She also wrote articles on museology from 2013 to the 2020s, during her time at the Tallinn City Museum, where she managed two of its branches: the Peter I House and the Tallinn Russian Museum.
Since 2021, Maria has headed the Narva Museum, which has become a key center for promoting Estonian national identity, competence and the system of European values in the predominantly Russian-speaking region of Ida-Viru County, in Narva, located on the border between Estonia and the European Union and Russia.
At NEMO’s European Museum Conference 2024, Maria Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova will join the session “Are we allowed to talk?” on Tuesday 12 November.
Presentation abstract:
Conflict of values: Narva Museum versus the politicians of the Border City
The Narva Museum, located in the Estonia-Russia border city Narva, has faced a conflict of values and blackmail from local politicians. At the heart of the conflict is the portrayal of certain historical events that have long been taboo. For example, an exhibition about the bombing and destruction of Narva in 1944 by Soviet aviation.
Another example is the museum's activity, such as hanging a banner on the castle wall with the message "Putin War Criminal" on 9 May 2024, while directly across from the Narva Castle, in the Russian fortress of Ivangorod, a propaganda concert glorifying Russia’s military power took place. The conflict has escalated to the national level and is now occurring between the Minister of Culture and the city's mayor. The museum is being humiliated and persecuted locally with the involvement of local politicians.