Final touches: a large report from the Museum of the Great Patriotic War, which is preparing to open
The long-awaited event for all Belarusian historians, politicians and caring people - the opening of a new museum of the Great Patriotic War - is already very close. After numerous postponements of the X-hour and contradictory information, periodically received from the first persons of the state, they nevertheless decided on a specific date. The solemn ceremony, in which not only Alexander Lukashenko will take part, but also, most likely, Vladimir Putin, will take place on July 2.
The building, which has been under construction for almost four years, which even the 17-year-old pensioner from Gomel made her 90 millionth contribution, was finally ready to receive visitors.
The architecturally non-trivial structure with a voluminous golden dome and a red flag has long attracted the attention of Minsk residents and guests of the capital. And yet, literally until the last days, the “filling” of the museum remained a mystery to all who were not involved in its construction. In the process of building the building, the Minister of Culture only made hints that “the new museum will present more fully the exhibits that are now stored in the museum’s funds, as well as more multimedia devices will appear”.
Today we can confidently say that the new museum will surely impress not only the already impressionable schoolchildren, but also the older visitors: the halls and expositions are made with scope and soul. And although not all the exhibits are still in place, work continues on the premises, the level of the capital's sight built by the project of architect Viktor Kramarenko is felt.
The area of the new museum is huge - about 15 000 square. m, on 3300 of which 11 exposition halls were located. Given the complex design ideas (broken lines of the facade of the building, numerous passages, including "air", transparent dome), the staff of the institution, accustomed over the years to the classic rectangular rooms, had to do everything to adapt their ideas to an unusually organized space.
The only conspicuous drawback is the absence of really large, flat, vertical surfaces on which it would be possible to place impressively large paintings, which were fully demonstrated in the old museum, which until recently was located on October Square.
It is curious, but the entrance for visitors is located not at all under the attractive bas-reliefs and mirror “salute”. To get into the halls of the museum, you will have to go down the stairs along the fountain that is not yet working to the first level.
It was here, at the place where 27 of April of the far-away 2010 was April, the head of state laid a commemorative capsule with a message to descendants, and the excursions will begin. What hides in a round "funnel" under the boards - while the secret. This will become known only after discovery. But it can be assumed that the inscription “Here, the memory of the memory of the abyss, we are abused by the fire” will “warm” the Eternal Flame.
As for the cost of tickets, this issue has not yet been decided in the museum. One thing is obvious: the entrance will no longer be as cheap as it used to be - for the spectacular installations, the interesting story of the guide and the impressions will have to be paid somewhat more expensively than the visitors of the old museum used to.
The first hall is called “Peace and War” and is rather of a philosophical nature: during the excursions political and geographical maps of the world, beautiful landscapes will be projected onto a huge sphere that is not connected with modern gadgets. The hidden meaning of the demonstrations taking place in the hall is that people must protect the fragile peace and balance on earth.
The second hall tells about a short peaceful pre-war life. The main historical dates: from the signing in 1919 of the Treaty of Versailles to end the First World War to the treacherous invasion of German troops on Soviet soil in 1941. In the old museum, these two "lyrical-philosophical" halls did not exist.
“Our museum of the Great Patriotic War, without exaggeration, is unique, it began to be created during military operations. Imagine, despite the fact that the battle for Moscow was in full swing, the decision was made at the USSR Academy of Sciences to create a commission that would collect documents on the progress of the war ", - tells Vladimir Faletsky, the head of the scientific and methodological work of the museum.
“And on 6 on June 1942, the same commission is being created under the Communist Party of the BSSR,” continues the retired colonel, a participant in the hostilities in Afghanistan, Vladimir Polikarpovich. - In the autumn of 1943, the decision was made to create a museum that would reflect the struggle of the Belarusian people against the Nazi invaders. And after the liberation of Minsk, despite the fact that the capital was very destroyed, one of the surviving buildings on Freedom Square was given to a future museum. Thus, the Belarusian Museum became almost the first in the world, where they began to collect and systematize information on World War II issues. ”
“As you can see, the museum is not yet open, work is going on here day and night, but by July 2 we will do everything”, - confidently declares our guide.
Museum workers and architects have been thinking for a long time over the concept of the largest hall - “The Road of War". Spacious and bright rooms are mostly filled with originals of military equipment. Tanks, airplanes, cars - guides know the history of each unit by heart.
“Here are the most unique exhibits. For example, this car, which was also called the "Lorry", was built in 1932 at the Gorky plant. Before the war, the car was purchased by a collective farm in the Vitebsk region, and with the outbreak of hostilities, the driver Pavel Mikhailov, assigned to the car, was called to the front with the car.
On it, he fought near Moscow, Leningrad, drove the goods into besieged Leningrad and saved the children. Having received two wounds, he nevertheless reached Berlin. When he was discharged from the front, considering all the merits of the Red Army man, they decided to give him this car. On it, he returned to his native Belarusian village. Until his last day, Pavel Mikhailov worked in a car, first raising a collective farm, then helping his fellow villagers, and after his death he bequeathed to his relatives that he give the car to the Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Minsk ”, - Vladimir Faletsky tells a difficult "life" story of the exhibit.
Next door are unique authentic tanks: the all-passable armored Soviet T-34 and the German T-3. Under the ceiling - the main maneuverable fighter of the Red Army I-16 and speed Messerschmitt-109, recognized as the best fighter of the Second World War. A little distance away - "corncob", he is "heavenly slug", he is the "foreman of the front."
It is noteworthy that everything was done in the halls of the new museum, so that even people with disabilities feel comfortable. In addition to the elevators stopping on each floor, the passage from the hall to the hall can be carried out by special wide ramps, which, moreover, have tried to stylize under the runways (small lamps built into the floor covering, reminiscent of signal lights). Climbing up to the "suspension road", you can see the exposure from above.
In the “Defensive Battles” hall, the tour guides tell, there is a most interesting installation that will amaze the visitors. When the museum officially starts its work and all the equipment is connected, an almost authentic picture of the first military operations in the Brest Fortress will appear before the audience. "The fighters sit as if they were alive, and the signalman uninterruptedly reports: "I am a fortress - I fight". It will look very impressive, modern technologies allow us to do a lot ”, - Explain the museum staff.
Several halls of the new museum of the Great Patriotic War are devoted to archival documents. Facility workers agree that school history lessons on World War II can be diversified by visiting the exhibit and studying the materials presented here.
“This sculpture is made of wood. It reflects the real events: one of the Belarusian villages called Levyatichi became a widow because of the war. The villagers still have a tradition: every year women, taking bread and valuables from home, take to the road that their husbands and fathers once went to the front. They ask God to return their relatives to them ", - Vladimir Polikarpovich explains.
On the highest floor, under the transparent dome, there is a snow-white and “Victory Hall” flooded with light. It lists the names of all Belarusian military units and immortalized the names of fellow countrymen who received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The museum contains more than 140 thousand exhibits, however, visitors can see only about 15 thousand of them - the most valuable and interesting. As employees of the institution say, in the old museum, only 10 thousand copies were exhibited in the old museum. Near each exhibit are information plates with text in Russian, Belarusian and English.
“As we expect, each excursion will last about one and a half hours. Although, to tell the truth, the information that I would like to share with people is much more - and it’s not enough for three hours to tell everything - the museum staff share their observations. “We have been working here for decades, we communicated a lot with front-line soldiers, absorbed everything they said, so many stories and knowledge have accumulated. In general, this is a completely new museum, in which modern technologists are actively used. We are already receiving applications from those who wish to visit the exhibition. ”
In addition to 11 exhibition halls, the new museum has a conference room for one hundred seats and a cafe with the symbolic name “On a Halt”.
The building, which has been under construction for almost four years, which even the 17-year-old pensioner from Gomel made her 90 millionth contribution, was finally ready to receive visitors.
The architecturally non-trivial structure with a voluminous golden dome and a red flag has long attracted the attention of Minsk residents and guests of the capital. And yet, literally until the last days, the “filling” of the museum remained a mystery to all who were not involved in its construction. In the process of building the building, the Minister of Culture only made hints that “the new museum will present more fully the exhibits that are now stored in the museum’s funds, as well as more multimedia devices will appear”.
Today we can confidently say that the new museum will surely impress not only the already impressionable schoolchildren, but also the older visitors: the halls and expositions are made with scope and soul. And although not all the exhibits are still in place, work continues on the premises, the level of the capital's sight built by the project of architect Viktor Kramarenko is felt.
The area of the new museum is huge - about 15 000 square. m, on 3300 of which 11 exposition halls were located. Given the complex design ideas (broken lines of the facade of the building, numerous passages, including "air", transparent dome), the staff of the institution, accustomed over the years to the classic rectangular rooms, had to do everything to adapt their ideas to an unusually organized space.
The only conspicuous drawback is the absence of really large, flat, vertical surfaces on which it would be possible to place impressively large paintings, which were fully demonstrated in the old museum, which until recently was located on October Square.
It is curious, but the entrance for visitors is located not at all under the attractive bas-reliefs and mirror “salute”. To get into the halls of the museum, you will have to go down the stairs along the fountain that is not yet working to the first level.
It was here, at the place where 27 of April of the far-away 2010 was April, the head of state laid a commemorative capsule with a message to descendants, and the excursions will begin. What hides in a round "funnel" under the boards - while the secret. This will become known only after discovery. But it can be assumed that the inscription “Here, the memory of the memory of the abyss, we are abused by the fire” will “warm” the Eternal Flame.
As for the cost of tickets, this issue has not yet been decided in the museum. One thing is obvious: the entrance will no longer be as cheap as it used to be - for the spectacular installations, the interesting story of the guide and the impressions will have to be paid somewhat more expensively than the visitors of the old museum used to.
The first hall is called “Peace and War” and is rather of a philosophical nature: during the excursions political and geographical maps of the world, beautiful landscapes will be projected onto a huge sphere that is not connected with modern gadgets. The hidden meaning of the demonstrations taking place in the hall is that people must protect the fragile peace and balance on earth.
The second hall tells about a short peaceful pre-war life. The main historical dates: from the signing in 1919 of the Treaty of Versailles to end the First World War to the treacherous invasion of German troops on Soviet soil in 1941. In the old museum, these two "lyrical-philosophical" halls did not exist.
“Our museum of the Great Patriotic War, without exaggeration, is unique, it began to be created during military operations. Imagine, despite the fact that the battle for Moscow was in full swing, the decision was made at the USSR Academy of Sciences to create a commission that would collect documents on the progress of the war ", - tells Vladimir Faletsky, the head of the scientific and methodological work of the museum.
“And on 6 on June 1942, the same commission is being created under the Communist Party of the BSSR,” continues the retired colonel, a participant in the hostilities in Afghanistan, Vladimir Polikarpovich. - In the autumn of 1943, the decision was made to create a museum that would reflect the struggle of the Belarusian people against the Nazi invaders. And after the liberation of Minsk, despite the fact that the capital was very destroyed, one of the surviving buildings on Freedom Square was given to a future museum. Thus, the Belarusian Museum became almost the first in the world, where they began to collect and systematize information on World War II issues. ”
“As you can see, the museum is not yet open, work is going on here day and night, but by July 2 we will do everything”, - confidently declares our guide.
Museum workers and architects have been thinking for a long time over the concept of the largest hall - “The Road of War". Spacious and bright rooms are mostly filled with originals of military equipment. Tanks, airplanes, cars - guides know the history of each unit by heart.
“Here are the most unique exhibits. For example, this car, which was also called the "Lorry", was built in 1932 at the Gorky plant. Before the war, the car was purchased by a collective farm in the Vitebsk region, and with the outbreak of hostilities, the driver Pavel Mikhailov, assigned to the car, was called to the front with the car.
On it, he fought near Moscow, Leningrad, drove the goods into besieged Leningrad and saved the children. Having received two wounds, he nevertheless reached Berlin. When he was discharged from the front, considering all the merits of the Red Army man, they decided to give him this car. On it, he returned to his native Belarusian village. Until his last day, Pavel Mikhailov worked in a car, first raising a collective farm, then helping his fellow villagers, and after his death he bequeathed to his relatives that he give the car to the Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Minsk ”, - Vladimir Faletsky tells a difficult "life" story of the exhibit.
Next door are unique authentic tanks: the all-passable armored Soviet T-34 and the German T-3. Under the ceiling - the main maneuverable fighter of the Red Army I-16 and speed Messerschmitt-109, recognized as the best fighter of the Second World War. A little distance away - "corncob", he is "heavenly slug", he is the "foreman of the front."
It is noteworthy that everything was done in the halls of the new museum, so that even people with disabilities feel comfortable. In addition to the elevators stopping on each floor, the passage from the hall to the hall can be carried out by special wide ramps, which, moreover, have tried to stylize under the runways (small lamps built into the floor covering, reminiscent of signal lights). Climbing up to the "suspension road", you can see the exposure from above.
In the “Defensive Battles” hall, the tour guides tell, there is a most interesting installation that will amaze the visitors. When the museum officially starts its work and all the equipment is connected, an almost authentic picture of the first military operations in the Brest Fortress will appear before the audience. "The fighters sit as if they were alive, and the signalman uninterruptedly reports: "I am a fortress - I fight". It will look very impressive, modern technologies allow us to do a lot ”, - Explain the museum staff.
Several halls of the new museum of the Great Patriotic War are devoted to archival documents. Facility workers agree that school history lessons on World War II can be diversified by visiting the exhibit and studying the materials presented here.
“This sculpture is made of wood. It reflects the real events: one of the Belarusian villages called Levyatichi became a widow because of the war. The villagers still have a tradition: every year women, taking bread and valuables from home, take to the road that their husbands and fathers once went to the front. They ask God to return their relatives to them ", - Vladimir Polikarpovich explains.
On the highest floor, under the transparent dome, there is a snow-white and “Victory Hall” flooded with light. It lists the names of all Belarusian military units and immortalized the names of fellow countrymen who received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The museum contains more than 140 thousand exhibits, however, visitors can see only about 15 thousand of them - the most valuable and interesting. As employees of the institution say, in the old museum, only 10 thousand copies were exhibited in the old museum. Near each exhibit are information plates with text in Russian, Belarusian and English.
“As we expect, each excursion will last about one and a half hours. Although, to tell the truth, the information that I would like to share with people is much more - and it’s not enough for three hours to tell everything - the museum staff share their observations. “We have been working here for decades, we communicated a lot with front-line soldiers, absorbed everything they said, so many stories and knowledge have accumulated. In general, this is a completely new museum, in which modern technologists are actively used. We are already receiving applications from those who wish to visit the exhibition. ”
In addition to 11 exhibition halls, the new museum has a conference room for one hundred seats and a cafe with the symbolic name “On a Halt”.
Information