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Museum Workers of Vyoshenskaya in the Country of Tula

On June 4–6, the workers of the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov visited the museums of the Tula Region on the purpose of exchanging experience. Within the four days we could discuss the main aspects of the museum work and see the sights of Yasnaya Polyana, Tula, Krapivna, Yepifan, Monastyrshchina and Kulikovo Pole.

In the State Memorial and Natural Reserve “Museum and Estate of L.N.Tolstoy “Yasnaya Polyana” we went sightseeing about the favourite places of Leo Nikolayevich, visited the house and the tomb of the writer, and learned about the touring work, tourist programs and master-classes.

The House of Culture “Yasnaya Polyana” is one of the museum structures and the centre of cultural life of the region. There take place artistic studios, lectures, concerts, cinema shows, theatrical performances, live broadcasts of the festival “Golden Mask” performances and many other interesting events. A.V.Shtukin, Director of the House of Culture, told about various forms of the work with the locals and guests of the museum, about the data ware of the events including that in social networks.

On June 4, the museum workers attended two festivals. In the morning there was a folk festival “Young and Green”, where we heard traditional songs of the Tula Region, learned about different forms of museum work with visitors and took part in the master-classes. I.N.Larina, the head of the museum pedagogics department, told about the educational programs developed by the department specialists and shared their experience in the work with children and young people.

On the same day, in Krapivna, one of the sites of the Museum Estate “Yasnaya Polyana”, we attended the international festival of Krapivna and practically studied the experience of organization and holding mass events, saw a concert of the folk, jazz and rock groups, took part in games and battles, and tasted nettle pies.

Krapivna was entered into the list of the federal objects of cultural heritage “Historical Settlement of Krapivna is a Place of Sightseeing” and the area for international and Russian cultural projects, conferences, seminars, round tables, architectural and artistic plein airs and practices. The experience of the long-term and various work of the colleagues on preservation and use of the historical and

cultural heritage of Krapivna is very interesting and important for the museum community.

On the last day we visited the State Museum-Reserve of War, History and Nature “Kulikovo Pole”. In the museum and historical centre “Antiquities of Tula” we studied the work of the two interactive areas, museum and game exhibitions “A Legend of Mamai Battle” and “Secrets of Tula Craftsmen”; in Yepifan Museum we learned about the culture and life of the people of the Russian town in the late XIX–early XX centuries, took part in the interactive classes in the commercial and petty shop; in the village of Monastyrshchino we attended the legendary burial place of Russian soldiers died in the Kulikovo Battle.

The new museum complex “The Field of Kulikovo Battle” is a pride of the local museum workers. It is an embodiment of the latest advances of architecture and landscape design, which, as the museum workers expect, will give a new life to this memorable place. By means of modern equipment and new approaches to the arrangement of the exhibition area the history of the Kulikovo Battle has become available to all the categories of visitors. The interactive exhibition for children “There is Safety in Numbers” attracted the public with various forms of work with children.

Each of us felt excitement and delight seeing the place of victory of the Russian weapon over the age-old enemy. That informative day ended on the Krasny Kholm (Red Hill), near the oldest memorial of the Russian military glory dedicated to the Kulikovo Battle.

The trip was a good opportunity for the workers of the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov to study the experience of the museum work of the colleagues and a source of bright impressions.

Olga Kargina