On 28 May, the Integration Foundation opened an exhibition entitled ‘Narva City Pharmacy – Community Memory and a Shared Story’ at the Estonian Language House in Narva, showcasing the memories gathered from a place of great significance to the city: the pharmacy.
The exhibition on the Narva City Pharmacy was created based on the personal photo album, memoirs, and manuscripts of Salme Purkin, the manager of the pharmacy. The exhibition tells the story of the pharmacy through people, objects, and memories, while also offering a glimpse into the history of the city.
According to Darja Berestova, the project manager of the exhibition, it has a linguistic purpose in addition to the historical value. ‘The exhibition has been designed using the ‘talking walls’ methodology, whereby the space itself supports language acquisition. The photos are accompanied by texts, questions, and digital exercises that help visitors develop their reading skills, vocabulary, and ability to find information in a text’, said Darja Berestova.
The exhibition combines community history, lifelong learning, and language learning into a cohesive experience.
According to Anna Farafonova, director of the Estonian Language House, it is important for the Integration Foundation to consciously create an Estonian-speaking environment in Narva, even outside the classroom. ‘The exhibition offers this opportunity to both learners and teachers – it can be used in the classroom or for independent exploration. In Narva, where an Estonian-speaking environment does not come about on its own, our key objective is to consciously create and provide such an environment for our learners. That is exactly what we are doing with this project – creating a space where the Estonian language can be seen, read, and experienced outside the classroom as well’, explained Anna Farafonova.
In addition, the exhibition is also of value to teachers and learners. It can be used during lessons, but also during breaks or for independent exploration.
The exhibition is open to everyone – to residents of Narva, as well as visitors to the city. We look forward to welcoming anyone interested in learning Estonian, local history, and stories about the community.
We particularly welcome teachers, students, young people, adults, and anyone who values historical heritage and wishes to discover the stories of their local area.
The exhibition can also be viewed independently during the opening hours of the Estonian Language House.
We offer guided tours of the exhibition on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 18 June. If you would like a more detailed introduction or a guided tour, please register on the website of the Integration Foundation. (See below.)
Further information: darja.berestova@integratsioon.ee; Tel: +372 58101778