Historical portal paid by taxes of Belarusians in emigration now online

The team of the project "Buduy Svayo" (Build Your Own) has launched a new portal "History of Belarus", dedicated to the popularization of Belarusian history in three languages - Belarusian, English and Polish. The aim of the project is to make the study of history interesting both for Belarusians and foreign public.

The site was created thanks to the support of Belarusians in Poland through charitable deductions from tax returns, as well as with the help of partners FaniMani and Tutaka.

The portal contains articles written by the famous Belarusian historian covering the key periods from the Polatsk Principality to the Second World War - 18 sections in total.

The project turned out to be high-tech

"With the help of interactive elements, 3D models, AI search and exclusive content, the viewer can dive into the past and discover unknown pages of the history of the Belarusian nation," the creators of the project note.

The materials are supplemented with interactive elements, including 3D models of architectural objects created on the basis of historical drawings. These models can be studied in augmented reality, which, according to the team, is especially interesting for children.

The site is powered by an AI assistant that adapts information to the user's request. "You can ask a question and specify for whom the content is needed - for example, for children - and get adapted, easy-to-understand information," the developers say.

One of the participants in the project was Pavel Liber, who noted:

"This is a portal about the history of Belarus for foreign historians and journalists. The task was to present the main events in a concise form for the English-speaking audience, and it turned out very well - I myself was interested in refreshing history in this format. Our team combined authored texts, reworked illustrations, video, AI and 3D/AR to create the final digital product".

The project was realized with the support of the initiative "Buduy Svayo" and donations from Belarusians in Poland. Recall that about 47 thousand euros were collected in 2023, for which they have already opened a library of Belarusian books in Lithuania and a historical portal in Poland.

Liber added:

"This portal turned out to be important and wonderful for us - Belarusians and Belarusian women, whose history and culture is today suppressed by Russia. It is an important base on which we will add new sections - blogs, quizzes, additional articles".

The initiative "Buduy Svayo" will continue its work in 2025: it is planned to create new educational and cultural projects to popularize Belarusian history and culture.