The Presidential Library will feature a unique historical edition “Palmqvist Album”

April 17, 2018 at 12:00 the Presidential Library will host a presentation of the historical edition “Palmqvist Album”, which, according to experts, is a unique source of information about Russia in the second half of the XVII century.

"Palmquist Album" - a key historical source. It is no accident that the leading expert on the Swedish "rossika" Kari Tarkiainen called "Notes on Russia" by Palmquist a "crown" of the Swedish Muscovite.

In 1673, a Swedish embassy arrived in Russia, one of members of whom was military intelligence operative engineer Eric Palmqvist, who carried out a special task of the Swedish government to draw up maps, sketch defensive structures and describe the land and water routes to Moscow. His report, which is called the "Palmquist Album", apart from stories about major cities and sketches of churches, monasteries, everyday scenes, contains descriptions of weapons and technical adaptations. The album contains 28 pages of maps and drawings made by sepia or watercolor, and comments on the illustrations on 20 manuscript pages.

The illustrated manuscript in the leather cover for more than 200 years has been stored in the State Archive of Sweden and was practically unknown to researchers. Only at the end of the XIX century an information about the album appeared in the Swedish press. In 1898, a black and white copy of the album was produced in 75 copies, two of which were transferred by King Oscar II to the Russian Tsar Nicholas II.

A century after the first translations of the manuscript, the publishing house “Lomonosov” released a color copy of Palmkvist's album most closely to the original form with texts in Russian, Swedish and English.

April 17, within the framework of the event, a space bridge will be organized between St. Petersburg and Stockholm. It is expected that experts from the Stockholm University will take part in the discussion. For guests in St. Petersburg will be held a tour to the Presidential Library, during which they will get familiar with the history and architectural features of the building, learn about the main directions of the library, its information and technology resources.

On the same day, the “Lomonosov” publishing house will transfer to the Presidential Library collections an electronic copy of “Palmqvista Album”. Thanks to modern technologies of the Presidential Library, in the near future an edition about life in Russia in the second half of the XVII century will be available to a wide audience.

Accreditation for media representatives is available until 12:00, April 2018.

Applications for accreditation should be sent in the attached form with the note "Media Accreditation" to e-mail addresses: media@prlib.ru, ratnikova@prlib.ru, Alla Ratnikova, tel.: (812) 305-16-21, ext. 233; mob.: +7 953 370-38-10.

The letter should contain the full name, date and place of birth, passport data (series, number, place of registration), a list of carry-on equipment, contact numbers, name of the media.