The National Centre RUSSIA marks its first birthday!
Exactly one year ago, on 4 November 2024, the history of the
National Centre RUSSIA, a space that unites generations, regions, people and
dreams, began. The space was created by order of the President of the Russian
Federation Vladimir Putin. For the past twelve months, ideas have been born
here, and dreams have become reality.
"Pride and dream are two images that were associated
with the International RUSSIA EXPO, and now they are associated with the
National Centre RUSSIA <...>. It is a unique place not just in Russia,
there is nothing like it in the whole world, as well, at the moment. And it
follows the same "pride and dream" principle, once again. We have
something to be proud of, and even more — to dream about," said Sergei
Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of
Russia, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the National Centre RUSSIA.
During the year, more than 500 large-scale events,
expositions and forums were held within the walls of the National Centre
RUSSIA. In particular, the Centre hosted such events as the International
Symposium "Inventing the Future", the Open Dialogue "The Future
of the World. A New Platform for Global Growth", the XXII Congress of the
United Russia party, the Russian Creative Week, the IV Congress of the Movement
of the First, and other events.
"One year ago, we did not just open the doors of the National Centre RUSSIA, we also started creating an atmosphere of pride and love for the motherland, a space where people want to dream and create the future. For the past twelve months, the Centre's staff has been working on this task every single minute. And it seems to me that we are succeeding. I want to say a huge thank you to every employee, our partners and, of course, to all our visitors! Because the most important outcome of the year is not a dull report on the number of events held, but the smiles and shining eyes of people that we see every day. This is the best award for us," Natalia Virtuozova said.
In the first year of its operation, the National Centre RUSSIA was visited by over 500 thousand people, from schoolchildren and students who came for educational and educational programmes, to specialists and professionals from various industries, who took part in conferences and forums. Representatives of foreign delegations got acquainted with the culture, innovations and economic potential of Russia. Among the visitors were families with children, newlyweds, musicians, artists, poets, singers, scientists, entrepreneurs, representatives of government and international organizations. From 4 November 2024 to 4 November 2025, more than 204 thousand people as part of over 20 thousand groups had excursions here.
The National Centre RUSSIA also implements several
large-scale in-house projects: the All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia.
Uniting Hearts", the "Young Tour Guides School" programme, in
which three intakes of teenagers — almost a hundred students — are already
engaged, the Literary Club "What to read?!", and much more. In
addition, the National Centre RUSSIA is actively developing the volunteer
movement. Volunteers are an integral part of the venue, its soul and driving
force.
Today, the National Centre RUSSIA continues to develop and
expand its activities. The opening of the first branch in the Primorye region
took place in September. In Vladivostok, visitors, with the help of an
interactive exposition, can travel around the region to explore nature — for
instance, meet the Amur tiger, walk through the Ussuri taiga, as well as get
acquainted with the region's achievements and learn about its culture. The
Department Store of the branch presents goods from local manufacturers and
products from other regions of the country.
In December of this year, it is planned to open two more
branches of the National Centre RUSSIA in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area —
Yugra, and in the Krasnoyarsk region. The establishment of regional centres
will continue next year.
The anniversary of the National Centre is a reason not only
to sum up the results, but also to take a new step towards achievements. The
National Centre RUSSIA remains a place where ideas are born, an image of the
country's future is formed, and those who are proud and believe in Russia come
together. There are new projects ahead, new dreams and a new future that we are
creating together.
Tala dish prepared with pike, Far Eastern cabbage rolls with crab, and many more dishes were cooked as part of a gastronomic workshop.