Oleg Valenchuk: The memory of Marshal Konev fosters future heroes

      On September 24 the museum once again opened its doors to special guests — participants of the School of Young Guides. The speaker at the event was Kirov’s lead tour guide, Svetlana Dozhdevykh.

      Like an experienced helmsman, Svetlana Mikhailovna led the kids through the turbulent waters of tour work, revealing to them the “rules and laws, secrets and peculiarities” of this remarkable art.

      Participants in the project “Konev – Marshal of Victory” absorbed every word, understanding that before them was not merely a theorist but a practitioner who knows how to make history come alive.

      The past months have been very full for the young heirs of Victory. A specialized session at the children's camp “Kolokolchik,” where 30 boys and girls spent 14 days learning the basics of guiding. A trip to the village of Lodeyno in the Podosinovsky District — the place where the great commander was born and raised.

      “Thanks to you, young people of Kirov learn about the life path of our outstanding countryman and commander Ivan Stepanovich Konev, about the heroism and courage of our soldiers. Your tours instill in your peers a sense of pride in the great past of our country. You are true keepers of historical memory!” said Oleg Valenchuk in his address to the young guides.

      The meeting also inspired those who are only preparing to take their first steps in guiding. The children, diligently studying material about the life and feats of Ivan Stepanovich Konev, are preparing to take an exam and begin conducting tours of the museum exhibition.

      The meeting ended with a group photo, friendly conversation and, of course, treats of “Marshal Konev’s sushki” — another symbolic element that makes history tasty and memorable.

      The implementation of the project “Konev – Marshal of Victory” is financed from the budget of the municipal formation “City of Kirov” as part of the “City of Good Neighbors” project competition for implementing public initiatives dedicated to celebrating the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.