Exhibition "Trial by Siberia"

About exhibition

The exhibition is dedicated to the life and legacy of the Decembrists in Siberian exile and is timed to the 200th anniversary of the Decembrist uprising. This event, which changed the fates of its participants and the course of Russian history, found a deep response in the work of Leo Tolstoy. The writer was interested in the subject of the Decembrist uprising throughout his life. In 1856, after an amnesty for the rebels was announced, he conceived a novel whose main character was Pyotr Lobazov, returning from Siberian exile. While developing the idea, Tolstoy gradually delved into the era of 1825 and then into the events of 1812, which led to the creation of the epic novel War and Peace. In the late 1870s Tolstoy began work on the novel "The Decembrists." Leo Tolstoy drafted the opening sixteen times; his notebooks survive, outlining a wide range of Russian and international political life of that period. But the work was halted because, in the author's own words, he "did not find in it what he was seeking, namely a broadly human interest." The exhibition "Trial by Siberia" introduces visitors to the life of the Decembrists in exile, their resilience, and their contribution to the development of Siberia. Highly educated members of the aristocracy, exiled to a harsh land, organized schools, libraries, and theaters, promoting education and cultural exchange. The exhibition will feature authentic items from the collection of the Irkutsk Decembrists Museum: personal belongings, documents, pages from Ekaterina Trubetskaya's "Siberian Album" with depictions of penal servitude created by Decembrist artists, as well as 19th-century costumes reflecting everyday life of that era. Video materials from the film "The Star of Captivating Happiness," which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025, further enhance the historical immersion. Visitors will see unique editions from Leo Tolstoy's personal library at Yasnaya Polyana dedicated to the history of the Decembrist movement, as well as documents from the State Archive of the Tula Region related to the return from exile of the Decembrists, the Bobrishchev-Pushkin brothers. The exhibition uncovers little-known pages of Russian history, showcasing the courage of the Decembrists and their influence on culture and public thought. Presented within the branch of the Yasnaya Polyana museum, it will take on a special resonance, reminding visitors how the fates of the Decembrists and their ideas of freedom echo Tolstoy's reflections on duty, morality, and the destiny of Russia.