The Museum of Voronovskaya Secondary School of Vitebsk District named after I. E. Beskhlebny entered the 'Top 100. School Museum of Victory'
The Victory Museum on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow has been implementing the "School Museum of Victory" program for five years. The museum oversees 2000 school museums in Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. The "Top-100. School Museum of Victory" rating compiled by its staff includes three museums from the Vitebsk region. The museum of the Voronovskaya Secondary School of the Vitebsk District named after I. E. Beskhlebny is also among the leaders.
— The museum was the brainchild of chemistry and geography teacher Alexandra Yakovlevna Terentyeva. In 1962, a museum corner with the first exhibits appeared at the school. We, still small, used to run there, study, and recite poems about fallen soldiers at rallies-requiems, — recalls Irina Krotova, who took over the museum baton from Terentyeva and today heads the museum and the "Patriot" interest association.
The exhibition was based on military-themed materials. Over time, the museum of military glory moved to a separate building. When Irina Igorevna took over, she decided to expand the theme:
— We created a museum dedicated to our small homeland, and added what happened on this land.
An exhibition dedicated to the War of 1812, information about local soldiers-internationalists, outstanding school graduates, and the "Life of the Belarusian People" hall were introduced. A separate corner preserves the memory of the museum's founder, Alexandra Terentyeva. 2.5 thousand exhibits have been collected.
— The war came to us at the end of June - beginning of July 1941. Fierce battles were fought. The 14th Tank Division defended this territory, — says Irina Igorevna. — The battalion under the command of Nikolai Chepurny drove the enemy out of the village of Vorony and nearby villages. The commander, wounded three times, did not leave the battlefield. For exemplary performance of combat missions..., courage, and heroism, on August 31, 1941, the rank of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to the senior lieutenant.
Graphic works by Vitaly Rogal, a Russian front-line artist, are kept in the museum. He fought near Vorony, on height 222.9, where he made sketches and painted portraits of his fellow soldiers during breaks between battles. In 1967, the master visited the museum, lived to be 89 years old, and became a People's Artist of the RSFSR.
On March 1, 1944, Anatoly Kopysov, a native of the Russian city of Kirov, died in Vorony. His mother wrote and sent letters to her deceased son until the end of her days, but for her, he was still alive. Here is one of them: "My dear son Anatoly! Spring is here again, but you are not home. You are still in Belarus. Your new homeland surrounds you with care... Thank you to everyone who surrounds and guards your peace. Mom. I miss you always." And a postscript on the side: "Place it on Anatoly's grave."
Since 1968, the school's pioneer organization has borne the name of the 27 Vitebsk Panfilovites. When the question arose as to whose name to give to the school, it was decided that it should be their commander, Ivan Beskhlebny. But the consent of his relatives was needed, said Irina Krotova. And a surprising story is connected with this.
Ivan died at the age of 24; he did not have time to start a family. The Vorony scouts found an essay by Gleb Beskhlebny on social media, in which the boy wrote that he proudly bore the surname of his grandfather, who fought near Vitebsk on an unnamed height. It turned out that this was the great-nephew of the commander who died there.
Last spring, the International Watch of Memory "Pogostino-43" was held at the site of the feat of the 27 Vitebsk Panfilovites. Searchers from Belarus and Russia, with the help of children from the Vorony secondary school, found the remains of 127 soldiers. It is assumed that Ivan Beskhlebny was among them. To bow to the ashes of his great-grandfather, from the Novosibirsk region, camefrom the guy who wrote the essay.
Living History
The school museum in the agro-town of Vorony is not just a repository of exhibits. It is a living organism where life is in full swing: excursions and research are conducted, information about the native land and fellow countrymen is collected bit by bit, and children bring rusty objects found in the area (who knows, maybe they are valuable historical artifacts?).— The museum was the brainchild of chemistry and geography teacher Alexandra Yakovlevna Terentyeva. In 1962, a museum corner with the first exhibits appeared at the school. We, still small, used to run there, study, and recite poems about fallen soldiers at rallies-requiems, — recalls Irina Krotova, who took over the museum baton from Terentyeva and today heads the museum and the "Patriot" interest association.
The exhibition was based on military-themed materials. Over time, the museum of military glory moved to a separate building. When Irina Igorevna took over, she decided to expand the theme:
— We created a museum dedicated to our small homeland, and added what happened on this land.
An exhibition dedicated to the War of 1812, information about local soldiers-internationalists, outstanding school graduates, and the "Life of the Belarusian People" hall were introduced. A separate corner preserves the memory of the museum's founder, Alexandra Terentyeva. 2.5 thousand exhibits have been collected.
Heroes and Letters to Eternity
The largest exhibition in the school museum is dedicated to the heroic feat of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War.— The war came to us at the end of June - beginning of July 1941. Fierce battles were fought. The 14th Tank Division defended this territory, — says Irina Igorevna. — The battalion under the command of Nikolai Chepurny drove the enemy out of the village of Vorony and nearby villages. The commander, wounded three times, did not leave the battlefield. For exemplary performance of combat missions..., courage, and heroism, on August 31, 1941, the rank of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to the senior lieutenant.
Graphic works by Vitaly Rogal, a Russian front-line artist, are kept in the museum. He fought near Vorony, on height 222.9, where he made sketches and painted portraits of his fellow soldiers during breaks between battles. In 1967, the master visited the museum, lived to be 89 years old, and became a People's Artist of the RSFSR.
On March 1, 1944, Anatoly Kopysov, a native of the Russian city of Kirov, died in Vorony. His mother wrote and sent letters to her deceased son until the end of her days, but for her, he was still alive. Here is one of them: "My dear son Anatoly! Spring is here again, but you are not home. You are still in Belarus. Your new homeland surrounds you with care... Thank you to everyone who surrounds and guards your peace. Mom. I miss you always." And a postscript on the side: "Place it on Anatoly's grave."
"I am proud of my surname!"
The school in Vorony is named after Lieutenant Ivan Efimovich Beskhlebny. Under his command, the soldiers of the 4th company of the 158th Rifle Division of the 39th Army held an unnamed height nearby for more than 12 hours on December 26, 1943. They repeated the feat of the Panfilovites, only there were 28 of them, and these were 27. The soldiers who died in December 1943, including Ivan Beskhlebny, were buried at the site of their feat.Since 1968, the school's pioneer organization has borne the name of the 27 Vitebsk Panfilovites. When the question arose as to whose name to give to the school, it was decided that it should be their commander, Ivan Beskhlebny. But the consent of his relatives was needed, said Irina Krotova. And a surprising story is connected with this.
Ivan died at the age of 24; he did not have time to start a family. The Vorony scouts found an essay by Gleb Beskhlebny on social media, in which the boy wrote that he proudly bore the surname of his grandfather, who fought near Vitebsk on an unnamed height. It turned out that this was the great-nephew of the commander who died there.
Last spring, the International Watch of Memory "Pogostino-43" was held at the site of the feat of the 27 Vitebsk Panfilovites. Searchers from Belarus and Russia, with the help of children from the Vorony secondary school, found the remains of 127 soldiers. It is assumed that Ivan Beskhlebny was among them. To bow to the ashes of his great-grandfather, from the Novosibirsk region, camefrom the guy who wrote the essay.