Map of Heroic Deeds: Interactive Project to Mark 75th Anniversary of Victory Day

Students of Nizhny Novgorod HSE University are going to take part in creating an interactive map of memorable places associated with the names of WWII veterans from their native city.

The Nizhny Novgorod campus of HSE University has held a roundtable to discuss the creation of an interactive map of sites dedicated to WWII veterans. This will be a unique project implemented jointly by educational institutions and the government of Nizhny Novgorod as well as several nonprofit organizations and IT companies.   

The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by the 75^th anniversary of Victory Day in Russia. The map will act as both a useful tourist guide and a valuable source of information for a wide range of users. It will show the monuments and memorials erected in Nizhny Novgorod to commemorate the deeds of the veterans of the Great Patriotic War, including memorial complexes and plaques, obelisks, sculptures, graves, and streets named after heroes of the war. The map will be in two languages—Russian and English. The resource will contain brief information about the Great Patriotic War veterans, and be linked to other resources for more details.

Dmitry Guitelson, Deputy Head of Nizhny Novgorod administration, has expressed his willingness to support the project:

‘Last year, we launched a similar project called ‘Streets of Heroes’ to provide information about streets named after heroes of the Soviet Union. This interactive map project is even more challenging. We are delighted that the Nizhny Novgorod campus of HSE University has decided to undertake this work, and we are ready to support this initiative with all available resources.’

The project leader and an expert of Nizhny Novgorod HSE University, Isabella Porus, has pointed out the high social impact of the project:

‘Living in the time of modern technologies, we have a unique opportunity to tell the story of heroic deeds performed by people from Nizhny Novgorod and give details about their lives. This project will also enable us to pinpoint the locations of monuments erected in Nizhny Novgorod to honour the soldiers of the Soviet Army. In addition to its importance in terms of patriotic education, the project aims to restore historical justice by helping people to learn more about the acts of bravery committed by their family members and the awards that were conferred to those heroes, but that they never received. Thanks to the project, close relatives will be able to apply for official recognition of these awards from the authorities. The website will also list the names of soldiers buried in mass graves, who have not been mentioned on the monuments. This will help us draw the authorized officials’ attention to some inaccuracies, and restore historical justice.

The project will be implemented by the teachers and students of Nizhny Novgorod HSE University and Nizhny Novgorod State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, and supported by the city government, the State Public and Political Archive of the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, the Nizhny Novgorod 800^th Anniversary Steering Committee, the Nizhny Novgorod Council of Veterans of War, Labour, Military Forces and Law Enforcement Bodies, School No 47, and School No 103.