The famous museum on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, which houses the Battle of Borodino panorama, is one of the main cultural symbols not only of Moscow, but of our entire country as a whole. It is worth noting at least the fact that this is the only museum complex in the world dedicated exclusively to the Patriotic War of 1812 and its culmination - the battle near the village of Borodino.
The Borodino panorama was conceived by the famous artist F. Roubaud as a monument to the centenary of the terrible events of 1812. By that time, he had already become famous for writing two similar battle paintings - "Defense of Sevastopol", dedicated to the events of the Crimean War, and "Storm of the village of Akhulgo".
The idea of creating a grandiose panorama of the Battle of Borodino was expressed by the artist at the end of 1909 and almost immediately found support from the authorities and the public. In the following months, the artist was engaged in a careful collection of material,consultations with military experts and historians, repeated trips to the place of the former battle. Nicholas II also made his own corrections to the work, who insisted that the picture show the situation that had developed near the village of Semenovskoye at about 12:30 pm.
The result of all this work was the majestic Borodino panorama opened on the eve of the centenary, which caused real delight among contemporaries. The canvas was exhibited for public viewing in a building specially built for this occasion on Chistoprudny Boulevard. It depicted a majestic panorama of the Battle of Borodino, in which the central place was taken by the French attack on the Semyonov flushes, accompanied by active response by the Russian troops.
In 1918, the Borodino panorama was removed, as the pavilion in which it was exhibited fell into disrepair. For a long thirty years, the picture fell out of sight not only of ordinary viewers, but also of specialists. Only after the end of the Great Patriotic War, the canvas was finally given into the hands of restorers, who over the course of two years gave it its original appearance.
The Borodino panorama was put on public display again in 1962 in honor of the 150th anniversary of the great feat of the Russian people. By this significant date, a new building was built on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, not far from the place where the great commander held his famous council. However, on this misadventure the picture is notended: less than five years later, she almost died in a fire that destroyed more than half of the original. The restorers performed a real miracle, presenting a panorama almost no different from the original a few years later.
Currently, the complex-museum "Borodino Panorama" is a modern cultural object, which is visited daily by thousands of tourists. In front of the museum building itself, they are met by the majestic figure of Field Marshal Kutuzov, who, by his very appearance, inspires confidence in the inevitable victory of Russian weapons. Next to the commander-in-chief are his closest associates - Barclay, Bagration, Platov, who, together with the soldiers, symbolize the unity of the Russian people in the face of the enemy.
Actually, "Borodino Panorama" occupies the entire second floor of the museum. Consisting not only of a painting, but also of separate material objects, it emphasizes the heroism of Russian soldiers and conveys the unforgettable atmosphere of one of the largest battles in the history of mankind.
