Library and Museum Cooperation: Historical-Documentary exhibition “Alternative capital” opens in Moscow

On October 7 2010 the Historical Memorial Museum “Presnya” (Moscow) is opening a historical-documentary exhibition called “Alternative capital” (also: “Second capital”). It has been prepared by a creative specialist group of the Samara Oblast Universal Scientific library to celebrate 65th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War.

In October 1941 on the order of the State Defense Committee the provincial town of Kuibyshev was chosen to be the “alternative (second) capital” of the Soviet Union. Together with party-and-state institutions to the town of Kuibyshev were evacuated the diplomatic body consisting of 13 embassies and 6 missions, a troupe of the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre, the Symphony Orchestra of the All-Union Radio, the Leningrad State Academic Choir, and prominent art and cultural workers, such as: I. Ehrenburg, N. Aduev, A. Ignatiev, P. Williams and others.

Meeting a tight deadline, industrial platforms for 60 defensive enterprises, mass production of arms, ammunition and military machinery, including production of legendary IL-2 attack aircrafts, were launched in Kuibeshev oblast. It was already in the beginning of 1942 that Kuibyshev air complex, which encompassed 5 plants, sent to front 10 – 15 planes of that type every day.

Not only did the “Second capital” produce weapons and ammunition, treat the injured, but also had an eventful cultural life: here were held art exhibitions, performances, concerts, and public lectures.

It was in Kuibyshev that Dmitry Shostakovich completed his famous 7 “Leningrad” Symphony, which premiered on March 5 1942 at the Kuibyshev Opera and Ballet Theatre.

Being in evacuation the Bolshoi Theatre troupe staged 10 opera and ballet premiere performances, among them: “Scarlet Sails”, “Carmen”, “Wilhelm Tell”, “The Barber of Seville”, “Ivan Susanin”.

On November 7 1941 Kuibyshev hosted a military parade taken by Marshal K. Voroshilov. It brought together M. Kalinin, A. Andreev, N. Shvernik, M. Shkiryatov and other top officials as well as foreign diplomats.

In that year in Kuibyshev was constructed an underground center to govern the country – a bunker for the Commander in Chief Joseph Stalin, which was located under the party’s State Defense Committee building. It is the deepest (37 m) among similar constructions of World War II.

The exhibition will cast the light on these and other facts of life of the “military capital” through the language of exhibits: posters, leaflets, bills, letters, photographs, books and magazines, which came out in 1941-1943. The exhibition is based on authentic documents and materials from the library’s holdings. Many of them will be put on show for the first time.

The historical-documentary exhibition “Alternative capital” will attract a great interest among those who are keen on history and culture of Russia.

The exhibition will be open: October 7 – December 3 2010.