Press releases

The silver goblet is an interesting souvenir item dating back to the second half of the 19th century. It was made in Germany in the 1870s. The goblet bears the coats of arms of the Oginski family and the Potulicki family. It was presented to Bogdan Oginski, a grandson of Michal Kleofas Oginski, as a wedding gift.

Belarus’ Culture Minister Boris Svetlov thanked the Belarusian office of the company Japan Tobacco International (JTI) which is the general partner of the National History Museum for the traditional financial assistance. He noted that 2016 had been declared the Year of Culture in Belarus and expressed confidence that the year will be full of amazing cultural events.

For his part, Director of Japan Tobacco International S&D Gennady Brusnikov pointed out that the acquisition of the artifact is one more step towards the preservation and enrichment of Belarus’ historical and cultural heritage. He believes that the goblet will make a good complement to the collection of the museum.

In 2013, a session of the UNESCO General Conference made a decision to include Michal Kleofas Oginski’s 250th birthday in the 2015 UNESCO list of anniversaries of historic events and eminent personalities. In this context, the National History Museum organized a number of exhibitions and took part in the creation of the exposition in the Oginski family estate in Zalesye. The presentation of the wedding goblet is the last in a series of events to mark the year-long celebration of Michal Kleofas Oginski’s 250th birthday.

The cooperation between Belarus’ National History Museum and Japan Tobacco International was established in 2015. More than 40 important publishing, restoration, education, and charity projects have been carried out with the company’s support since then.