Museum-diorama "Battle of Kursk. Belgorod direction"

Belgorod Oblast
Popova str., 2, Belgorod, Belgorod region
Phones: +7 (4722) 31-05-07
Web site: www.31md.ru

The canvas of the diorama shows the events that took place on July 12, 1943 in a field near the Prokhorovka railway station. The diorama "Fire arc" became a worthy monument of the Prokhorov tank battle, which turned out to be key and decisive in the battle of Kursk. Moreover, it determined the end of the radical change in the great Patriotic war of 1941-1945 in favor of the Soviet Union.
Looking at the diorama from the observation deck, the audience seems to be in the center of the battle and are eyewitnesses of these fateful and terrible events.
The diorama is complemented by the permanent exhibition of the Museum "On the Belgorod direction" and exhibition projects.
In two halls of the Museum's exposition there are weapons, awards, personal belongings, documents and photos of the participants of the battle of Kursk. In total, the funds present more than 14 thousand unique exhibits of the military history of the region.
The Museum exposition continues in an open area, where the military equipment of the winning army is presented.

The building of the diorama Museum in Belgorod is located in the center of Belgorod-on the river Bank, next to Victory Park. The original building of dazzling white color, built in the form of an arc on a granite pedestal, always attracts the attention of visitors to the city.
The heart of the Museum and its main exhibit is the largest diorama in Europe, which is called "Fire arc". The giant art canvas illustrates the decisive battle between Soviet and fascist troops that took place on the Kursk bulge in the summer of 1943.
The area of the picture canvas of the diorama is 1,005 square meters (length-67 m, height-15 m). It took the artists two whole years to paint it. The giant painting was worked on by the batalists of the country's only Studio of military artists named after Grekov, who were led by the people's artist of the RSFSR Nikolai Bout.
The painters were advised by veterans of the great Patriotic war who directly participated in the battle. Many of the characters in the picture are historically accurate and have a portrait resemblance to the real participants of the battle of Kursk.

Visitors can also get acquainted with the Museum's exhibits using artefact virtual reality technology, additional information is available in the Museum's information systems. The site also provides a map of the graves of fighters.
The Museum-diorama hosts master classes in origami, which are interesting not only for children, but also for students and even adults. Participants can learn how to make military-themed figures out of paper – for example, an airplane or a tank.
In the cinema hall of the Museum, a documentary and journalistic film about the military events "on the scorched earth" (1987) is shown.
The annual campaign "the Museum is our common heritage" contributes to the replenishment of the Fund collections of the Belgorod diorama Museum. Anyone can donate their relic to the Museum and thereby add to its collections. Very important materials for the exhibition were also transferred to permanent storage by the residents of Belgorod and the Belgorod region during the campaign initiated by the Museum in 2009 " there Is no family in Russia that does not remember its hero…»