65-th anniversary celebrations of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945
Vyacheslav Pozgalev, Vologda Region Governor:
"Sixty five years ago the last salvoes of the World War II fired and this year we celebrate the anniversary of the Great Victory. Heroism, courage and selflessness of the Soviet soldiers and home front toilers who defended freedom and independence of the Motherland will forever remain in the people’s memory.
During the war our region was a front-line area: many fronts and blockaded Leningrad were provided through it with food. At home front as at battlefront people worked without holidays. Sometimes they didn’t leave their jobsite for more than twenty four hours.
More than 340 thousand countrymen went to the battlefront and more than a half of them stayed on the battle fields forever. More than 600 thousand Vologda citizens were decorated with orders and medals for heroism, self-sacrifice and selfless labour. Many our countrymen were awarded to the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union".
Vologda Region Department of Culture and Cultural Heritage Preservation together with Vologda Oblast state institutions of culture worked out a program of the main events devoted to the 65th anniversary celebrations of the Great Patriotic War.
The cultural events devoted to this important date started on February 10th, 2010 in Moscow in the Central museum of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 on the Poklonnaya Gora by opening of the exhibition “Art of Vologda Land”. There were 382 works of modern art fr om the Vologda land of the middle of the XX- th - beginning of the XXI-st centuries exhibited from the collections of the Vologda Region Picture Gallery, Vologda State Museum-Reserve of History, Architecture and Art and art studios of the Vologda painters and private collections. The exhibition is held in the frames of the long-term All-Russia project “Geography of the Victory” under support of the Ministry for Culture of the Russian Federation and Vologda Region Government.
On March 10th in the Vologda State Museum-Reserve of History, Architecture and Art a standing exposition “Front-line Vologda” was officially opened after reconstruction telling about the contribution of Vologda front-line soldiers and home front toilers during the Great Patriotic War.
On March 26th in the Central exhibition hall of the Vologda Regional Picture Gallery a ceremonial opening of the exhibition-contest of the children’s creative works “Viva Victoria” for the Vologda Mayor Prize took place.
In the Museum-creative center “Korbakov’s House” of the Vologda Regional Picture Gallery a big personal exhibition of the People’s Painter of Russia, full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, war veteran V.N.Korbakov “War Victors” opened on April 9th. Since April 23rd one can visit a regional inter-museum art historical exhibition “When the Muses didn’t keep silent” in the Central exhibition hall of the Vologda Regional Picture Gallery.
On April 16th Vologda Oblast Theatre for Young Spectator presented to the Vologda citizens a premiere performance “Always Alive” by Victor Rozov play. A premiere staging of Mikhail Roschin play “Echelon” is under work by Vologda awarded with the “Sign of Honour” State Drama Theatre. In May in all the theatres charity performances were arranged for war veterans.
In April and May a regional film festival “The Glory of these days won’t stop” is held in the regional cities and districts. In the frames of the festival in Vologda, in the largest district centers of the region and in Oshta village of Vytegra district wh ere during October 1st, 1941 till June 24th, 1944 military operations took place a premiere show of a feature film “A Mountain Ash Waltz” was held.
Vologda representatives became bronze winners of the IX- th Youth Delphic Games of Russia “We Remember…” that took place in Moscow region cities on May 2-7th.
On May 6th a regional festive event devoted to the state holiday Victory Day of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 was held in Vologda Drama theatre.
On May 8th an opening ceremony of the monument to Marshal I.S.Konev took place in Vologda. Garlands and flowers were laid to the memorial “Eternal Flame of Glory” on the Revolution square, to the monuments of soldiers died during the Great Patriotic War.
On May 8th and 9th Vologda Region Department of Culture and Cultural Preservation together with the Department of Culture, Historical and Cultural Heritage of Vologda City Administration held festive events at the city open concert stages. May 9th was declared as a day of “open doors” in Vologda museums.
War subject will be also reflected during the X-th theatre festival “Voices of History”.
