Great Patriotic War Museum in Minsk _ Belarus
The Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War was the worldís first museum to tell the story of the bloodiest war of the 20th
century, and the only one in Belarus created during the years of Nazi occupation.
Today it is one of the most important and biggest war museums in the world, along with the well-stocked museums in Moscow, Kiev, and New Orleans.
ÖIn those terrible years Belarus lost every third resident.
More than 3 million people died, including about 50,000 partisans and underground fighters.
Throughout the country there were 250 death camps, including the infamous Trostenets, one of the largest after Auschwitz, Majdanek and Treblinka...
History of the Museum
The collection of the world's first museum of the Great Patriotic War was founded in June 1942 when no one could predict how long the war would
last...
Future exhibits were sent directly from the frontlines to the special republican commission which was set up to collect the documents and materials
about the Great Patriotic War.
The commission was working out from Moscow where it was evacuated to during the war.
Among the museumís first assets were the chronicles about the partisan movement, printed and handwritten books, handmade weapons...
For nearly six months there was gap in the frontline near Vitebsk, the so-called Vitebsk Gate.
Valuable items, material evidence of the atrocities of the enemy were brought through it to Moscow and were put on display in the State History
Museum.
In November 1942 the Muscovites saw an impressive exposition titled as "Belarus lives, Belarus is fighting, Belarus will remain Soviet."
It stayed open until August 1944 when it was moved to the liberated Minsk.
The museum, the guardian of the memory about the courage and tragedy of the Belarusian people, was given one of the few intact buildings in the
destructed and looted Minsk.
It opened to the public on 22 October 1944.
The first expositions about the weapons of the partisans and military print media grew bigger with new rarities.
Already in 1944 the museum workers explored the place of the Trostenets death camp.
In 1949, they participated in the first excavations in the heroic Brest Fortress...
In 1966, the museum moved to a building specially built for it in the central square of Minsk (now Oktyabrskaya Square).
A unique open-air exposition of military equipment and weapons was opened in 1977 next to the museum.
New Museum Building
New Museum BuildingOver decades of research into the Great Patriotic War the museumís collection has grown many times:
even now it gains 700ó800 priceless rarities every year.
In the 21st century upon the initiative of the Belarus president plans were made to create new premises for the museum that will boast more
exhibition space and modern technologies to tell and demonstrate more facts about the tragic warÖ
Prominent Belarusians took part in designing the premises, including coauthor of the designs of the Minsk railway terminal and the National Library,
professor of the International Architecture Academy Viktor Kramarenko, and also Leonid Levin one of the creators of the famous Khatyn Memorial,
an Honored Architect of Belarus Ö
The renewed museum was solemnly opened on 2 July 2014 on the eve of Independence Day and was kind of a tribute to the 70th anniversary of Belarusí
liberation from the Nazi invaders.
Panorama of the Pobeditelei Avenue.
Procession on Independence DayThe magnificent building with the total area of 15,600m2 was erected in a significant place of the Belarusian capital ñ
in the Heroes Square next to the stela Minsk - Hero City and the museum and park complex Pobeda.
Military parades and festive marches took place nearby ñ along the Pobeditelei Avenue.
The current premises of the museum are impressive not only due to their scale but also symbolism that reflects major milestones of the history of
1941-1945.
The composition represents four main blocks to match the number of years of the war and the army fronts that took part in Belarusí liberation.
The front facade looks like a festive salute: 11 sparkling rays made of stainless steel to symbolize the Great Victory and at the same time 1,100
tragic days and nights of Minskís occupation.
The project of new museum premises.
The front facadeThe serious sheen of the metal used for the decoration "speaks" of the war while the golden sparkle of the glass signifies the
victory and the greatest treasure that is peace.
The design of the new museum premises gently combines stupendous features and modern technologies.
Glass niches are complemented with wide plasma screens.
Thanks to laser lights ìthe rays of the saluteî seem to penetrate the night sky underscoring the overall outline of the entire museum premises.
Directly above is a 45-meter stela Minsk ñ Hero City.
It was opened in 1985 for the 40th anniversary of the Great Victory.
The sculpture Mother Motherland is located nearby.
The Heroes Square is embellished by a fountain of 170 jets to match the number of Belarusian populated localities that were liberated by the Soviet
army during the war.
Like us and Join us at Xtreme Collections for more fun and knowledge.