Press releases

MINSK, 28 November (BelTA) – In May 1944 during the retreat from the superior German troops, being in a dead-end situation, Company No. 3 of the Belarus Brigade threw a handwritten journal in a river. Later on, the papers were retrieved, dried out and brought back to life. Partisans had to survive in the harsh conditions of the war. So did their handwritten journals. When encircled, partisans would bury them in ammunition boxes or throw them in lakes or rivers and hope that the paper would survive everything.

“Partisan Chronicles: Record everything down and save. How partisans saved handwritten journals” is a new page of the joint project of BelTA and the Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War History.

The project is based on a unique collection of handwritten partisan journals provided by the Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War History. The collection was assigned the status of historical and cultural value of international importance (Class 1). Every week BelTA brings these chronicles to light and posts their digital copies. Each of them sheds light on various aspects of partisans’ life, gives a glimpse into thoughts and feelings of people who risked their lives to fight a battle behind enemy lines.

Till 3 July 2019 BelTA will publish digests of these chronicles and upload their digital versions complementing the unique content with photos from its own archives.