Zaronovo magnet

She has compiled a collection of 30,000 exhibits and helps families find missing soldiers:
the remarkable story of Lyudmila Nikitina

There is a unique place in Vitebsk Region, where history comes alive and the memories of the past are passed down through generations. This is the History of Zaronovo Region folk comprehensive museum.
It was established nearly 40 years ago by a teacher, local historian, and recipient of the Person of the Year in Vitebsk Region — 2011 title, Lyudmila Nikitina, who continues to lead it to this day.

Everything in its right place 

Lyudmila, originally from Baranovichi District and born Kardash, arrived in Zaronovo in 1982. As a distance student at Vitebsk Pedagogical Institute, she took up the role of Belarusian language and literature teacher at a local school. On May 9th, 1986, the school director appointed her, the youngest and most proactive teacher, as the person responsible for military-patriotic education. This marked the beginning of the museum’s history, which now boasts over 30,000 exhibits, as remembered by Lyudmila Konstantinovna [Nikitina], “The school had a corner dedicated to military glory, where helmets, fragments, photographs, and letters from those searching for their relatives were kept. About fifty items became the first exhibits of the museum. The rest we collected ourselves with the students during hikes and expeditions.”
An interesting fact: after finishing the Molchad sanatorium boarding school, Lyudmila attempted to enrol in the history department of a Grodno institute three times but did not succeed due to the high competition. During the gaps between entrance examinations, she worked as a pioneer leader in her hometown. Following her third unsuccessful attempt, she went for ‘rehabilitation’ to her aunt in Polotsk, where she went to serve in the army as a signal operator. It was from there that she enrolled in the correspondence course of the Faculty of Philology in Vitebsk. She spent decades teaching the Belarusian language and literature at a Zaronovo school while simultaneously developing the museum. Despite the fact that she did not complete her degree in history, she has dedicated her life to studying it. Everything fell right into place.

Missing but not forgotten

The primary mission of the Zaronovo museum is to restore the names of the soldiers who perished in these lands during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Lyudmila Nikitina’s team includes retirees, schoolchildren, her husband Piotr, and son Stanislav, who has become the museum custodian. “When we first started, the local memorial contained around 4,500 names, and today there are already 10,700,” the local historian recounted. “We collaborate with military enlistment offices, district executive committees, and search teams. Any awards and items found during the Memory Watch events are passed on to grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”

Descendants of fallen soldiers frequently discover their relatives thanks to the efforts of Lyudmila Nikitina and her assistants. Over decades of work to resurrect these names from oblivion, many poignant stories have surfaced.

One such story involves a soldier named Sergei Borovsky, who died in these lands on February 13th, 1944. “Exactly 80 years later, to the day, on February 13th, 2024, a call came in from Rostov-on-Don. The granddaughter was searching for her grandfather’s burial site. When I saw in our database that Borovsky had fallen on that very day eighty years ago, we both burst into tears, without saying a word.”
On that day, Stanislav Nikitin brought flowers. When the children from the Young Guides club at the museum arrived, Lyudmila Nikitina shared the story of the fallen yet not forgotten soldier. The youth, together with the older generation, laid flowers at the memorial beside the stone bearing Sergei Borovsky’s name. “Some time later, the granddaughter sent a letter to her grandfather on five sheets of paper. That was when I cried for the second time,” reminisced the museum’s founder.

Culture unites

The museum in Zaronovo serves not only as a repository for precious artifacts and a venue for military-patriotic education but also as a genuine hub for the cultural life of the local community. Concerts and exhibitions are held here, along with celebrations of various holidays.

In organising each event, Lyudmila Nikitina engages children, pensioners, and war veterans, striving to connect generations. “During traditional folk celebrations — Kalyady, Spring Calling, Kupala — we conduct rites and organise theatrical performances,” shared Lyudmila. “Children participate in reconstructions, contests, and write research papers on local history. The key lesson I impart to the students is to listen — not merely pretending to listen, but truly hearing. Only then can one learn something meaningful. And, of course, I encourage the older generation to care for the younger, while instilling respect for elders in the younger ones.”

Exhibits from History of Zaronovo Region museum               Yelena Alimova

Fostering love for one’s homeland

Lyudmila Nikitina is often sought out as a consultant on the history of Vitebsk District. Under her guidance, films and television programmes have been produced, and books have been written. She herself is the author of several historical publications, with particular pride in those that recount the stories of local residents who fought and fell for their homeland — Let Us Remember Everyone by Name and Zaronovo Remembers. As a present for her 65th birthday in November, she released a book titled Fun Tales for Gatherings, compiling toasts, riddles, and other folklore for the soul — a gift for herself and her friends.
Like 40 years ago, Lyudmila Nikitina remains a vibrant figure in civil society today. In addition to her museum work, she leads the veterans’ organisation of the Zaronovo village council and the district council of senior citizens. Her contributions have been recognised with over twenty various medals and honorary awards from Belarus and Russia, and in 2011, she was honoured with the Person of the Year in Vitebsk Region title.
What dreams does a woman with such a bright life hold?
“I wish for the museum to continue thriving and developing, for Zaronovo to remain on the map and in the hearts of people. I also want the youth to return to their small motherland and live here, for more children to be born, and for the school in Zaronovo to be revived. Therefore, the most important thing I instil in the students is a love for their native land. I work so that Zaronovo endures, and that people become kinder,” confessed Lyudmila Nikitina.  

From distant lands — for potatoes and crumpets

The museum has become a distinctive calling card for Zaronovo, with a reputation that extends far beyond the agro-town itself. Every year, over 2,000 visitors from Belarus, Russia, Italy, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, China, India, and other countries come to the establishment. Up to 200 tours are conducted annually. Lyudmila Nikitina does not adhere to a scripted narrative: each group of visitors receives a personalised approach. One commonality remains: the museum hostess presents history in a way that resonates deeply. “When local people visit, I focus on their families and lineage. I was once greatly pleased by a comment: ‘You know more about us than we know about ourselves’. How come? This is because we undertake extensive and thorough work in the archives and record personal recollections,” Lyudmila Nikitina explained.
During tours of the Zaronovo museum, tourists remember not only items steeped in history and astonishing life stories. Visitors are also left with indelible impressions from the interactive experiences offered. Here, guests can try on traditional Belarusian attire, play folk instruments, and even sample Nikitina-style crumpets and freshly baked potatoes, lovingly served by the hospitable hostess.

By Yelena Alimova