A Gramota (Грамота) is a term that was borrowed from Byzantium (Ancient Greek), where the grammatist meant mess, regulation and other written documents. During the Soviet period, the word gained a new meaning – letter of praise, given at administrative and educational levels, et cetera.
These letters of praise, acceptance, approval, are to be considered works of art from a graphic design standpoint. Lots of variations on these Gramotas are circulating the former Warsaw Pact countries. We tend to collect them and make them available to you, to put them in a frame, to discover the stories of the people named on the letters.
Loads of citizens from the USSR, the Baltics and other countries under Soviet rule share this part of history: almost everyone has a Gramota somewhere from something! We're happy to share some with you.
