At the solemn opening ceremony, Elena Aseeva, Deputy Chairperson of the St. Petersburg Committee for the Development of Entrepreneurship and Consumer Market, emphasized that the recent tendency of society to turn back to arts and crafts, recollecting the importance of preserving centuries-long historical traditions. “I’m glad that the trade fair is presented as international. That means, participants can share experiences not only between only, but also between countries”,ElenaAseeva added.

“My point is that such trade fairs are gifts for both guests and participants. First of all, it’s a trade fair for craftsmen and artists, and it’s crystal clear that it will be successful”,Vadim Savchenko, Chairman of the Board, Association of the Folk Arts and Crafts of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, said, congratulating the guests.

Svetlana Yurieva, Deputy Director of the City Tourist Information Centre, said that the Committee for Tourism was willing to support craftsmen and artists of folk crafts and to promote their products. Ms. Yurieva also told about establishing a unified register of souvenir products.

“Craft products are not just interior design items; primarily, they embrace the history and culture of our country. And Nevskiy Larets is a trade fair not only to present one’s goods, but to establish connections with professional associations, government authorities and businesses”,Maria Kozlova, Chief Expert of the Folk Arts and Crafts Unit of the Department of Socially Significant Goods Development of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, noted.

“We are holding the Nevskiy Larets Trade Fair for the second time, and we can see an increasing interest in this event. This year, more than 70 companies from 15 constituent territories of the Russian Federation are taking part in the trade fair. We have also organised workshops during the event, where guests will be taught how to paint porcelain and stamp coins, so that they could become acquainted with folk crafts”,Sergey Voronkov, CEO of ExpoForum-International, said.

During the official tour, special guests inspected the exposition of the trade fair. One of participants is the Volgorechensk Jewelry Factory; the noble combination of silver and crystal illustrates fables of Russian folk fairy tales on the surface of its silverware. The Russian style of the Volgorechensk Jewelry Factory was created in the 19th century and won worldwide recognition. The national school of Russian silver artwork became an important artistic and aesthetic phenomenon in applied arts and crafts of the 19th – 20th centuries. When creating tableware, artists of the factory use fables of Russian folk fairy tales and heroic epic ballades to show national cultural patterns and the features of everyday life.

In the workshop of the Zaplatin Family from Staraya Ladoga, one can find items made of birchbark and natural stone. “Combining custom techniques and modern design, we demonstrate the continuity and the link of the times through crafts, just like Staraya Ladoga itself”, the Zaplatins say.

And the finest lace, as light as air, can be found at the booth of the Yeletskie Kruzheva manufactory (“Lace from Yelets”). Unlike pieces by craftswomen of other regions of the country, the lace is rich with  light net, patterned details, various netting densities, a selection of new patterns in the shapes of flowers and leaves. The Lace from Yelets is distinguished by a unique pattern construction: the ornamental pattern of large items consists of small separate floral figures, such as rosettes, squares and elegant lattices.

The trade fair is open February 8-10 in EXPOFORUM, Zone D.