The article explores the specifics of the visual reactualization of the Reformation in the German states in the first half of the 19th century. The planning of the first Luther-monument by the Patriotic-Literary Association of The Mansfeld County demonstrates the differences in the interpretation of the reformer’s historical role. The options proposed for the memorial design competition give an insight into the peculiarities of the burgher idea for a national monument early in the century. Changes in the sociopolitical climate by the 1820s are reflected in the approved version of the monument, which represents the conservative viewpoint of the monarchy. The development of the Reformation symbolism over 300 years is traced on the example of the published coin collection dedicated to the anniversaries of 1617, 1717 and 1817. The tendency of the historical personalization is studied through the graphic cycles by Wilhelm von Lowenstern, Carl August Schwerdgeburt and Gustav Konig. Thus, the study of various visual sources reveals not only different strategies of the historical images popularization, but also clearly demonstrates the conflict of receptions around the Reformation heritage that emerged during the creation of a new national symbol.

The article is devoted to the problems of Soviet urban planning in the 1920s and 1930s. The author traces the development of historiographical approaches from the Soviet period to the present, thus promoting to identify how research methods have been transformed. Scientific data brought into the research are of great importance as they become the focus of further discussions related to the identification of factors that influenced the formation of Soviet urban planning in terms of socio-cultural, political, economic and foreign policy aspects. The researchers discussed the issues of power and society, power and art, finance and taxation, everyday life, social engineering, and cultural diplomacy. Besides, the article also emphasizes the relevance of applying interdisciplinary approaches due to the expansion of scientific interests. In conclusion, the author argues that at present the topic of Soviet urban planning, having a rich scientific heritage, has not exhausted its scientific potential yet.

The article presents a complex of reasons for Bulgaria’s entry into World War I on the side of the Central Powers. It examines the role of the diplomatic factor, particularly in Bulgarian-Turkish relations, which have been scarcely studied in historiography. It is concluded that the threat of Constantinople being captured by Anglo-French troops increased Bulgaria’s significance for opposing blocs. German diplomacy succeeded in reconciling Turkey and Bulgaria, pressuring the Turks to make territorial concessions. That the Entente could not compel Serbia to yield land to Bulgaria, became a key factor that influenced the Bulgarian government’s decision. Public opinion in Bulgaria perceived Serbia as an enemy having taken Macedonia from the Bulgarians after the Second Balkan War. As a result, the Serbs and Bulgarians were not ready to fight on the same side until territorial disputes were resolved. The article also highlights that Bulgaria entered the war on October 1 (14), 1915, after Belgrade had fallen and most of the Serbian troops had been redirected to fight the Austro-German forces. Additionally, the author emphasizes the efforts of Russian diplomacy to persuade Bulgaria to side with the Entente.

The article examines some tendencies of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia. The examples of interaction between the two countries help to highlight the main aspects of state dialogue including the Forums of Cross-Border Cooperation of the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan, Days of Culture of the two countries, events dedicated to the common cultural and historical heritage, joint activities of state cultural institutions, and cooperation between public national organizations. Besides, the author examines some trends of joint activities of Russia and Kazakhstan during the first twenty years of the 21st century analyzing the regulatory framework for cooperation in the sphere under study. The analysis shows a tendency towards fruitful interaction on both sides which is confirmed by cultural events that were have been held annually or periodically, but on a permanent basis. The author pays special attention to the cross-border cooperation between the two countries arguing that Cross-Border Cooperation Forums contributed largely to establishing strong interstate bonds on the border. Taking into account the longest Orenburg section of the border, cultural bonds between the Orenburg region and the West Kazakhstan, Aktobe and Kostanay regions are actively developing cooperation. Astrakhan, Saratov, Volgograd and Omsk regions also cooperated with Kazakhstan on a large scale.

The article presents an analysis of documents from the Hessian State Archive in Darmstadt concerning the development of Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (1824–1880), the future Empress Maria Alexandrovna. It examines the structure of the relevant archival collections and the specifics of their formation. The documents illustrate Princess Marie’s position within the dynastic relationships and provide insights into the marital trajectories considered for her. The materials allow conclusions to be drawn about the forms and content of Princess Marie’s education and the foundational values of the future Empress’s upbringing program. The collection of surviving documents in the Hessian State Archive in Darmstadt, which describe Princess Marie’s childhood and adolescence, is fragmentary and smaller than the corresponding collections of her brothers. This discrepancy is due to some documents being removed by the sons of the Empress. Fragments of documents, presented in manuscripts in German (Gothic cursive) and French languages, have been deciphered, translated into Russian, and included in the article.

The article examines violations of discipline and order in general secondary educational institutions of the Russian Empire at the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries. The research is based on the materials of the circular regulations of the Ministry of Public Education which include the most extreme measures of deprivation of the right to study in educational institutions of the country. The quantitative and qualitative composition of violations, the dynamics of their development and the interaction of this process with the general historical processes in Russian society during this time period are analyzed. Conclusions are drawn about the growing revolutionary crisis in society including the example of the educational system within definite time and the development of the social crisis in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. The proportions of political, administrative and criminal offenses in secondary educational institutions of the country are considered. The article makes observations about religious, national and sexual violators in secondary educational institutions at the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries and indicates some measures the government undertook to normalize the situation in the society.

The article discusses the sanatorium industry in the Russian Empire before World War I. It also explores the way it changed under the influence of the war and analyzes the role the government played working out the tasks of developing the resort industry and using Russian resorts for military purposes. The author draws conclusions about the increased state regulation and funding of the domestic healthcare. The key factors that led to these changes included the increased inflow of ordinary people to Russian resorts due to the closure of foreign borders and the need for rehabilitation of wounded soldiers. The war inflicted attention to domestic resorts. The Zemstvo Union and the Union of Cities made efforts to organize under their leadership and at the state expenses the sanatorium treatment of wounded soldiers. Besides, there emerged two influential charitable organizations that united elite representatives and focused on the development of domestic health resorts – the All-Russian Society of Health Resorts in Memory of the War of 1914 and the All-Russian Society for the Development and Improvement of Medical Areas in Russia. The military context led to an increased tendency to make sanatorium treatment more accessible to the general public.

Personal history of Soviet scholars, engineers and technicians is of particular relevance for study today. The article considers personal and professional life of Vladimir A. Wishnevsky, an engineer at city power plant no. 2 in Kazan. The research is based on sources of different origin: state archives, the Wishnevsky family archive, memoirs, V.A. Wishnevsky’s diary, data from of periodical printed and electronic publications, state museums, and open Internet sources. While studying the sources of personal origin, the author uncovered the key facts from Wishnevsky’s biography as an engineering and scientific and pedagogical staff member. In addition, valuable information for the research was provided by the employees of JSC “Network Company”. Unpublished sources, primarily from personal archives, were introduced into a wide scientific turn. The author concludes that V.A. Wishnevsky’s personal history reflects the significant milestones of the national history from the late 19th century to 1940s.

V.A. Wishnevsky, a talented power engineer who made a significant contribution to the development of the energy industry, lived a life closely intertwined with major events in Russian history. His biography spans the period from the end of the Russian Empire to the establishment of Soviet power, industrialization, and repressions. Wishnevsky’s professional achievements were recognized by his colleagues, who acknowledged his high qualifications.

The article affects the problem of physical culture and sports in the USSR of the 1920s – 1930s as a mass phenomenon. Creating the concept of physical culture development in the country, the Soviet leadership attached special importance to the involvement as many citizens as possible in this area. The search for mechanisms for the massification of physical culture became one of the main tasks of the Soviet leadership. The author analyzes the process of this search using regulatory documents published by organizations that managed Soviet sports in the 1920s – 1930s, office documents and periodical materials. Special attention is paid to the All-Union sports complex Ready for Labour and Defence, its establishment and implementation in the 1930s. The author concludes that the successful implementation of this complex allowed it to become the basis of Soviet physical education due to the combination of physical training of citizens for military and civilian purposes with the possibility of planning quantitative indicators in this area.

The article describes the way Lend-Lease influences the preparation for the opening of the Second Front. The authors make an assessment to Lend-Lease at the initial stages of the Great Patriotic War and the Pacific War, calling attention to the impact of military equipment supplies to the USSR on the ability of Great Britain and the United States to effectively to resist the fascist bloc. The authors argue that the Lend-Lease supplies to the USSR did not cause significant damage to the Western Allies, this damage being fully justified by the successes of the Red Army in repelling Nazi aggression. The United States and Great Britain suffered much more damage due to their incorrectly chosen strategies and methods of warfare. To give evidence to this, the authors give the examples of the defensive operations of the British Empire and the United States in Southeast Asia, arguing that Lend-lease for the USSR had a negative effect within specific theaters of military operations because of the poor strategic decisions taken by the American and British command. On the other hand, the authors consider Lend-Lease as a huge contribution of the American people to overcoming the crisis of the Anti-Hitler Coalition in 1941–1942.

In Russian historiography, the study of the festive culture of Soviet society has a rich tradition. Various approaches to the study of the current problem, outlined in the review article, demonstrate the current historiographic situation. Despite a sufficient number of researches done by sociologists, philosophers, experts in culture, and historians there are still a number of gaps that require studying and comprehending.

V.A. Nevezhin’s new research makes a significant contribution to better understanding how Soviet official state holidays on May 1 and November 7 were organized and held.

The review article analyzes an updated historian’s approach, (based on an extensive array of published and unpublished sources) to the Soviet festive culture in the 1930s – mid-1940s.

The review analyzes the composition and content of a collection of memoirs and articles published in 2024 and dedicated to A.N. Kosygin, the head of the Soviet government in 1964–1980. The collection contains memoirs of his colleagues, his associates, his daughter L.A. Gvishiani-Kosygina and other authors. All the materials are distributed among groups: testimonies; impressions; East and West; dispute about Kosygin. The idea of the compilers – writer and historian A.I. Kolpakidi and writer and publicist A.A. Zamostyanov – was not only to recall the outstanding statesman once again (as similar publications and studies about him been published by now), but also to prove the groundlessness of a number of critical remarks referred to him, mainly because of the economic reform of 1965 in the USSR. Along with the analysis of the reform itself, the authors managed to make more understandable the personality of Kosygin, who occupied key government positions for 40 years, commanding respect in colleagues and ordinary citizens, and possessing unique diplomatic abilities.

The collection will be very useful for professional historians and a wide range of readers, who highly estimate the history of their Fatherland.