The Image of the City of Balti in Memory of the Victims of the Totalitarian-Communist Regime

Abstract

The theme of the dialogue is devoted to the image of the city of Bălți, as it is revealed through the results of studying the “small histories” of those who personally knew the period of deportations and whose victims they were. The experience of researching the memory of the victims of the totalitarian-communist regime in the Moldavian SSR and the analysing of new sources of historical research – the oral history testimonies – made it possible to investigate some undervalued layers, but with the deep potential to penetrate into the human dimension of history and the histories of those who have lived in Soviet-administered Bălți. The memory carried by the families that passed through the Soviet occupation in the city of Bălți in 1940–1941 and 1944–1991, respectively, is part of the today city’s historical heritage. By erecting monuments, organizing commemorative actions or thematic events, the places of memory will keep alive the memory of the victims of the Soviet occupation regime and the connection between the generations of Bălți residents. At the same time, these actions will build a European culture of memory, integrated into the European cultural heritage.

Keywords

• bălți
• memory communities
• oral histories
• stalinist deportations
• victims of the totalitarian-communist regime