SAMOLVA
\nSeeing a whole class of children pile into his museum about a Russian prince\u2019s 13th-century victory over Western crusaders, historian Vladimir Potresov was delighted.His \u201cBattle on the Ice\u201d exposition is only made up of a few rooms, but has seen a surge in visitors since its inclusion on a list of \u201cpatriotic\u201d tourist routes published by local authorities.
\nIt is one aspect of how Russia has sought to promote pride in its history and military conquests across public life since launching its Ukraine offensive in 2022. Authorities have launched more than 140 \u201cpatriotic\u201d tourist routes since 2023, many aimed at highlighting historic victories by the Russian empire and Soviet Union.
\n\u201cOur museum is small, but recently we\u2019ve been welcoming around 5,500 visitors a year,\u201d said 80-year-old Potresov, who moved from Moscow to the village of Samolva more than a decade ago to found the museum. \u201cThe Battle on the Ice brought to a close what was history\u2019s first clash between Russia and the collective West,\u201d he added, using a term the Kremlin regularly employs to describe Moscow\u2019s NATO and European enemies.
\nAmong the exhibits on display at the museum are maps and replica helmets that schoolchildren are encouraged to try on.A teacher accompanying the class told media that they were visiting as part of a \u201cpatriotic education\u201d assignment set by her school \u2014 tasks that have become increasingly commonplace since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive.
\n\u201cNext we\u2019re going to see the monument to Alexander Nevsky on the shores of Lake Peipus,\u201d she added, referring to a 15-meter-tall statue of the battle\u2019s victor, inaugurated by President Vladimir Putin in 2021. \u201cThe children love it,\u201d she added.
\nFought in 1242 over a frozen lake straddling what is now Russia and Estonia, the Battle on the Ice resulted in a decisive victory for Prince Alexander Nevsky of Novgorod, halting the eastward expansion of the Catholic Teutonic order. The battle was the subject of film director Sergei Eisenstein\u2019s 1938 classic \u201cAlexander Nevsky.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SAMOLVA Seeing a whole class of children pile into his museum about a Russian prince\u2019s 13th-century victory over Western crusaders, historian Vladimir Potresov was delighted.His \u201cBattle on the Ice\u201d exposition is only made up of a few rooms, but has seen a surge in visitors since its inclusion on a list of \u201cpatriotic\u201d tourist routes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":553594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-553576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n