International holidays - International Day of Monuments and Historic Sites

International Day of Monuments and Historic Sites is celebrated annually on April 18 The holiday was established in 1982 and began to be celebrated internationally a little later, in 1984 “Let's preserve our historical homeland,” is the motto of the holiday Its goal is to attract public attention to the world cultural heritage Events accompanying the celebration of this day in different countries of the world are aimed at conveying information about the vulnerability of cultural values ​​of humanity and the need for their preservation and protection As part of the holiday, various conferences and open door events are held Visiting museums becomes free On this day, historical complexes that are closed to visitors on regular days may even open to the public In pre-Petrine era Russia, the concept of “monument” was absent The state protected only religious shrines In this regard, we will never be able to know most of the monuments of ancient Russian art First, under the reign of Peter I, then Nicholas I, more and more attention was paid to the protection of ancient monuments The first restoration work and the reconstruction of some historical monuments can be attributed to this time However, revolutionary upheavals and civil war negatively affected people's attitudes towards ancient monuments By mercilessly destroying them, people thought that they could build a bright future Once again they started talking about saving cultural heritage in the Soviet Union In 1924, by resolution of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, a decree was developed on the duty of the executive committees to ensure that “fortifications, mounds, burial grounds are not plowed open, are not excavated for any economic purposes, so that the security zone around the monuments remains inviolable” From the distant 1924 to the present, the situation with the protection of our cultural and historical monuments has not been very good Although there have always been supporters and defenders of monuments on Russian soil, historical values ​​continue to disappear and be destroyed According to some expert estimates, our country loses up to 200 historical and cultural monuments every year Some objects can never be restored - they are irretrievably lost The Day of Monuments and Historical Places is recognized throughout the world, but this holiday should be especially important for us It must touch everyone and be deeply embedded in our national consciousness We must remember: cultural and historical values ​​are what unites us, educates us and makes us stronger This is what makes us human