OREANDA-NEWS. May 13, 2009. The Information and Education Centre “State Russian Museum: Virtual Branch” will open in the Uritskaya secondary school on the base of the information technologies and resources centre of the educational department of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee on May 21.

The project of the State Russian State Museum is widely known all over the world. The museum has already set up its virtual branches in a number of countries. As for Belarus, it will become the first one.

The main goal of the project is to educate the younger generation by means of arts and culture using the up-to-date information technologies, develop the common socio-cultural area for the Slavonic peoples connected by historical and cultural traditions. 

Setting up its virtual branch in the Gomel region, the State Russian Museum will provide the Information and Education Centre with software and technological equipment. The centre will organize special seminars for students, professors and parents, pedagogical training for specialists, demonstrate movies about the State Russian Museum, hold various contests and exhibitions.

The virtual branch will be presented with the participation of representatives of the State Russian Museum on May 21. During the opening ceremony, television conference “Gomel – St. Petersburg” will be held.

The State Russian Museum opened in 1898. The Russian Museum today is a unique depository of artistic treasures, a leading restoration center, an authoritative institute of academic research, a major educational center and the nucleus of a network of national museums of art. The Russian Museum collection contains circa 400.000 exhibits. The museum collection embraces all forms, genres, schools and movements of art. The Russian Museum holds many exhibitions both in Russia and abroad. The Museum holds more than 50 temporary exhibitions and organizes more than 10 in other cities and abroad annually. Catalogues, albums and booklets made by museum researchers accompany many exhibitions.