Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812 in Moscow: address, opening hours, reviews, photo

In 2012, Russia celebrated the anniversary date - the bicentennial of victory over the Napoleonic army. To this celebration was timed the opening of a specially built in the capital two-story pavilion, which housed the Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812 . The idea of creating such a memorial appeared in the XIX century, but for many years various circumstances hampered its implementation, and, finally, Russia received a museum worthy of the memory of those legendary events.

Burnt memorial

After the village of Fili entered the history of Russia as the place where MI Kutuzov made the only true decision at that time to surrender Moscow, in the hut where the officers had gathered for more than half a century carefully preserved the original things that had to do with this important Event.

In 1868, the owner of the land on which the "Kutuzov hut" was located - a well-known Moscow patron of arts E. D. Naryshkin - conceived to give it as a gift to the city to create a memorial complex in it , but unfortunately these plans were not to be realized: In the same year the historical hut was burnt.

Initiatives coming from the people

Twenty years later, in 1888, Orthodox activists of Moscow made a patriotic initiative. With the funds of the Union of Banners, created at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, they built an exact copy of the historical Kutuzov hut, the project of which was designed by the architect N. D. Strukov. It was, in fact, the first museum of the Patriotic War of 1812, which existed until 1929.

Undoubtedly, Russians at all times had a sense of patriotism and gratitude to those who with weapons in their hands defended their land from enemies. This was clearly manifested in the decision of the workers of the railway station Borodino, who created in 1903 in the station building an exposition telling about the events of the war with Napoleon.

The Highest Decree

This, already second by that time museum of the Patriotic War of 1812, opened on a voluntary basis, prompted Emperor Nicholas II to issue the highest decree on the creation of a state memorial in memory of the event, the centenary of which was soon to be celebrated. It is understandable that this initiative had the warmest approval in all sectors of society.

The work of the committee, which was entrusted with the creation of the Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812 in Moscow , was entrusted to the colonel of the General Staff, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Afanasyev. This choice was not accidental - being a great connoisseur of history and a true patriot of Russia, Vladimir Alexandrovich personally collected a huge amount of materials that contributed to the study of the events of those memorable years. His work as the head of the committee, he began with the publication of a brochure on the choice of a place for the future of the museum.

Celebrating the centenary

Three years before the remarkable anniversary in the Poteshny Palace - an annex located on the western wall of the Kremlin - a small museum of the Patriotic War of 1812 was created. In Moscow, this event received a most lively response, and on Palace Street, where the exposition was located, was always crowded.

At the beginning of the main festivities, which took place in 1912, the main exhibition started at the premises of the Imperial Historical Museum, which became the result of the work of the committee headed by VA Afanasyev. Its expositions were placed in nine halls, each of which had its own thematic direction.

In addition, the visitors of the exhibition were presented specially brought from St. Petersburg paintings by Vasily Vereshchagin, who composed the series "1812" and were kept in the collection of the Russian Museum. Great interest was also attracted to the exhibits donated to the museum from the collectors' and patron's storerooms AA Bakhrushin. It was on the basis of this jubilee exhibition that it was planned to create later a museum of the Patriotic War of 1812 in Moscow.

Circumstances that violated all plans

Further work on the creation of the museum put an end to the imperialist war, and the October revolution that followed it completely pushed the implementation of the project for an indefinite period. VA Afanasyev, who was awarded the rank of major general by that time, voluntarily crossed over to the side of the Bolsheviks, but in the thirties came under another Stalin's "purge" and was arrested on charges of involvement in an anti-Soviet organization. Fortunately, the exhibits presented at the exhibition in 1912, were not lost, but were preserved in the storerooms of the Historical Museum.

Two centuries after Borodino

The years passed, the next anniversary of the expulsion of the Napoleonic invaders from the territory of Russia approached. This time it was necessary to celebrate the bicentennial of such a significant event. Two years before the jubilee, the construction of a special exhibition pavilion began to house exhibits from the historical museum's storerooms, based on materials collected back in 1912. Four hundred and forty million rubles were allocated from the state budget for this purpose.

All works carried out under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture were completed in 2012, and by the beginning of the celebrations the Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812 (address: Moscow, Revolution Square, 2/3) was opened. This event occurred on September 4, and already two days later its halls received the first visitors.

Scale and substantial exposure

The exposition of the newly created museum is very extensive. They consist of two thousand rarities, among them the weapons of those years, uniforms, rare documents, as well as paintings that depict heroic pictures of the legendary events. A lively response from visitors is found in materials depicting the face of two main historical figures of that era, two emperors - Russian and French.

From now on, among the exhibition complexes of the capital, the Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812 occupied a worthy place. Reviews about his work speak for themselves. Hundreds of people, after examining the exhibition, wish to share their impressions with those who are just going to visit it. Their opinion is especially interesting and valuable because it is unbiased: people openly express their opinion.

The most memorable exhibits

As can be seen from the numerous entries left by the visitors of the exhibition, the fragment of the wall mural presented at the beginning of the exposition impresses. This is a fresco that miraculously survived after the destruction of the main temple in Moscow in December 1931, built in gratitude to the Savior, who relieved Russia of the Napoleonic hordes. Its author - the famous Russian painter of the late XIX century Henryk Semiradsky - depicted a very spectacular allegorical scene, giving it the symbol of the invincibility of Russian weapons.

Among the reviews, there is a special interest in another unique exhibit presented at the exhibition. This is a genuine sword, once belonged to Napoleon and presented to him Count Shuvalov in gratitude for saving him from the furious crowd while following the place of exile to the island of Elba.

Also, the work of the multimedia system integrated into the exposition also makes a good impression, allowing to illustrate the material presented on it by demonstration of video clips and the reproduction of animated maps of battles.

Invitation to the museum

To all who cherish the history of our Motherland, it will be interesting and useful to visit the Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812. Opening hours: Friday and Saturday - from 10:00 to 21:00, and on the remaining days of the week - from 10:00 to 18:00. It is envisaged as an individual examination of the exposition, and organization of excursions. The Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812 in Moscow, whose address is indicated above, occupies a two-story pavilion located between the Moscow City Duma and the premises of the Old Mint.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance that this museum has for the education of Russian citizens, and especially the youth, feelings of love for the Motherland and patriotism. It is no coincidence that such a great attention was paid to the creation of the memorial throughout the entire period that has passed since the days when the last Napoleonic soldier left Russia.