Thematic exhibitions have been staged every year for People’s Unity Day since 2021. Previous editions focused on the chronology of events, printed publications or prominent figures of the era. This year, the spotlight is on banners, one of the key tools of the underground struggle in Western Belarus in the mid-1920s.

The exposition features authentic materials from the museum’s holdings, with many of the items on display for the first time. Some of the exhibits are classed as rare. The focus is on original banners of organizations of the Communist Party of Western Belarus and the Communist Youth Union of Western Belarus, as well as leaflets from the 1920s and 1930s, which played an important role in underground agitation. Leaflets of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Western Belarus and the Central Committee of the Communist Youth Union of Western Belarus, printed in an underground printing house, are on display, as well as newspapers published in Vilna.

«We have a large collection of banners — 43. These agitation cloths were created in illegal conditions: on the spot, in safe houses, written on red fabric that had to be bought in a shop, risking that the sellers would report them. Packaging material was also used as a base, with inscriptions applied in white, yellow and silver oil paints. The banners were hung on trees, roofs and power lines. The main task was to keep the poster in view for as long as possible. The underground fighters called this activity postering,» the museum said.

Visitors can also learn about the life stories of freedom fighters — Vera Khoruzhaya, Vasilisa Selivonik and others. Their fates are revealed through maps, photographs, questionnaires and character references. The museum emphasized that those interested in the history of their native land and the stages of its development will appreciate the depth and richness of the exposition. The exhibition is complemented by the installation Making a Banner in an Underground Fighter’s Apartment and a canvas by a Brest artist, 1939. Western Belarus.

The Origins of Unity exhibition will run through 31 October.