Memorial and Samizdat: Opening of the joint exhibition at the Bibliotheca Albertina on 12 November

On Thursday 12 November, the University Library (UB) of Leipzig will open two special exhibitions at the Bibliotheca Albertina: the travelling exhibition “The Other Russia. MEMORIAL: 35 Years of Struggle for Historical Truth and Democracy’ and ‘EinBlick #11: Samizdat. Magazines Against the Tide’. From 13 November 2026 to 24 January 2027, both exhibitions will shed light on different facets of political resistance.

The exhibits tell personal stories of the struggle against totalitarian rule, state repression and censorship. Admission is free.

The travelling exhibition ‘The Other Russia’ documents MEMORIAL e. V.’s decades-long commitment to combating state repression and promoting democratic values in Russia. Dr Anne Lipp, Director of Leipzig University Library: “The exhibition powerfully demonstrates how state terror affecting millions can be addressed, human rights work carried out and educational initiatives launched.”

MEMORIAL was founded in the Soviet Union in the late 1980s to address the human rights violations committed by the Soviet regime and the state terror of the Stalin era. The International Society for Historical Clarification, Human Rights and Social Welfare collected testimonies and memories from survivors and documented their fates.

Since its foundation, the organisation has also addressed contemporary state violence. In 2016, Russia classified MEMORIAL as a ‘foreign agent’; this was followed in 2021 by the organisation’s forced dissolution. Numerous members were forced to flee. In 2022, MEMORIAL was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside other laureates.

The University Library is presenting this travelling exhibition – which has already been shown at other institutions in Germany – for the first time in Leipzig, in cooperation with the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO) and the Faculty of Theology at the University of Leipzig.

EinBlick #11: Samizdat. Magazines Against the Tide

The second part of the exhibition, ‘EinBlick #11: Samizdat. Magazines Against the Tide’, is dedicated to unconventionally designed artists’ magazines from the 1980s. The term samizdat (Russian for ‘self-published’) refers to literature produced and distributed underground, which was often subject to censorship. In the GDR, too, samizdat developed into a form of resistance against the socialist regime.

Operating under the radar of the Stasi and circumventing the censorship of the GDR Ministry of Culture, these publications expressed a desire for creative freedom, artistic self-determination and political liberty. The issues of the magazines ‘Anschlag’ and ‘Sno’Boy’ on display, with their unusual design, illustrate this creative resistance.

Both exhibitions invite visitors to reflect on the significance of civil society engagement for an open, democratic culture of remembrance. An extensive programme of accompanying events also sheds light on the historical and political dimensions of totalitarian and authoritarian repression in other parts of Eastern and Central Europe.

Dr Lipp: “The numerous lectures, discussions and interactive sessions address issues of remembrance culture and policy, bringing them into the present day. Crucial to this is the collaboration with the GWZO and the Faculty of Theology, whose specialist expertise and extensive networks have made this high-calibre supporting programme possible.”

Information on the MEMORIAL exhibition can be found here.

The exhibition opening

On 12 November 2026, at 5.00 pm in the lecture theatre of the Bibliotheca Albertina
As part of the opening, Dr Irina Scherbakowa, a founding member of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organisation MEMORIAL e. V. and curator of the travelling exhibition, Dr Franziska Davies from the Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History, and Prof. Dr Gwendolyn Sasse, Academic Director of the Centre for Eastern European and International Studies (ZOiS), in a panel discussion entitled ‘The Other Russia? Opposition and Dissent Then and Now’. Together, they will provide historical and political context for the exhibition’s themes.