Borodino Panorama: the trail of Napoleon

There is an impressive collection of original guns and arms from the 1812-war time, military equipment of both Russian and French armies, dinner sets with Napoleon wars motives, tobacco pipes and many other items used by the Russian nobelity of the 19 century.

This March the Moscow Borodino Panorama has opened after a long-term reconstruction. Today the Borodino Panorama is a multi-media museum. Interactive stands allow visitors to see all the details of the canvas and also to receive a historical commentary on them.

The tour usually includes visiting of the "Kutuzov Izba", a section which represents a traditional Russian wooden countryhouse, where an important military council took place in 1812.

Right in front of the Museum you will find trophy French cannons and a monument of Mikhail Kutuzov - C-in-C of the Russian army in 1812.

If you want to know the history of the War of 1812, you should read not War and Peace but quite a different kind of literature. But if you want to get an idea of that time and those events, then Tolstoy’s roman suits this purpose perfectly well.

Meanwhile, the Russian army was gathering forces, the militia and guerrillas made life unbearable for the invaders, and in October Napoleon fled Moscow.

Tolstoy was right when he wrote that at Borodino “the Russians won a moral victory”. Both armies suffered crippling damage, two out of three casualties were killed by cannon fire, and Kutuzov let Napoleon enter Moscow, which was soon ravaged by fire.

Among 600,000 soldiers of the French Grande Armée who crossed the Russian border in July 1812, only 60,000 survived. Russia achieved victory over the French at a high price. More than 100,000 Russian soldiers died in battle.

This painting was created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Russians' victory over Napoleon's troops. The canvas is huge, it illustrates severe fighting between the armies, with around 3000 characters involved.

The most important object to see is definitely a great 115-meter long and 15-meter high canvas by Franz Roubaud commemorating a turning moment of the Patriotic War of 1812.

Gradually, a vast collection of different materials had been gathered. And nowadays' exposition represent the prehistory of the war, the course of campaign of 1812, from the very beginning of hostilities up to the collapse of Napoleonic army. The genuine works of painting, drawing, sculpture created both by the contemporaries of the war and artists belonging to the later period, as well as uniforms, banners, weapons recount the past, reflect the heroism of the Russian army and people.

The Borodino Panorama Museum was originally opened in 1912 when Russia was celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the victory.

The impressive round building presents a panorama of the Borodino battle and includes personal items that once belonged to Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov and other war heroes along with models of soldiers, horsemen and cannons.

The museum building was constructed at the historic place. Here had once been the village of Fili (suburb of Moscow) where on September 13, 1812, in a wooden log hut belonging to a peasant (Frolov by name), the council of war was held, and the fate not only of Moscow but also of entire Russia was at stake.

These photos were made in a panoramic museum of the battle in Moscow. Among a huge number of Moscow's museums, the Borodino Battle Panorama is an outstanding attraction.

The museums of the Moscow Kremlin will also have new exhibits devoted to 1812. In addition to this a new museum devoted specifically to the War of 1812 is scheduled to open not far from Red Square this fall.

The central event will occur at Borodino field, the site of one of the most significant battles of the French campaign. The restoration of a small imperial palace in Borodino is also planned, which will house an updated exhibit of the Museum of the Battle of Borodino.

This year, Russia marks the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War with Napoleon of 1812, which played an important role in the development of Russia as a world power.