An electronic database of honorary citizens of Vitebsk has been compiled for the 75th anniversary of the city's liberation, as reported to a BELTA correspondent by Elena Bogatenok, Director of the M. Gorky Central City Library.
The information resource "Honorary Citizens of the City of Vitebsk" was prepared by the staff of the M. Gorky Central City Library (CCL) based on data from the CCL's reference and local history collection, electronic catalogues of the Vitebsk Regional Library and the National Library of Belarus, and internet resources.
"The resource is a combined database on local history and contains materials about the life and activities of citizens awarded this title. The main goal of its creation is to pay tribute to people who have brought glory to the city. The database includes 55 individuals. These are people of various positions, professions, and titles who, at one time, achieved outstanding results in various fields: science, culture, education, medicine, industry, construction, and sports," emphasised the library director.
The decision to establish the title "Honorary Citizen of the City of Vitebsk" was signed on 17 June 1964, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the city's liberation from the German fascist invaders. The first to be awarded this title were Heroes of the Soviet Union and participants in the liberation of Vitebsk, Fyodor Blokhin and Mikhail Druzhinin, the leader of the partisan movement, Minay Shmyrev, and a participant in the underground and partisan movement, Maria Matsenko. In total, the list of honorary citizens of Vitebsk includes 30 participants of the Great Patriotic War.
The collected materials will be of interest to historians and local history enthusiasts, cultural and art workers, educators, students, and schoolchildren, and everyone interested in the history and modern life of Vitebsk, Elena Bogatenok is convinced.
The resource is available on the library's website at www.pgv.cbsvit.by and will be regularly updated. Its presentation will take place on 26 June during the City Day celebrations.