In the Finnish city of Turku a monument has been unveiled in honor of the historic meeting between Russian Emperor Alexander I and Crown Prince of Sweden Carl Johan (Charles XIV John), Fontanka.fi reports.

The unveiling ceremony, which was attended by the President of Finland Sauli Niinistö, was the culminating event of the celebratory program of the 200th anniversary of the meeting between the two monarchs. During their meetings in what was then Finland’s largest city, the royal rulers rewrote and reaffirmed the Treaty of St. Petersburg in a way that was significant for Finland. Sweden finally gave up any claim to Finland and agreed to cooperate with Russia to defeat the French Emperor Napoleon. In return, Russia provided support for Sweden’s plans to invade Norway.

The author of the sculpture, Russian artist Andrei Kovalchuk, said that when engaged in work on the sculpture he studied a large volume of archive materials to help achieve authenticity. “Preparing the sculpture I used numerous portraits of the monarchs and also etchings depicting the meeting published in 1812 in a British newspaper,” he noted.

At the General Consulate of the Russian Federation in Turku an exhibition has opened titled ‘Russians in 1812” based on works from the Russian National Library and archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In honor of the 200th anniversary of the meeting an international academic seminar has been organized, attracting historians from Russia and Finland (which from 1809 to 1917 was part of the Russian Empire).

© Fontanka. 28 August, 2012

The Alferaki Palace at Taganrog and Emperor Alexander I 

The Alferaki Palace at Taganrog is the venue for the new exhibition, Emperor Alexander I, The Reign That Ended in Taganrog.

Its opening is timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 in which Russia, led by Alexander I defeated Napoleon's armies.

On display will be a collection of weapons and medals from the War of 1812, documents bearing the Russian Emperor's signature, and a unique collection of furniture, and objects of decorative art from Alexander I's palace at Taganrog. Also on display is a unique vase with the portrait of Alexander I, donated by his brother and successor, Emperor Nicholas I.

The Alferaki Palace is a beautiful example of the Russian Empire style. It was built in 1848 by the famous Russian architect Andrei Stakenschneider, for the merchant N.D. Alferaki.

© Paul Gilbert @ Royal Russia. 23 May, 2012