Presidential Library marks anniversary of Leningrad Region

1 August 2025 will mark the 98th anniversary of the Day of the Leningrad Region's formation. The region celebrates its birthday every year in different cities. This time the centre of celebrations on 2 August will be the jubilee town of Kirishi. This year one of the largest industrial centres of the 47th region turned 60 years old.

In the early 1960s, construction of an oil refinery, a thermal power plant and other industrial facilities began on Kirishi land, and the foundations of multi-storey residential buildings were laid. On 12 January 1965 Kirishi received the status of a town. Thousands of people from all over the country came here to the All-Union Komsomol construction site.

The Presidential Library has dedicated a separate multimedia exhibition "Komsomol Volunteers... Kirishi - My Destiny" to this city. The exposition tells about the volunteer movement on the example of the All-Union All-Union Komsomol and Youth Strike Construction Project, which was announced twice on the Kirishi land - in 1963 and 1973.

The electronic collection Kirishi and Kirishi District of Leningrad Region is available on the Presidential Library portal. It is based on unique photos from personal archives of Komsomol members and audio recordings of their memories, photo materials from the funds of the Kirishi Museum of History and Local Lore. These documents are a valuable source for studying an important stage in the development of our country, they help to plunge into the Soviet era, to see through the eyes of Komsomol members the striking construction sites that laid the foundation for the powerful fuel and energy complex of the North-West region. The photographs included in the collection depict the moments of construction of enterprises, houses and social facilities on the war-scarred land of the Leningrad region, as well as Komsomol subbotniks, awarding of the Red Banner for the victory in social competitions, contests for the title of the best worker, performances of the pioneer leaders' choir, camping trips and much more. A special place is given to the Kirishans who have received honourable awards and titles.

The Presidential Library closely cooperates with the Leningrad Region - a co-operation agreement was signed back in 2014. To date, more than 20 electronic reading rooms of the Presidential Library have been opened in the region in various cultural and educational institutions.

The Presidential Library's portal presents the collections Leningrad Oblast and Leningrad Region: Pages of History, with the help of which one can make a journey through the cities of the 47th region and learn about their past and present. The collections include studies, essays, documents, including archival photo and video materials revealing geographical, socio-economic, socio-political and other aspects of the region's history.