A scientific and practical conference dedicated to the 590th anniversary of the first mention of the town in written sources is taking place in Tolochin.

The scientific and practical conference “Tolochin Region: Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Area”, dedicated to the 590th anniversary of the first mention of the town in written sources, is taking place in Tolochin.

Opening the event, the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies, Vladimir Terentyev, noted its importance not only for the participants themselves but also for local historians of the Tolochin district, the Vitebsk region, and the country as a whole. He expressed his gratitude to the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for its fruitful cooperation and for the fact that such events are regularly held in the region.

“It is important that the districts host scientists who talk specifically about local history,” added Vladimir Terentyev. “And a significant gift to the region will be a book on the historical and cultural heritage of the Tolochin district, which will be prepared by the Institute of History.”

Welcoming the conference participants, the Chairman of the Tolochin District Executive Committee, Oleg Lyndin, said that the Tolochin land is famous for its traditions, which are honoured and observed.

“It is important that at the conference we are discussing a whole range of issues related to the history of the region – from ancient times, the period of the Great Patriotic War, to the present day. I am confident that joint cooperation within the framework of the conference will enrich our knowledge about our district,” he emphasized.

Oleg Lyndin presented a Letter of Gratitude from the District Executive Committee to the Director of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor Vadim Lakiza.

In turn, the scientist said that the Institute of History carries out work aimed at preserving historical memory, forming historical self-awareness, and fostering patriots who love their wonderful country with its unique history.

“And it begins with the history of one's small homeland, such as the Tolochin region. Such conferences cannot take place without the understanding and support of local authorities in the cause that is currently one of the top priorities in Belarus,” Vadim Lakiza expressed his confidence.

He added that the event is being held within the framework of the subprogram “History” of the State Program of Scientific Research “Society and Humanitarian Security of the Belarusian State” for 2021–2025.

The Head of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus presented the city library with unique historical publications. He also presented Letters of Gratitude for contributions to the preservation of the region's historical and cultural heritage to Oleg Lyndin, Director of the Tolochin Cannery, Honoured Agricultural Worker of the Republic of Belarus, and Honorary Citizen of the Tolochin District, Anatoly Anyukhovsky, Director of the Historical and Local Lore Museum, Irina Pikulik, and Deputy Director of Secondary School No. 2 in Tolochin named after N. P. Lugovsky, Snezhana Gvozdeva.

The plenary session discussed the historical, cultural, and archaeological heritage of Belarus and its role in preserving historical memory, as well as the archaeological study of the Tolochin District by Professor Olga Levko. Attention was also paid to the genocide of the region's population during the Great Patriotic War.

A significant moment of the event was the signing of the Cooperation Agreement between the State Scientific Institution "Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus" and the Tolochin District Executive Committee. Vadim Lakiza and Oleg Lyndin affixed their signatures to it.

The conference work was then organised into three sections:

"Tolochin Region from Antiquity to 1917", "Tolochin Region from 1917 to the Present Day", and "Destinies Connected with Tolochin Region". During their sessions, reports were heard on history and culture, archaeological and ethnographic research, socio-economic development, and military events in the district. Issues of memorialising historical memory, and the region's tourism and local lore potential were also addressed.

The second day of the conference will open with a round table discussion on the cultural heritage of Tolochin Region. Participants will visit the Drutsk settlement, which was the centre of the Principality of Drutsk in the 11th–16th centuries, and familiarise themselves with the production facilities of the Tolochin Cannery, part of the National Academy of Sciences' Scientific and Practical Centre for Potato Growing and Fruit and Vegetable Growing.

Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by