Saved for Humanity: The Hermitage During the Siege of 1941-1944

by Sergei Varshavsky, Boris Rest

This book describes the heroic efforts of the Hermitage staff during the war of 1941-45, and how priceless treasures were saved from destruction and pillage, during the siege of Leningrad.

400 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Theediscerning · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning book if you can find it, full of pictures of many of the treasures of the Hermitage Museums of St Petersburg, alongside the highly dramatic tale of how all such goodies got to survive the Siege of Leningrad. Two whole trains full of stuff were ferried off, but a third couldn't get out in time, leaving the building and some unmoveable objects and those to fend for themselves. Well, almost – but the fact the staff were decimated by the demands of the war, and were reduced to the elderly is another factor. The chaps were forced to do what they could by day and then be on fire-watch at night, and some of the babushkas were forced to do the nightly patrols, of a set of corridors that amount to a half-marathon. And all had to muscle in when the bomb damage needed repairing…

Yes, the writing is in a breathless, hyper-patriotic propaganda style, but it needs to be said that the museums were deliberately targeted – hit so much more often than a key bridge nearby was ever attacked. This is wonderful to read, and a minor treasure itself to look at. One of the best 10p purchases I've made in a long time, so to have that treat in 2023 was a happy incident.