Nowe oblicze muzeum. Jak przekształciło się Muzeum Zwycięstwa – Centralne Muzeum Wielkiej Wojny Ojczyźnianej 1941–1945 – w Moskwie do czasu świętowania 75-lecia zwycięstwa

Abstract

The attitude to history in any country depends on its current challenges and those that people will have to face in the future. In this regard, the vision of the past and the collective memory change with each new generation. The Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) is the main historical event in contemporary Russia. Having rejected the old vision of the twentieth-century events which have been previously considered the most significant, such as the Bolshevik Revolution, contemporary Russia has retained a vision of its place and role in World War II. This is evidenced by the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of its victory in the war. The Museum of the Great Patriotic War (Victory Museum) in Moscow plays a significant role in celebrating this anniversary and creating the overall image of the war. The Victory Museum deals with preserving the memory of the war and educating young generations about this historical period. The museum has done a lot to reconstruct and update most of the exhibitions and change the nature of its activities. This article analyses this reconstruction process, new exhibitions in the museum and its new forms of work with visitors, particularly the young generation of Russian people. The author analyses how the exhibits have been transformed from traditional to multimedia ones and pays special attention to their interactive and communicative aspects, which have changed the role of visitors and the museum.