The memory of the siege of Leningrad in documents, photographs and objects from museum expositions of the city and region illustrated in the Presidential Library

The Presidential Library will provide opportunity to visit more than a dozen besieged expositions in one place at the exhibition “Materialized Memory: Defence and Siege of Leningrad in Museum Expositions. Marking the 75th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi siege”. Documents, photographs, items from widely and little-known expositions and collections of various institutions in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region are among the exhibits. They illustrate the defence and siege of the city in various aspects. The grand opening of the exhibition will take place on January 24, 2019 at 14:00 in the building on the Senate Square, 3.

Today in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region there are more than 130 museum exhibitions devoted to the defence and siege of Leningrad. Each of them is unique, as well as the result of the work of professionals and enthusiasts to preserve the historical heritage of the hero city. What matters is not only genuine exhibits telling about the life of besieged Leningrad and the struggle for its liberation - today, modern digital technologies are used, including virtual tours of museums, thanks to which various exhibitions are becoming more accessible for visiting and studying.

By combining exhibits from the collections of various institutions on one site, the Presidential Library offers in its entirety, and sometimes from unexpected sides, a look at the tragic and heroic pages of our history. What was the way of life of the family during the siege? What books did Leningrad residents read? How was fire safety and medicine organized? What did the Baltic underwater war mean for the besieged city? What animals survived the siege in the Leningrad Zoo and how much effort did it cost the staff?

Each exhibitor, whether it is a school museum, a museum of a search party or a production association, a museum at the federal, regional or city level, keeps a fragment of common memory, contributing to the creation of a complete picture of our history.

The partners of the exhibition are the Novoladozhsky branch “Museum Agency”, the Ivangorod branch “Museum Agency”, the Kingisepp branch “Museum Agency”, “Center for Exhibition and Museum Projects”, the library “Museum of the Besieged City Museum” of the Moscow Central District, Museum “Road of Life” of St. Petersburg “Automechanical College”, Museum of the History of Izhora Plants “BUSINESS PARK IZHORA”, Museum of Sredne-Nevsky Shipbuilding Plant, the Marinesco St. Petersburg State Budgetary Institution of Culture “Museum of the History of the Underwater Forces of Russia”, St. Petersburg State Unitary Enterprise “Zoo” (Leningrad Zoo), “ Ingria Search Team”, the National Library of Russia, Konchaev Fire and Technical Exhibition of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the city of St. Petersburg, Mendeleev Metrological Museum of ROSSTANDART, Museum of Military Glory of the 63rd Guards Rifle Division of the Secondary Medical School № 223, the Military Medical Museum of the Ministry of Defenсe of the Russian Federation.

The exhibition will run up to May 13, 2019. To visit the exhibition, please, pre-register by phone (812) 334-25-14 or send an email to: excursion@prlib.ru.

 Accreditation for media representatives is available until 13:00, January 23, 2019.

Please forward applications for accreditation following the attached form with the note “Media Accreditation” at media@prlib.ru, bazanov@prlib.ru, Denis Bazanov, tel. (812) 305-16-21, ext. 781; mob. +7 981 170-67-90.

The letter should specify the name, date and place of birth, passport data (series, number, place of registration), a list of carry-on equipment contact numbers, name of the media.

Please note that the entrance to the Presidential Library is carried out only by prior request and upon showing a passport: participants and guests of the event go through entrance № 1, media representatives go through entrance № 2.