State Borodino War and History Museum and Reserve is located 120 km west of Moscow. The institution for scientific research, culture and education, nature protection. Founded on the precise spot of the Battle of Borodino (1812) and is the oldest in the world among the museums situated at battlefield. In 1995 was given the highest existing status for a museum in Russia - the object of special value of historic and cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia.

    The main historic object - the field of the decisive battle between the Russian army under Kutuzov and Napoleon's

    army on the 7th of September 1812. Remains and ashes of more than 50 thousand killed in the battle were buried here in common graves. In October 1941 the area of the battlefield was the front defensive line of the Battle of Moscow. Soviet troops repelled the Nazi offensive for 6 days and gained time for concentration of reinforcements around Moscow. The historic landscape of the Borodino battlefield is similar to that of the year 1812 and comprises about 200 monuments, fortification sites and historic buildings of the XVII- XX centuries: the Odigitria Church (XVIII c.) in the village of Borodino — the "eye-witness" of the Battle of Borodino; fortification sites of both opposing armies (1812) such as the Shevardino redoubt, Bagration fleches, Rayevsky battery (or the Grand redoubt), French battery and others; graves of general Bagration and general Neverovsky (hero of Leipzig, 1813), common graves; the Main Monument commemorating all Russian warriors on the Rayevsky battery site (1839); the unique ensemble of the Borodino Savior Convent (1820-1870), now — the nunnery and museum; monuments marking command posts used by Kutuzov (1912) and Napoleon (1913); 34 monuments to different Russian regiments (1911-1912); defensive works of World War II - pillboxes, communication trenches, antitank ditches, common graves with monuments to the soviet soldiers (1941-1942); the historic building of the Borodino museum (1839, 1912, 1962); the Old Smolensk Road (XIV-XVIII), archeological sites (III-XIII); historic villages and architectural monuments (XVII-XIX).

    The permanent museum exposition depicts the course of the Battle of Borodino in details, displaying the original Russian and French uniforms and weapons, portraits of generals and battle paintings, documents of the battle and personal belongings of the participants of the event, such as Kutusov's field carriage, the tunic of Tzar Alexander I and Napoleon's camp-bed. The scaled electrified model of the Borodino battlefield ground with disposed opposing troops on it is one of the impressive exhibits. The outdoor display offers the guns of Napoleon's army captured by Russian troops. Other 5 museum exhibitions are displayed in the buildings of the Borodino Savior Convent. Two of them depict the course of the War 1812 in objects of decorative and applied art and toy soldiers. Special displays are devoted to Leo Tolstoy and his famous novel «War and Peace» and the events of the Moscow Battle in the area of the Borodino battlefield in l941-1942.