International Winter School "Soviet heritage in modern Russia" was held in the Ural Institute of Humanities

15:50, February 17, 2022

13 representatives from Switzerland, Denmark and Germany participated in the Winter School "Soviet Heritage in Modern Russia", which took place from January 31 to February 13, 2022.

On January 31, the opening ceremony of Winter School 2022 "Soviet Heritage in Modern Russia" was held at the Ural Institute for Humanities, Ural Federal University, as Julia Filaretova, the program's director, welcomed the 13 participants who came from Switzerland, Denmark, and Germany.

For two weeks, participants had the chance to experience the Russian winter, life in Ekaterinburg, and to attend lectures, seminars and workshops with UrFU top-professors on the image of the USSR and its impact on the Russian identities.

In the first week, participants visited the USSR Museum, and experienced the real life of a real Soviet.

In Ekaterinburg, They went on a tour, and visited all that is related to the past and present of the industrial Capital of Russia.

The city's Opera House was one of the stops to enjoy the atmosphere of Russian ballet.

Nearby towns and villages were also part of our 1st week: Nevyansk, the Leaning White Tower, and Tavolgi village, where participants had a Pottery Workshop.

The first week was concluded with participants cooking and tasting Russian dishes, exchanging their thoughts and ideas to all that is connected to Russia: the Empire, the Soviet and the Federation.

In the second week of the program, participants learned more about the Soviet architecture, and examined the social history of the USSR.

They visited the most prominent places of Soviet avant-garde in Ekaterinburg: the Chekists’ township, Uralmash and its White Tower.

Mr. Alexey Ryzhkov, Ekaterinburg's most notable painter paid a visit to the participants, who had the chance to talk and paint with him in a workshop dedicated to drawing Ekaterinburg's most famous landmarks.

Moreover, participants visited the Hermitage-Ural Cultural and Educational Centre, and the Post Office HQ, where they sent postcards to their families.

In addition, they visited the artificial hot springs and enjoyed the outdoor sauna in 15˚C below zero.

In the weekend, the closing ceremony took place at Ural Federal University, where participants received their certificates, and expressed their utmost happiness to be part of the Winter School 2022, to live in Ekaterinburg, to experience the Russian winter and know closely the Russian culture and real Russia!

"Russian Studies in Real Russia" is an international project, which was established in 2010 as an additional educational program in the Department of Linguistics and Professional Communication in Foreign Languages.

Program's Director: Julia Filaretova.