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Exhibition to mark 100 years of Gomel Palace and Park Ensemble opens in Moscow

Photos courtesy of the Belarusian Embassy in Moscow

MOSCOW, 5 April (BelTA) - An exhibition timed to the centennial anniversary of the Gomel Palace and Park Ensemble, one of the oldest museums in Belarus, opened at the Business and Cultural Center of the Belarusian Embassy in Moscow, BelTA learned from the press service of the diplomatic mission.

“Each country has some remarkable architectural specimens to be proud of. Among them are architectural gems that have become the heritage of mankind, since these masterpieces defy time and space. The Gomel Palace and Park Ensemble is undoubtedly one of them,” Senior Counselor of the Embassy, Head of the Business and Cultural Center Vasily Chernik said.

Life and work of the Rumyantsevs and the Paskeviches, outstanding Russian statesmen and military figures, are closely connected with the history of the palace. Today the central part of the Belarusian Embassy in Russia is currently located in the former Moscow estate of Count Piotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky. The estate was built by Russian architect Vasily Bozhenov.

“The exhibition displays old photos depicting the first museum expositions and items,” Director of the Gomel Palace and Park Ensemble Oksana Toropova said. “Retrospection consisting of several groups of photos makes it possible to follow up the changes of the palace's appearance over time and periods of its restoration. Contemporary photographs depict the facilities and expositions of the palace that are currently in operation. The exhibition features the most interesting museum collections, as well as information about the pre-history of the museum and works of contemporary artists that have to do with the palace and park ensemble," she added.

Galina Aksenova, Professor at the Russian History Department of the History Faculty of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, spoke about the Belarusian-Russian historical and cultural ties during the opening ceremony. “The Gomel Palace and Park Ensemble is a monument of world culture. It is impossible to separate such historical and cultural phenomena of the world history as the ancient and beautiful city over the Sozh River mentioned in the Hypatian Codex and the Rumyantsev and the Paskevich dynasties,” she stressed.

Attending the opening ceremony were representatives of the Standing Committee of the Union State, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State, the CIS Executive Committee, Moscow intellectuals, Belarusian diaspora, Russian journalists and the Union State media.

The Gomel Palace and Park Complex consists of the Palace and Park Ensemble, the Burial Vault Chapel of the Paskevich Princes, the Winter Garden, the observation tower, and the old park, that is a monument of nature and landscaping of the mid-19th century. The museum holdings are some of the biggest in Belarus, with about 250,000 items.

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