The Vitebsk Art Museum has launched a coin collection for the commemorative sign 'Living Memory of Grateful Generations'
Alexey Talai's charitable foundation has been collecting metal coins for several years as part of the "Children of Belarus – to Veterans and Future Generations" campaign. The coins, along with sponsorship, are used to create monuments. These monuments combine the triangular front-line letter, symbolizing the heroic and tragic times of the Great Patriotic War, with a tree, representing the generations that grew up later under peaceful skies.
The first such monument was unveiled in Victory Park in Minsk in 2022. The second is ready and is planned to be installed near the walls of the Brest Fortress next year, marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from Nazi invaders. The third, for which funds are currently being raised, will be located on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow. The grand opening of the commemorative sign is planned to coincide with the anniversary of the Great Victory.
By donating coins, everyone, from schoolchildren to veterans, can make a contribution to the project and thank those who fought against fascism during the war and gave us a peaceful life. The number of people wishing to join this noble cause is growing year by year. Alexey Talai mentioned that while about 130,000 coins were collected for the first monument, the second one received about half a million. The third stage may be even more successful, as not only Belarusians but also Russians and others have started to participate.
The installation of the capsule at the Art Museum is important because previously, in the Vitebsk region, coins could only be donated during events involving Alexey Talai. The first stationary container for collecting metal currency appeared in Minsk, at the State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War. However, the issue of installing them in regional centers was then considered, as many in the regions wanted to participate in the project. And now, finally, such an opportunity has appeared in Vitebsk.
Alexander Subbotin emphasized that this is a significant event for all of us.
— We have something to be proud of and to show, something to teach others, — noted the head of the region. — We need to tell our children about this — about our grandfathers, great-grandfathers. To explain that we defeated both Napoleon and Hitler, and in more than one war that did not start through our fault, we emerged victorious, and then rebuilt the country, performed labor feats. This is another brick in the wall of glory of our country, our Slavic brotherhood.
The fruits that such projects yield are not immediately visible, believes Alexander Subbotin. But gradually, good deeds shape the inner world of children, create an environment of kindness, mercy, and remembrance of our worthy ancestors in society, which does not allow any sprouts of evil to break through on this soil.
Photo by Dmitry OSIPOV.