Joint Museum Historical Exhibition "1914. Let Rise All Russia for the Feat of Arms"

The Gatchina museum presents the exhibition "1914. Let Rise All Russia for the Feat of Arms" jointly organized by the State Museum Preserve Gatchina and the Central Exhibition Manezh with support from the Cultural Committee of St Petersburg to be opened September 24, 2014. The exhibition coincides with the 100th anniversary of the First World War and involves various museums and archives from St Petersburg, the State Archive of the Russian Federation (Moscow), the Russian Film and Photography Archive (Krasnogorsk), private museums and col-lectors.

The First World War, or the Great War, that broke out in Europe in 1914, was highly complex and controversial in its nature. Its political, economic and social aspects were as im-portant as the military one, or even more so. The policies pursued by the great European powers eventually led to unleashing of the conflict in the early 20th century.

Political and military decisions at that time were made by a limited circle of people, those who headed countries and armies. These people are the focus of the opening room of the exhibi-tion. The next room traces the relations between Russia and its main ally France. The following exhibitions provide an account of combat actions on the ground, at sea and in the air. The final room demonstrates how the entire population became involved in the war efforts: caring for the wounded, their numbers exceeded any pessimistic estimates in the early months of the war, which serves as one example of the public’s involvement in the struggle for victory.

The exhibit features over four hundred items, such as military maps, photographs, docu-ments, military uniforms, items from rucksacks and field accommodations, ship and aircraft models, as well as paintings, works on paper, applied arts and many more.

Most of the archival photographs, museum items and exhibits from private collections have never been displayed before.

The exhibition explores the theme of national unity, currently of significant relevance, and provides details of the events that shook the world in the early 20th century, allowing visi-tors to not only "live through" those years, but also to reflect on the present and future.

The opening ceremony will be held September 23 at 4 p.m. in the exhibition room of the Arsenal Wing at the Gatchina Palace.