PROFESSOR SHAKHOVTSOV’S OFFICE / A CLOSER LOOK
The emergency case
An open briefcase brings together documents, a first-aid kit, banknotes, a savings book, bonds and a party membership card. Together they evoke an era when official duties and personal life could fit in one case.
First-aid kit and instructions
The orange case holds individually packed supplies in numbered compartments. A separate leaflet explains their use. At the exhibition, visitors can examine the kit itself.
Documents to carry
A passport, military record, savings book and other papers lie side by side. Each had a different purpose; together they show how much paperwork accompanied everyday life in the Soviet Union.
Money, savings and bonds
Banknotes, a savings book and government bonds brought different forms of savings into one place. Both paper money and domestic state-loan bonds are visible.
The party card on the desk
Here the Communist Party membership card stands for official responsibility. To “put one’s party card on the desk” meant to answer personally for a task left undone. Its red cover makes that pressure tangible.
