Olympics on the history of the Great Patriotic War will be held for schoolchildren from Belarus and Russia

The Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, St. Petersburg State University and the State Memorial Museum of Defense and the Siege of Leningrad signed a cooperation agreement.

This is our first experience of such tripartite cooperation, as well as the first experience of signing an agreement with a higher education institution of the Russian Federation. It is primarily aimed at preserving historical memory and transmitting this history to the younger generation. The first project will be the International Olympiad for schoolchildren on the history of the Great Patriotic War, said Rimma Rum, director of the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War.

One of the complexes of questions will be related to the history of our museum. Emphasis will be placed on the partisan movement, the occupation regime, the liberation of Belarus. Students will be able to get acquainted with the permanent exhibition and materials presented on our website and social networks. If you can’t visit the museum, you can visit a 3D tour on the site and find answers. The Olympics are planned to be held in the 2026/2027 academic year, she said.

According to Alexander Babich, First Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Admissions of St. Petersburg State University, the Olympiad will give students from Belarus and Russia an opportunity to deepen their knowledge of history, school curriculum subjects and join the expositions of museums. He added that the number of participants in citizenship is not planned to be limited, schoolchildren from any state who are interested in history will be able to take part in the Olympiad.

There are two stages. The qualification will be held in a remote format on an electronic platform, where the children will perform tasks. The winners will be invited to the final stage, which will be held in full-time form: in St. Petersburg - at the site of St. Petersburg University, in Minsk - the Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War.

Alexander Babich stressed that cooperation with the Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War will continue in various areas, including the development of cultural projects and the organization of traveling exhibitions, the exchange of experience in terms of museum exposition activities and the organization of various events for students of St. Petersburg University on the territory of the museum, archival and excursion practice for students in the field of history.