MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
Students and teachers from more than 40 universities in Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, more than 110 reports, excursions, exhibitions, screenings of documentaries and animated films – this is how the international youth conference “City-Front Leningrad” was held in St. Petersburg, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Leningrad liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade. One of the organizers of the large-scale event was Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.
The official opening of the conference, a plenary session and three sections took place at the Polytechnic University. Also in the main building of the university, participants were able to view a photo exhibition “Liberation. Way to victory” media group “Russia Today” and go on an excursion to the Museum of History of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.
In the White Hall of the Polytechnic University, the guests were greeted by the first vice-rector of SPbPU Vitaly Sergeev: I am sincerely grateful to the conference participants for continuing to study the topic of the defense of Leningrad. Despite the fact that 80 years have passed since the city was completely liberated from the fascist blockade, this topic is still alive and very important. We must not forget the heroic pages of our history. It is an in-depth exploration of human morality, morality and strength of character. My own grandmother was a survivor of the siege; she lived through the first and most difficult year here, then there was an evacuation. What she said left a deep imprint on my memory. I can hardly imagine how one can survive this. Almost three years of blockade, and the city survived. Thank you for not losing interest in the topic, I am sure you will find many more facts that will later serve as an example for us and for the generations that will come after us. I would also like to thank the Committee on Science and Higher Education, the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg for supporting the conference, this is a landmark event for our city.
Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Yuri Avdeev read out a greeting from the speaker of the city parliament Alexander Belsky, in which he noted the significant contribution of the forum to preserving the memory of heroic ancestors and studying the siege of Leningrad. Such events help strengthen scientific, cultural and humanitarian ties, bringing young people together in the post-Soviet space,” the greeting said.
Chairman of the Committee on Science and Higher School of St. Petersburg Andrei Maksimov thanked the conference organizers for their focused work with young people: Memory is strong when it has continuity. Voltaire also wrote: “He who does not know the past knows neither the present, nor the future, nor himself.” Looking into the hall, I see your eyes and understand that you have come to touch the holy feat of our ancestors. Tragic events have a great impact on the development of a person, city, and country. Perhaps, by discussing these topics at round tables, some of you will find your future path in life. You can contact the Archive Committee and acquire new competencies and knowledge in such an important topic. The city has a program of events to preserve history, one of which is a competition of student and postgraduate works on the study of the defense and siege of Leningrad. It has already been held twice, the works are very interesting. By decision of the governor, starting this year the size of the bonus to the winners is almost doubled.
The director of the State Memorial Museum of the Defense and Siege of Leningrad, one of the organizers of the event, Elena Lezik, also addressed the conference participants.
“Our team today is performing the important task of preserving and studying the topic of the defense of Leningrad. For us, this is a huge responsibility and a very honorable mission,” said Elena Vitalievna. “We need to create a culture of memory about military events, about the battle for Leningrad, about the greatest humanitarian tragedy – the Leningrad blockade. This is a complex issue that requires both calm work with documents in libraries and emotional, thoughtful study of the material at events such as our conference. Interesting reports have been prepared, a varied program has been thought out – this is the synergy of a large number of people who want the memory of the events of the Great Patriotic War to live in your souls and hearts.”
And about. The rector of the St. Petersburg Academy of the Investigative Committee, Colonel of Justice Tatyana Rozovskaya, emphasized that it is an honor for the academy to participate in such events: The President noted that one of the tasks of the state is to preserve national sovereignty. And this is impossible without awareness of one’s identity, without understanding and knowledge of the history of the country, without preserving the memory of the glorious feat of our ancestors, without a proper approach to education. And I see the task of universities not to force our students to love their Motherland, but to show its greatness. Use the evidentiary procedure rather than the order. Today’s event can contribute to this more than anything else.
Nikita Lomagin, Vice-Rector for Relations with Government Agencies and Public Organizations of the European University in St. Petersburg, head of the department “Institute of the History of the Defense and Siege of Leningrad” of the State Memorial Museum of the Defense and Siege of Leningrad, addressed the conference participants with a welcoming speech.
“For a person who has been professionally studying the blockade all his life, this conference is an important historical event,” said Nikita Andreevich. “Never before have so many different universities, not only humanities, but also natural sciences, gathered in one place to devote their precious time to discussing the topic of the city-front. This did not happen either in Soviet or later times. The defense of Leningrad is one of the most interesting events to study. This is the longest and most sacrificial battle of the Second World War. The battle that ended German blitzkrieg plans. Leningrad became the first city that they wanted to take and did not take. Near Leningrad, it was possible to stop Army Group North, 350 thousand troops of the German army did not move further towards Moscow, and they managed to defend it, strengthen the anti-Hitler coalition, stop the wavering ones – Japan, Turkey, and in the end break the blockade and lift it completely.
Nikita Lomagin believes that many issues related to the defense of Leningrad have not yet been sufficiently studied. For example, the contribution of scientists, innovators, and inventors to providing the front city with ammunition. And here it is precisely students and university employees who are familiar with the history of their educational institutions that can shed light on little-known facts.
“In 1942, more than one thousand two hundred rationalization proposals on defense issues were received from civilian institutions to the military department of the Leningrad City Party Committee. 400 of them were implemented,” the scientist said. “That is, people in emergency circumstances were able to meet the needs of the front city for ammunition by changing and simplifying technology, finding substitutes, including for explosives. This is what your teachers did at the Polytechnic Institute, the Physics and Technology Institute, and the Mining Institute. And you can do a lot for us, help our institute find information about the activities of scientific institutions during the war.”
At the end of the official part, the conference participants observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the Leningrad siege.
The presentations were opened by Maria Zavyalova, a specialist from the SPbPU History Museum. She spoke about the activities of the Polytechnic Institute during the Great Patriotic War and how the university today preserves the memory of the war and the siege of Leningrad.
After the plenary session, the participants were distributed to work in sections that took place in several universities in the city. The Polytechnic Institute organized three sections: “People of the besieged Leningrad”, “Realities of the siege” and “Everyday life of the besieged city”.
The Faculty of Technological Management and Innovation of the National Research University ITMO conducted the same amount: “Children of War”, “Culture of a Besieged City” and “In Defense of Leningrad”.
Participants in the sectional session “Science and Industry in the Service of the Motherland” went to the St. Petersburg Mining University of Empress Catherine II. The St. Petersburg Academy of the Investigative Committee held a section “At the combat post.” The Institute of History of St. Petersburg State University hosted a section “The Science of the Siege.” The department “Institute of the History of the Defense and Siege of Leningrad” of the State Memorial Museum of the Defense and Siege of Leningrad held a section “Memory of the Feat of Leningrad.”
The conference continued on Saturday, March 2, at ITMO University and the State Memorial Museum of the Defense and Siege of Leningrad.
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Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.
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