The Russian Railway Museum marked the 200th anniversary of Emperor Nicholas I’s accession with ceremonial events

On Monday, December 1, 2025, the Russian Railway Museum marked the 200th anniversary of Emperor Nicholas I’s accession to the throne with a series of ceremonial events.

In honor of the significant date, Vladimir Odintsov, Director of the Russian Railway Museum, fired the traditional midday cannon from the Naryshkin Bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress. A flower-laying ceremony at the burial place of Emperor Nicholas I then took place in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Participants subsequently visited the panel exhibition “By the Highest Command: Russia’s First Railways” in the Cathedral Square of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The exhibition is open to everyone through the end of December 2025.

The Russian Railway Museum also hosted a ceremonial meeting, “Emperor Nicholas I: Historical Memory and Legacy.” Representatives of St. Petersburg’s leading museums, archives, and academic institutions gave presentations.

“By order of Emperor Nicholas I, Russia’s first Tsarskoye Selo Railway was built. In 1851, construction of the St. Petersburg–Moscow Railway was completed; in 1855, after Nicholas I’s death, it was renamed the Nikolaev Railway. By remembering Emperor Nicholas I, we pay tribute to the ruler who had the courage to establish railways in Russia and laid the foundations of railway construction in our country,” said Vladimir Odintsov, Director of the Russian Railway Museum.