06.12.2012

On the 6^th of December a new exhibition «Gun, uniform and toy soldier» from the collection of А. Suvorov memorial museum (the city of St Petersburg) opened in M. Kalashnikov Museum and exhibition Complex of Small arms.

Glorious pages of the military past of Russia, since the end of XVIIIth century and till the middle of XXth century, reveal themselves through museum relics.

The exposition presents unique samples of cold steel arms and fire-arms of 18-19 centuries, both domestic and foreign production.

The rare subject of the exhibition is undoubtedly, the sword which belonged to Alexander Suvorov, the greatest Russian commander who has not lost any battle and became one of founders of Russian military art.

Not less valuable exhibit is the officer cavalry sword (1798) with Georgievsky sword-knot, which belonged to Grand duke Michael, the brother of emperor Nikolay I, general feldzeugmeister, who headed the Main Artillery Directorate and the commander of the Russian guards. Michael was the highest chief of the Izhevsk’s small-arms factory in the second quarter of the ХIХth century. The museum of A. Suvorov possesses big collection of regimentals, including the largest collection of uniforms of Russian army of an epoch of Pavel I. Soldier’s and officer’s uniforms of various large units, including Guards regiments of 18-19 centuries form separate section of the exhibition.

Besides traditional exhibits: arms, uniforms, equipments, reconstruction of the battles made of toy soldiers is presented at the exhibition. Figures, acquainted since the childhood to many people often became a subject of serious hobbies. Many Russian emperors were trained in military science, in playing tiny fights. More than 1000 hand-made toy soldiers tell about the well-known battles under the direction of A. Suvorov: on the river Rymnik and “Devil`s bridge”, and also about other not less glorious pages of military history of Russia: Brusilovsky breakthrough in days of the First World War, Reichstag capture in 1945.

The battle-piece painting and sculpture collection presented at the exhibition also deserve the attention of visitors.