On the 70th anniversary of Victory in Great Patriotic War, the Central Scientific Library of the universal Ivanovo State Archives and State History Museum named after D.G Burylin, carried out a collaborative project “The Great Victory in the fate of Ivanovo, country and humanity.”

Within the limits of the project on August, 9th, 2012 at 11:00 in Local Centre of Information and History of the Central Scientific Library, took place round table “Results of the Great Patriotic War and Second World Wars. Looking into the future”. The meeting was attended by representatives of the authorities of Ivanovo Region, Scientific public higher education institutions, Far Eastern State University of Humanities in the face of head of the Department of General History Timoshenko Valery Nikolayevich the director of APIR Center (Khabarovsk). Yaroslavl State Pedagogical University, the staff of the State Archives of the Ivanovo region, State Local History Museum named after D.G. Burylin, Ivanovo Regional Art Museum, Museum Chernsk secondary school of Lezhnevsky region, local historians, veterans of the Great Patriotic War, the librarians of the city and the region.

During discussion were raised the questions concerning results of World War II and the Great Patriotic War, the prospects for further integration of Russia with the countries of Europe and the Far East, to prevent the falsification of history.

For the first time unique documents from archival funds of the NKVD-KGB of USSR: postcards, personal letters, diary  of the last ten days of stay in the Soviet Union of the former Commander of the Kwantung Army – General Otodzo Yamada, contained in a POW camp № 48 in the village of Chernsk Lezhnevsky region Ivanovo region. (Japan).

In the period from 17 to 27 May 1956 Otodzo Yamada came back from Chernsk camps to their homeland. In a diary records that Otodzo Yamada kept during a multi-day trip to the Soviet Union, the former general sadly remembered his friends, to whom did not have time to say goodbye, noted heartiness and attention of his staff camp and in traditional Japanese quatrains – haiku describing limitless expanses and attractions in Central Russia, Siberia and the Far East. In his letters from Japan to friends still remaining in detention, he expressed gratitude to the camps officers of NKVD and medical personnel, “for cardiac care and assistance” “For my friend, sibling equivalent care” during his illness, “for the attention down to the smallest detail.”

Editions of the given documents which were in funds of local information and history Centre Central universal scientific library have been exhibited on a round table.

Also great interest of present raised graphics and watercolor works from the Ivanovo Art Museum and the Museum of Chernsk secondary school Lezhnevskiy region in Ivanovo, completed by former commander of the 6th Army of Wehrmacht (Germany), General-Field Marshal Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus during his stay in the camp № 48.

The Data documents of historical value, led to the conclusion that the Chernsk camp created conditions conducive to the maintenance of the individual and the development of creative possibilities of war.

Besides the State Archives of the Ivanovo region at the roundtable presented memories and photos of Ivanovo parties Manchurian operation in 1945, including memoirs of Marshal Vasilevsky, A.M. and essays on the Soviet Union hero Vilkov N.A.

Activities on the theme of the Central Universal Scientific Library prepared book exhibition, where presented more than 1000 scientific articles in the leading domestic and foreign scholars, books and periodicals, a memoir of the great patriotic war and the second world war, and also the most complete collection of local history documents for participation of Ivanovo residents in the discussed events. The most important proceedings of the Roundtable will be included in the scientific and popular electronic edition of the combined distribution of “The Great Victory in the fate of Ivanovo, country and humanity”, Which is the Central Scientific Library prepares to the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

After the event, everyone visited memorial sites in the village Chernsk: school museum, burial of the dead prisoners Vorotinsky mansion, which houses “generalship” camp number 48, and services Park alleys, which were high ranking prisoners of war.

The debate, the issues raised, the veterans speeches, ongoing scientific research and an introduction to the scientific use of new archival documents will contribute to an objective view on the discussed historical events and further development of the cultural and economic relations between countries-participants of World War II, and will open a new page in the history of the Ivanovo region.

The Administration of Asia-Pacific International Relations Study Center  would like to thank colleagues from the city of Ivanovo, for the warm welcome.