The Belarusian state Museum of history of Great Patriotic war is the only museum of the Republic, which was opened in difficult times of the war years. 2-nd of June, 1942, the Communist party(Bolsheviks), who worked at the time in Moscow in connection with the occupation of Belarus took decision on creation of the national Commission for the collection of documents and materials about the great Patriotic war. The Chairman of the Commission was appointed Secretary of the CC CP(b)b for the promotion of T. S. Gorbunov, members: Secretary of the CC CP(b)b V. N. Malin, Deputy Chairman SNK BSSR I. A. Krupina, the people's Commissar of education of the BSSR E. I. Uralova, Chairman of the Board of the Union of writers of the BSSR M. T. Lynkov, Secretary of the Komsomol S. O. Pritytsky, and others.
10-th of June 1942 Executive Secretary of the Commission was appointed VD'nov, who later became the first Director of the museum. The Commission began to collect materials on two main themes: "Treacherous invasion of German fascism in the Soviet Union" and "the Heroic struggle of the workers of the Byelorussian SSR with the German invaders." A huge role in the collection of the first exhibits in the occupied territory of Belarus was played by the so-called "Vitebsk gate" (40-km gap in the front line between the cities of Velizh and Usvyaty, resulting in the successful fighting of the red Army in the winter of 1941 – 1942 and the release of guerrillas from the front line, which existed from February to September 1942), as well as acting in the "gate" of the North – Western operational group of the Central Committee of the CP(b)B. the Results of the intense activities of the Commission for less than 6 months of its existence is reflected in the exhibition "Belorussia lives, Belorussia fights, Belorussia was and will be Soviet", which opened in early November 1942, in the office of the State historic Museum located in Red Square in Moscow. The exhibition is showing 313 exhibits: documents, photographs, artworks, clothing items. Director of the exhibition "Belorussia lives…" was assigned to the pre-war Director of the State art gallery in Minsk E. Aladova – the future Creator of the National art Museum of Belarus. The exhibition continued in the state until August 1944, then was taken to Minsk and essentially became the basis of the first exposition, opened in their native land liberated from the enemy. Exactly one week after the beginning of the liberation of Belarus, 30-th of September, 1943 Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist party(Bolsheviks)addressed the question of "The creation of a Museum on the history of the struggle of the Belarusian people against the Nazi invaders during the Great Patriotic war". Communist party(Bolsheviks)decided to establish a museum on the history of the struggle of the Belarusian people against the Nazi invaders during the Great Patriotic war" temporarily organize it in the State historical Museum of Moscow, on the basis of the exhibition "Belorussia lives…".
18-th of July, 1944, the Central Committee of the CP(b)b, the people's Commissars and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the BSSR returned to Minsk. The leadership of the Byelorussian SSR and personally P. K. Ponomarenko, giving great importance to the opening of the museum, went on to isolate him one of the few survivors in the center of Minsk buildings – the House of trade unions in Liberty Square.
1 -st of August 1944 was appointed Director of the museum. They became Vasily Demyanovich. Real name V. D. Stal'nova – Parhimovich is a literary pseudonym. He came from a poor peasant family of Starye Dorogi district. From the beginning of 30-ies, he worked as lissotriton in the editorial offices of Belarusian Newspapers, including "swazzi, then in Khabarovsk, the Crimea, Kazakhstan. In 1940, he was sent to Bialystok, in the newspaper "vil'na prace", at the same time was a freelance correspondent of "Truth" in the Bialystok region. 23-rd of June 1941 were able to travel from Bialystok, were evacuated to Alma – ATA. In May 1942 revoked by telegrams of the Communist party(Bolsheviks)in Moscow, in June appointed Executive Secretary of the Commission, the collection of documents and materials about the Great Patriotic war, from autumn 1943 he worked in the museum group.
22-nd of October, 1944 the Museum opened its doors to visitors in their native land. Order of the Ministry of culture of the BSSR of January 15, 1966, the Museum was moved to the newly constructed building on Leninsky Prospect 25A (now Independence Avenue). Sixty years have passed since the day when in the autumn the Moscow military were shown the first evidence of the courage and tragedy of the Belarusian people. Today the Belarusian state Museum of history of the Great Patriotic war is the largest in the country the repository of the memory of those great and terrible days. The life of the museum continues.
Working hours:
Tue, Thu – Sun: 10.00 – 18.00
Ticket office: 10.00 – 17.00
Wednesday: 12.00 – 20.00
Office: 12.00 – 19.00
Day-off: Monday
In public holidays the museum is closed.
In the pre-day operation of the museum and the box office is reduced by 1 hour.
Dear friends, pay your attention, to the fact that the time and days of work of "The Belarusian state Museum history of Great Patriotic war" can change, so before visiting it we recommend you to call: +375 (017) 327 – 11 – 66.
