Historical memory doesn’t have period of limitation

Belarus’ Foreign Ministry is hosting exhibitions of old postcards and photographs from the collection of Belarusian historian and collector, Vladimir Lihodedov entitled Minsk

By Veniamin Mikheev

Belarus’ Foreign Ministry is hosting exhibitions of old postcards and photographs from the collection of Belarusian historian and collector, Vladimir Lihodedov entitled Minsk. Time Travel and Moments of the First World War


Author of the collection, Vladimir Lihodedov, answered questions that appeared during a survey of the exhibition


The Minsk. Time Travel exposition is timed to correspond with the 70th anniversary of Belarus’ liberation from the Nazi invaders. The exhibition offers photos depicting Minsk during the late 19th-early 20th centuries, the Great Patriotic War and today. The goal of the exposition is to show photos of Minsk from different periods, by different photographers, but from the same point in the city.

The Moments of the First World War exhibition is aimed at displaying some little-known facts from the history of that period. The exposition gives an opportunity to see the First World War through the eyes of its participants — war photographers from the German and Russian armies. The photos reflect their views on the same events and these events include not only hostilities, but also celebrations, like Christmas. The exhibition is timed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War.

Over 30,000 old postcards and photos were used by Vladimir Lihodedov to prepare his project Looking for Lost Values. Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, Belarus’ Information Minister, Lilia Ananich, noted that the project has had ten years of history and was launched on the pages of the SB. Belarus Segodnya newspaper. The photos from the exhibition were used to illustrate 14 books that were presented to the library of the US Congress, as well as at book exhibitions in Germany, Lithuania and Poland.

“We’re convinced that the project will have a long life, because each photo captures history represented by people and events — the history of Belarus intertwined with the history of other countries and nations. In Belarus, we carefully preserve this history, and cherish the memory of each fallen soldier of any country. This historical memory is an important part of bringing up the younger generation,” believes the Minister.

Ms. Ananich expressed her hope that the exhibition will have a long international journey and will promote humanitarian co-operation and better understanding between people and countries. “It’s very important to find the links between different periods, links that would remind us that we can build a better future for our children through concerted effort,” said the Information Minister.

The exhibition will travel to Zaslavl, where it will be shown during Belarusian Written Language Day. After that it will be displayed in all the regions of the country.

Заметили ошибку? Пожалуйста, выделите её и нажмите Ctrl+Enter