Belarusian President partakes in nationwide community clean-up day (subbotnik)

As he visited the construction site of the National History Museum during the nationwide community clean-up day (subbotnik), Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko gave instructions to make optimal exhibitions but without skimping.

At the National History Museum site Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee Vladimir Kukharev reported to the President on the progress of the building's construction. The head of state emphasized the need to use Belarus-made materials. "Everything should be made from our own materials the way the Chinese do it. We can make everything," he stressed.

In turn, Culture Minister Marat Markov told the head of state about the formation of the museum's exhibitions.

"Make sure it is optimal. Because a stingy person pays twice. It needs to be done in a way to avoid any criticism," Aleksandr Lukashenko instructed the culture minister. "There are so many 'smart' people [who would criticize]. They should try to do it themselves..."

Apart from that, Aleksandr Lukashenko suggested thinking about what the name of the museum would be: whether it would remain the National History Museum or would become the National Museum. "Some criticize us, historians for naming it the National History Museum of Belarus. As I recall, history was defined as a science about the past back in my day," said Aleksandr Lukashenko. "But we also reflect the present here and may even look into the future. Should it simply be the National Museum of Belarus?"

The President was informed that the second floor of the museum is supposed to house sections covering historical periods from prehistoric times to the 18th century. The exhibition is supposed to be truly massive: more than 20,000 exhibits.

The third floor of the museum will include sections dedicated to Belarus in the late 18th - early 20th centuries and to Belarus in 1917-1991. The section dedicated to the contemporary Republic of Belarus will be located on the fourth floor of the museum. A zone for a rotating exhibition and a hall for official ceremonies will also be located there.

The placement of a collective image of historical figures on the bas-reliefs was also discussed. "Bas-reliefs without any specific personalities? Situational ones?" Aleksandr Lukashenko asked for clarification and received a positive answer. "It may be for the better in order to avoid disputes about someone being there while Lukashenko is not. Let these be some kind of event-based scenes," the President said.

The discussion also touched upon the timeline for completing all the work and the possible opening of the museum to coincide with a significant date for Belarus - 17 September, People's Unity Day. Work on the building's facade - glazing and roofing - is essentially finished. The first phase of development of People's Unity Park is nearing completion. All the work is planned to be completed by August. An underground passage to the museum is planned to be put into operation in May.

After a brief report the head of state was invited to tour the halls of the National History Museum under construction. The President was given a detailed account of the museum's interior design and the placement of future exhibitions. The design's authors plan to use the state-of-the-art approaches, which will allow visitors to more fully immerse themselves in the most important events of Belarusian history.

After inspecting the museum building, Aleksandr Lukashenko, together with other participants of the clean-up day, planted trees in the territory adjacent to the museum. A total of about 100 saplings of ash, rowan, and birch were planted.

The funds earned from the spring community clean-up day will be channeled toward the creation of a permanent exhibition at the National History Museum of Belarus, which is currently under construction, as well as other related work.