Tarutino Military-Historical Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812

About museum

The Tarutino Military-Historical Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812 was opened in 1962 at the initiative of a local society. In 1969 it became a branch of the Kaluga Regional Museum of Local Lore. The exhibition dedicated to the Tarutino march-maneuver was opened on 18 October 1987 and revised in 2012. It helped stop the advance of Napoleon's army toward Kaluga and other Russian provinces. After the battle in October 1812, Tarutino became known throughout the world. In 1828 Count S. P. Rumyantsev performed a final act of generosity by freeing 745 peasants from his villages. In gratitude for this they built a monument to the Patriotic War of 1812 with their own funds. It was unveiled on 24 June 1834 and rebuilt in 1854–1855 to a design by the architect D. Antonelli. In 1941 Soviet soldiers fell on Tarutino soil defending the Motherland from fascism. In their memory a mass grave bearing the names of the fallen was created, and a tank on a pedestal was installed that belonged to the 53rd and 17th Rifle Divisions.