Presidential Library's exhibition tells about monument dedicated to heroes who liberated Moscow during Time of Troubles

From November 2 to 15, 2024, the Presidential Library (Senate Sq., 3) hosts the multimedia exhibition titled Memory of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, which marks to the National Unity Day. 

The event took place on November 4th (October 22nd, according to the old style calendar), during the Times of Troubles, when the troops of the people's militia, led by Kuzma Minin, an elder of the Nizhny Novgorod Zemstvo, and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, liberated Moscow from Polish invaders in 1612.

Minin and Pozharsky are long-standing national heroes of Russia. There are numerous sculptural representations of these leaders of the people's militia throughout the country. The most well-known is the monument created by sculptor Martos and installed on Red Square in Moscow in 1818. This monument to Minin and Pozharsky was the first to be erected in the capital in honor of national heroes, rather than a sovereign.

The Presidential Library's multimedia exhibition tells the story behind the creation and installation of this monument on Red Square, based on documents and photographs from its electronic collection. The exhibition includes drawings and documents from the early 19th century, as well as pages from a book titled Historical Description of the Monument Erected to Citizen Minin and Prince Pozharsky in the Capital City of Moscow from 1818, which includes a personal list of donors who contributed to the construction of the monument.

In addition, the exhibition features images of a stele in Nizhny Novgorod, where the Second National Militia was assembled in 1611. A competition for the design of the stele was announced in 1819, and the project by A. I. Melnikov and I. P. Martos was selected. The obelisk was unveiled in 1828.

To learn more about the heroic deeds of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, visit the electronic collection Kuzma Minin and Dmitriy Pozharsky on the Presidential Library's portal.

The materials in the electronic collections House of Romanov: The Zemsky Sobor of 1613 and Overcoming the Time of Troubles in Russia provide insight into the background of the Time of Troubles that lasted for about 15 years, from 1598 to 1613. They explore the struggle among various political factions for control of the Moscow throne and popular resistance against foreign invaders. Special attention is given to political, social, and religious figures from the Time of Trouble.

The multimedia exhibition Memory of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky: Marking National Unity Day, which is being held at the Presidential Library, will be open for visitors until November 15th, 2024. To visit the exhibition, please make an appointment by tel. (812) 334-25-14 or by an email to excursion@prlib.ru.