People's Museum of P.I. Bagration; Golitsyn's estate. Sima

The hero of the Patriotic War, General Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration, visited and died in this estate. The famous Russian commander took part in many battles and aroused deep respect among the officers. The Golitsyns were his relatives. Prince Boris Andreevich Golitsyn was Bagration's uncle. During his life, Bagration often came to visit his relatives here, in the village of Sima.

During the Battle of Borodino, Bagration was seriously wounded in the leg and was sent first to Moscow, where he refused amputation, and then to the village of Sima to Golitsyn’s house for treatment. Upon arrival, Bagration was operated on, but did not recover. 17 days after being wounded, Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration died of gangrene.

Bagration was buried in the Golitsyn family tomb. Later, in 1839, on the initiative of Denis Davydov and by the will of Emperor Nicholas I, the ashes were transferred from the village of Sima to the Borodino field. At the site of the first burial, a monument was erected, created by the famous Kuban sculptor A.A. Apollonov as part of the "Walk of Russian Glory" project.

Now in the estate building there is a House of Culture, in which a small folk museum of P.I. Bagration was organized, telling the main events of his life. The museum's exhibition is quite modest. The estate itself has not only historical significance. This is a wonderful monument of architecture and gardening art of the Classical era. Unfortunately, due to the lack of money to maintain the complex, the estate looks neglected.

In this issue, the project “Museums of Belarus with BELKART” will conduct a virtual tour of the museum named after. Bagration, which is located in Volkovysk. This is the only museum in Belarus that tells the history of the War of 1812 in such detail. It is also distinguished by the richness of its exhibition, most of the exhibits of which, by the way, are authentic. The museum is located in two buildings connected by a gallery. The old building was built in 1805 and is a monument of classical architecture. On the eve of the Patriotic War of 1812, it housed the headquarters of the Second Western Army under the command of General Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration. The new building was opened in 2001.

The museum was founded in 1935. Its founder and first director was local historian Georgy Iosifovich Pekh (1897-1969). For many years, he enthusiastically collected antiques and participated in archaeological excavations of the Volkovysk settlement. The collection of objects he collected relating to the history and culture of the city formed the basis of the local history museum. Georgy Iosifovich headed the museum until 1967. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the museum was looted and closed. After the liberation of the country from the Nazi invaders, it was restored, and on February 27, 1953, it was transformed into a military history museum. Its halls house exhibits of the country’s military past from various periods of its history. The museum received part of the items from the disbanded Leningrad Artillery Historical Museum - weapons and equipment of European armies of the 18th-19th centuries, which made it possible to create an exhibition within its walls dedicated to the war against Napoleonic France. The museum's exhibition grew both quantitatively and qualitatively. The exhibits covered a vast area of the city's history: from its origins, growth and development in the Middle Ages to the end of the Soviet period. Now in the building of the former landowner's estate there is an exhibition that covers the events of European history from the late 1790s to 1815. It tells about the European wars of this period, the personalities of leading commanders (including P.I. Bagration and his comrades), bloody battles, soldiers' life, the fate of states and much more. The central part of the exhibition is dedicated to the Patriotic War of 1812. A number of exhibits relate to the history of Vaukavysk during the war. The new building housed exhibitions dedicated to Ancient Volkovysk, the history of the city and region in the 20th century, as well as an exhibition hall. Volkovysk is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. In 2015 he turned 1010 years old. In 1925, the expedition of the famous archaeologist Józef Jadkowski (1890-1950) discovered the Volkovysk settlement on the “Swedish Mountain”. The study of discovered objects of material culture showed that the city originated at the turn of the 10th-11th centuries. At the stand of the exhibition hall “Ancient Volkovysk” there is an image of the ancient settlement, part of the interior of a settler’s home.

The museum strives to convey the peculiarities of life of the inhabitants of Volkovysk in the first centuries of its existence, the diversity of their activities, and the growth of material culture. The exhibition includes bone pipes, combs, knife handles, scissors, needles, millstones, pottery, blacksmith and pottery tools, fragments of agricultural tools and other items.

The development of spiritual culture, the emergence of writing, the growing influence of Christianity, the change in the attitude of the townspeople are expressed in the separately presented crosses, amulets, and bulls. The Volkovysk collection of writing instruments (writing instruments) is second only to the Novgorod one in the number of items. Personal belongings of women and men of Volkovysk from the 10th to 14th centuries are displayed in separate display cases. These are numerous jewelry (rings, rings, beads, buckles, bracelets and much more), as well as molds for casting them. Women's jewelry impresses with its variety, attention to detail, and beautiful ornaments.

Fragments of weapons and equipment of Volkovysk warriors refer to the harsh realities of the Middle Ages: frequent wars, the centuries-old struggle of Volkovysk for existence, confrontation with the Teutonic Order. These are iron spear and arrow tips, spurs, and a bone fragment of a bow. Of particular interest is the copper medallion, on the front side of which, using the finest cutting method, a warrior in chain mail and a cone helmet is depicted, holding a sword and shield. Nearby is an authentic Slavic chain mail of the 14th century, it is woven from more than 2000 iron rings. In six halls of the ancient manor house there is an exhibition dedicated to the events of the War of 1812. The first hall introduces visitors to the events of European history of 1797-1809, the central figure of which was Napoleon Bonaparte. In the second hall there is an introduction to the first stage of the war of 1812 and the course of the Battle of Borodino. The schematic map helps to trace the battle path of the 2nd Russian Army from Volkovysk to Borodino.

In the museum you can see the painting “The Wound of Bagration”. It captures the tragic moment of the battle, when the general was wounded by a cannonball fragment, but did not leave the battlefield before giving the necessary orders. The wounded Bagration was taken to Moscow, then to the village of Sima, Vladimir province. There he died on September 12, 1812. His ashes were solemnly buried in 1839 on the Borodino field. The exhibition in the third hall tells about the Battle of Volkovysk. There are also portraits of participants in the War of 1812, copies of Russian cartoons that ridicule the failures of the French in Russia, and the arrogance of Napoleon. The main place is given to the uniform of the Russian army. Among the most valuable exhibits are: the uniform of a Russian trumpeter, hussar mentiks, and a general’s dolman.

The next room introduces the history of the expulsion of the French from Russia. A separate display case contains exhibits found at the sites of past battles. These are bullets, cannonball fragments, buckshot, and a German dagger. Also on display in the hall are examples of the uniforms of the multinational “Great Army”: Prussian and French uniforms, a French officer’s scarf, a Saxon cuirassier’s helmet with a plume, French cuirassier’s helmets with ponytails, elements of French shakos. The lithographs depict the catastrophe of the French army on the Berezina River, the surrender of individual enemy corps. The detailed map diagram shows the course of hostilities at the final stage of the Patriotic War of 1812, which ended with the defeat of Napoleon’s army.

The fifth and sixth halls introduce visitors to the events of the Russian army's campaign in France in 1813-1814, the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, and the end of the war. A variety of bladed weapons and firearms from the armies of Western European countries, images of key battles in France, the Battle of Waterloo, and the abdication of Napoleon are presented. Visitors are offered books on the topic of the Patriotic War, published in pre-revolutionary Russia, as well as a collection of medals created according to the sketches of the outstanding medalist F.I. Tolstoy in the 1830s. The exhibition “Vaukovysk in the 20th Century” is located on the second floor of the new museum building. It introduces visitors to the history of the city and its inhabitants in the last century. At the beginning of the 20th century, Volkovysk was a district town of the Grodno province on the western outskirts of the vast Russian Empire. Numerous exhibits objectively and comprehensively tell about the life and activities of the townspeople, the changing appearance of the city in the pre-war period: photographs, documents, maps, printed publications and other items. A significant place in the exhibition is occupied by the story of the tragic events of the First World War of 1914-1918. The photographs reflect individual episodes of the war. The central place in the exhibition is given to the events of the Second World War of 1939-1945. Numerous exhibits tell about them in detail and consistently: photographs, posters, leaflets, maps, fragments of mines and shells, weapons, equipment, awards, things of war participants.

A significant part of the exhibition tells about the period of the fascist occupation of the city. There was a special death camp in the city, where Jews from the city and region, from all over Belarus as well as Poland, Ukraine, and the Baltic states, were taken to suffer torment and death. Authentic belongings of the prisoners of this camp and the belongings of those who guarded them are exhibited.

A special place is given to the history of the Volkovysk underground, the partisan movement in the region. Photos of partisans and underground fighters complement Soviet leaflets, newspapers, weapons and awards. The exhibits highlight the struggle against the invaders by the partisans of the M. Kalinin detachment, the “Stoikie” sabotage group, the Nizyansky and Karpovsky patriots, and the Volkovysk underground fighters. Samples of both Soviet and German firearms and bladed weapons are also on display.

Photographs, anniversary awards for war veterans, and the recreated interior of a Soviet officer’s room from the early 1960s tell stories about the post-war reconstruction and development of the city. The tragic history of the Afghan war of 1979-1989 did not go unnoticed. Thousands of Belarusians fought in Afghanistan, about 670 died doing their duty. Six people from the Volkovysk region did not return home. The exhibition presents their photographs, certificates, personal belongings, and awards. A rich exhibition, unique exhibits and an emphasis on a not very popular period of Belarusian history have made the Volkovysk Military History Museum named after. Bagration is truly interesting and fascinating. It's definitely worth a visit. Address: 231900, Grodno region, Volkovysk, st. Bagrationa, 10 Phone: 8-015-12-4-39-46 Opening hours: From 09.00 to 18.00, From 10.00 to 17.00 - exposition work, No lunch; Mon. - day off Prices in 2015: Exposition of the memorial house: "Historical events of the 18th - early 19th centuries": students - 5,000 rubles; adults - 10,000 rub. Exposition of the new building: “Ancient Volkovysk” and “Wars of the 20th Century”: students - 5,000 rubles; adults - 10,000 rub. Excursion services: students - 30,000 rubles; adults - 60,000 rub. (1 group - 25 people) Museum lesson: 20,000 rub. (1 group - 25 people), lecture: 20,000 rub. (1 group - 25 people), photography at the exhibition: 5,000 rubles, consultation (on one topic): 30,000 rubles, wedding photo in the museum (no limit): 100,000 rubles. Visiting exhibitions is paid separately. Sightseeing and thematic excursions are also offered. Every first Tuesday of the month, visiting the exhibition is free. Author of the text: Ksenia Tarasevich, photo: author and museum archive

Yuryev-Polsky and its surroundings are rich in monuments. Every village is a temple. But there are also very special places associated with the great Russian history, important events and glorious names of our compatriots. I want to talk about one such famous village today.
The name of the village is short and unusual - Sima. It is located 20 kilometers from Yuryev on the Simka River, exactly on the road from Yuryev-Polsky to Pereslavl-Zalessky.

This village is very old, known since the 14th century as a boyar estate. In the 16th century, Sima became a royal fiefdom, belonging to Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible. At the beginning of the 18th century (1708), the village was donated by Peter I to Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn (1675-1730), a prominent commander of that time, who distinguished himself in the battle with the Swedes near the village of Lesnaya during the Northern War of 1700-1721.
The village of Sima is associated with two famous families - Bagration and Golitsyn, or more correctly - Golitsyn and Bagration, because from the moment the village was donated by Peter I until the start of the revolution, and this is more than two centuries, it belonged to one, the most numerous, "branchy" princely family of Russia - to the Golitsyn family.
The most famous of the owners of Sima was the grandson of Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn - Prince Boris Andreevich (1766-1822). It was under him that the local estate reached its greatest prosperity. In 1812, during the Napoleonic invasion, Boris Andreevich led the Vladimir militia, proving himself to be a brilliant military leader.
But 1812 made the village of Sima famous not for this reason. Here, while visiting his friend Golitsyn, he met his appointment to the post of commander-in-chief of the Second Western Army in March 1812. P.I. Bagration (1765-1812). And here he died from wounds received in the Battle of Borodino on September 24 (September 12, old style) 1812.
At that time, in Sima there was a magnificent temple in the Baroque style (octagonal on quadrangle) - the Church of the Epiphany (1769), in which Bagration was buried. On the sargofak there was a metal plate with the words: “Prince Peter Ivanovich Bagration, while staying with his friend Prince Boris Andreevich Golitsyn, Vladimir province, Yuryev district, in the village of Sima, received the highest order to be the Commander-in-Chief of the 2nd Western Army; from Sima he went to her, and being wounded in action at Borodino, he arrived again in Sima and died on September 12th.”
This was followed by an epitaph written by Count Khvostov:

Prince Peter Ivanovich
Bagration
true friendship
*****

Passerby! In Sima, behold that Hero's ashes.
Which thunder rolled on the Alpine heights.
God-rati-on, servant of the Fatherland and the throne

27 years later, Bagration’s ashes, on the initiative of Denis Davydov and the orders of Nicholas I, were reburied on the Borodino field.
The Epiphany Church has not survived to this day; it was destroyed in the 1960s. The memorial plate is still kept in the museum in Yuryev-Polsky.
For a long time, on the site of the temple there stood a meager concrete slab, on which it was indicated that Bagration’s first grave was located here.
On September 23, 2012, a monument to the great commander was finally erected. Just 200 years later...
And now I invite you to “take a ride” with us and see everything with your own eyes.

Road to Sima.

The road to Sima - highway P74 - is of high quality and smooth. Not far to go. You definitely won’t have time to get tired.

And if you take into account the picturesque nature of the surrounding nature and the villages you pass through, then the drive will not be boring. The only thing missing here is at least one pointer to Sima.

2 km. from Yuryev-Polsky there is the oldest village of Krasnoye, which once belonged to Dmitry Donskoy himself. The Church of the Sign (1810) has been preserved here.

On the right side of the road we pass another village - Fedosino. In the distance, the elegant, recently restored Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1805) is clearly visible.

We get to Sima very quickly.

There are many old houses in Sim. It is clear from everything that the village had a rich past,

It's a pity that the present is poor.

You can study history through the old houses in Sim.

Is it possible to get lost in Sim? It is forbidden.

Immediately as you enter the village, the road splits into two. If you take the road going to the right, you will reach two attractions of Sima in a circle:

Church of Demetrius of Thessalonica

Place of Bagration's first grave

If you go left, you will come to the third local attraction - the Golitsyn estate. But more on that later.

Church of Demetrius of Thessalonica (1775)

The Church of Dmitry of Solunsky (Dmitrovskaya Church) in Sima was built in 1775, reconstructed in 1845 in the pseudo-Russian style. It has two chapels - All Saints and Martyrs. Zinaida, as well as the refectory. The story of the construction of the chapel of the holy martyr Zinaida is very sad.

Chapel in a rural church.

Prince Alexander Borisovich Golitsyn (the second son of Prince Boris Andreevich Golitsyn) had a daughter, Zinaida, from his marriage to Anna Lanskaya. Beloved, the only one. A very beautiful girl with an unusually kind disposition.
In May 1845, the princess was married to the chamber cadet Count Konstantin Tol, the son of a prominent associate of Kutuzov, General Karl Tol. But the young people were not happy for long. A month after the wedding, the Countess caught a cold and died. The parents were inconsolable.
In memory of their daughter, the parents created a chapel in the church in honor of the holy martyr Zinaida, which has been preserved to this day. In addition, my father built a hospital in Sima, which he also named in honor of his deceased daughter Zinaidinskaya.
The State Historical Museum in Moscow preserves a small portrait of Princess Golitsyna (Countess Toll), painted by the French artist Francois Meret a couple of weeks before her tragic death. Here he is. It seems to me that the portrait has some special, very gentle energy.

We parked the car on a huge site next to the Church of Demetrius of Thessalonica and went to explore the temple.

The temple is beautiful, the area around it is well-groomed.

The tablet says that P.I. was buried in this church. Bagration. Actually this is not true. Even the date of his death is not written correctly. Not September 25, but September 24, according to the new style.

Icon of Dmitry of Thessalonica

Behind the temple is a huge green clearing. Once upon a time, the Church of the Epiphany stood on this site. It was in it that the heroic commander was buried.

Here it is - the Church of the Epiphany (1769), destroyed in the 1960s. Behind it, a fragment of the surviving church of Dmitry of Thessalonica is clearly visible.

Compare the top two photos. Church of Demetrius of Thessalonica on site. Chapel of St. mchn. Zinaida too. Even the small wooden house on the left is alive. But there is no Epiphany Church. I'm standing right in her place.

On September 23, 2012, a monument to Bagration was erected in Sima. One day, 200 years later...

Inscriptions on the monument

Well, we got to know two of the three attractions of Sima. We move further - to the estate.

Next to the church there is a bridge over the Simka River. We cross it to the other side of the village.

Sim's landscapes are good.

We cross the P74 highway. There is a sign on it to the place of Bagration’s first burial and the Golitsyn estate, which are located on opposite sides of the road.

In search of the sights of the village of Sima.

It is impossible to get lost in Sim. Wherever you go there, you will find the main local attractions:

Golitsyn estate
site of Bagration's first grave
Church of Demetrius of Thessalonica

I wrote above that if you took the road going to the left (P74), you would come straight to the estate, if you took the secondary road to the right - to the church.
In fact, it doesn’t matter at all where you go first and where you park the car. One way or another, you will have to leave the car and continue walking: either from the church to the estate, as we did, or from the estate to the church.

For better orientation, I present to you a map on which the main landmarks and attractions are indicated in color. The route to Sima from Yuryev-Polsky can be viewed by clicking on this diagram.

Red The color indicates the fork between the main road (P74) and the secondary road. Along the secondary road - to the right - you will reach the Church of Dmitry of Thessalonica and the place of Bagration's first burial. Along the main road you will immediately reach the Golitsyn estate.
Green The color shows the location of the church.
Yellow color - estates.
Bridge - the transition from the estate to the church is marked blue color.

The fate of the estate of the princes Golitsyn.

Once upon a time, the Golitsyn estate in Sima was rich and prosperous. Like many manorial estates of that time, it consisted of a magnificent Main House with a mezzanine in the center and wings on the sides. The house was surrounded by a large regular park with a pond in the middle. The layout of the linden park was traditional - two eight-pointed stars inscribed in squares. There were also two churches in the estate - summer and winter, which I described above.

The estate of the princes Golitsyn was a wonderful example of architecture and gardening art of the era of classicism. It had an excellent art collection and a large library. There is none of this today. The estate is a cultural monument only in words.

The present of the former beauty of the estate is gray and unsightly. It brings terrible despondency to every visitor. In my opinion, this estate was terribly unlucky. Other famous Golitsyn estates: in, in, which I wrote about earlier, as well as in Kuzminki in Moscow and many others have been preserved much better and their fates are more joyful.
History buffs and local residents of the village of Sima had great hopes for the anniversary - 200 years of the Battle of Borodino. It was expected that by this date the estate would be restored and historical justice would be restored.
No, justice did not triumph... Now this can be stated. Everything is the same. And the park is a dense abandoned forest, and the house is a local cultural center in disrepair.
Nothing speaks of the former greatness of the estate of the Golitsyn princes.

Former park

In the park there is an obelisk to soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War. It is not easy to get to the obelisk. It is overgrown with thick grass, which is simply teeming with frogs. No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten....

Top floor and mezzanine

Entrance to the house. There is a balcony above the entrance.

Approaching the house, we looked around. Did you come there or not? Alas, we cannot understand what is our fault.
Don’t lose heart, Lieutenant Golitsyn,
Cornet Obolensky, saddle your horse..."

Museum in Sima

We went up to the second floor. Music thundered in the hall of the House of Culture. Self-activity. A pleasant voice joyfully and artistically sang a popular song. I wanted to remember, but forgot what it was.
We found a museum. Well, like a museum... so... several rooms with homemade exhibitions... There were no caretakers. At the end of the last “hall” there were three visitors, enthusiastically looking at the exhibits.
I will show you what we saw.

We returned along the same road to the car. Sonya ran in sandals through the puddles and frolicked to the fullest. I tried to reason with her. At this time, a local grandmother walked past us with a stick and good-naturedly said something to the effect of “don’t waste your energy, the child is happy.” And then she asked: “Daughter, will there be anything at the club today?”
Judging by the active preparation of local cultural and educational workers, “something” will definitely happen. They will do everything that depends on them, the local residents. Whether the state will help them is a big question.

The Military History Museum was opened in 1935 by local historian G.I. On foot in the city of Volkovysk. At that time, the museum was assigned to the Warsaw Society of Local Lore, and received the title of State Museum only in 1940.

Unfortunately, most of the rare exhibits were lost during the Great Patriotic War. In 1948, the military history museum was reopened in the 1812 estate house, where the headquarters of the 2nd Russian Western Army under the command of P.I. Bagration. The name of the commander was given to the museum only in 1953 and the main focus was chosen - military history.

By 2001, the museum's exhibition had expanded significantly, so it was decided to move to a newer and more spacious building. Today, the Military History Museum of Volkovysk offers visitors thematic exhibitions - “Wars of the 20th Century” and “Ancient Volkovysk”.

Among the exhibits you can see a rich archaeological collection with finds from the X-XIV centuries, uniforms of soldiers and military personnel of the Red Army from different years, as well as personal belongings of Wehrmacht soldiers. Visitors will be interested in a collection of firearms and bladed weapons, photographs and documentary evidence, letters from the front and much more.

In addition to permanent exhibitions, the museum has an exhibition hall where exhibitions and art galleries are held. Temporary exhibitions from the collections of the Military History Museum and other museums in Belarus, St. Petersburg, Moscow and other Russian cities are displayed here.

The museum staff continues to conduct scientific work, replenishing the fund.