Films tell about history of St. Petersburg and Presidential Library online

When was the Presidential Library founded and what was located in the historic building before? Who is the patron saint of the Northern Capital of Russia and what do foreigners say about St. Petersburg? All the answers will be given in videofilm at the Presidential Library portal from May 16 to 31.

May 27, the Russian Library Day, marks the 15th anniversary of the Presidential Library's foundation. The videofilms Senatskaya 3 and The Presidential Library are timed to coincide with this date on the Library's portal. Creators of the first film paid special attention to the history of the building of the Holy Synod, which currently houses the Presidential Library. The history of the Holy Synod, the church government body formed during the reign of Peter I, is also showed in the film. The second film tells about the history and activities of the Presidential Library, introduces the electronic holdings and exhibition halls of the institution.

Due to a documentary film made by library staff within the framework of the Presidential Chronicle project, viewers will be able to visit the personal library of the head of state – the Library of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation. There are more than two million depository items in its collections: Russian and foreign books, magazines, newspapers, official documents and electronic publications. The authors of the film tell in detail about the main exhibit in the personal library of the President – the inaugural copy of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The library of the official residence of the President is also used for representative purposes, it hosts meetings of the President of the Russian Federation with scientists, writers, and representatives of the public.

The film M. Vorontsov Memorial Library: what lies behind the spines of the books of the Vorontsov Palace, shot by the staff of the Presidential Library, tells about a unique historical monument – the memorial library of Prince M. Vorontsov. This library was collected for many generations and has more than ten thousand volumes. Publications on almost all branches of knowledge are presented here: history, geography, military affairs, agriculture, dictionaries, reference books and encyclopedias, periodicals. Among the most valuable are the works of ancient thinkers, the department of historical literature and memoirs of the XVII–XVIII centuries, several thousand engravings and lithographs of the XVI–XVIII centuries with a rich collection of engraved portraits, etc.

The screening of the film Petersburg - the Russian Looking Glass shot by the historical channel 365 Days of TV is timed to coincide with the 321st anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg, which is celebrated on May 27. This film is included in the series of documentary programs Russia through the eyes of foreigners, through which viewers can take a look at themselves, the history of their city or region from the side.

The Presidential Library's film The Most Intentional City tells about the exhibition, which introduces the history of the founding and development of the historical center of St. Petersburg in the period from 1703 to the 1820s. Maps of the city of the XVIII‑XIX centuries, copies of archival documents, books and periodicals devoted to the history of St. Petersburg and urban planning in Russia are presented in original and digitized form.

The videofilm of the Presidential Library Alexander Nevsky is the patron Saint of St. Petersburg shows several key points on the city map associated with the name of the heavenly patron of the Northern capital: the Cathedral of the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God, the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Materials from the collection of the Presidential Library Alexander Nevsky (1221-1263) are also presented in the film.

The videofilm "Bridges of St. Petersburg: Past, Present, Future" introduces users of the Presidential Library portal to the acknowledged symbols of the city on the Neva River – drawbridges. The video lecture is about the stages of bridge construction development, unfulfilled projects and modern bridges of the city.

Especially for students, video lectures are shown on the Presidential Library’s portal, the topics of which reveal and complement the school curriculum. The subject of the video lecture Knowledge of Russia reflects the main directions in the formation of the Presidential Library's collections: the history of the Russian state and law, the Russian language as the state language of the Russian Federation. Lectures to the audience are traditionally given by authoritative specialists from scientific and educational institutions of St. Petersburg, Moscow and other cities of Russia.

Films and video lectures prepared by the Presidential Library, as well as films of leading national film and TV studios are broadcast around the clock on the Presidential Library’s portal in the TV Channel section. Here, in the TV Channel section, the schedule of broadcasts for the coming days is also available.

Please note that the Live Broadcasts section provides the library's events with the program included.

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