“During their retreat the fascist invaders set fire to the
Paul’s Palace. The greater part of the palace building was
entirely burned down.”
I omit the next two paragraphs and quote the last paragraph, which
concludes this document:
“The Extraordinary State Commission established that the
destruction of art monuments in Petrodvoretz, Pushkin, and
Pavlovsk was carried out by the officers and soldiers of the
German Army on the direct instructions of the German Government
and the High Command.”
Many large towns were destroyed by the German fascist invaders in the
occupied U.S.S.R. territories. But they destroyed with particular
ruthlessness the ancient Russian cities containing monuments of ancient
Russian art. I quote as an example the destruction of the cities of
Novgorod, Pskov, and Smolensk. Novgorod and Pskov belong to these
historical centers where the Russian people laid the foundation of their
state; here, in the course of centuries flourished a highly developed
and individual culture. It left a rich heritage which constitutes a
valuable possession of our people. Thanks to the survival of numerous
monuments of ecclesiastic and civil architecture, murals, paintings,
sculpture, and handicraft, Novgorod and Pskov were rightly considered
the seat of Russian history.
The Hitlerite barbarians destroyed, in Novgorod, many valuable monuments
of Russian and foreign art of the 11th and 12th centuries. They not only
destroyed the monuments but they reduced the entire city to a heap of
ruins.
By way of proof, I shall read into the record some excerpts from the
document presented to the Tribunal as Document Number USSR-50. You will,
Your Honors, find these excerpts on Pages 333 and 334 of the document
book. I read:
“The ancient Russian city of Novgorod was reduced to a heap of
ruins by the German fascist invaders. They destroyed the
historical monuments and dismantled some of them for use in the
construction of defense fortifications. . . .
“The German fascist vandals destroyed and obliterated, in
Novgorod, the greatest monuments of ancient Russian art. The
fascists destroyed the vaults and walls of the Saint George
Cathedral tower of the Yuryev Monastery. This cathedral was
built in the early part of the 12th century, was decorated by
12th century frescoes.
“The Cathedral of Saint Sophia, built in the 11th century, was
one of the oldest monuments of Russian architecture and an
outstanding monument of world art. The Germans destroyed the
cathedral building. . . .
“The Hitlerites robbed the cathedral entirely of all its
interior decorations; they carried off all the icons from the
iconostasis and the ancient chandeliers, including one which
belonged to Boris Godunov. . . .
“The Church of the Annunciation on the Arkage, dating back to
the 12th century, was converted by the fascists into a fortified
position and barracks.”