By Tatiana Pastushenkova
The interesting and well-illustrated chronicle of life of the Belarusian capital describes its history — from its foundation to modern times. Famous Minskers grace its pages: artists, architects, writers, composers and those who protected it in times of military conflicts. The reader is taken on a journey through its streets, squares, parks, museums and theatres, exploring architectural monuments and other unique sites. A multimedia CD of songs, photos and video clips is included, with articles in Belarusian and English.
The National History Museum hosted the launch of the edition, at which Belarus’ Deputy Culture Minister, Tadeush Struzhetsky, noted the importance of the series. He is confident that increasing numbers of poets and writers, as well as artistes and photographers, historians and researchers will join the project each year.
“Minsk is a separate region with a special history. After the Great Patriotic War, it needed to be rebuilt. Primarily, those who resided here undertook the job. The edition describes these people,” explained Victor Yakzhik, Belarus’ Deputy Education Minister. He believes that the series will sell well, at home and abroad.
The Education Ministry has been annually organising the I’m Proud to Live in Belarus project, for children, teenagers and students. This gives them the opportunity to show their talents through amateur film making, photography, drawing, map making and historical research — all designed to show the beauties and wonders of our native land.
In 2010, the Cities and Historical Places of Belarus series was launched with Naum Galperovich and Natalia Vanina’s Polotsk — Father of Belarusian Cities. The next edition will be devoted to Grodno.
