Lights! Weapons! Action!
This Sept. 3, thousands of members of various
reenactment clubs will descend on the fields and village, all in period
costumes and carrying period weapons (although they don’t shoot period
bullets). The action begins at 10:30 a.m., but the battle really gets going
about 2 p.m. Sometimes there are up to 100,000 participants, as well as tents,
horses, carts and other war-time props. There is a natural amphitheater where
you can watch the action free of charge. But you can also reserve space in the
bleachers by calling +7 (496) 385 1546 and making a reservation. The museum
staff members speak English, French and German.
You can also come a day early, on Sat. Sept. 2, to see
how the French and Russian armies rest up for battle. There is a “dress
rehearsal” for the battle on that day.
How to Get There
By car: Take Minskoye Shosse to one of the exits for
Mozhaisk (at the 96, 102, or 108 kilometer markers). At Mozhaisk follow the
signs to the village of Borodino (12 kilometers). You can rent a car or
mini-van through most hotels.
By train: Take the Mozhaisk line from Belorussky
Railway Station. Borodino is the stop directly after Mozhaisk. It’s a
3-kilometer walk to the museum from the station, but you can also flag down a
car.
Be sure to wear very comfortable shoes — a day at
Borodino covers about 10 kilometers of trekking over hills and fields. And be
sure to bring water and some snacks.
For more information in Russian and English, see www.borodino.ru.
Museum tel: +7 (496) 386 3223
Battle of Borodino Panorama Museum
If you can’t do the trek out of town, or if you want
to prepare yourself fully for your trip, stop first in at the Battle of
Borodino Panorama Museum. It is located in the spot where Field Marshall
Kutuzov held his Council of War, once in the village of Fili, now at the end of
Kutuzovsky Prospekt. The round building holds a 115-meter long, 15-meter high
painting-in-the round of the battle on Sept. 7, 1812. Painted by Franz Roubaud,
it is an amazing feat of artistic and historical reconstruction.