Great construction projects of the industrialisation era and the history of the Leningrad Region: Exhibitions of archival documents open at St Petersburg University

These exhibitions are a joint project of the University, the Central State Archive of the Moscow Region and the Leningrad Region State Archive in Vyborg. For several years, the Archive has been conducting practical training in a clinical format for St Petersburg University students of the "Russian Region Studies" and "History" programmes.

During the opening ceremony, Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University, thanked the University’s partners for the opportunity to introduce to students the chosen field of activity and raise the work of the University’s Archival Centre to a new level. When this clinic was being created, priority was given primarily to solving educational problems. Later on, that brought about greater opportunities for student involvement and the use of various formats to present the results of the archivists’ work. These include the preparation of exhibitions based on the discovered historical documents.

’After exploring the materials of the exhibition, you will understand why it was right to solve this task by a coordinated effort of the University and our partners from regional archives,’ Marina Lavrikova noted. ’I would like this work to continue. We are ready to expand the scope of our cooperation and invite everyone to participate. We have already received offers to take part in various international projects related to archival activities. St Petersburg University is ready to be the centre of competence in this matter.’

It seems to me that today there is no need to prove that history is becoming the most important science, system-forming and worldview-oriented. It results in more and more relevant decisions being made at the government level. The staff of the University and its partners are ready to solve such complex problems despite the responsibility that this entails.

Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities at St Petersburg University

The exhibitions opened at the University present unique materials that tell the audience about the efforts the country had to make during its first steps on the industrialisation path. As Abdulla Daudov, Director of the Institute of History at St Petersburg University, explained, the analysis of sources is sometimes subjective, because each researcher has their own vision and approach. It is the documents that are therefore offered to the audience so that everyone can form their own opinion about that distant and difficult era.

’For us, historians, archives are very important. The materials stored there are an invaluable source that enables us to look into the historical past and try to restore it most objectively,’ Abdulla Daudov said. ’We realised the importance of cooperation with archives quite a long time ago, so we began to look for new forms of interaction in the present-day context. At first, these were conferences in which several archives participated. Then their number began to increase, and in recent years they have resulted in congresses. To date, about 15 events dedicated to archival topics have taken place.

According to Alina Ivanova, Head of the Department for Publication of Scientific Use of Documents of the Leningrad Region State Archive in Vyborg, the opening of the Archival Centre of St Petersburg University and the signing of an agreement with the University formalised the time-tested cooperation that began in 2015. She said that the cooperation with St Petersburg University enabled the archives to perform the task of scientific use of archival information more efficiently. Today, it is carried out in various formats, including the organisation of archive-based student practices, classes and seminars. That creates opportunities for joint training and development of young specialists, historians and archivists.

’As part of their work on the banner exhibition, postgraduate students of the Institute of History at St Petersburg University conducted a scientific expert assessment of the exhibition project. They analysed the documents discovered by the archivists in the context of Russian history,’ Alina Ivanova reported. ‘"Great Construction Projects of Communism: The Firstborns of GOELRO" is a story of the formation of an entire industry that is still relevant today. The state plan for the electrification of Russia laid one of the main foundations for the existence of the state, i.e. a unified energy system. Kashira Power Plant and Volkhov Hydroelectric Plant are still its important link.’

Iuliia Gerasimova, Deputy Director of the Central State Archive of the Moscow Region, thanked her colleagues for their contribution to the common work that resulted in that exhibition.

One of the main tasks of archivists is to help attract as many people as possible to the pages of our history. The practical implementation of the GOELRO plan is truly its glorious page.

Iuliia Gerasimova, Deputy Director of the Central State Archive of the Moscow Region

’This is the beginning of a full-scale electrification of the country. The documents presented at the exhibition reveal a little more about the importance attached in the USSR to the construction of Volkhov Hydroelectric Plant and Kashira Power Plant. From these document one can learn how the builders lived and worked, what challenges they faced, and how celebrations were organised on the occasion of the launch of power plants,’ Iuliia Gerasimova noted. ’Together with our colleagues from the Leningrad Region, we tried to select documents in such a way as to convey the spirit of the times and give visitors the opportunity to at least slightly feel the atmosphere of the 1920s. That really was a difficult period.’

Teachers and postgraduate students of the University’s Archival Centre took part in the archaeographical expert work that took place during the creation of the exhibitions. Its head, Nikolai Shtykov, Associate Professor in the Department of Historical Regional Studies of St Petersburg University, expressed his confidence that in future it will be necessary to continue to present to the general public the results of the work of archive-keeping specialists.

’I think that we could use our famous University corridor to present a variety of exhibition projects, not only as part of such major events as the 2nd St Petersburg Historical Forum, but also the daily activities of the University. In my opinion, this would be an interesting cultural and educational project,’ Nikolai Shtykov noted. ’But it is not enough to conduct research, you need to present its results properly. Students and employees of the University’s Archival Centre can be engaged in organising presentations and excursion activities.’