On March 12, 2026, a meeting between a staff member from the BNTU Scientific Library and students of the Instrumentation Engineering Faculty was held in Dormitory No. 8. The speaker gave a portrait lecture for the students, titled "The Year of Women: Fates That Changed History."
The lecture began with a figure shrouded in legend – Princess Rogneda. The students learned that this woman had three names: Rogneda (meaning "pampered by power"), Anastasia after taking monastic vows, and Gorislava, often known by the common people as Gorislava for her bitter fate. She became the founder of many noble dynasties, raising her son Izyaslav, who founded a separate branch of the Polotsk princes.
The next heroine was the enlightener Euphrosyne of Polotsk. The lecturer dwelt in detail on her contribution to culture: the princess not only copied books but also assembled a rich library, commissioned chronicles, and even composed music for church services. Of course, they also touched on the story of the famous cross named after her and her dramatic journey to Jerusalem, where she fell ill and died. Her resting place is one of the most sacred sites in the Holy Land. Today, monuments to the saint stand in many cities, and dozens of streets across the country bear her name.
The Middle Ages gave us the image of Anastasia of Slutsk. The students listened with interest to how the princess, having lost her husband, did not surrender, but took control of the principality into her own hands and personally led the defense of Slutsk. Her courage was later immortalized in films and monuments.
The tragic story of her great-granddaughter, Sofia of Slutsk, was highlighted separately. "Orphaned early, she was the last of her family. Despite her young age and wealth, Sofia became renowned for her philanthropy: she donated money to the poor and was renowned for her skillful embroidery. She died very young in childbirth, and her relics rest in the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk, attracting faithful," the speaker noted.
The Renaissance and Modern Periods produced a galaxy of incredible talents. Students learned more about Franziska Ursula Radziwill. She was not just an aristocrat, but the first female playwright: she wrote poetry and plays, directed them herself, and even worked in publishing at the family printing house.
The fate of Solomeya Rusetskaya, the first female doctor from Belarus, who also wrote a novel about her own life, was striking.
The students were particularly touched by the story of Varvara Kashevarova-Rudneva. Unaware of her parents, she worked as a laundress from childhood, but she was so eager for knowledge that she managed to enroll in college and graduate with honors, becoming a first-class doctor. They also remembered the brilliant mathematician Sofia Kovalevskaya, who completed her studies at a boys' high school at home, went abroad, earned a PhD, and, among other things, wrote novels and short stories.
The literary section of the meeting was dedicated to several renowned names. For example, Eliza Orzeszko, twice nominated for the Nobel Prize, left behind not only poignant prose but also a house-museum open to the public. Another woman, Aloisa Pashkevich (Auntie), is remembered not only as a poet but also as a defender of the rights of ordinary peasant women. After studying at two universities, she wrote children's books, and today a monument to her stands in the center of Minsk.
Theatrical arts were also highlighted at the meeting. The legendary Stefania Stanyuta, awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR, became an example of dedication to the stage. And the heroic Vera Khoruzhaya combined literary talent with struggle: she fought in a partisan detachment, for which she was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Numerous monuments and streets bear her name.
The meeting concluded by remembering the women who brought glory to the country in sports and space. Biathlete Darya Domracheva, a four-time Olympic champion and the pride of the nation, was also a modern heroine: the first female cosmonaut of sovereign Belarus, Marina Vasilevskaya, whose flight opened a new chapter in the country's history.
The event allowed the students to look at history through the prism of women's lives. They discovered many long-overlooked figures and learned about the invaluable contributions of women to the development of literature, physics, politics, and art. This experience became a source of inspiration for the students and an understanding that determination and talent do not depend on gender.
