March 28 is observed as World History Day. In ancient Greek mythology the muse Clio — literally 'the bestower of fame' — is 'appointed' the patron of this discipline. This is exactly what museum historians do — a special professional 'caste' that 'embeds' events of the past into the present, doing it so skillfully that contemporary interest in the 'affairs of long-past days' does not fade.\r\nThe Alexandrovskaya Sloboda museum-reserve also has such 'helpers of Clio.' We present our key historians.
Anastasia Valeryevna Listopad graduated from the Kant State University of Kaliningrad with a degree in History. She has been at the museum for 12 years, during which time she has become a leading specialist and an active participant in conferences and scholarly readings. At the museum she specializes in the Middle Ages, paying particular attention to the period of the Oprichnina (unsurprising, since Sloboda was the capital of the Oprichnina).\r\n'Unlike our academic colleagues, who spend most of their time working in archives studying and analyzing historical documents, our task is to introduce into museum exhibitions everything that historical scholarship has developed. Therefore a museum historian is not only a researcher, but also someone who must be knowledgeable in many areas — know the museum collection well, be able to distinguish historical periods from material sources, and understand modern methods of conveying history. We have a unique opportunity to implement our ideas in museum projects, primarily exhibition projects. A vivid example is the exhibition "The Tsar's Court in Alexandrovskaya Sloboda." In it we were able to combine medieval artifacts, modern multimedia technologies and lighting accents so that our visitors can be told about significant events and complex historical processes in an interesting, spectacular and proper way. The exhibition was created very quickly — often we have to work exactly like this, cooperating simultaneously with a large number of contractors. Therefore, in the usual sense in which the work of a historian is evaluated — a specialist who painstakingly studies artifacts — this is not the case in the museum space. We creatively transform our academic knowledge into museum projects and programs!' says Anastasia Listopad, head of the Research, Exhibition and Display Department of the Alexandrovskaya Sloboda museum-reserve.
Her 'right hand' long ago became Anastasia Nikolaevna Lakiza, who graduated from Yaroslavl State University named after P.G. Demidov, also with a degree in History. She is another staff member who actively speaks at all-Russian conferences. She joined the museum in 2009 and over time defined her field of interest as the period of the Romanov dynasty's rule. One of the significant projects she oversees is the exhibition "Alexandrovskaya Sloboda in the 17th–18th centuries. The palatial patrimony of the Romanovs."\r\n'When preparing the concept for this permanent exhibition I analyzed a huge body of scholarly research and the works of my colleagues at the museum. Our goal was to tell our visitors about the role Sloboda played in Russian history during the reigns of the first tsars of the Romanov dynasty. After all, each of them came here with a particular purpose. By the way, during our work we found that this is the only place in the Vladimir region visited by Peter I. Naturally, that fact also needed to be reflected. Having analyzed many studies, I concluded that the emperor was here on exercises not only with the poteshnye regiments (amusement regiments), but also with the first Moscow elected regiment. This topic engrossed me and I continued to study the issue. It is important to us that, first and foremost, such work finds practical application. Therefore right now I am engaged in the task of producing a reconstruction of the uniform of a soldier of that regiment. Such a substantial addition to the exhibition, incorporating the latest data, will allow our guests to form a more complete picture of Peter's stay in the medieval capital,' shares Anastasia Lakiza, research associate of the Alexandrovskaya Sloboda museum-reserve.\r\nWe are very pleased to congratulate our scholarly-creative specialists on their professional holiday and eagerly look forward to 'historical' discoveries and new engaging exhibition projects!
