Polotsk has begun preparations for its 1150th anniversary

May 16, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Polotsk has begun preparations for its 1150th anniversary and has announced competitions for the development of concepts for holding and decorating the celebration, as well as a competition for the creation of an emblem for the festivities, which will take place in 2012. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the culture department of the Polotsk City Executive Committee. The Polotsk City Executive Committee is the organizer of all three competitions. It aims to identify and support cultural initiatives and find the most original ideas for holding anniversary events. The concept for holding the celebration should be based on the idea of Polotsk as the origin of Belarusian statehood and enlightenment, and the keeper of thousand-year-old culture and Orthodoxy on Belarusian land. At the same time, it should be noted that the city is currently a historical, cultural, and tourist center of Belarus, open to innovations and business ideas. When evaluating competition projects, preference will be given to works that provide maximum spectacle and present Polotsk as the economic, tourist, and cultural center of the region. The City Executive Committee invites individual architects, designers, artists, as well as teams of authors to participate in the competition for the festive decoration of Polotsk. Participants are invited to present an idea-concept for the festive decoration of the city using Freedom Square, Francysk Skaryna Square, and the avenue of the same name as examples. The idea-concept should represent a comprehensive festive decoration: artistic and graphic, lighting, and floral and decorative. The City Executive Committee has also decided to create an emblem for the 1150th-anniversary celebration through a competition. All interested parties are invited to participate. The emblem of the competition winner will become the logo for the festive events and will be displayed on city stages, posters, official invitations, brochures, congratulations, and souvenirs. The winners of all three competitions will not only see their ideas come to life but will also receive valuable gifts, which the organizer will take care of. Based on chronicle dates, Polotsk is the oldest city in Belarus and one of the oldest cities of Kievan Rus'. The first mention of it dates back to 862. The city is associated with the names of the legendary Vseslav the Sorcerer, Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk, and the enlighteners Francysk Skaryna and Simeon of Polotsk. Unique architectural monuments of ancient architecture have been preserved here to this day, including the Saint Sophia Cathedral and the Transfiguration Church, built in the 12th century. -0-