Press releases

Partisan Chronicles: Nikolai Gurlo’s Satire and Humor

MINSK, 10 May (BelTA) - In June 1941 the German army was advancing rapidly into the Soviet Union. Within a few days after the beginning of the war Luftwaffe bombers turned Minsk into ruins. The city, which was captured by the Germans, was up in flames…

Wandering through the city debris, Nikolai Gurlo vowed to never forgive and to retaliate against fascists. Nikolai Gurlo actively fought against fascists first as part of the Minsk underground resistance group and then as a member of the partisan movement. Nikolai Gurlo earned a reputation as a master of political and everyday satire on pages of the partisans handwritten journals. After the war the artist continued to draw.

“Partisan Chronicles: Nikolai Gurlo’s Satire and Humor” 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.

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