Borodino Battle Panorama Museum
The Borodino Battle Panorama Museum is located in Moscow, on Kutuzovsky Avenue. Opened in 1962 on the territory of the former village of Fili (Pokrovskoye), today it is the heart of the historical and memorial complex, entirely dedicated to one of the most important periods of Russia’s past – the Patriotic War of 1812. But the value of the museum is not only in the fact that it takes us back to those distant times. The Borodino Panorama is a monument of history and in itself, which causes the constant interest of guests of our country, in love with its history, wanting to learn about it as much as possible.
Video: Borodino Panorama
% Contents- Highlights
- History of creation
- What to see at the Battle of Borodino Panorama Museum?
- For tourists
- How to get there
Highlights
History of creation
The Borodino Battle Panorama Museum, which is more than half a century old, is located at the end of Kutuzovsky Avenue. Its building by its architecture looks laconic, without any external “excesses”. It can’t be called beautiful either – it is rather an example of utilitarian Art Nouveau, erected for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino.
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The building is round and the necessity to give it such a shape is caused by the purpose of the museum, because it is in its walls exhibits a colossal painting-panorama, painted by Franz Roubaud at the request of Emperor Nicholas II back in 1912, for the 100th anniversary of the historic battle of Borodino. The authors of the project were Soviet architects A. R. Korabelnikov, A. A. Kuzmin, S. I. Kuchanov and design engineer Y. E. Avrutin. In their design, they used the recommendations of Roubaud himself, which he gave when erecting the original building of the panorama.
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Interesting fact: the greatest panoramic canvas, immortalizing for posterity the main battle of the Patriotic War with Napoleon’s France, was created by… a Frenchman by nationality. Yes, yes, don’t be surprised: Franz Rubo, although he was a native of Odessa, was born in the family of a French merchant. However, this did not prevent him all his life to consider himself a Russian, a true patriot of Russia. The same genius master, by the way, led the creation of another large-scale panorama – “The Defense of Sevastopol.”
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Making the first sketches, the artist emphasized the fierce battle, which was for the Kurgan battery of General Raevsky – a key, strategic point on the battlefield. Roubaud wanted to show how the Russian units under the leadership of General Ermolov carried out a counterattack on the French. In other words, and this moment was reflected in one of the newspapers of the time, Roubaud wanted to show all the valor of the Russian troops, their patriotism and bravery, but Emperor Nicholas II … rejected this sketch.
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What to see at the Battle of Borodino panorama museum?
.The panorama “Battle of Borodino” is the main exhibit of the museum, the western and eastern wings of which are decorated with mosaics in the style of the 60-70s of the last century. They are immortalized by the efforts of artist B. Talberg such events as the fire in Moscow and the victory of the Russian army over Napoleon. If you go to the eastern wing of the building, you can see the cannons. These are by no means decorations “under the olden days”, but the most authentic guns of those times, left “inherited” from the French army.
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But let’s return to Franz Roubaud’s grandiose creation. To regard his work as a genuine historical document would probably be wrong. The panorama is, first of all, a work of art, although the artist did his best to convey as accurately as possible not only the dynamics, but the drama of the battle that took place on September 7, 1812.
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For the convenience of visitors in the center of the hall is equipped with a platform that gives the opportunity to move around and get acquainted with the panorama from different angles. All this allows to examine the depicted events in the smallest detail. The starting point of the tour is usually “Dohturov’s”. Being there, you seem to find yourself on the outskirts of the village Semenovskoe, watching the battle from the roof of a miraculously preserved house. Moving to the second viewpoint takes the viewers to the French positions, where you can see the enemy’s artillery equipment. The next point takes you to Napoleon himself, surrounded by bodyguards, and behind the Emperor’s back is a huge army of 20,000 soldiers.
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And now, finally, we come to the fourth point of the review, it is called “The Battle in the Rye”. A dramatic clash between Russian cuirassiers and Saxon cavalry unfolds on an unmowed rye field. In the front ranks of the fighting we see the brave Mikhail Barclay de Tolly, the commander of the Russian units. A little farther away we see houses. This is the village of Gorki, also the fifth (and last) position of the review, known as “Kutuzov’s Command Post”. The name speaks for itself: here is the headquarters headed by the genius commander, as well as cantonment Preobrazhensky, Izmailovsky and Semyonovsky regiments, which were the reserve of the Russian army.
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For a long time, the Battle of Borodino panorama was the only exhibit of this museum. Over the years, the collection of exhibits has been significantly enlarged, and as a result, an exposition was compiled that tells about the events of the War of 1812 in more detail and fascinating. One of its showcases, for example, is dedicated to Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, his life path both as an ordinary man and as an outstanding military commander. Among the exhibits you can see his portraits, one of which is embroidered with human hair, personal belongings and literary works dedicated to him.
.Talented and fearless Russian officers are dedicated to the section of the museum called “Oplot of the Fatherland”: samples of uniforms, infantry, artillery and cavalry weapons are collected here. There is also a “Small Portrait Gallery”, where portraits of military commanders who distinguished themselves directly in the Battle of Borodino are displayed.
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Such historical episodes as the way of life in Moscow before the fire, Napoleon Bonaparte’s stay in the city, the retreat and actual escape of the French, the stay in Paris of Emperor Alexander I and parts of the Russian army were not ignored. The exposition ends with a story about buildings, structures, temples and other architectural monuments erected in the Russian capital to commemorate the Patriotic War of 1812.
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We would like to add that the Museum-Panorama “Borodino Battle” is a regular participant of the annual action “Night at the Museum”, which takes place in May and is timed to coincide with the International Day of Museums. According to the terms, this night you can enter the institution completely free of charge, and many visitors enjoy this opportunity.
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Tourists to Note
The Museum-Panorama “Battle of Borodino” is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:00 to 18:00, Thursdays – from 10:00 to 21:00, Saturdays and Sundays – from 12:00 to 16:00. It is closed on Fridays and the last Thursday of each month.
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Entrance is strictly on presentation of a ticket of the established sample. In the museum it is forbidden to touch (with hands or with improvised objects) the exhibits and showcases, not to mention leaning against them or sitting on the furniture from the museum collection. It is also strictly forbidden to be in outer clothing, to bring food and drinks, to leave children unattended, to go behind catwalks and boundary lines, to use a monopod for selfies.
.There is a souvenir shop at the museum-panorama, where everyone can buy various goods on the theme of the Patriotic War of 1812. The products are presented in a wide range and variety: books, pocket calendars, postcards, military-historical miniatures, artwork, magnets and trinkets. The kiosk is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except Friday and the last Thursday of the month.
.How to get there
The Borodino Battle Panorama Museum is located at 38 Kutuzovsky Avenue, Moscow.
.To get to the museum by public transportation, you need to get to the metro station “Kutuzovskaya”, then walk in the direction of the Triumphal Arch. Or you can get off at the station “Victory Park” and also walk in the direction of the Triumphal Arch. You can also get to the Borodino Battle Panorama Museum by bus (routes № 91, 116 and 157) and trolleybus (routes № 2, 7, 39 and 44).
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