Historical reconstruction as a hobby - historical reconstruction festival. Military historical reconstructions of great battles Military historical reconstruction in different countries

The actors recreate the Battle of Austerlitz, which was an outstanding example of military art.
All this military-historical reconstruction of past events took place in the Moscow region, or rather in Khimki, where there is now a unique opportunity to buy an apartment without intermediaries. Moreover, in addition to already equipped housing, there are schools, kindergartens, medical centers, a yacht club with its own pier, a stadium, a swimming pool, a fitness club, and much more that is necessary for a comfortable stay.

Actors in military uniforms of the Hungarian and Austrian Habsburg dynasty reenact the first stage of the 1849 battle in Isaszeg, Hungary. The battle was part of the spring campaign of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 between the Austrian Empire and the Hungarian Revolutionary Army.

An 18th-century Maltese militiaman fires a musket at an enemy near the Verdala Palace near Valletta.
In the Middle Ages, militia was the name given to auxiliary military formations of military monastic orders (Order of the Temple, Order of Malta, etc.), staffed not by knights, but by members of the order of junior status or even temporary soldiers serving the order.

A man dressed as a samurai warrior runs screaming at the enemy during a reenactment of the Battle of Kawanakajima, which was fought in the mid-16th century in Fuefuki, Yamanashi Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, Japan. A recreation of the brutal battle between two famous warlords, Kenshin Uesugi and Takeda Shingen.

The samurai finished off the enemy during a reenactment of the Battle of Kawanakajima (a field famous for being the site of five battles between the Takeda and Uesugi clans).

Shooting from a matchlock pistol during Kawanakajima in Fuefuki (a city in Japan, located in Yamanashi Prefecture).

A man takes part in a historical re-enactment of the Roman games in Nîmes, southern France. The priests of the imperial cult held a ceremony in honor of Emperor Hadrian. Publius Aelius Trajan Hadrian - Roman emperor from 117 to 138.

Girls in costumes near the Colosseum, Circus Maximus and the Roman Forum, celebrating Christmas in Italy. Legend has it that Rome was founded by Romulus in 753 BC surrounded by seven hills.
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Actors dressed in armor staged medieval jousts in Eltham, England.

A man dressed as a soldier walks with a bicycle in the town of Courceulles-sur-Mer. The photo was taken on June 6, 2013 during the celebration of the 69th anniversary of the Normandy landings.

Reconstruction of events as Washington crossed the Delaware River to attack the British camp on the night of December 25–26, 1776. Photo taken in Pennsylvania on December 25, 2012.

A burning plane of the Kuomintang Air Force, the conservative political party of the Republic of China. The Kuomintang waged an armed struggle with the generals of the Beiyang group and the Communist Party of China for the right to rule the country until defeat in the Civil War in 1949, when the communists completely took power in the country, and the Kuomintang government had to flee to Taiwan. Military-historical reconstruction in Shaanxi province in China, October 19, 2012.

An actor in a Japanese military uniform jumps up and kicks an actor dressed as a villager. A re-enactment takes place at a cultural theme park in Shanxi province, China, on October 20, 2012. In the scene, Chinese soldiers torture a villager. The 8th Army is one of the formations of the National Revolutionary Army of China, controlled by the Chinese communists.

Actors in military uniforms of the Hungarian and Austrian Habsburg dynasties reenact the first stage of the 1849 battle. Photo taken in Isaszeg, Hungary, April 6, 2013.

Masked actors take part in the Cavalhadas festival, Brazil, May 19, 2013. This three-day celebration of the victory of medieval knights over the Moors is a tradition introduced in the 1800s by a Portuguese priest to mark the ascension of Christ.

Actors are preparing to reenact the battles for Berlin in 1945. The photo was taken in Germany on April 29, 2013.

Reconstruction of Napoleon's famous battle of Austerlitz in 1805, near the southern Moravian town of Slavkov.
The decisive battle of the Napoleonic army against the armies of the third anti-Napoleonic coalition went down in history as the “battle of three emperors,” since the armies of the emperors of Austria Franz II and Russian Alexander I fought against the army of Emperor Napoleon I.

Actors from Iere Productions play the roles of Indian indentured laborers and British police during a re-enactment of the Indian arrival in Trinidad and Tobago. The country celebrates this holiday on May 30 every year.

A man in a samurai costume on horseback shoots a bow at a target. Photo taken at Sumida Park in Tokyo on April 20, 2013. An archer takes part in yabusame during a samurai martial arts demonstration.
Yabusame is a form of archery in Japan in which archers using special turnip-shaped arrows shoot directly from the saddle. This type of archery originated at the beginning of the Kamakura period (1192–1334), when Minamoto no Yoritomo became alarmed by the lack of archery skills among his samurai and began teaching them.

Reconstructions of battles in the First World War. Bucharest, June 15, 2013.

Military-historical reconstruction of the famous Battle of Austerlitz in 1805. The photo was taken in a tent during the actors' break.

Children take part in a military parade held at an amusement park in Pyongyang to mark International Children's Day on June 1, 2013.

British soldiers. Military-historical reconstruction of the Second World War.

Actors take part in a historical reconstruction of the Stations of the Cross. Bucharest, May 3, 2013.

The picture shows Satan. Reenactment of the Passion of Christ in Mexico City.

Historical reconstruction of the Crucifixion. Manila, Philippines.

Fort Rinell is a Victorian-era structure. The British built the fort between 1878 and 1886 so that it could fire one single gun - the 100-ton Armstrong gun! A 450 mm caliber gun, more than 9 meters long and weighing more than 100 tons, easily destroyed ships at a distance of 2 kilometers, and its firing range was about 6 km. Valletta, Malta.

A military-historical recreation of the Battle of Karbala, which took place between the detachment of the grandson of the prophet Muhammad Hussein ibn Ali and the forces of Caliph Yazid I on 10 Muharram 61 AH (October 10, 680) in Karbala in the territory of modern Iraq.

Shia Muslims reenacted the Battle of Karbala during the Ashura festival in the Shia neighborhood of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq.

Cambodian students celebrated May 20 as “Day of Wrath,” a day of remembrance for the victims of the genocide that occurred there in the 1970s.

A military-historical re-enactment of the 1812 Battle of the Berezina, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle, near the village of Bryli, about 115 km east of Minsk. Fights between the French corps and the Russian armies of Chichagov and Wittgenstein on both banks of the Berezina River during Napoleon's crossing during the Patriotic War of 1812.

Civilians fight back against Red Army soldiers during a re-enactment of the 1945 Battle of Berlin.

Military-historical reconstruction of the Battle of Hastings 1066. The battle took place between the Anglo-Saxon army of King Harold Godwinson and the troops of the Norman Duke William. The battle lasted more than ten hours. King Harold's army was completely destroyed: several thousand selected English soldiers were left lying on the battlefield, the king himself was killed, as well as his two brothers. England, October 14, 2012.

The actors walk past a row of portable toilets.

What is historical reconstruction? - This is a recreation of various phenomena of the past: costumes, household items, weapons, technologies, activities, events.
Reconstruction in Russia in recent years has become a socially significant way of representing the past. The movement has come a long way to develop directions, take to the streets, and fit into urban landscapes.
Russia now leads the world in the scale, quality and quantity of historical festivals. Every year they are visited by hundreds of thousands of Russians, thousands of reenactors participate in them, representing eras from Antiquity to the end of the 20th century.
I will talk about two aspects of reconstruction that are significant for activating historical memory:
The first is the recreation of objects of material culture and technology from different eras. This is a memory of how and how our ancestors lived.
The second is the recreation for the public of historical events, mainly famous battles. This is a memory of the glorious deeds of our ancestors.

Recreating items from the past

Recreating objects of the past is the basis of the movement. Through the study of material culture, the memory of how our ancestors lived is activated. A person masters a lot of primary sources and often begins to practice the craft. Hundreds of people on the move study archaeological catalogues, engravings, frescoes, book illuminations, read chronicles and memoirs, go on expeditions, and penetrate museum storerooms. They are looking for an answer: how to make a reliable reconstruction of a suit or weapon.
At the same time, they travel to villages to buy homespun flax or weave it themselves, work in a forge, cast jewelry, and blow glass. Someone cuts copies of ancient Russian huts, someone builds a Scandinavian longship or a Spanish brig and sails the seas. Some make antique citharas, others restore World War II tanks, or ride horses in a knight's tournament, or learn to load a rifle, as was customary in Napoleon's army.

It is not only the national memory that is being activated. A person realizes that he belongs to European culture, despite historical conflicts. European themes are no less popular in Russia than our own. The point, of course, is not a lack of patriotism. Reconstruction is generally weakly ideological, and this is part of its appeal.
Focus on primary sources, archives, and archeology is a strong inoculation against fiction, no matter whether they are Russophobic or patriotic. Of course, adherence to an alternative history is an unthinkable thing in the movement.

Morals of reenactors

A person is educated in the process of recreating artifacts and thinking about history with all its contradictions. This is the cultivation of curiosity, working with sources, as well as the skill of making things with your own hands. This is especially true for a generation that has been immersed in gadgets since childhood. In clubs where there are many young people, the task is rarely formulated as “patriotic education,” except for officials. However, I do not know of nihilists and Russophobes in the movement, nor among the reenactors of Rus', nor Europe, nor the Napoleonic army, nor the Wehrmacht. Reenactors are generally characterized by healthy values, “absorbed” from the past: strong families, traditional gender roles, a cult of camaraderie.

Audience of historical festivals

The enthusiasm of the reenactors is contagious - festival guests leave interested in the era, and sometimes they themselves begin their journey in reconstruction.
In general, the level of the audience has grown significantly. 10 years ago, festival goers often couldn’t tell a Viking from an Indian. Nowadays this is a rarity; interesting discussions often start with guests. This spring in Crimea we went hiking in the mountains in full gear of Roman legionnaires. And somewhere on a remote path we met tourists. Their first question was: “Are you legionnaires from the era of the republic or the Principate?”
The educational success of historical festivals owes much to the involvement of guests in the event. A person bakes bread in a clay oven, forges a knife, sculpts a pot on a potter's wheel, shoots a bow or arquebus, rides a boat, learns to write in a charter, prints an engraving, and walks in formation. That is, he receives a complex of impressions, is immersed in the era and takes as a souvenir an artifact that he himself made.

Recreating battles

Let's move on to another aspect - the reconstruction of battles. Let us remember the Romans, who acted out episodes of the Punic Wars in amphitheaters. As now, these reconstructions served both to entertain the public and to cultivate national memory. For most peoples, military exploits and key battles are system-forming myths. These are “myths” in the original meaning - teachers and leaders of nations in world history. In this capacity they are usually supported by the state.

Battle of Gettysburg

Photo by Robert London

A striking example of the cultivation of a national myth through reconstruction is the Battle of Gettysburg in the USA. There is a military historical park on the battlefield, and the battle itself annually attracts up to 10 thousand participants, this is the largest event in world reconstruction. Some participants walk 150 miles to the battlefield. In general, the reconstruction of the Civil War, and with sympathy for both sides, is a real cult in America.

Battle of Vinegar Hill

Often the state updates half-forgotten events that can strengthen national identity. For example, in Australia, the authorities considered that the civil cult of the ANZACs who participated in the First World War was insufficient. They decided to push back the birth of the Australian nation by a hundred years - to the little-known Second Battle of Vinegar Hill, where exiled Irish fought off the British army. A monument was erected on this hill and annual reconstruction was established since 2004. It attracts thousands of spectators and attracts the attention of the world media.

Reconstruction of battles in Russia

In Russia, reconstruction of battles began in 1906. The first experiment was devoted to the defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean War. The topic also interested the Bolsheviks: in 1920 they reconstructed the storming of the Winter Palace, which happened three years earlier. Then everything calmed down until the early 1970s, when Bondarchuk's film War and Peace aroused interest in the Napoleonic era.
In 1987, the first clubs of the USSR organized a trip to the places of military glory of the Twelfth Year. This is considered the beginning of the organized reconstruction movement in Russia. It is not surprising that the Battle of Borodino festival is the most famous historical event in Russia. This is the oldest festival, it recreates one of the key battles in Russian history, and on a real battlefield, which is very rare. There are festivals dedicated to the Battle of Kulikovo, the Battle of the Ice, the Battle of Molodi, the Brusilovsky breakthrough and other major military events.
Next, I will talk about several projects of the Ratobortsy agency. These projects focus on Russian history; in their own way, they serve to activate historical memory.

Times and eras

I’ll start with the “Times and Epochs” series. This is the world's largest re-enactment festival in a metropolis. The series began in 2011, and since then the festival has been held every year in Kolomenskoye Park. The key idea is the annual change of the historical theme. The first festival was dedicated to the era of Ancient Rus'; it was made by a small team in just two months. At the same time, it attracted 1,000 participants from all over Russia and 50,000 spectators - an unheard of number at that time. The reviews were positive, we realized that we had found our niche.
In 2012, the festival was dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the end of the Time of Troubles. The central event was the reconstruction of the Battle of Moscow in 1612.
The third festival presented the European Middle Ages. The first international knightly tournament in Russia on solid spears was also held here - without the props popular in the West. This tournament, by the way, grew into a separate festival - the “Tournament of St. George”.
In 2014 the theme was World War I. Here I will say that confronting one’s native history is not always comfortable. There was an unexpectedly violent reaction to the reconstruction of the Osovets defense. Spectators left the stands delighted and in tears, despite having never heard anything about this feat before. There was also a wave of negativity, saying that it was impossible to so convincingly show heartbreaking events that, by historical standards, happened recently. One way or another, there were no indifferent people. The “Forgotten War” surfaced in the memory of Muscovites and chilled them to the bone. Wasn’t this the kind of tragic catharsis that Aristotle was talking about?
Last year we decided to remind the Third Rome of its spiritual ancestor - the First Rome. To do this, in less than a year, we developed the theme of antiquity, which was exotic for Russia, almost from scratch. Ancient Rome aroused great interest - the festival was attended by 300,000 people.
This year “Times and Epochs” was again dedicated to Ancient Rus'. This was the largest festival of the series. A conference was also held here, where leading Russian archaeologists spoke.

If “Times and Epochs” is the largest festival in Russia, then the Crimean Military History Festival is the longest. It has been taking place since 2014 on the Fedyukhin Heights near Sevastopol. The purpose of the festival is to recall the glorious history of the peninsula, starting with the Bosporan War in the 1st century AD. e., ending with the liberation of Sevastopol in 1944.
The key sites of the festival are an ancient Roman fortress, a medieval trading post, and a battlefield of the Great Patriotic War.
The most atmospheric site is the Crimean War. There were battles on the Fedyukhin Heights in 1855. For the festival, positions of the Russian army and interventionists are lined up here. These are fortress batteries with guns, barracks, a powder magazine, and siege parallels. This year the guests were shown the assault on the Malakhov Kurgan.
In total, this year the festival featured 11 venues from different eras and armies. They worked for 9 days. In the future, we hope to open a historical park on Fedyukhin Heights, open all year round.

How should we evaluate the activities of those who call themselves historical reenactors? What is this - a hobby or a profession? What role does the reconstruction of historical events play in modern society - is it just entertainment or something else? In this article we tried to answer these and other questions related to historical reconstruction.

For some reason, it is generally accepted that historical reconstruction is a fairly recent hobby. They say that the first clubs and communities of people calling themselves reenactors began to emerge in Western Europe and the USA only after the Second World War. In fact, this, of course, is not the case - the roots of this hobby go back centuries, or more precisely, in ancient times. Although, of course, then it was not a hobby at all, but rather a profession.

However, in order to delve into the history of this hobby, first of all you should understand - who are historical reenactors? This is usually the name given to people who try to accurately reproduce the life, entertainment, battles or material (however, sometimes spiritual) culture of some long-gone era. They are traditionally divided into household and military reenactors, although this division is arbitrary - the same people can be engaged in both areas of this activity.

So, if a reenactor is a person who recreates events of the past, then it should be recognized that historical reconstruction was practiced... in Ancient Rome. As we remember, the Romans were extremely fond of gladiator fights. So, from time to time these competitions took on the appearance of battles of the past. For example, one group of gladiators was dressed as soldiers of Alexander the Great, another as the Persians Darius III Codoman, and after that they acted out some episode from the Battle of Gaugamela.

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At the same time, the fighters tried to follow the historical truth in every detail - the detachments maneuvered in the same way as the troops participating in this battle, the leaders of the detachments called themselves the names of Macedonian and Persian commanders, etc. So such an action can well be considered a military reconstruction. It differed from modern analogues only in that during this battle the fighters died for real.

So, it must be recognized that first there was a military re-enactment, which functioned as an element of show (for gladiator fights were more of an ancient Roman show than a sporting competition). Later, in the Middle Ages, it ceased to be so bloody, but still survived. During all kinds of holidays at the courts of monarchs and aristocracy, fragments from the battles of the past were often played out, for example, the same episodes from the battles of Alexander the Great.

Later, from the 17th-18th centuries, clubs for antique lovers began to emerge, which became the prototypes of associations of modern reenactors. For example, in England a very popular hobby was shooting with a medieval “long” bow. The secretary of the great German poet Goethe, Johann Peter Eckermann, wrote that: “There (that is, in England. - Ed.) Everyone who is not too lazy shoots from a bow. Even in the most run-down town there is a “society of archers.” Just as the Germans go to a bowling alley, they gather in some tavern - usually in the evening - and shoot with arrows; I watched their exercises with great pleasure. These were all tall people, and as they pulled the bowstring, they assumed amazingly picturesque poses.”

In parallel with this, everyday reconstruction also developed, which at first was an element of city carnivals. During these holidays, participants not only dressed in costumes of bygone eras, but also tried to reproduce dances, games and other entertainments of the past. And since the beginning of the 19th century, the fashion for making antiques has spread in Europe, and not for commercial purposes.

The pioneers of this movement should be considered two Swedes, Henrik and Hjalmar Lingi, who, fascinated by the Viking era, sought to accurately recreate not only the weapons and armor of these fearless warriors, but also the household utensils of that era. They relied on information obtained from the Scandinavian sagas. Later, the example of a talented father and son inspired other lovers of antiquities from Western Europe, and homemade products from bygone eras for some time became almost an ordinary piece of furniture.

At the end of the 19th century, the first attempt was made to carry out reconstruction at the state level. This happened in Germany. By special order of the Kaiser's government, when entire military companies were allocated to restore the events of past eras. Someone restored the appearance and fighting techniques of the soldiers of Ancient Rome, someone - the barbarians who competed with them, someone depicted knights, landsknechts, etc. Such reconstructions were no longer just elements of the show of those times - their participants helped historians conduct some research. For example, it was the reconstruction of the Battle of Grunewald that helped clarify some of the mysteries of this outstanding battle.

Historical events, as a rule, are long gone. But thanks to the enthusiasts who participate in the reconstructions of these events, everyone can feel involved in these events.

The actors recreate the events of the Hungarian Revolution of 1849. Battle of the city of Isaszeg. Hungary. In the photo: Hungarian Honved Hussar.

The battle of the Maltese and the Napoleonic army near Valletta. In the photo: a Maltese Guard soldier fires a musket.

A man dressed as a samurai warrior during a reenactment of the Battle of Kawanakajima, which took place in the mid-16th century, in Fuefuki, Yamanashi Prefecture northeast of Tokyo, Japan.

Same reconstruction.

An actor fires a firearm in a reenactment of the Kawanakajima battle.

Reconstruction of Roman games in Nîmes in the south of France. In this city, during Roman times, there was an amphitheater where gladiator fights and battles between people and wild animals took place.

A group of people dressed as ancient Romans celebrates the birth of Rome.

A medieval jousting tournament is recreated by actors at Eltham Palace on June 16, 2013 in Eltham, England.

Reconstruction of the events of Washington's army crossing the Delaware River, covered with ice fields, to attack the British camp on the night of December 25-26, 1776.

A Kuomintang plane explodes during the reconstruction of the defense of Yan'an in the northwestern province of Shaanxi in China, where the armed struggle between Mao's troops and Kuomintang troops took place. China.

Reconstruction of the Sino-Japanese War, in which a Japanese soldier mocks a Chinese peasant. In Shanxi Province, China.

Events of the Hungarian Revolution of 1849. Battle of the city of Isaszeg. Hungary.

Masked actors ride horses at the Cavalhadas festival, Brazil. This festival was first held in the 1800s by a Portuguese priest and has since become an annual tradition. It is dedicated to the victory of the knights over the Moors.

Before the start of the reconstruction of the Battle of Berlin.

During the reconstruction of Napoleon's famous battle of Austerlitz near the South Moravian town of Slavkov, Czech Republic.

Actors take part in a reenactment of the Battle of Austerlitz to mark its 207th anniversary, near Brno, Czech Republic, on December 1, 2012.

Celebration of Arrival in Trinidad and Tobago.

An actor dressed as a samurai shoots an arrow during a martial arts demonstration at Sumida Park in Tokyo, Japan.

A man dressed as a soldier of the Austro-Hungarian army during a reenactment dedicated to the First World War. Village of Fundata. Romania.

Participants rest before the reconstruction of the Battle of Austerlitz. Near Brno, Czech Republic.

Children take part in a mock military parade at an amusement park in Pyongyang, North Korea, to mark International Children's Day.

Reconstruction of the Allied invasion of Malta on July 3, 1943. The capture of Malta was of strategic importance for the invasion of Italy on September 3, 1943.

Actors take part in a re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross, commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, during Good Friday during the celebration of the Orthodox Church in Bucharest, Romania. May 3, 2013.

Portraying Satan, inmate Cesar Rivera Aguilar participates in a reenactment of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday at the Reclusorio Oriente prison in Mexico City, Mexico.

Re-enactment of the Good Friday crucifixion in the village of San Juan, San Fernando City, north of Manila, Philippines.

Shot of a huge Armstrong cannon at Fort Rinella, Valletta, Malta.

Military historical reconstruction of the Battle of Karbala, during the Ashura festival in the Shiite district of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq, November 30, 2012. The Ashura festival commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala, Iraq in 680.

Reenactment of the American Revolutionary War. Pictured: British soldiers. New Jersey, USA.

Reconstruction of the atrocities and abuses carried out by the Khmer Rouge in the 70s of the last century. Every year, Cambodia celebrates a “Day of Wrath” to commemorate the atrocities of the regime and visit the mass graves of its victims.

People dressed in historical uniforms of the Imperial Russian and French armies take part in a re-enactment of the 1812 Battle of the Berezina, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle, near the village of Bryli, about 115 km (71 miles) east of Minsk, November 24, 2012. The battle between the attacking Russian army and Napoleon's retreating army ended in a Russian victory and heavy losses for the French.

Re-enactment of the Battle of Berlin.

Historical reconstruction of the Battle of Hastings, between the Saxons and Normans, England in 1066.

Actors dressed as Norman soldiers in a reenactment of the Battle of Hastings.

Mandatory attribute of historical reconstructions: portable toilets. It’s scary to imagine how the gathering of so many people would have ended without them.