Presentation of memoirs of Grand Duchess Olga Aleksandrovna “25 chapters of my life” took place on February 15, 2017 in Historical Museum in Moscow. Memoirs of the youngest sister of Nicholas II were first published in the Russian language.
The book consists of series of articles written by the Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna in Dutch and published in Denmark in March and April 1942 under the name “Memoires of Grand Duchess”. The first edition contained a number of photos from archives and private collections, as well as her art works. In 25 charters of the book we see key events of the life Russia of the Grand Duchess – her childhood and growing up, death of her farther, Alexander III, her first and second marriges, work as a nurse during the First world war, accomodation in Crimea and Kuban during the revolution and Civil war, and much more.
In the presentation and discussion of the book participated Lyudmila and Pavel Kulikovsky (great-grandson of Olga Alexandrovna Romanova), historians, archivists, literary scholars, and public figures, among them N. Narochnitskaya, the great-grandson of P. A. Stolypin N. In.Sluchevsky and others.
Lyudmila Kulikovskaya noted that the presentation of the book takes place on a wonderful day, the Bright feast (Sretenie in Russian), and this is a good sign. “Sretenie” is translated from old Slavonic as “meeting”, and from Serbian as “joy”: “the Light and spirit of this day will bring light to our joyful meeting.” According to her, the publishing of memoirs is the culmination of a large international project, which was launched in 2005. On behalf of the compilers of the book she thanked the leadership of the Historical Museum kindly provided the opportunity to make a presentation there. And there is a providential meaning. The Museum was founded on 9 February 1872 (old calendar) upon the decree of the grandfather of Olga Alexandrovna, Emperor Alexander II, who named it in honor of his son, the crown Prince Alexander Alexandrovich, later Tsar Alexander III, father of the Grand Duchess. The publication of the book became a kind of gift to the Historical Museum in the year of its 145th anniversary.
Marina V. Chistyakova, Deputy Director of the Historical Museum, is once again emphasized that its history is closely associated with the Romanov dynasty: “the Emperor Alexander III in 1883 opened the first rooms of the Museum”.
Galina Shumskaya, head of the branch of the Historical Museum “Chambers of Romanov boyars”, remembered that the first meeting with Lyudmila and Paul Kulikovskii which it has been held over ten years and since than they have “very friendly relations”. She also noted that it was the crown Prince Alexander who persuaded his father, Emperor Alexander II of the need to open a national history museum.
