{"id":546653,"date":"2026-05-29T14:25:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T11:25:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reform.news\/?p=546653"},"modified":"2026-05-29T14:37:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T11:37:46","slug":"ruins-of-belarus-named-among-poland-s-most-beautiful-books-veha-archive-project-receives-prestigious-award-in-warsaw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/ruins-of-belarus-named-among-poland-s-most-beautiful-books-veha-archive-project-receives-prestigious-award-in-warsaw","title":{"rendered":"\u201cRuins of Belarus\u201d Named Among Poland\u2019s Most Beautiful Books. VEHA Archive Project Receives Prestigious Award in Warsaw"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On May 28, an awards ceremony for the winners of the 66th edition of the \u201cNajpi\u0119kniejsze Polskie Ksi\u0105\u017cki 2025\u201d (The Most Beautiful Polish Books 2025) competition took place at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw during the International Book Fair. The book \u201cRuins of Belarus\u201d received an Honourable Mention (Wyr\u00f3\u017cnienie) in the Art category. The publication was created by the team of the independent VEHA archive.<\/p>\n

The competition, organised annually by the Polish Book Publishers Society (PTWK), is one of the oldest and most respected expert platforms in the region. It evaluates not only content but the book as a complete artistic object, including its layout, graphic design, archival work and printing quality.<\/p>\n

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During the award ceremony. Photo: social media of the Belarusian Culture Centre in Bia\u0142ystok.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Photo: social media of the Belarusian Culture Centre in Bia\u0142ystok.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Professional Recognition and the Project\u2019s Creators<\/h3>\n

\u201cRuins of Belarus\u201d is the result of a large-scale collaboration between Belarusian researchers and European designers. The book was created and curated by Lesia P\u010dolka<\/strong>, Asia Khmyz<\/strong> and Uladzimir Hramovi\u010d<\/strong>\u00a0of the VEHA archive. The visual concept and complex graphic design were developed by designers Karolina Pietrzyk<\/b> and Tobias Wenig<\/b> in cooperation with the archive team.<\/p>\n

The publication was made possible through a partnership between the Belarusian Culture Centre in Bia\u0142ystok and the Arsena\u0142 Gallery of Contemporary Art in Bia\u0142ystok, which served as publishers of the project. Language barriers were overcome with the help of the Mova \u2013 j\u0119zyk bez barier association, which provided translations, while the book\u2019s production quality was ensured by the printing company Mo\u015b i \u0141uczak in Pozna\u0144.<\/p>\n

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What Is the Book About and What Makes It Unique?<\/h3>\n

\u201cRuins of Belarus\u201d is a 256-page visual and historical study covering all six regions of Belarus. The book is built on a combination of archival materials and scholarly texts. The project\u2019s regional consultants and co-authors included prominent Belarusian historians and researchers: Kastu\u015b Shytal<\/b> (Vitsyebsk Region), Yauhen Malikau<\/b> (Homiel Region), Stsiapan Stureika<\/b> (Hrodna Region) and Ales David Lisouski<\/b> (Mahiliou Region).<\/p>\n

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July 1941, Mahiliou. The ruins of the Epiphany Church (from the 1920s, the building housed the central archive of the BSSR and was ultimately demolished after the Second World War). Source: Ales (David) Lisouski, \u201cArchive of the History of Mahiliou\u201d. VEHA Archive, \u201cRuins of Belarus\u201d collection. Photo: veha-archive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

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November 1915, Navahrudak, Hrodna Region. German soldiers in front of Navahrudak Castle (preserved in a ruined state). Provided by Yauhen Mshar. VEHA Archive, \u201cRuins of Belarus\u201d collection. Photo: veha-archive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The VEHA team succeeded in bringing together under one cover photographs of destroyed architectural monuments, including castles, town halls, estates, synagogues, Orthodox churches and Catholic churches, from 45 private family and public archives. Many of these buildings were completely erased during wars or through Soviet destruction of cultural heritage. As a result, the book preserves images of places that no longer physically exist.<\/p>\n

Another distinctive feature is its trilingual format. All content, including historical essays by Uladzimir Hramovi\u010d and architectural descriptions by Asia Khmyz, is presented in Belarusian, Polish and English, making the publication accessible to an international audience.<\/p>\n

Reviews and Broader Context<\/h3>\n

Polish reviewers and cultural commentators note that \u201cRuins of Belarus\u201d is far more than a nostalgic photo album. The book has been described as \u201ca profound exploration of the philosophy and connotations of destruction\u201d.<\/p>\n

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VEHA Archive\u2019s book \u201cRuins of Belarus\u201d.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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VEHA Archive\u2019s book \u201cRuins of Belarus\u201d.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In their reviews, experts particularly highlight what they describe as the \u201ccall of the ruins\u201d and the human dimension of history. Critics point to the book\u2019s successful portrayal of human presence alongside destroyed sites. Through the lens of historical photographs, the researchers reveal a range of motivations, from attempts by local residents in the last century to connect with a noble past to the pragmatic or even dismissive attitudes of occupying soldiers during wartime. Destruction is presented as a complex transformation and one of the tragic characteristics of the Belarusian landscape and culture.<\/p>\n

Where Can the Book Be Purchased?<\/h3>\n

According to the Belarusian Culture Centre in Bia\u0142ystok, the book can be purchased in several ways. It can be ordered directly from the publishers, the Belarusian Culture Centre or the Arsena\u0142 Gallery. Those currently in Warsaw also have an opportunity to buy a physical copy. A limited number of copies remain available at the International Book Fair (PGE Narodowy) at the Free Belarus Salon (stand 11\/D5). The book is also available through the Kamunikat online store<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What Comes Next?<\/h3>\n

The PTWK award opens new opportunities for the Belarusian project. Under the competition\u2019s rules, the winning books will represent the art of book design at major international fairs in Frankfurt and Leipzig, including participation in the global \u201cBest Book Design from all over the World\u201d competition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On May 28, an awards ceremony for the winners of the 66th edition of the \u201cNajpi\u0119kniejsze Polskie Ksi\u0105\u017cki 2025\u201d (The Most Beautiful Polish Books 2025) competition took place at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw during the International Book Fair. The book \u201cRuins of Belarus\u201d received an Honourable Mention (Wyr\u00f3\u017cnienie) in the Art category. The publication was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":546652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sharing_image":{"poster":"https:\/\/reform.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/6a197a8cc7cb1.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"template":"691142dd","mode":"auto"},"_sharing_image_fieldset":{"dTVKfmI95PYT":"\u201cRuins of Belarus\u201d Named Among Poland\u2019s Most Beautiful Books. VEHA Archive Project Receives Prestigious Award in Warsaw"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[142375,142338],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-546653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-news"],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/119"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=546653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546653\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/546652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=546653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=546653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reform.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=546653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}