Belarus President partakes in nationwide subbotnik

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko took part in a nationwide subbotnik on 24 April. The Belarusian head of state placed a time capsule with a message to the descendants inside the symbolic foundation of the new State Great Patriotic War History Museum. The new premises will be located behind the obelisk Minsk – Hero City.

Once in the Victory Park the President was informed about plans regarding the museum construction as well as the restoration of the surrounding territories. The construction of the State Great Patriotic War History Museum is supposed to complete in 2013. Its area will be close to 15,000 square meters.

According to Minsk’s Chief Architect Viktor Nikitin, the new museum’s design is praised as one of Europe’s and the world’s best. Different parts of the museum will implement different phases and aspects of the Great Patriotic War, taking visitors through the course of events. In addition, the museum’s information system will be able to provide any Belarusian with information about his or her relatives, who died during the war or participated in military operations. The museum’s information system will be connected with Russia’s largest archives.

“Opened literally three months after Minsk’s liberation from the Nazi invaders, the Belarusian State Great Patriotic War History Museum was one of the world’s first educational and scientific institutions meant to preserve the truth about the war and about the people we owe our lives to,” reads the message inside the time capsule. “The museum is supposed to highlight combat deeds of the Belarusians and brotherly nations of the Soviet Union, to raise the youth in the spirit of military valor and fidelity to duty. May the new museum not only embellish the capital city but embody our inextinguishable memory and eternal gratitude to the liberating heroes. May new generations preserve and multiply the traditions of patriotism, courage, and humanity that the victors left to us”.

After that a team led by Alexander Lukashenko worked on arranging a concrete slab of the transformer substation and a platform for a tower crane.

After Alexander Lukashenko got familiar with the suggested design to create a landscape park Belarus that will be located near the exhibition facility BelExpo. In the center of the future park there will be a so-called compact Belarus. The area will be shaped like Belarus’ borders. Territories of the oblasts will be defined by alleys and landscape compositions, which are characteristic for every region of the country. Models of landmarks of Minsk, oblast cities, historical and natural items of interest on a scale 1:25 will be located inside the compact Belarus.

It will take several years to accomplish the project. The planting of a grove dedicated to the 65^th anniversary of the Great Victory is the first phase. Young Belarusians, who represented the Belarusian Republican Youth Union and various unofficial youth associations, worked on it on 24 April. The head of state helped them with planting trees and making birdhouses.