On Tuesday, December 19, an exhibition dedicated to the life of German princesses in Tsarist Russia opened in Frankfurt am Main, with the support of the Russian Ministry of Culture.
The exhibition called "Hessian Princesses in Russian History" reveals details about the fate of four women from the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt and displays a unique collection of paintings, documents and personal belongings.
"This exhibition is of a great importance as it shows that not a person's place of birth is decisive, but rather his or her deeds," Russia's ambassador to Germany Vladimir Grinin said at the opening ceremony.
The diplomat stressed that such events are especially relevant "during a period of political tension" and noted that it is important for Russia and Germany "to find mutual understanding based on their very good cultural ties."
For his part, Richard Zacharuk, the curator of the exhibition and the head of the Museum of Icons in Frankfurt am Main, also pointed out the relevance of the exhibition on the international level.
"The exhibition is important not only for our museum, for Frankfurt, for Germany, but also for German-Russian relations which a hundred years ago were better and closer than nowadays," he said, adding that the main purpose of the exhibition was to show the common history of the two countries.
The items on display come from the State Hermitage Museum, and the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg; the State Historical Museum, and the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow; as well as other museums.
