Memorable dates of Russia: Exhibition “Year 1812 and Russian society” in the National Library of Russia

September 10, in the new building of the National Library of Russia (Saint-Petersburg) in the framework of the 200th anniversary of Russia’s victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 was held the opening of the exhibition “Year 1812 and Russian society”.

The exposition, which covers the period from the beginning of the war until December 1812, is presented in six sections:

1. Russian army.

2. Guerrillas.

3. Militia.

4. Rear and a secular society.

5. Hostilities.

6. The anniversary editions, released in 1912.

A special place in the exhibition takes a collection of books from the book fund of the foreign department "Rossika" in European languages. The collection "Rossika" - is the world's largest collection of foreign publications on the War of 1812, formed mainly during foreign campaigns of the Russian army. When the Imperial Public Library in January 1812 has opened its doors to readers, the Russian troops were still in the distant campaign, launched by the walls of Moscow. Naturally, the events of this war have been in the focus of the Russian society. This explains the richness and uniqueness of the collection "Rossika."

Among the displayed exhibits there is a copy of N. B. Golitsyn «La bataille de Borodino» (1839), previously owned by V. A. Zhukovsky; brochure «R. Durdent», setting out the official French version of "Moscow campaign"; the book «A. von Kotzbue» (1813) and «I. von Horn» (1813), containing the first descriptions of the fire of Moscow.

The exhibition also presents materials of the Russian book collection, Prints Division, Department of Cartography, Department of Manuscripts and the coffee fund of the National Library of Russia.