The exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod brings to life the home front chronicles from wartime.

      July 25, 2025, 10:45 AM

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      Culture and Leisure

      In Nizhny Novgorod, the historical and educational project "Heroes of the Rear. Pages of Memory" has begun at the library and leisure center of the Autozavodsky district. The initiative is carried out by the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Information Center (NOIC) in collaboration with the "Creative Practices Team."

      The exhibition features 45 photo reproductions of newspaper strips, created based on the analysis of over 4,000 pages from the publication "Gor'kovskaya Kommunа," published during the Great Patriotic War. These materials tell about the lives and dedicated work of residents of the Gorky region behind the front lines — in factories, collective farms, and on farms.

      A key feature of the project is the integration of augmented reality technology. Visitors can point their smartphone cameras at the exhibition posters to view archival video footage and hear authentic eyewitness stories. The project includes a total of 10 videos depicting everyday life and the heroic labor of Gorky residents during the war.

      The exhibition is complemented by artifacts provided by the Nizhny Novgorod search organization "Kurgan," including authentic items found at battle sites: helmets, canteens, sappers' shovels, and other pieces of soldiers' life.

      "This exhibition is a chance to touch the era, to understand what the lives of our ancestors were like, what they believed in, and what they fought and worked for. People worked to their limits, staying at factories and sleeping only a few hours. We must convey this to the youth so they realize the true cost of Victory," said Alexander Nagin, head of the Autozavodsky district administration, at the opening.

      Stanislas Smirnov, chairman of the local history enthusiasts' association "Otkhina" under the Union of Writers of Russia, shared insights into less known pages of the district’s wartime history.

      Among the first visitors to the exhibition were district residents, historians, and local history enthusiasts. All guests received a special issue of "Nizhegorodskaya Pravda" dedicated to the Great Patriotic War.

      "The project is important because it allows us not only to learn facts but to feel the times. It’s been 80 years since Victory, yet we are still discovering new pages. We must remember what our ancestors were like and what they endured. This is our history; this is our dignity," said Vladimir Sveshnikov, chairman of the GAZ Veterans Council.

      The "Heroes of the Rear. Pages of Memory" project will continue in other towns and districts of the Nizhny Novgorod region: Chkalovsk, Borogradsk, Pavlov, Dálny Konstantinov, Lyskovo, Vorotynets, as well as in Borsky, Pilninsky, and Kstovsky districts.

      The project is scheduled to conclude in December.

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