The Zheleznodorozhny Local Lore Museum presents a commemorative cup made for the coronation of Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna.

This souvenir reminds not only of the magnificent celebrations in honor of the coronation of the last Russian emperor, but also of one of the saddest episodes of Russian history — the Khodynka Field Tragedy. The coronation of Emperor Nicholas II and his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna took place on May 14, 1896, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. On May 18, 1896, public festivities were planned with the distribution of “royal gifts” on Khodynka Field. Each gift was wrapped in a bright souvenir scarf made at the Prokhorovskaya Fabrics Factory. One side of each scarf featured portraits of Emperor Nicholas II and his wife, with the other side showing the Kremlin and the Moskva River. The gift included sweets, a sausage, gingerbread and a commemorative cup. These nice-looking multi-colored enameled cups with white-and-gold patterns and state emblems were displayed at many shops. Everyone went to Khodynka to get one of these cups rather than to attend the festivities.

This is what the famous publicist and Moscow expert Vladimir Gilyarovsky wrote about these events,

Later this cup was given the name “Khodynka Cup of Sorrows”. The memory of the tragedy and its victims was not silenced. In 1896, at Vagankovo Cemetery, above the hill of the mass grave, a monument to the victims of the stampede on Khodynka Field was erected, designed by the architect Illarion Ivanov-Schitz. It is a beautiful stele with the date of the tragedy engraved on it. By order of Emperor Nicholas II, the families of those killed or injured in the Khodynka tragedy received one thousand rubles. In addition, the dead were buried at public expense, and their children, if necessary, were sent to an orphanage.