Schoolchildren from Rossony District will present their museum at international readings dedicated to the War of 1812
26/06/20120 views
On 26 June, Vitebsk /Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. Schoolchildren from the village of Klyastitsy, Rossony District, will present their museum at the international historical and local lore readings "Pages of the History of the Fatherland War of 1812 of the Border Territories of Russia, Latvia, Belarus," as reported to BELTA correspondent by the ideology department of the Rossony District Executive Committee.
The international readings will open in Sebezh (Pskov Region, Russia) on 27 June. Representatives from Belarus, Latvia, and Russia will participate. For instance, staff of the Ludza Local Lore Museum of Latvia will dedicate their presentation to the merits of Yakov Kulnev, a hero of the Fatherland War of 1812, who was born near the village of Klyastitsy, Rossony District, and died in battle near this village. Notably, pupils of Klyastitsy Secondary School will also participate in the readings and conduct a virtual tour of the exhibition on the Fatherland War of 1812, which is housed in the school's Museum of National Glory. The exhibition features reconstructions of uniforms of Russian and French troops, and installations of toy battles. There are also exhibits dating back to 1812 – cannonball fragments, pieces of combat weapons, and sabres found at the bottom of the Nishcha River. The school museum is renowned not only in Belarus but also beyond its borders. Russian tourists often visit for excursions.
In addition to schoolchildren, the readings will be attended by local historian Dmitry Kuzyakov from Rossony, who will present his research "Rossony in 1812: Events, Fates, Memory," as well as Nadezhda Sosnovskaya, keeper of collections at the I.D. Chersky Volynets Museum from Verkhnedvinsk District, who will speak about unknown pages of the battle near Svólna.
After the plenary session, participants of the international readings will travel with the wonder-working icon of the Mother of God "Tenderness" of Pskov-Pechersk to Klyastitsy, to the field of military glory, where a litany will be offered for the fallen soldiers in the Battle of Klyastitsy before the wonder-working icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.
According to numerous historians, the battle near Klyastitsy predetermined the outcome of the Patriotic War of 1812. Napoleon intended to capture the capital of the Russian Empire, Saint Petersburg, within a few weeks, so he sent one of his best marshals, Count Oudinot, from Polotsk along the Pskov tract towards the Russian capital at the head of a twenty-eight-thousand-strong corps. The corps of the Russian General Count Wittgenstein stood in Oudinot's way. Oudinot was to perform an outflanking manoeuvre, unite with the thirty-four-thousand-strong corps of Marshal Macdonald, cut off the Russians from their base in Pskov, defeat them, and continue the advance towards Saint Petersburg. The Russian commander decided to attack Oudinot near Klyastitsy. The battle began on July 18 (Old Style) at two o'clock in the afternoon, when the Russian vanguard, led by Major General Kulnev, clashed with the French vanguard. After a fierce engagement, which escalated into hand-to-hand combat, Russian soldiers captured a favourable artillery position and deployed a battery. Grape shot fire suppressed all French attacks. Having suffered significant losses, they began to retreat towards Klyastitsy. A detachment under the command of Kulnev was dispatched to pursue the enemy. The renowned general perished in this battle. A monument has been erected on the bank of the Drissa River, where the heroic general fell. An obelisk to Kulnev is also installed in the settlement of Druya, Braslav district.-0-
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