Search by tag «History» 46 results

  • Russian Spots Around the World

    We’ve already told you about the many incredible landmarks to visit in St. Petersburg and all around the country. But today, we’re going to take a look at some of the most impressive, unusual, or obscure places across the globe that, too, can provide a glimpse of Russian culture, history, and architecture.

    14.05.2024

  • Voices of Leningrad: ITMO Students’ New Project Offers New Look at Children’s Stories of WWII Siege

    Right now, the project Children’s Voices of Besieged Leningrad includes more than 30 entries. At its core are diaries written by children and teenagers during the Siege of Leningrad and collected by the European University at St. Petersburg. In a new app developed by students of ITMO University, users can read – or hear – about everyday life in 1940s Leningrad as described by the youngest eyewitnesses of the era. On the eve of Victory Day, the student developers spoke with ITMO.NEWS about the project and why it’s important to preserve such historical knowledge.

    08.05.2024

  • Map of the Siege: A Project Uniting Besieged Leningrad and Contemporary St. Petersburg

    A new project, developed by a team involving ITMO students, delves into the history of Leningrad during its siege in WWII. It’s a digital map of the city with geotags based on diaries kept by locals at that time. Having analyzed over 500 entries, the researchers were able to visualize the life of the city under siege. Using the map, users can look up a particular area of the city or read entries from a specific age group. Learn more about the project and its prospects in this article.

    29.02.2024

  • How Did People Dress in the USSR? Soviet Fashion Explained

    There’s a common notion that everyone dressed the same in Soviet times. Is this true? Let’s find out.

    04.12.2023

  • To Dot or Not To Dot: Letter Ё in Russian Alphabet

    The letter ё (yo), which is currently found in over 15,000 Russian words, not counting names and surnames, was added to the Russian alphabet 240 years ago – but disputes over its usage have persisted ever since. 

    28.11.2023

  • Writing as a Form of Art: Calligraphy in Ancient Russia

    Studying and writing go hand in hand, even in the digital age. So, for some inspiration as the new academic year begins, let's talk about how it was done in the past.

    28.08.2023

  • How Cyrillic Script Came to Be

    As you probably know, in Russia we use the Cyrillic alphabet as opposed to Latin. Why is that so, where did it come from, and were there other Slavonic scripts in the past?

    03.07.2023

  • ITMO University During World War II

    June 22 is the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow in Russia. On June 22, exactly 82 years ago, German troops invaded the Soviet Union, causing millions of people, including students and staff of LITMO (the Leningrad Institute of Fine Mechanics and Optics, the former name of ITMO University) to go to the front. But even with the ongoing war, research activities were not put on stop. Scientists who remained in the city continued their studies despite the harsh realities of the war, designing and repairing optical devices, including those meant to protect Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Learn more about how the university lived and worked during the Second World War in the article.

    22.06.2023

  • Research Under Siege: How Leningrad Scientists Fought to Overcome Famine

    On May 9, Victory Day is celebrated in Russia to mark the end of World War II. In honor of the occasion, ITMO.NEWS and ITMO’s Historical Museum look back on the work of Leningrad scientists who developed new food products for the besieged city.

    05.05.2023

  • Sculpture, Architecture, and History: Exploring St. Petersburg’s Historic Cemeteries

    Visiting a graveyard is an unlikely choice of weekend activity. Eerie atmosphere, superstition, and Gothic fiction have made cemeteries synonymous with the morbid and the macabre. Yet they have more to offer than just horror stories. Why not step outside and explore while the weather is nice?

    14.04.2023