A sacred date for all Russians is 27 January. On this day in 1944, the siege of Leningrad was finally lifted. The terrible 872 days of hunger, cold, air raids, losses and grief ended. The city on the Neva did not submit to the enemy!
The defense of Leningrad became a symbol of the greatest strength of spirit and unwavering will to win. Among the residents and defenders of the city were students, employees, and teachers of our university. They fought at the front, carried out scientific research and development, protected priceless architectural monuments, and shared the hardships and deprivations of wartime with everyone else.
We thank and bow low to those who stood firm and won. The memory of their selfless feat will live in the hearts of new and coming generations!
On the Day of the Full Liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi Blockade, an exhibition was opened in the SPbGASU Scientific and Technical Library, which displays documents dedicated to the university's activities during the war: professional journals, collections of essays and articles, engravings and original projects of architects created and published in 1941-1944. These documents are unique evidence of the selfless work of scientists, architects, artists, editors and printers during the days of the blockade.
One of the most valuable exhibits is the book by Professor Hermann Davidovich Grimm, “Proportionality in Architecture,” published in 1935. In the winter of 1941–1942, the architect worked on changes and additions for a subsequent reprint of the textbook, and made corrections to his research. Some pages contain handwritten notes in the margins, and some – text printed on notebook sheets. Hermann Grimm died on 23 March, 1942.
On 28 November, 1942, the acting director of the Leningrad Civil Engineering Institute (now SPbGASU) Konstantin Petrovich Sergeev created a commission to organize the centennial anniversary of our educational institution. Documents related to this significant date are also presented at the exhibition.
Also worthy of attention are the creative works of 1943–1944 by Aleksandr Mikhailovich Sokolov, a teacher at LISI and one of the authors of the architectural design project for the Technological Institute metro station. After April 1942, Aleksandr Sokolov worked in the commission for the establishment and investigation of the atrocities of the Nazi invaders, and conducted about 500 scientific examinations of Leningrad buildings damaged by shelling.
The exhibition is on display in the Teacher's Reading Hall (Room 217) until 7 February, 2025.