Exhibition dedicated to 80th anniversary of Great Victory presented at Presidential Library

From May 27 to September 27, 2025 the exhibition "Memory of Generations: The Great Victory!" dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War is available to visitors.

The exhibition is organized by the Russian Military Historical Society and the Presidential Library of the Administrative Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation.

The exhibition shows how modern cultural institutions – museums, libraries, archives, as well as public organizations and individuals - preserve the memory of the exploits and events of the war years.

The first exhibition hall is dedicated to modern projects dedicated to the Victory anniversary. The activities of the Russian Military Historical Society to perpetuate the memory of the war are presented here. Among the most iconic monuments, each of which is a tribute to all those who brought the long–awaited Victory closer, is the memorial "In memory of the peaceful inhabitants of the USSR – victims of the Nazi Genocide during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" near Gatchina, the Rzhevsky Memorial to the Soviet Soldier, the memorial complexes "Saur-Grave" and "Battle of Kursk".

Another key project of the Russian Military Historical Society is the Internet resource Images of War, which combines unique wartime photographs, including rare photographs from the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. They depict monuments to Soviet soldiers erected in 1944-1945 in the territories liberated from the Nazi invaders: Bulgaria, Hungary, Austria, Germany and Czechoslovakia. The monuments were created by Soviet soldiers who wanted to honor the memory of fallen heroes and perpetuate the military feat of the Red Army.

Book editions from the collection of the Gorky Scientific Library of St. Petersburg State University and documents from the digital collection of the Presidential Library "Memory of the Great Victory" tell about the final part of the Great Patriotic War - the Berlin offensive operation of the Soviet troops (April 16 – May 2, 1945), the signing of the Act of Military Surrender of Germany and the parade on Red Square. squares in Moscow on June 24, 1945.

The exhibition features works by front-line artist Vasily Alekseevich Buntov (1905-1979), who created the banner (a copy of the USSR state banner), which was raised over the defeated Reichstag on May 2, 1945.

The exhibition includes works of art and personal documents, as well as book editions by veteran artist Arkady Alexandrovich Lurie (1916-1990), provided by the ARTLINE PROJECT.

It will also be possible to see anti-war and anti-fascist works by the classic Soviet and Russian political satire, artist and cartoonist Boris Efimovich Efimov (1900-2008).

One of the largest institutions that has been storing authentic evidence of the Great Patriotic War for many years is the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Troops. The exhibition shows orders and medals from his collection.

The exposition of the second hall is entirely devoted to the contribution of the People's Commissariat of the Navy to the Victory. The Ladoga Military Flotilla was of particular importance for the liberation of Leningrad. In addition to protecting the country's maritime borders, sailors and officers of the Navy participated in the liberation of Europe from Nazi oppression, stormed Berlin. Documents from the collection of the Presidential Library and books from the Gorky Scientific Library of St. Petersburg State University tell about their feat.

The exhibition also shows the activities of modern search teams that return the names of fallen heroes. Some of the exhibits are items found by the reconnaissance and diving team engaged in the search and identification of the lost ships.

In the exhibition halls, you can also see materials collected by the United Council of Veterans of the Road of Life and Their Descendants, as well as exhibits from the Novoladozhsky Museum of Local Lore dedicated to the heroic defenders of Ladoga.

The exhibition is available to visitors through the tour programme of the Presidential Library.

Adress: St. Petersburg, Senate Square, 3, letter A.

Contact information regarding visits to the Presidential Library, organization of tours of the building and exhibitions of the institution:

Email address: excursion@prlib.ru

Accreditation of media representatives

Please forward applications for accreditation following the attached form marked Media Accreditation at media@prlib.ru, hudjakova@prlib.ru Alexandra Khudyakova, tel.: (812) 305-16-21, ext. 167; mob. +7 (981) 788-28-08

The letter should contain the full name, date and place of birth, passport data (series, number, place of registration), a list of carry-on equipment, contact phone numbers, the name of the media.

We draw the attention of the media representatives that it is necessary to forward applications for accreditation and arrive at the event in advance.

Entrance to the Presidential Library is carried out only by prior registration and upon showing a passport: for media representatives - through entrance № 2, participants and guests of the event - through entrance № 1.