| A pyramid of stalhelms (“steel helmets”) are surrounded by Mauser Karabiner K.98 rifles, the standard German infantry weapon, surrounding 2 Schwarzes Kreuz (“Black Cross”) grave markers. 2 Red Army officers review the display. Behind them is the wreckage of a Nazi aircraft, the Swastika still visible. In December 1943, the Military Council of the Leningrad Front resolved to organize an exhibition “Heroic Defense of Leningrad.” The exhibition was opened on April 30, 1944, and was further transformed into the museum of “Defense of Leningrad,” which became 1 of the 1st museums dedicated to the history of the 2nd World War. As a result of the “Leningrad Case,” the display was declared to be ideologically false, with emphasis placed on the patriotism of Leningraders, rather than on the decisive role of the Communist Party and Stalin. In 1949, the museum was shut down to public, and in 1953, it was disbanded. Most of the exhibits were destroyed, and those that remained were transferred to Leningrad museums. The premises of the museum were occupied by organizations subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. During the Perestroika of 1988, veterans of the war and siege, along with representatives of the cultural community, called for the reopening of the museum, which resumed its operation on September 8, 1989. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1945.jpg |
| Image Size | 693 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2867 x 1826 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Brooklyn Citizen |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | April 30, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Leningrad |
| State or Province | Leningrad |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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