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Peter the Great called the victory at the Battle of Poltava "The Great Victory", in which Russia "for the first time demonstrated and realized its strength that had been bound for many centuries." On July 8 (June 27 old style), it will be 315 years since the greatest battle of the Northern War, which took place six miles from the city of Poltava between Russian forces led by Peter I and Swedish forces led by Charles XII.

In the early 18th century, the Swedish army was considered the main military power in Europe. King Charles XII had been spoiled by victories, and was known for his bravery, desire for achievement, and persistence. The Russian Tsar also had these qualities, but at the same time, he was able to "counter Charles's impetuousness with caution, restraint, and careful consideration of each of his actions and plans."

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"Give me new art!" Vladimir Mayakovsky wrote in his famous poem, "Order No. 2 of the Army of Arts". "I want to create socialist art," he said in his autobiography "Myself". And he did create this new socialist art, starting not with poetry but with painting, as his talent for art began to show itself from an early age.

On July 19, we celebrate the anniversary of the birth of the poet, playwright, actor, and artist, Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893-1930).His elder sister Lyudmila and his mother, Alexandra Alekseevna, told about his early experiences as an artist. According to their memories, which are described in the book "Mayakovsky: The Poster Artist" (1940), his interest in landscape painting was not typical of him. The portrait was the real passion of the young artist, but even in his earliest sketches, he sharpened portrait features, bringing them to satire and caricature. One of his first cartoons depicted himself as a ten-year-old strongman, who could lift six chairs at once.

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110 years ago, on July 28, 1914, the First World War began. It was a grandiose event in terms of its scope and consequences. The war claimed millions of lives and led to the collapse of several empires, as well as the formation of new states.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, this war was known as the Great War or the Second Patriotic War. On the portal of the Presidential Library, there is a collection called "World War I (1914-1918)", which includes a card file and gallery of St. George cavaliers from the First World War. These materials were collected by the Trophy Commission and are based on the funds of the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops, and Communications Troops.

These unique documents, frontline drawings, and portraits created by artists during the war represent invaluable historical materials.

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From September 24 to 26, 2024, the Presidential Library in St. Petersburg will hold an annual Integration Forum to celebrate the 15th anniversary of its establishment. The forum aims to bring together representatives from various fields, including employees from educational and scientific institutions such as libraries, archives, and museums. Members of public associations and organizations at both the federal and regional levels are also expected to attend the event.

At the event, experts will discuss the key aspects of libraries, archives, and museums' work on integrating cultural institutions from the reunited territories into Russia's cultural space. The focus will be on projects aimed at preserving and promoting both tangible and intangible cultural heritage, as well as on digital transformations of libraries in these regions.

An important part of the discussion will be devoted to training and retraining library specialists, as well as the priorities of the regional network of the Presidential Library and the experience of national libraries in supporting scientific research.

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