the”Cultural heritage of our country suffered huge losses during the war – destroyed Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selo mutilated, reviled the New Jerusalem and Yasnaya Polyana… But the losses would be immeasurably greater if not for the selfless work of Museum staff saved the collection in the evacuation, kept alive in their native museums, collected for posterity priceless historical evidence of that terrible war,” says the Director of the Historical Museum Alexey Levykin.
during the war of the 250 employees of the Museum were mobilized 98 people, 30 of them died. The others tried to save priceless exhibits. Employees of the Museum with young children and elderly parents left in the evacuation, accompanying a particularly valuable collection. At first they were evacuated in the small Volga town of Khvalynsk (near Saratov), then in Omsk and Kostanay.
Employees remaining in Moscow, defended the native Museum in the basement which left thousands of Museum objects, guarded the building day and night, organized blackout. And in the autumn of 1941, when Moscow was under siege, along with all the digging anti-tank ditches and stacked sandbags.
the Historic, unique of all the museums, continued to work in spite of everything. In all the years of the war it was closed just 8 days, when, after the terrible bombing of Moscow 29 October 1941 the blast in the building were broken window panes and frames. But by November 7, all damage was repaired and the Museum was open again. This day was a parade of troops on red square that became a symbol of firmness of spirit and confidence in victory.
the Museum Staff took part in the work of the Commission on definition of damage inflicted by the Nazi invaders as a cultural monument. Documented facts gathered by the Commission, was quoted in the indictment at the Nuremberg trials.
all this can be learned from the memoirs, diaries and letters of the staff of the Historical Museum, presented in a virtual exhibition.
