| Publication |
2013.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Armen Oganesyan, Editor-in-Chief of International Affairs: This year marks 200 years of the Battle of Borodino in the Patriotic War of 1812. How were you preparing for this anniversary? Which new exhibitions can one see?
A. Shkurko: Our main achievement was the putting together of the Museum of the 1812 Patriotic War. Incidentally, this was also a top priority item in the anniversary projects program approved by the federal government. It will be recalled that our predecessors set up in 1908 a special committee charged with establishing a museum of the 1812 Patriotic War. The idea was approved by Nicholas II and they launched a wide-ranging collection of exhibits, materials and funds for the museum. The subscription lists sent out to the provinces did not fetch much money but they brought back a lot of memorabilia. They came from the museums of military regiments, the descendants of 1812 war veterans and private collectors. The donations added up to nearly 20,000 objects and even a greater number of documents. There was a contest among the architects to design the museum building, but its construction was abandoned for lack of funds. In 1913, the interest in the anniversary petered out; then there came in succession the First World War, Civil War and other calamities.
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