News

News

The Exhibition “Traces of Cossack Old Times…” was a Hit

The Exhibition “Traces of Cossack Old Times…” from the Sate Hermitage collection had a successful run in Sholokhov-Centre of the National M.A.Sholokhov Museum-Reserve in Rostov-on-Don. It was attended by political figures, workers of culture and science, delegations from the enterprises and organizations of Rostov-on-Don and the Rostov Region, schoolchildren, students, veterans, guests of the Don region from different parts of Russia and foreign countries.

The exhibition, which had a run from May, 22, to October, 4, was interesting for a wide public and, certainly, the relics from the collection of the main museum of Russia and the major museum in the world was highly appreciated by historians, Cossacks and “The Quiet Don” film crew – director S.Ursulyak and the actors, who consider each of the details connected with history, culture and traditions of Cossacks to be very important.

Schoolchildren after attending the exhibition took part in games, competitions and interactive classes organized by the exhibition and education department of Sholokhov Centre. The children entered the world of Don Cossacks and learned more about their history, culture and everyday life.

The exhibition was widely spoken about in mass media; the visitors shared their impressions in the Museum Guest Book and on the pages of the Internet. There is one of the entries made by N.L.Novikov:

“I planned visiting the Rostov “Sholokhov Centre” of the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov long ago. After all, it is a rare occasion to see this with your own eyes. Cossack uniforms of the Russian emperors, expensive premium weapons, rare paintings and engravings, bronze and silver statuettes by outstanding masters of the past. The State Hermitage jointly with the National M.A.Sholokhov Museum-Reserve has surpassed itself. The exhibition is excellent!

Being an expert of the RF Ministry of culture on historical weapon and old military uniform I tried to find some inaccuracies or inconsistencies, but there were none. The exhibition displays entirely authentic items which belonged to particular historical figures. That makes the exhibition unique. For example, a scarlet officer’s uniform of the Life Guards Cossack Regiment of the mid XX century. It was this uniform that Nicholas the First was dressed in when being buried according to his testament. All the Russian emperors when being buried were dressed in the uniforms of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment, the first regiment of the Guards established by Peter the Great. But that was a special case: Nicholas the First loved very much and appreciated his Life-Cossacks, for it was the only regiment in the Russian imperial Guard, where there was no man involved in the revolt of the Decembrists. <…>

And what are the blades of swords and sabres of reward and grant! Damascus, gold knurled, inlaid with rubies and emeralds… Caucasian daggers decorated with silver, gold and ivory – coevals of Lermontov and the Caucasian war against the mountaineers in the XIX century. Where else can we see all that if not at the exhibition “Traces of Cossack Old Times…”?

Frankly, I did not even want to leave. The unique exhibition has made a wonderful start in the activity of the new site of the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov. We hope to see more exhibitions devoted to the history of our glorious Don Cossacks”.

The exhibition «“Traces of Cossack Old Times…” Russian Cossacks in the Monuments of Culture of the XVIII–XX Centuries from the State Hermitage Collection», which ran in the halls of the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov, is a good example of cooperation of the museums, which under the most difficult conditions try to realize wonderful joint projects supporting peace, goodness and love for the Motherland.

Olga Bakhtiyarova

Sholokhov Museum thanks the authors of the photos for the illustrations they presented.