Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday attended a ceremony to open a museum of the 1812 Patriotic War against Napoleon in Moscow and visited the renovated Triumphal Arch.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev takes part in the opening ceremony of the Triumphal Arch in Moscow on September 4.
Walking through the arch, he congratulated the crowd that had amassed for this significant event and confessed that it was unusual for him to make a speech on Victory Square under the arch’s columns.
Medvedev said the opening of the newly restored Triumphal Arch, which was erected in honor of Russia’s victory in the Patriotic War of 1812, symbolizes the resurrection of the patriotic spirit and historical memory in the Russian people.
The prime minister said that the Russian Army actually marched through the Triumphal Arch (initially it was made of wood and stood in a different location) after its victory in the war.
Dmitry Medvedev thanked all the specialists who took part in the restoration.
The head of parliament spent some time talking with the restorers. Among them was a specialist who had taken part in the restoration work in 1968. He presented the prime minister with a photograph of the monument taken at the time.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin at the opening ceremony of the newly restored Moscow Triumphal Gates (Triumphal Arch).
Medvedev also attended a ceremony to open a museum of the 1812 Patriotic War against Napoleon.
The museum was opened as part of Russia’s celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of its victory in the war.
The museum was due to open in around 1912 to coincide with the 100th anniversary celebrations, but the building was never constructed.
Most of its exhibits have been handed over to the Historical Museum in Moscow.
“By opening this museum in today, when we mark the 200th anniversary of our historical victory in the War of 1812, we are putting the historical record straight,” Medvedev said.
