An event titled "The War of 1812. Two Hundred Years Later" was held at the local history museum. Thirteen employees from the "Museum Complex of History and Culture of Orsha Region" arrived in Lepel with their programme. The project had been in preparation for a long time and concluded successfully. The celebration unfolded non-stop for three hours. Visitors were transported to the 19th century right from the entrance.
First, under curious gazes, appeared a cashier – a middle-aged lady in a lavish green hat with a veil, peculiar to the current generation. The atmosphere was relaxed: guests moved freely through the halls and chose where to linger. Turning right from the entrance, one could not pass by an actively beckoning fortune-teller, armed with large coloured cards and the Chinese Book of Changes. A magical atmosphere was created by glowing phosphorescent brushes, shiny stones, and the squinting gaze of the gypsy. Turning left from the entrance, visitors looked with surprise at a red begonia and the inscription "Napoleon's Ear". It turns out that the appearance of this flower in our country coincided with the conquest campaigns of Napoleon Bonaparte. The flower was nicknamed so by the people, seeing the resemblance of its petals to the frostbitten ears of the French during their retreat.
Vladik Demko, a student from Sloboda School, tried on a hussar's uniform. The seventh-grader won the "Strength of Spirit" contest – requiring him to blow up a balloon faster than anyone else, "The Strongest" – where he defeated opponents in an arm-wrestling match, and "The Most Accurate" – hitting a bucket target with paper cannonballs. With these results, he was awarded the status of a true hussar. In the improvised tavern, the proprietress offered the winner a glass of mulled wine with a snack. Mulled wine is considered a hussar drink here and consists of champagne, rum, white dessert wine, sugar, and exotic fruits. The snack from the tavern keeper was, of course, real, but the mulled wine was made from compote.
The Great Patriotic War hall was transformed into a cinema with a projector and a large stretched screen, showing Eldar Ryazanov's feature film "Hussar Ballad". Young viewers learned for the first time that Cornet Azarov was actually a woman, while adults recalled details and enjoyed the funny and poignant moments.
Visitors were also tested on their knowledge of Kutuzov's aphorisms.
Napoleon and Stendhal strolled importantly through the corridors. A young saleswoman with a large box in her hands demonstrated various crafts by Orsha masters, including lockets with the image of the famous commander, and offered cookies with wishes.