World history: The V Annual Scientific-Practical Conference “Palaces and war. To the 100th anniversary of the First World War” in Peterhof

April 28-29, 2014 the “Peterhof” Museum-Reserve holds the V Annual Scientific-Practical Conference “Palaces and war.  To the 100^th anniversary of the First World War”.

By the First World War was completed the era which E. Hobsbaum called “long nineteenth century”. This was the time of the industrial revolution and technical progress, the time of birth of influential ideologies and at the same time empires of palaces. Events of war are committed not only on the battlefield, but also in palace halls and cabinets. The First World War, the consequences of which was the destruction of the Russia, Austro-Hungarian, German, Ottoman empires, is chronologically framed with palace events: meeting in Peterhof of emperor Nicholas II and the president of France Raymond Poincare in July 1914 became one of the most important events on the eve of the First World War, and the Treaty of Versailles, signed in June 1919, - its completion.

Having timed the conference of 2014 to the 100^th anniversary of the First World War, we propose to discuss issues of representation in palaces-museums of the military history of states, particularities of the life of palace in wartime, on the eve of war and conclusion of peace, as well as specifics of the work of palaces-museums in extreme conditions of military evacuations. A particular attention will be paid to the era of the First World War, its threshold and consequences in the fates of palace residences. However, the chronology of the theme “palaces and war” can be greatly expanded.

The conference welcomes historians, art critics, cultural workers, architects, and specialists of museums, scientific and educational institutions.