On the boundary of myth and fact: the exhibition “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen in Russia” has opened in the Hermitage.

“We are opening yet another stunning exhibition. Everyone knows that the Hermitage is fond of holding exhibitions about ‘trickery’, and now we are moving on to literary ‘trickery’. The exhibition is devoted to a scholarly analysis of the story of Baron Munchausen. Analysis has shown that Munchausen existed, indeed not only existed, but actively lived at the Russian court. Therein lies one of the tasks of real learning: to prove that fiction is not fiction at all.

“At the same time, there are many meanings in the exhibition. It’s very serious, It is an exhibition about the history of Russia after Peter the Great, especially in the times of Anna Ioannovna. Also, of course, about truth and untruth in art, about relations between exhibits and the designer setting,” Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky, General Director of the State Hermitage, said at the ceremony.

“For over 10 years now our company has been supporting the State Hermitage, which is a real treasure house that preserves the heritage of the most diverse cultures and peoples. Only a museum like that is capable of initiating projects totally different in character and subjects. The original concept and unique content of the exhibition ‘The Adventures of Baron Munchausen in Russia’ is the best confirmation of what I have said. I am certain that success awaits it,” Andrei Yevgenyevich Murov, First Deputy Director General of the public joint-stock company Rosseti, commented.

Hieronymus Karl Friedrich von Münchhausen came to Saint Petersburg in 1738 as a page to Duke Anton Ulrich of Brunswick, the bridegroom of Princess Anna Leopoldovna (the niece of Empress Anna Ioannovna). Accompanying the Duke, he witnessed many events at the imperial court, attended court festivities and participated in a Russo-Turkish war. Later he served in Riga, in the Brunswick Cuirassiers Regiment. Münchhausen left the Russian Empire in 1750, but he soon returned symbolically, this time as the hero of a popular book.

Many actual historical events bear out the truthfulness of the accounts given by Munchausen, who, as we all know, abhorred lies. Some, meanwhile, seem even more fantastic than the Baron’s celebrated inventions. A variety of exhibits allow visitors to take a look at the life of the Russian imperial court and Saint Petersburg through his eyes.

Also participating in the opening ceremony were Sergei Vladimirovich Mironenko, Scholarly Director of the State Archive of the Russian Federation; Georgy Vadimovich Vilinbakhov, Deputy General Director of the State Hermitage for Research; Svetlana Borisovna Adaksina, Deputy General Director and Chief Curator of the State Hermitage; Viacheslav Anatolyevich Feodorov, Head of the Department of the History of Russian Culture; Natalia Yuryevna Bakhareva, author of the concept and curator of the exhibition, a senior researcher in the Department of the History of Russian Culture; and Andrei Andreyevich Punin, head of the ARKI creative studio and designer of the exhibition.

The exhibition can be visited by all holders of entry tickets to the Main Museum Complex until 15 September 2024.

The General Sponsor of the exhibition is Rosseti