societies in Volgograd. Ages: 6 to 17.

The Project’s Goal: To instill in children, adolescents, and young adults respect for the memory of the heroes who gave their lives fighting the Nazi invaders, a sense of pride in the victorious nation, and a reminder of the value of peaceful life.

The Project’s Main Objectives:

– To promote the heroism of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War through the events of the Battle of Stalingrad (1943) and the liberation of Vitebsk during the Belarusian offensive operation «Bagration» (1944);
– To promote one of Volgograd’s main monuments, the House of Soldier’s Glory (Pavlov’s House), a monument complex in Volgograd dedicated to the defenders of Stalingrad;
– To promote one of the Republic of Belarus’s outstanding memorial complexes, the monument in honor of Soviet soldiers-liberators, partisans, and underground fighters on Victory Square in Vitebsk;
– fostering respect, based on the memory of the courage of soldiers and home front workers, for the heroism of our ancestors who liberated the world from fascism;
– cultivating a sense of responsibility for preserving the truth about the Great Patriotic War.

The project includes an educational phase and a creative competition.

During the educational phase of the Project, it is planned to hold a series of educational lectures, meetings, and exhibitions about the heroic defense of Stalingrad and the liberation of Vitebsk, as well as about the monumental sculptures of the two cities that capture the memory of Soviet soldiers, underground fighters, partisans, and civilians who died during the Great Patriotic War.

Concurrently, as part of the Project, the archives are announcing a creative competition among students and young people.

At the opening of the project, guests were presented with:

– a photo exhibition «Monuments to the Great Victory» (Cultural Institution «Vitebsk Regional Museum of Hero of the Soviet Union M.F. Shmyrev»);
– poster exhibitions of archival documents «The Memory of Heroes Is Eternal» (State Treasury Institution of the Volgograd Region «State Archives of the Volgograd Region») and «In the Summer of 1944» (State Archives of the Vitebsk Region);
– banner exhibition of documents «Funnel after crater, this land is gouged and twisted..». (State Archives of the Vitebsk Region).

Presentations were held:

– the «Open Film Archive» project;
– the republican campaign «Archives for Schools».

Books published by the «State Archives of the Vitebsk Region» based on archival documents were donated to educational institution libraries.

A requiem concert in memory of the heroes of Stalingrad and Vitebsk was held as part of the opening.

1. Banner for the «Volgograd-Vitebsk: Memory of Generations» project

2. Gift from a participant in the grand opening of the «Volgograd-Vitebsk: Memory of Generations» project

3. Presentation of the «In the Summer of 1944» exhibition by Svetlana Myasoedova, leading archivist at the State Archives of the Vitebsk Region.

4. Alexander Vladimirovich Sysoev, head of the Zheleznodorozhny District Administration of Vitebsk, spoke at the opening of the project.

5. Welcome address from the State Archives of the Volgograd Region was given at the opening of the «Volgograd-Vitebsk: Memory of Generations» project.

6. Alexander Nikolayevich Korol, director of the State Archives of the Vitebsk Region, spoke at the opening of the project.

7. Excerpt from the requiem concert in memory of the heroes of Stalingrad and Vitebsk.