The lecture by researcher Margarita Nikolaeva on historical cemeteries reveals lesser-known pages of the past: how attitudes towards necropolises changed in pre-revolutionary Russia and the USSR. Based on documents and archival materials, participants will learn why the destruction and repurposing of burials has a more complex history than is commonly believed. Historical cemeteries preserve the memory of people, events, and cultural traditions from different eras. However, their fate has often been complicated: the territories of necropolises changed, gravestones disappeared, and the burial sites themselves underwent redevelopment. In the lecture, researcher Margarita Nikolaeva will examine the common notion that the destruction of historical cemeteries is solely related to the Soviet period. The discussion will be based on studies, pre-revolutionary publications, and archival documents that allow for a broader perspective on the issue and reveal that many such practices existed long before the revolution.