Leafing through an old newspaper: 85 years ago, a decision was made to create the Vitebsk region
While collecting materials for the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Vitebsk region, we tried to find the newspaper "Vitebsky Proletary," which was published in early 1938. The bound volume was found at the National Library of Belarus. Although, when it was ordered from the storage, we were warned that the required issue, which interested us for January 15, might not be available. But it was present, albeit with a torn first page.
The main topic of the issue was the report on the first session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 1st convocation, held from January 12 to 19, where the decision to create the Vitebsk region was made. The first page contained information about the work of the session and feedback from foreign countries.
It is understandable that the issue dated January 15 said nothing about the resolution that was fateful for the Vitebsk region. However, the very next day, an informational message was published about the joint meeting of the Council of the Union and the Council of Nationalities on January 15, at which amendments and additions were made to certain articles of the USSR Constitution. In particular, regarding the creation of five regions within the Belarusian SSR – Vitebsk, Gomel, Minsk, Mogilev, and Polesie. Our region included seven cities and 20 districts.
Two days later, the newspaper published resolutions from workers, engineers, technicians, and employees of Vitebsk supporting the decisions of the Supreme Soviet. For example, the workers of the "Comintern" plant enthusiastically welcomed the decision of the session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to establish five regions in our award-winning republic and assured: "We will mark the historical decisions with new production victories, with the wide development of the Stakhanovite movement."
The newspaper "Vitsebski Praleitary", like its predecessor "Zarya Zapada" (the organ of the Vitebsk District Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Belarus, the district executive committee, and the district trade union council), was published daily, periodically with a Jewish page. It mainly published materials common to the entire USSR, transmitted by teletype. These included verbatim reports from meetings, speeches by party and state leaders, and reports on international politics. Local materials primarily consisted of responses to current events. The newspaper actively involved worker-correspondents who wrote on various topics, including denouncing shortcomings.
Among other topics reflecting life in the Vitebsk region in the first month of its creation were the development of the Stakhanovite movement and the plan for constructing the regional center in 1938. In particular, significant sums were allocated for the reconstruction and construction of residential buildings for the KIM factory, the spectacle factory, a specialists' house at the intersection of Bauman and Veterinaraya streets, the extension of the dam on Frunze Street, the construction of a prosthetic workshop, a children's hospital, a nursing school, and the asphalting of sidewalks.
Several issues of "Vitsebski Praleitary" were dedicated to the rescue expedition for the evacuation of Papanin's group. Words of support from the labor collectives of the regional center to the polar explorers were published, along with expressions of grief over the airship disaster and the death of the crew who went to help those drifting on an ice floe.
On April 29, 1938, the newspaper was renamed "Vitsebski Rabochy" and received the status of a regional mass media outlet. The successor to the publication, which was issued in the year of the Vitebsk region's creation, is today "Vitebskiye Vesti," a newspaper that strives to objectively and comprehensively reflect the life of the region.
"Vitebskiye Vesti"