Monday, June 27
This morning we took a walk down to an overlook. It was very
peaceful looking out over the confluence of the Rivers Don and Nepryadva, with
a flock of sheep grazing across the water. After breakfast, we visited the
Kulikovo Pole Museum that was built in an old school building in 2000. The
Kulikovo Pole area is most famous for the battle against the Mongol army in
1380, but was also important during the War of 1812 against Napoleon and World
War II. After the Russian victory in 1380, the people began to come together as
a nation. The most interesting objects in the museum were artifacts found in
the area from the battle and from daily life, such as a wood-fired oven to make
pots.
Overlook of the Rivers Don and Nepryadva
Detail of a fence around the museum
Artifacts from the battle of Kulikovo Pole found in the area
An exhibit on later wars showed a medal given on an
orange and black-striped ribbon. I have noticed this ribbon tied onto cars and
backpacks. Elena explained that today the colors are more a symbol of
patriotism. Outside the museum, there is a church built in the 19th
century. Every day the bells ring somberly at 11 am to mark the beginning of
the battle at Kulikovo Pole and ring in a more celebratory fashion at 2 pm to
mark the end of the battle.
Vladimir, Mariel, Svetlana, Ben
One of the monuments for towns that participated in the Kulikovo Pole battle
Next, we visited the monument that marks the place of the
Mongolian camp. It is located on a high point in the landscape that allowed us
to see all the main points of the battle. The most important point is the Green
Oak forest, where the Russian reserve army waited to enter the battle at a
critical moment and led to the Russian victory. Today, the Green Oak forest is
reconstructed and part of the protected areas of the reserve.
Memorial column
Elena on the large map at the overlook
Our last stop at Kulikovo Pole was the new museum, which is
scheduled to open in September 2016. We were lucky to get a sneak peak at the
buildings and a few of the exhibits. The museum has a low profile, with most of
the structure underground. The architecture is Russian post-modernism, with
interesting historical features added to the outside walls. Both buildings have
a green roof, with one planned to be a Stipa
steppe slope.
The building on the left represents the Mongolian army, the building on the right represents the Russian army
The outside wall has copies of coins from cities that participated in the battle, to the bottom are old foundation stones from the monument
We
had lunch with Elena then left Kulikovo Pole. Our destination was Yasnaya
Polyana, the estate of Leo Tolstoy, the famous Russian writer. The house today
is a museum, kept as it was in the early 1900s. The grounds were designed by
Prince Nikolai Volkonsky, who was Tolstoy’s grandfather. The 416 ha are a mix
of natural and formal landscapes. Long allées stretch in all directions,
perfect for strolling.
A friendly welcome to the estate
Large pond near entrance
Tolstoy and his wife, Sofia, planted 174 ha of forest, using
22 species of trees. One of their daughters studied botany and kept detailed
records of their gardens. These records allow the staff to create a very
accurate representation of Tolstoy’s plantings. The vegetable garden is one of
the best places to see the history. It was the site of a conservatory that
burned down. A greenhouse was rebuilt in 1868 and is still standing today. The
plants and style of the beds and paths are all accurate to his time. A nearby
old apple orchard features some varieties that can no longer be found. Formal
circle beds dot the paths outside the house.
Vegetable garden
Currants
Greenhouse from 1868
Old stones from the conservatory
Our guides Vladislav and Irina with one of the circle beds near the house
A circle bed with stock and calla lilies
New apple orchard
We
enjoyed a cup of tea with our guides, Irina and Vladislav. Irina showed us some
of the historical documents of the estate. Tolstoy kept a daily diary, with 90
volumes over his lifetime! We then went to our nearby hotel. We were lucky to
visit the estate on Monday, when it is closed. Over the weekend, it is very
busy and all the hotel rooms are booked!
Historical photo from the estate
No comments:
Post a Comment