Activities of the Kurgan regional branch of VOOPIK in identifying and recording monuments as a basis for preserving historical memory (1965–1981)

Abstract

The article analyzes the activities of the Kurgan Regional Branch of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments (VOOPIK) during the period 1965–1981. Based on archival materials from the State Archive of the Kurgan Region, the processes of identifying, documenting, and recording objects of historical and cultural heritage are examined as a form of implementing Soviet memory policy at the regional level. It is shown that VOOPIK formed a multi-level system that united administrative mechanisms, public initiative, and the school local history movement. By 1981, 1,192 monuments of various types had been recorded in the region — from mass graves and obelisks to Decembrist houses and monuments of labor glory. Particular attention is paid to the role of mass participation of the population — schoolchildren, teachers, veterans — in the process of "memory production." Internal contradictions of the system are identified: dependence on party structures, uneven development of district branches, and ideological regulation of memory content. The specificity of the Kurgan Region is revealed as a territory where historical memory was constructed primarily through the creation of a new memorial landscape rather than through the restoration of ancient monuments. The study introduces into scientific circulation previously unpublished archival documents that allow for a detailed reconstruction of the functioning mechanisms of the VOOPIK regional branch. The conclusion is drawn about the significance of VOOPIK's experience for modern cultural heritage preservation policy and the prospects for its adaptation to civil society conditions.