City Celebrates Pivotal Battle of Klyastitsy

By Galina Stolyarova

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: August 1, 2012 (Issue # 1720)

state russian museum A painting on display in the ‘War of 1812’ exhibit at the Russian Museum.

On Aug. 1, 1812 Russia gained its first and crucially important victory during the Napoleonic wars. The Battle of Klyastitsy in Belarus changed the whole course of the 1812 military campaign, and laid the foundation for future victories. The French army sought a breakthrough that would allow them to enter St. Petersburg. The imperial capital was already preparing for a temporary relocation — and the victorious outcome of the Battle of Klyastitsy meant that the move was no longer necessary.

Russia is as proud of its victory in 1812 as it is about combating Hitler during World War II. Accordingly, the scale of the anniversary festivities this month will be grand. It is usually the Battle of Borodino that is associated with Russia’s victory during the Napoleonic wars, but this year, historians are seeking to draw attention to the Battle of Klyastitsy, which was essential in changing the course of the war.

The celebrations in St. Petersburg will begin on Aug. 1 with a memorial service at Kazan Cathedral. Four officers killed during the battle were St. Petersburg natives.

The State Hermitage Museum is organizing an exhibition of Peter von Hess’ painting “The Battle in Klyastitsy,” devoted to the historic battle that is often forgotten.

“The meaning of the Klyastitsy victory cannot be overestimated,” said Ivan Shakhovskoi, a member of the public council aiding the State Commission for the Preparation of the Celebrations of the Russian Victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. “Danger was literally in the air, and the preparations to evacuate the capital were serious. Even the Bronze Horseman had been packed up, put in a wooden crate and was ready to be moved away from the city. The battle lasted for three days, and Tsar Alexander I praised Field Marshal Pyotr Vitgenshtein as ‘the man who rescued Russia.’”

Vitgenshtein led the Russian army in Klyastitsy. His former estate, located in the village of Druzhnoselie on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, is now in very poor condition, which Alexander Margolis, chairman of the St. Petersburg Association for the Protection of Historical Monuments, branded as nothing less than “Russia’s national shame.”

“What was originally the Vitgenshtein family vault, designed by a fine Russian architect, is now a rundown public toilet,” Margolis said. “I am ashamed that I have to tell you this kind of thing.”

No restoration plans were announced as part of the festivities. Memorial services, exhibits, battle reconstructions and marches will be at the heart of events.

At noon on Aug. 1, a ceremony will be held before the opening of the exhibit at the Hermitage where military marches will be performed by a brass band.

“We take the 1812 anniversary festivities as yet another reminder that the important events that change the course of history are often the result of the efforts of individuals,” said Mikhail Piotrovsky, director of the State Hermitage Museum. “Being in the army has always been an honor for a Russian man. Military history makes up an integral part of Russian culture. At the same time, it is an open secret that the military profession has lost a lot of its former prestige, and the army barracks in St. Petersburg are becoming short of recruits. It would be worth it now, at the height of the festivities, to remember that the recruits were once an important feature in the city portrait of St. Petersburg.”

Musicians from the Tavricheskaya Cappella symphony orchestra will perform a program of military marches at the Pavlovsk museum estate, also on Aug. 1, at 5:30 p.m.

“The 1812 campaign played a special role in the history of Pavlovsk,” said Vera Dementiyeva, director of the Pavlovsk museum estate.

“The famous Rose Pavilion was built especially to host Tsar Alexander I after the end of the war. We have the important mission of highlighting the role of Russian women in the 1812 Napoleonic wars. Empress Maria Fyodorovna was a renowned philanthropist. She left a diary in which she described her daily routine during the war, which involved a great deal of admirable charitable work. We will prepare a special exhibition inspired by the contents of the diary. The display, which will feature a number of items that will be shown for the first time, is scheduled to open in September.”

More events will take place later this year at the Museum of the History of St. Petersburg, the Central Naval Museum and the Military Museum of Artillery.