Society and culture: Exhibition "Russia of the 17th century through the eyes of the German traveler Adam Olearius" presented in Veliky Novgorod

The main building of the Novgorod Museum-Reserve hosts the exhibition “From Veliky Novgorod to Moscow. Journey of Adam Olearius to Muscovy". The exhibition has been provided by the Moscow State United Artistic Historical-Architectural and Natural-Landscape Museum-Reserve. The main exhibits of the exhibition are copies of engravings from the book by Adam Olearius "Descriptions of travels to Muscovy, Tartary and Persia", with which it is richly illustrated. The exhibition also displays authentic items of the 17th century: icons, tiles, books, maps, weapons, household items. These witnesses of the past will allow visitors to get closer to the atmosphere that surrounded Olearius during his travels in Muscovy.

The exposition is conventionally divided into two sections: the road along the Volkhov from Staraya Ladoga to Veliky Novgorod, which became an important stop on the journey; the second section tells about the section of the route from Veliky Novgorod to Moscow, which was the purpose of the embassy. On the engravings, you can see how the Russian cities of Veliky Novgorod, Staraya Ladoga, Tver, Torzhok, Moscow and the fortresses that met on the way of foreigners looked at that time. The engravings and the exhibition as a whole are accompanied by relevant and interesting quotes from the book of Olearius.

Adam Olearius (1599-1671) - German traveler, physicist, mathematician, historian, writer, artist and translator. Olearius made his first trip to Russia as a secretary and translator in 1633-1635, during the reign of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, as part of the embassy of the Schleswig-Holstein Duke Frederick III. Centuries later, Olearius's book has become one of the most comprehensive written sources on material culture and everyday life in Russia in the 17th century.

The exhibition will run until February 27, 2022.