The exhibition features a portrait of Count Pyotr Kirillovich Essen, an Orenburg military governor. This is a free interpretation by the artist Nikolay Miroshnikov based on the 1826 original “Portrait of Peter Essen” by the English painter George Dawe.
Count Pyotr Kirillovich Essen, also known as Peter Essen, was a Russian statesman, general of the infantry, and founder of the Essen dynasty in Russia. He took part in the Patriotic War of 1812.
He participated in a campaign during the Hundred Days, a period in French history in 1815. It began on March 20 when Napoleon I regained power in France and ended on July 8, with the resignation of the French Executive Commission, formed earlier after the second abdication of Napoleon. Peter Essen participated in a campaign to France and was there during the siege of Metz.
From the beginning of 1817, Peter Essen served as the Orenburg military governor. He lived permanently in Orenburg and at the steppe border of the Russian Empire. On January 1, 1819, he was promoted to the rank of general of the infantry, one of the highest ranks in the Imperial Russian Army.
During his tenure as governor of Orenburg, there was an intensification of military activity in the steppes. Military units were increased along the border, and the local population was mobilized.
Peter Essen also paid great attention to improving
city courtyards and streets. He demanded that each house have a front garden
with trees. Government facilities were surrounded by some of the best trees. On
Nikolayevskaya Street (nowadays, Sovetskaya Street) in Orenburg, trees were
planted on both sides, creating a shaded alley. The trees were regularly
watered to ensure that they grew quickly. Ivan Vasilyevich Chernov, Major
General of the Orenburg Cossack Army, described Nikolayevskaya Street during
the time of General Essen,
