FRANKFURT: December 19, 2017
An Exhibition Titled “Princesses of Hesse in Russian History” Opens in Frankfurt

An exhibition titled “Princesses of Hesse in Russian History” opened in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, on December 19, 2017, a joint project of Russia and Germany. It will continue until February 26, 2018.

The organizer of the show is the Elizabeth-Sergy Educational Society with support from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, large museums and archives of Russia, personal collections in Russia and Germany and the Azerbaijan National Museum.

The exhibit features 300 exponents centering on the lives of four princesses from Hesse-Darmstadt who left their glorious mark on Russian history, founders of government charitable efforts: Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeevna (wife of Tsesarevich Pavel Petrovich, future Emperor Paul I), Empress Maria Alexandrovna (wife of Emperor Alexander II), Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Emperor Nicholas II) and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna (wife of Grand Duke Sergey Alexandrovich). They brought the traditions of the House of Hesse to their new homeland, devoting their lives to charity. A unique collection of portraits is featured in this show, along with documents and other materials from many collections. A great deal of historical research was done for the show, and many exponents will be seen in public for the first time. Some were, with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, brought from the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Equal-to-the-Apostles, built by the Royal Family in Darmstadt, Germany.

The organizers did not fail to mark the hundredth anniversary next year of the tragic arrest and murder of the Royal Family. Among the items in the show are letters from members of the Royal Family while under arrest in Tobolsk, items brought by Nikolai Sokolov during his research of their murder from the collection of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY.

Portraits of the princesses by Falconet, Serov, von Kaulbach, Zichi, Nesterov, Lipgart, Kramskoy and Neff are featured. Official portraits of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra conclude the exhibit. A catalog will be made available.

The foundation presents the geneology of the family, including bonds between the Brabant and Rurikovich dynasties from the 12-13th centuries.

A conference on the topic began on December 19 at the Knight’s Hall in the Museum of the Icon.

As noted by the head of the Museum of icons in Frankfurt am main, curator of the exhibition Richard Zaharuk, the exhibition is important not only for the Museum, Frankfurt, Germany, but for German-Russian relations, which a hundred years ago was better and closer than today. The purpose of the exhibition was to show that links Germany and Russia, their shared history, he explained.

mknews.de