History of Saint-Petersburg: Exhibition “Light in the darkness of the blockade” in the Children’s Museum Center of Historical Education

From January 18, 2014 at the Children's Museum Center of Historical Education (a branch of the Museum of Political History of Russia, St. Petersburg) starts the exhibition "Light in the darkness of the blockade". In the exhibition halls of the museum are presented unique materials from family archives and collections of St. Petersburg school museums, most of which have not previously been exhibited.

The space of the exhibition hall is divided into several themed areas. Reflecting on the fact what supported blockade people in their daily struggle for life, modern teenagers came to the conclusion that these "light rays" were primarily the most ordinary human relationships. Communication between people (soldiers, evacuated, blockade people) was never interrupted. The exhibition presents the cards and military "triangles", which came to Leningrad. Sometimes the conversation was held even by residents of one apartment - they could not meet often, but kept in touch with each other. This is evidenced by notebook of the Tabor family, the pages of which fix the blockade everyday life.

For many of blockade people "rays of light" were work and study. Despite the weakness and disease, the children tried to learn on "excellent". This is shown in a unique collection of blockade school stored in school №112 of the Vyborg district: school journals, notes from parents, cribs, children's drawings and blueprints.

A great support for the blockade people was art. Visitors can see the personal belongings, sketches by artist Vasily Selivanov: he created posters hung on the walls of houses in Leningrad. And the books during the blockade not only served as kindling material.

Most of the materials, presented at the exhibition, are described and investigated by students of Petersburg schools. A unique collection of children's work is the most important part of the exhibition and convincing evidence that the feat of blockade people is not forgotten.