The Rovenko Museum of the Memory of the Dead is a museum of the city of Rovenka in the Lugansk Region of Ukraine . It is dedicated to the memory of those who died in the Nazi dungeons during the Great Patriotic War . The museum is located in the cellars of the city hospital, where during the war there was a fascist prison in which some members of the Young Guard organization were detained and tortured. Five of them were shot nearby in the forest.
Museum History
After the end of World War II, public organizations of the city of Rovenky proposed to perpetuate memorial sites in the city associated with members of the Young Guard organization. In 1960, as a result of meetings of representatives of different generations, including members of the underground organization Young Guard, it was decided to create a memorial museum in memory of the dead in the cellars of the city hospital and build a monument at the site of the execution of the Young Guards in the Rattles forest. Forces of enthusiasts began the search for materials, documents. By order of the Rivne residents in Golovin, a monument was made of black labradorite , later installed in the Rattles forest. On May 9, 1965, a rally dedicated to the unveiling of the monument was held at the site of the execution of members of the Young Guard group.
The Rovenkov Museum "In Memory of the Dead" was opened on December 27, 1967. Initially, the museum consisted of only three rooms. In September 1972, on the thirtieth anniversary of the creation of the Young Guard, the museum was expanded, the basement of the former prison was added. New expositions were placed here. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the creation of the underground youth organization Young Guard, a re-exposure of the museum was carried out. Now the exposition is located in seven rooms.
Museum Halls
The first hall of the museum tells about the beginning of World War II. In the early days of the war, 6,500 people joined the militia , 200 formed the basis of the fighter battalion. The coal mines of the cities of Rovenka and Sverdlovsk became the basis of the 726th Rifle Regiment of the Red Banner Taman Rifle Division , commanded by Major General Anatoly I. Petrakovsky, later - Hero of the Soviet Union. The exhibition presents his personal belongings. On the stands are photographs of volunteers, their personal belongings and statements to the military enlistment office. The able-bodied population remaining in the city built fortifications around the city and villages. The museum presents things, in particular a pickaxe, a shovel, a scrap - tools of builders of defensive structures.
The second hall tells about the creation of an underground organization, about its activities, there are personal belongings of the underground Young Guards - Lyuba Shevtsova’s scarf, Oleg Koshevy’s shirt, drawings by Semyon Ostapenko, books, gramophone and much more. Here are documents issued by the invaders and testified that the occupation has become a heavy burden for the population.
From the basement you can get into a solitary cell, into which a heavy iron door leads. Above the door is a piece of charred blackboard with German text, which in translation means: “ Give up hope, everyone who enters here .” These words are taken from the " Divine Comedy " by the Italian poet Dante . In his work, he placed them above the entrance to hell. Here, in the chamber, according to legend, Oleg Koshevoi spent the last hours of his life.
Sources
- Let them remember, let them know the truth ... (inaccessible link)
- Rovenkovsky Museum of Memory of the Dead (inaccessible link)
- Rovenkovsky Museum of Memory of the Dead