In St. Petersburg, in the Manege of the Small Hermitage, the exhibition “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen in Russia” will be open from June 1 to September 15. The State Archive of the Russian Federation, the Hermitage, the Foreign Policy Archive of the Russian Empire, the Russian State Archive of Ancient Records, the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering and Signal Corps, the Russian State Library, etc., provided their materials. for the exhibition.
State Archives of the Russian Federation
The real Baron Munchausen is inseparable from the literary character.
According to the organizers, more than 500 exhibits related in one way or another to the real Munchausen will be presented to the attention of visitors, including his autographs, the banner and ammunition of the regiment in which he served, hunting weapons, paintings and Applied arts objects that represent hunting scenes. For the first time many works of art and documents will be shown.
“The famous literary character Hieronymus Carl Friedrich von Munchausen was a real historical figure,” notes the State Archive of the Russian Federation. “The real Munchausen is inseparable from the literary character. The exhibition offers the visitor the opportunity to embark on a journey. is immersed in the historical context of the real Munchausen’s stay in the Russian Empire in the mid-18th century, at the same time that he becomes a witness to the “fantastically true” adventures of a literary hero.
Baron Munchausen is well known and is the hero of many works of German literature. He appeared on the pages of books by Raspe, Burger, Immermann, etc. The literary Munchausen is a braggart and a liar who talks about his fabulous adventures and fantastic travels.
More than 500 exhibits related to the real Munchausen will be presented. Photo: spbcult.ru
But there was also a real Baron Munchausen (1720-1797), who served as a prototype and served in the Russian army. He was born in Germany in 1720 in the town of Bodenwerder. He went to Russia at the age of 17, as a page to Duke Anton Ulrich, at that time the groom of Princess Anna Leopoldovna, niece of the Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna. In 1738, Munchausen, under the command of Ulrich, participated in the Turkish campaign.
“The military archives contain documents that tell about the legendary life of the company officer Munchausen, under whose subordination there were almost a hundred soldiers,” say the organizers. “In 1744 he was entrusted with the command of the honor guard that he received from the crown prince’s bride. , Princess Sofia-Frederick of Anhalt, in Riga -Zerbst – the future Empress Catherine II.
Six years later, having received the rank of captain, Munchausen left Russia for his native Bodenwerder and settled on an inherited estate. It was there that he lived the rest of his life, fascinatingly telling his fellow citizens stories about his incredible “feats” and adventures.
The baron had no literary talent, but the stories he told were reflected in literature. Thus, the first collection of stories attributed to him was published in 1781 in German. And in 1785 he was complemented by the writer Raspe; This work was published in London in English.
The name of the baron was immortalized by Gottfried Burger, who in 1786 published a work entitled “The incredible travels, walks and amusing adventures of Baron von Munchausen by water and land, about which he often talked with his friends over a bottle of wine. ” In all subsequent revisions and continuations, the bourgeois features of a “liar and braggart” were preserved.
