TULA - CITY - HERO
Significantly enriched the Tula architecture of the XIX century. Enough for the Epiphany Cathedral in the Kremlin, where today is housed the Tula Museum of Arms. Tula is armory ... Everything in the city is connected with his main trade. And it is no coincidence that more than two hundred years on the coat of arms of Tula we see "in a scarlet field horizontally placed on two silver sword blades, lying like the St. Andrew's Cross, with the ends down, a silver rifle barrel, above and below one gold hammer."
This coat of arms, established in the XVIII century, symbolizes Tula weapons, "notes worthy and useful weapons factory." This coat of arms remains the symbol of the city-hero of Tula today.
IN THE REVOLUTIONARY BUREAU
Tula of the XIX century - a city that has become sharply exfoliated by rich and poor. On the Kiev street, closer to the center, - stone merchant houses. On the side, quiet - landlord and bureaucratic mansions.
And on the outskirts, in the factory villages - pathetic, skewed houses, exhausted by hard work people, need. The people who defeated Napoleon, who defended the independence of the Motherland, remained himself involuntarily.
But the victory over the French was not easy. Then blood was paid for her and Tula. Then - at the arms factories and workshops, where for the Russian army in the years 1812-1814 almost 600 thousand rifles were made. Blood - on the battlefield. The Tula militia, numbering 15,000 fighters, created according to the royal decree of July 18, 1812, consisted of four foot, huntsman, two mounted regiments and a horse-artillery company. It defended the boundaries of the province from the enemy invasion, then joined the main troops in the Tarutino camp, participated in the counteroffensive of Kutuzov's troops, which culminated in the defeat of the army of Napoleon. In the spring of 1814, after passing through the fields of Europe along with other Russian regiments, it entered Paris.
It is interesting that among the commanders of the Tula militia was Yu. P. Lermontov, the father of the great Russian poet, an officer of the Suvorov school. In the Moscow militia was our fellow countryman, lieutenant VA Zhukovsky, in his poem "Singer in the camp of Russian soldiers" who paid tribute to "the military and the leaders" who fought against the French, threw a passionate appeal to fight until victory:
"O brave hosts, praise and honor!" Complete the extermination, Fatherland calls to you: revenge! The Universe: Salvation! "