Smolensk in Illustrations and Sound Recordings

Smolensk city is the administrative, industrial and cultural center of the Smolensk Region. Smolensk is one of the oldest cities in Russia. Its first mention in chronicles dates back to 863. In 2013, the city celebrated its 1150th anniversary.

Smolensk has a special place in the national history. The development of the city was affected by its advantageous location at the crossroads of trade routes. Events of the Time of Troubles, the Patriotic War of 1812, the Great Patriotic War left An important mark in the history of Smolensk.

The collection includes about 150 postcards, photos, drawings and plans of the end of the 18th – 20th centuries. They depict various attractions of Smolensk, including the Assumption Cathedral and Smolensk Fortress Wall, city streets and squares, monuments. Studying at the documents, one can see how the city has changed over the centuries.

Materials of the collection are grouped by thematic sections, such as "Monasteries and Temples", "Smolensk Fortress Wall", "Civil Architecture", "Monuments," "Streets and Parks." Every attraction is provided with a brief historical background. The collection also has a general section, which includes panoramic views of the city, sets of cards and audio records, which tell about the history of Smolensk from ancient times to the present day.

Access to the entire array is provided through the electronic reading room, a number of documents is freely available on the library’s website.

Specialist developing the collection used the materials from the Library of Congress, Russian State Historical Archive, Tretyakov Gallery, radio station "Nashe Radio" and private collections.

To compile historical annotations they used Internet resources on the Smolensk Region.