Quests, rebuses, crosswords: the Chashniki Historical Museum tells about the events of the Great Patriotic War in a playful way
For the younger generation, employees actively use game-based learning: quests, puzzles, and crosswords on military-historical themes, which help to better absorb the presented material.
The exposition of the military hall tells about the partisan movement; the stands feature photographs and documents about local residents, weapon models, and awards.
Entire families joined the ranks of the people's avengers. For example, a legendary photograph captures Nikifor Rydlevsky with his daughters Olga and Zinaida on the day of their return to their native Chereya, Chashniki district. They fought the invaders in the Senno partisan brigade. Before the war, the old cavalryman and widower Nikifor Terentyevich worked as the head groom at the "Kolas" collective farm; his daughters attended school, and his two sons, Alexander and Vladimir, served in the army and died on the front lines. With the arrival of the Germans, the Rydlevskys went into the forest. The head of the family became the adjutant to the brigade commander; he knew the area well and during operations, he accurately led the partisans to the required area. Olga was assigned to the sanitary platoon, and Zinaida to the rifle unit.
After liberation, 59-year-old Nikifor Rydlevsky participated in a partisan parade held in Vitebsk on Sunday, July 23, 1944. In one of the photographs from the first post-war mass event, Nikifor Terentyevich is depicted with his daughter Zinaida. At that time, about 10,000 partisans marched through Senna Square (part of B. Khmelnitsky Street from Zhestkova Street to Shubina Street); military units were also represented.
At the city-wide rally preceding the parade, Hero of the Soviet Union Fyodor Dubrovsky, commander of the Chashniki partisan brigade "Dubova", spoke on behalf of the people's avengers. The museum exhibits tell about him. The commander developed and personally participated in many combat operations, serving as an example of personal courage. For instance, on January 19, 1943, detachments of the formation routed the occupiers' garrison in Chashniki. By the end of the year, 22 similar enemy strongholds were destroyed, and the partisans actively participated in the "rail war".
One of the exhibits displays medical instruments of doctor Kirill Chepik, who headed the sanitary service of the Dubova brigade, and later – all partisan formations of the Lepel-Ushachi zone. The Nazis hanged his wife Nina; his three-year-old son Oleg was accidentally saved. In the partisan hospital, Kirill Petrovich performed over 500 operations, saving those wounded in battles with the enemy.