The same Munchausen film the day that gave. The same Munchausen: a selection of quotes and sayings from the film

Yes, understand, Baron Munchausen is famous not for flying or not flying, but for not lying!

TV movie "The same Munchausen"

In Madagascar, in Colombo and the Sahara
I have been everywhere, I have seen the white light.
In Greenland, Finland,
Uganda and Lapland
You will be told that there is no resourceful Munchausen!

Song from the cartoon "The Adventures of Munchausen"

This time, in the Fantastic Tourism section, we will tell about a character whose adventures are loved by readers from the most different countries. You can even say "about one of the most fantastic characters" ... only this, of course, will not be true. Well, that is not entirely true. And at the same time - the purest truth, gentlemen! For what else can be told about a man who in his stories never deviated from the truth? Yes, he was always looking for adventure, and they, accordingly, were looking for him ... And they found him!

BODENWERDER (GERMANY)

To begin with, of course, it is impossible not to mention the birthplace of Baron Munchausen - the town of Bodenwerder. It so happened that in this very small locality(less than six thousand people now live there) in its entire fairly long history - the first mention dates back to 960, and it received city rights on January 29, 1287 - no one was born more famous than the brilliant inventor Karl Friedrich Jerome. Therefore, Bodenwerderers embody their love for the only world-famous countryman on a grand scale: numerous statues of the baron, placed in various parts of the town, delight the eyes of both local residents and visitors. It seems that none of the wonderful stories are missed. Much is connected with the popular transport of the 18th century: there, half of the unfortunate horse greedily drinks water (and simultaneously works as a fountain), here the baron pulls the faithful horse Ajax out of the swamp (and at the same time pulls himself by the pigtail), another poor artiodactyl is tied to the steeple of the bell tower. Flights are not forgotten either - with the help of ducks, or with the help of a core ...

Patriotic and practical - there is no end to tourists, to the delight of the city treasury and ordinary residents.

We hasten to reassure those who are outraged by the cruelty to animals: the baron's horses invariably turned out to be as indestructible as he himself. Even a horse, halved by a fortress lattice, was able to be cured by a skillful garrison doctor - stitching it with laurel shoots (there was nothing else at hand). In the future, of course, the tree grew, and Munchausen has since traveled in a kind of gazebo - so to speak, in the shade of his laurels.

In addition to numerous monuments to the baron, there is also his museum in Bodenwerder. True, it is located not in the historic mansion of Karl Friedrich Jerome - for the city magistrate is now located there - but in a spacious building nearby. There are stored family heirlooms of the Munchausen family, and the personal belongings of Karl Friedrich Jerome: a considerable collection of his pipes, weapons and even a hare with eight legs and a cannon ball, known from his stories, on which the baron flew!

Museum address - Munchhausenplatz 1, 37619 Bodenwerder, opening hours: April-October - daily, from 10 am to 5 pm, November-March - by prior arrangement. Website - muenchhausenland.de.

DUNTE MANOR (LATVIA)

8 kilometers from the small Latvian town of Saulkrasti (and 55 kilometers from the capital - Riga) is the Baron Munchausen Museum, opened on May 32 (yes, that's right!) 2005. It was in this house, now restored after a fire, that Carl Friedrich Hieronymus and his wife Jacobina von Dunten lived the first six years of their long life. family life- from 1744 to 1750.

Dunte Manor, which has now become one of the most visited museums in Latvia, tells how real life von Munchausen and his wife (for example, there you can learn about the service of the baron - adjutant of Prince Anton Ulrich - in the steppes of Ukraine and at the Russian court, see the cozy boudoir of the baroness, admire the collection of two thousand beer mugs), and about the world known for its stories.

The matter is not limited to the exhibits inside the estate. Firstly, from the museum through the forest to the sea there is a “Munchausen Trail” with a length of either 3.2 kilometers (short version) or 5.3 kilometers ( full version) - the last and longest path in Europe, lined with aspen planks. Along it are placed wooden sculptures animals that were mentioned in the stories of the baron: hares, wolves, wild boars, whales, crocodiles - only about four dozen figures.

Secondly, around the estate grow the tallest oaks in Europe (at least, according to the museum staff) - Munchausen oaks, which the baron himself planted for the pleasure of his wife and future children (alas, to the great sadness of the baron, he remained childless). They say that these oaks give energy to everyone who touches them - so visiting the baron you can also recharge with his indefatigable love of life!

Thirdly, most recently, on August 30, 2013, “the largest beer mug of Baron Munchausen” was inaugurated. After official approval by the Guinness Book of Records, it should become the world's largest building in the form of a beer mug.

And by the way: every year on May 32, the museum celebrates its birthday - with one candle and several cakes (how many years - so many cakes!). And everyone is invited to visit!

Museum address - Duntes manor, Liepupe parish, Salacgriva region, Latvia, LV - 4023; website - minhausens.lv. By the way, not so far from the estate, in the nearest village of Saulkrasti, there is also the Minhauzena Unda recreation complex, and a little further away, in the fishing town of Salacgrīva, there is the Munchausen at the boatswain tavern.

KALININGRAD (RUSSIA)

If Bodenwerder unconditionally leads in terms of the number of monuments to Munchausen, then the westernmost city of Russia, in which the great visionary visited twice, firmly holds the second place. However, not without the help of the Lower Saxon town: on June 18, 2005, its inhabitants presented the first monument to the baron to the people of Kaliningrad on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of their small homeland. Master of artistic forging Georg Petau created a metal wall in which the silhouette of Munchausen flying on the core is carved. The core is undoubtedly tangible, but the baron is somewhat illusory!

Curiously, this unusual silhouette sculpture was the first monument to a German in Kaliningrad erected since the end of World War II.

This, of course, was not the end of the matter. In August 2011, at the initiative of the Munchausen Grandchildren club, a forged jackboot of the “most truthful man in the world” was installed on the embankment (there is a baronial sword next to it). Naturally, the sculpture was accompanied by a solid legend: they say, the baron gave his dress shoes to the orderly Silantiy Sivukha, and he, drunk, take it and fall off the bridge into the Pregolya River. The unlucky Silantius was fished out, but the boots sank. And now, more than two centuries later, divers fished out one jackboot - and there is an inscription: “Minhertz Silantius for eternal memory. Munchausen, 17 ... year ”(it was not possible to make out which one, however, it was not possible) and the brand of the Milanese master. Needless to say, shoemakers then worked conscientiously!

Now this over the knee boot can be tried on by anyone - however, there are contraindications. The fact is that the one who tried it on suddenly begins to speak exclusively the truth - and this can bring a lot of people to professional incompetence, from politicians to advertisers. Be careful!

However, if you are not shy and such a prospect does not frighten you, you can even join the club of Munchausen admirers: you need to put on a jackboot, take up the hilt of your sword and swear never to lie in your life - as the baron always did!

MOSCOW, RUSSIA)

Considering how many years the great inventor lived in our country, it would be logical to expect monuments to this outstanding person in other Russian cities. And indeed: since 2004, in Moscow on Yartsevskaya Street (not far from the Molodyozhnaya metro station), you can see the baron captured at the moment of pulling himself out of the quagmire (the author of the sculpture is Andrey Orlov). And on the pedestal is a quote from the film: “You say that a person can lift himself by his hair? - Necessarily! A thinking person is simply obliged to do this from time to time.

There is also a museum of Baron Munchausen in Moscow - it was founded in 2002 by the writer Sergei Makeev. There are stored: a furious fur coat, which its owner was forced to shoot in self-defense; a pistol that shoots from a spark knocked out of an eye; a horn in which the melodies first froze and then thawed; a model of the ship on which Munchausen discovered Cheese Island and flew to the moon for the second time; a stuffed deer with a cherry tree on its head and other priceless relics. A special place is occupied by the baron's cocked hat, which he dropped in a hurry, transplanting to the oncoming shot. They say that it has not yet fit anyone - one is large, the other is small - and if there is someone to whom it will be in size, then his life will be full of incredible adventures, like the life of the previous owner. You can go and measure...

He usually began to talk after supper, lighting his huge meerschaum pipe with a short mouthpiece and placing a steaming glass of punch in front of him... usually a very truthful person, in those moments he wonderfully acted out his fantasies ...

One of the listeners of the amazing stories of Baron Munchausen - about the narrator

ODESSA, UKRAINE)

Is it possible that the most truthful person in everything the globe forgotten in a city where they never, ever like to lie? Of course, this is completely out of the question! In Odessa - or rather, in the nearby urban-type settlement Chernomorskoe - there is also a monument to the baron and his half-horse. As in Bodenwerder, the odd-toed ungulate also works as a fountain... but it does not always work: there is often no water. Then Munchausen looks back even more surprised: where does the drink go?

They say that at the opening of the Baron Munchausen restaurant, next to which this fountain stands, the then mayor of Odessa - apparently, who did not read Raspe - was terribly indignant at what he saw: “Why does Baron Munchausen sit only on half a horse? Where is the other half? This does not happen, the horse must be whole! Change immediately!" Of course, no one changed anything, and the mayor was soon removed from his post. That's what happens to those who do not believe the baron's stories!

THE REAL MUNCHHAUSEN

Of course, it would be incorrect to call Karl Friedrich Jerome Baron von Munchausen - such is his full name- exclusively as a character. Moreover, even the word "prototype" would be inappropriate. After all, here we are seeing a rare case: in front of us a real man who, thanks to his indefatigable imagination, became truly fantastic hero. The real biography of Baron (more precisely, Freiherr) Munchausen, although less colorful, is also very interesting.

The fifth of eight children in the family of Colonel Otto von Munchausen and Sibyl Wilhelmina, nee von Reden, Karl Friedrich Jerome was born on May 11, 1720 in the small Lower Saxon town of Bodenwerder. At the age of fifteen, the young man entered the service - at first he was the page of the sovereign Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Ferdinand Albrecht II, and two years later he served the Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg Anton Ulrich (the fiancé, and then the husband of Princess Anna Leopoldovna). Together with him, young Munchausen went to Russia, then participated in two Turkish campaigns, and when in 1740 Anna Leopoldovna became the regent-ruler under the young emperor Ivan Shest (Duke Anton Ulrich then became generalissimo), he was expectedly promoted - received the rank of lieutenant.

On that, however, his barely begun career and ended - for a little more than a year later, as a result palace coup Anna Leopoldovna was overthrown by the supporters of Elizabeth, youngest daughter Peter the Great and Catherine the First. The spouses, who briefly ascended to the heights of power, were expected to be exiled (where Anna Leopoldovna died during childbirth, and her son Ivan Antonovich was a nominal former emperor, but still representing a danger as a potential heir to the throne - was killed). Supporters of Anna Leopoldovna and Anton Ulrich were destined to fall into disgrace.

It must be said that Karl Friedrich Jerome in in a certain sense he was still lucky: during the overthrow of the empress, he was in Finland, so direct repression did not touch him. Realizing that in his position it was better not to be in sight, the next few years the baron spent mainly in the Riga garrison - away from the eyes of the changed authorities (where in 1744 he married Jacobina, the daughter of his friend Georg Gustav von Dunten). But I also had to forget about promotion for a long time. The next rank - just a captain (which roughly corresponds to today's captain) - exemplary officer von Munchausen received only ten years later.

On military service Karl Friedrich Jerome became famous not only for his desperate courage, but also ... for impeccable honesty - at least in everything related to money. Those who knew von Munchausen noted that in financial matters the baron was scrupulous and scrupulous to the point of pain - like few of his colleagues. At the same time, however, no one could accuse him of stinginess.

It is not surprising that Karl Friedrich Jerome had issues of supplying the army and, accordingly, paying suppliers. Von Munchausen carried a chest with him to store money - it has survived to this day and is located in the Munchausen Museum in Bodenwerder. As many as twelve safe locks were installed on the lid of this chest! One can, of course, assume that the owner of the chest had to listen, but the army money entrusted to the baron never disappeared without a trace.

Realizing that it didn’t work out with a brilliant military career and obviously won’t work out anymore, Karl Friedrich Jerome, under a plausible pretext, left for his native Bodenwerder, where he lived with his dearly beloved wife Jacobina von Dunten until her death in 1790. Then the seventy-three-year-old baron married again, to the seventeen-year-old Bernardine Brunsig von Brunn, but the second marriage naturally turned out to be unsuccessful - it ended in divorce and the ruin of our hero. It is curious that Grigory Gorin - the screenwriter of "The Same Munchausen" - actually turned the whole real story inside out, making the first, loving and beloved childless wife of the same age, a heartless bitch with the same son, and the second - young, frivolous and unfaithful, who did not give birth to a daughter not recognized by her husband - touchingly devoted to Munchausen, but at the same time childless. Is it about age and related plot considerations - beautiful girls are easier to sympathize with than older ladies - or something else? It cannot be that the most erudite playwright did not read the sources...

It was in his homeland - in Bodenwerder and nearby Göttingen, Hannover, Hameln - that Baron Munchausen found grateful listeners, with whom he generously shared incredible stories: about a cherry tree that grew on a deer's head, about a horse cut in half, about flying on a cannonball... Guests came from far and wide to listen to the famous storyteller. Enchanting fables at first simply diverged in retellings, soon began to be published anonymously, and in 1785, thanks to Rudolf Erich Raspe, they were printed as single work- already with the mention of the full name of the great inventor (at first the publication was anonymous, then it turned out to be the name of the compiler of the collection). On this occasion, the baron was furious - for he considered that his glorious name was disgraced - and even tried to sue, although unsuccessfully. And as a result, it turned out that Raspe, without wanting it at all, rendered an invaluable service to Karl Friedrich Jerome - the name of von Munchausen became immortal ...

The indignation of the baron will be even more understandable if we recall certain nuances of the biography of Rudolf Erich Raspe. Being the second librarian to the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and having access to his collection of rarities and old coins, Raspe sold off part of the property and embezzled the money. Of course, the theft was revealed, and a warrant had already been issued for the arrest of an unscrupulous librarian, but Rudolf Erich managed to escape justice across the English Channel and take refuge in London (by the way, Raspe's criminal adventures did not end there - later he continued to machinations, this time with lands where it was supposed to build mines).

And this man, who has been running away from a more than well-deserved prison for a fair part of his life, accuses the most impeccable military officer and nobleman of lying, who only entertained friends and neighbors with army fables! He denounces all over Europe, calling him the "Liar Baron"! Indeed, there is something to infuriate even the most restrained person ...

Even after his death, an incredible event happened to Baron Munchausen. Karl Friedrich Jerome was buried in the Munchausen family vault in the village of Kemnade, near Bodenwerder. Many years later, during repairs in the church, the crypt was opened, suggesting that the remains resting there be transferred to the cemetery. And here...

eyewitness ( famous writer Karl Hensel, who at the time of the events described was still a boy) told the following: “When the coffin was opened, the tools fell out of the hands of the workers and their mouths opened. In the coffin lay not a skeleton, but a sleeping man with hair, skin and a recognizable face - Jerome von Munchausen ... His wide, round, kind face with a protruding nose smiled at everyone present. The next moment, a gust of wind swept through the church, and Munchausen's body crumbled into dust: "... a skull appeared instead of a face, bones instead of a body." The coffin was immediately closed and left in its original place, where it is still.

During the Russian-Turkish war of 1735-1739, Freiherr Munchausen was adjutant to Prince Anton Ulrich, who was then in the army of Field Marshal Burchard Christoph von Münnich (called in the Russian manner Christopher Antonovich Minich). On June 22, 1738, the 55,000-strong Russian army arrived at the Dniester north of the Bendery fortress, but could not cross the river - it was prevented by the 60,000-strong fortress garrison of Veli Pasha. Until August, Minich's army tried to cross the Dniester, while simultaneously participating in numerous battles with the Turkish-Tatar cavalry on the left bank. At that time, Lieutenant of the Russian Imperial Army Karl Friedrich Jerome Freiherr von Munchausen showed particular fearlessness in a bloody battle with the Turks in the area of ​​the Beloch River, near the present Rybnitsa (also in Transnistria). However, despite the valor of the soldiers and officers of the Minich army, the campaign ended in failure - at the end of August, due to a plague epidemic, the Russians had to retreat behind the Bug.

Authoritative sources cannot be trusted. Moreover, at the opening ceremony of the monument it was repeatedly stated: they say, it was not delivered to the inventor of stories, but real hero unparalleled courage, which served the glory of the Russian army.

And yet, nevertheless ... The fact is that in Bendery there is not one monument associated with Karl Friedrich Jerome, but two. And the second - just to the very core on which the baron flew! Yes, it is believed that he did it during a military campaign against Bendery!

Is this also true? However, how can you doubt if Münghausen said so?!

How many days are there in a year?.. Three hundred and sixty-five!.. Exactly?.. No, not exactly... There are three hundred and sixty-five days and six hours in a year. These hours are added up, and then every fourth year becomes a leap year ... But I wondered: is it really true that there are six hours in a year of three hundred and sixty-five days ?! It turned out not! In a normal year, there are three hundred and sixty-five days, six hours and three more seconds ... Any astronomer, even not as authoritative as I, will confirm this to you. You just need to climb to the stars with a chronometer and from there follow the rotation of the Earth. I did it more than once. Martha can confirm! So - three seconds of unaccounted time. In years, those seconds turn into minutes; over centuries, into hours. In short, my dears, during the existence of our city, we have had an extra day! May thirty-second!

Grigory Gorin. The same Munchausen

It's hard to speak with so many sympathetic eyes looking at you. Divorce is disgusting not at all because it separates the spouses, but because for some reason they begin to consider a man “free”, and a woman “abandoned”. No! Do not humiliate me with pity, gentlemen! Have pity on yourself! My husband - a dangerous person, gentlemen! .. I married him not for love, but out of a sense of duty to the country ... For twenty years I humbled him, I kept him within the boundaries of family life and thereby saved the life of the whole society from him! Now you are cutting our bonds... Well! Blame only yourself for the consequences... It's not scary that I'm alone, it's scary that he is free!!!

"The most truthful".

The plot of the film The Same Munchausen

The main character of the painting The same Munchausen" Carl Friedrich Jerome Baron von Munchausen(Oleg Yankovsky), known to everyone as a dreamer and a liar, which are few, after twenty years of marriage, met the daughter of a pharmacist March(Elena Koreneva), whom I fell in love with at first sight. And for two years now the baron has not lived with his lawful wife Jacobina(Inna Churikova), but with her beloved.

Munchausen And Martha they dreamed of getting married, but according to secular and church laws, they could not do this while the baron and baroness were married.

Asking to let him get a divorce Munchausen appealed to various authorities - to the pastor (Vladimir Dolinsky), the burgomaster (Igor Kvasha), the duke (Leonid Bronevoi). In the end, he was allowed to file a lawsuit in order to legally divorce the unloved and unloving Jacobina. But this is opposed not only by the baroness herself, but by the son Munchausen Theophilus(Leonid Yarmolnik), both a lawyer and a lover Jacobins Heinrich Ramkopf(Alexander Abdulov) - they decided to declare the baron crazy in order to take possession of his fortune and property.

When the desired freedom was already almost achieved, and all that remained was to sign the papers, Munchausen because of his inability to "be like everyone else" ruined everything. Seeing the date “May 32” set by the baron on the documents, the judge (Vsevolod Larionov) considered this an inappropriate joke and, offended, annulled his decision to divorce. in vain Munchausen claimed that as a result of his calculations, he discovered an error in the calendar and "discovered" a new day, which he was going to give to the townspeople.

Upset by what happened Martha with tears in her eyes, she persuaded the baron to apologize to the court and ask him to resolve his divorce case positively.

The members of the city council, headed by the duke, decided to give Munchausen a second chance, but with the condition that the baron must tell all the stories he told, which he passed off as honest truth, recognize as lies and empty fictions.

The history of the film The Same Munchausen

Based on the script Grigory Gorin took his own play" The most truthful", for the creation of which the plots of works German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe(Rudolf Erich Raspe) about the adventures of the legendary baron Munchausen.

performance based on a play, leading role in which he performed Vladimir Zeldin, went with great success to Theater Soviet army . I liked the show very much Mark Zakharov, who, after watching it, set about trying to film it.

Here is how the director himself talks about how he came up with the idea to make a television version of the play:

""T from Munchausen"began for me with a wonderful play Grigory Gorin when i saw premiere performance on it in Theater of the Soviet Army. Munchausen- a wise and skillful jester who instills in people a joyful belief that miracles can become a reality. But meets with misunderstanding of the majority. And people who don’t fit into the majority have always interested me personally.”

In addition to the dramatic basis, when creating the film, the music for the play, written by famous composer Alexey Rybnikov.

Mark Zakharov from the very beginning as a baron Munchausen was going to shoot Oleg Yankovsky, who played the titular character in his previous film" Ordinary miracle". However, both the members of the artistic council and Grigory Gorin there were doubts about the correctness of the director's choice.

Gorin later wrote in his memoirs:

“Before that, he played direct, hard, strong-willed people- Volga characters that betray his origin. I did not believe in his baron. Work began, he got into character, changed before our eyes. Grown into the role, and appeared Munchausen- smart, ironic, subtle. What a mistake it would be if we took another actor!

Nevertheless, Zakharov succeeded in being nominated Yankovsky, in whose career there were no comedic roles before.

"In an invitation to the role of baron Munchausen Oleg Yankovsky There was an element of risk, the director recalled. - He still developed as an actor not at all a comedic persuasion. But to my credit Oleg, in his acting palette there were also comedic colors, which in the film, especially in its first part, found a worthy embodiment.

But choose an actress who will play March, turned out to be difficult. Among the contenders for the role of the beloved baron were Irina Mazurkevich ("The Tale of How Tsar Peter the Arap Married ", "Three in the boat, not counting the dog ", "Say a word about the poor hussar") And Galina Zolotareva ("Mother", "Mask and soul"), But Zakharov leaned towards filming Tatyana Dogileva. Make a choice in favor Elena Koreneva, who, in the end, was invited to shoot, it helped that Koreneva, Unlike Dogileva, as well as more than half of the performers in the film, was not an actress directed Zakharov "Lenkom". "If everyone is taken to the shooting, who will play in the theater?" - noticed Mark Anatolievich.

For the role Theophilus auditioned actor Theater of Satire Yuri Vasiliev, ("4:0 in favor of Tanechka", "And Shepilov, who joined them, ", "Investigation Special Correspondent"), and for the role Ramkopf- Moscow Art Theater Sergei Kolesnikov, ex-host of the program " Fazenda"who played one of the roles in the action movie" Die Hard: A Good Day to Die"("A Good Day to Die Hard"). However, by decision of the artistic council, the roles were given to L Leonid Yarmolnik And Aleksagdru Abdulov respectively.

"The same Munchausen"less than other tapes Zakharova suffered from censorship - for example, when surrendering to the artistic council " Ordinary miracle "every phrase had to be defended with a fight. From" Munchausen"But one single insignificant scene was cut out. The director himself believes that he owes such luck to the fact that the film was handed over on the eve of the New Year, and the film officials who received the picture were already in a pre-holiday mood, as a result of which they were not so picky about his new creation.

From the very first show on television, the film became very popular, and now, after more than thirty years have passed since the premiere, it, having acquired the status iconic painting, remains beloved by a huge number of viewers.

In 1980 film The same Munchausen won the Jury Prize for Journalists and the Prize for Directing ( Mark Zakharov) at the International Television Festival" Golden Prague" in Prague (Czechoslovakia) and in 1981 the prize "For high skill and original creative search" ( Mark Zakharov) at the All-Union Television Festival in Yerevan.

Filming " The same Munchausen"were held in the GDR, in the city of Wernigerode, whose ancient streets and interiors of houses, as well as the surrounding forests and meadows, became magnificent scenery for the television version of the story about the most truthful man in the world.

The film crew of the film The Same Munchausen

Director of the film That Same Munchausen: Mark Zakharov
Screenwriter of the film The Same Munchausen: Grigory Gorin
Cast: Oleg Yankovsky, Inna Churikova, Elena Koreneva, Igor Kvasha, Alexander Abdulov, Leonid Yarmolnik, Yuri Katin-Yartsev, Vladimir Dolinsky, Leonid Bronevoy, Semyon Farada and others
Operator: Vladimir Nakhabtsev
Composer: Alexey Rybnikov

April 17th, 2015

Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Baron von Munchausen - German freiherr, captain of the Russian service and storyteller who became literary character. Munchausen's name has become a household name as a designation for a person who tells incredible stories…

Hieronymus Karl Friedrich, Baron von Munchausen, in Russian documents Minihgouzin or Minigauzin, born May 11, 1720 in Bodenwerder, now the federal state of Lower Saxony, is a German nobleman who was in Russian military service in 1739-1754; then a landowner known as a storyteller.

His hunting tales were supplemented with their own fantasies and old anecdotes by three different authors- Burger, Raspe, Immerman. Thanks to the writers, Munchausen received the nickname "liar-baron" during his lifetime, and this poisoned his life a lot.

The origin and childhood of Hieronymus von Munchausen

The Munchausen family has been known since the 12th century. Jerome's ancestors were landsknechts, who collected mercenaries to participate in numerous wars of the 16th-17th centuries, and accumulated a significant fortune. About a dozen Munchausen castles are located in the Weser Valley, within a radius of 30 km from the city of Hameln, Lower Saxony.

The half-timbered medieval house of the Munchausen, where the famous baron was born, lived and died, this estate is the main attraction of the city of Bodenwerder. Now it houses the town hall and a museum, and the city also has many monuments to the famous baron.

The baron's father, Otto von Munchausen, served in his youth as a page with Duke Christian in Hannover, then entered the army of the Holy Roman Emperor, then into the Hanoverian cavalry, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In 1711 he married Sibyl Wilhelmina von Reden from Hastenbeck (a small town 15 km from Bodenwerder). May 13, 1720 in Bodenwerder, according to an entry in the church book, " His Honour, Lieutenant-Colonel von Munchausen, christened his son. He was given three names: Jerome, Karl, Friedrich". Jerome grew up in the estate, main house which was built in 1603.

In 1724, the father died, leaving 7 children (younger than Jerome's brother and 2 sisters). Not later than 1735, Jerome was sent to Bevern Castle to the Duke of Brunswick (Wolfenbüttel).

Munchausen's autograph has been preserved in the book of Bevern's pages: " April 4, 1735 His Serene Highness Ferdinand Albrecht graciously enrolled me as a page". Duke Ferdinand Albrecht II ruled for six months, then died, passing the reign to his eldest son Charles.

Anton Ulrich of Brunswick, portrait work unknown artist. Oil, 1740. Museum in the Marienburg bei Nordstemmen castle.

Karl's younger brother, Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick, came from Wolfenbüttel to Russia as early as 1733. He was invited to the Russian service by Minich to organize in Russian army heavy cavalry.

In the summer of 1737, Anton Ulrich participated in the assault on Ochakovo, one of his pages was mortally wounded, and the other died of illness. The prince asked his older brother to find pages for him.

Counselor Eben, together with 2 young men (von Hoim and von Munchausen), left Wolfenbüttel on December 2, 1737. The secretary of the Brunswick embassy in St. Petersburg reported in a letter dated February 8, 1738: “ Count von Eben arrived here the other day with two pages.».

At the end of February, Anton Ulrich went on a Bendery campaign with a retinue (including pages) as part of the Minich army, his detachment of 3 regiments took part in the battle on August 28 (14), 1738 on the river. Biloch, repulsing the attack of the Turkish cavalry.

Returning from a fruitless campaign, Anton Ulrich married the Mecklenburg princess Anna Leopoldovna on July 25, 1739 (Munchausen was supposed to be in the retinue). At the request of the Duchess Biron, the page Munchausen was accepted into the cornets of the cuirassier Brunswick regiment.

Munchausen's track record:

November 2, 1750 - released with his wife to his native Bodenwerder to arrange personal property affairs

He had no comments, no awards, did not take part in hostilities. Hieronymus von Munchausen, after his resignation, did not enter any of the European armies. He was proud of his service in the Russian cuirassier regiment and was buried in the everyday uniform of his regiment.

The only reliable portrait of Baron von Munchausen. Attributed to G. Bruckner, 1752. The baron is depicted in the dress uniform of the captain of the Cuirassier E. I. V. Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich Regiment, with a black cuirass on his chest.

Promising career start

After the death of Anna Ioannovna on October 28, 1740, the two-month-old son of Anton Ulrich and Anna Leopoldovna, the great-nephew of Peter I, Ioann Antonovich, inherited the throne. But the dying empress appointed not her mother or father as regent, but her favorite Biron.

Less than a month later, on November 20, Commander-in-Chief Minich arrested the regent. Anna Leopoldovna proclaimed herself the ruler, and her husband Anton Ulrich ended up in the highest state position.

2 weeks after the coup, Munchausen congratulated his patron Anton Ulrich, adding that natural modesty did not allow him to congratulate the prince in a timely manner. Here the former page was remembered. To please the ruler, Field Marshal P.P. Lassi, just three days later, Munchausen was promoted to lieutenant.

So he bypassed 12 other cornets, and even received command of the first company of the regiment - the life company. The company was stationed in Riga, while the regiment itself was in Wenden.

Extraordinary Luck

Soon happened new change in power, which could cost Munchausen very dearly. On the night of November 24-25, 1741, Elizaveta Petrovna arrested the Brunswick family and seized the throne. The whole family with retinue and servants, according to the highest manifesto, was taken "to the fatherland." But the Empress changed her mind. The cortege was stopped in Riga, at the very border, and arrested.

Ivan Argunov. Portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna

Prince Heimburg's adjutant spent 20 years in prison, and Anton Ulrich himself, after imprisonment in a fortress, died in exile in Kholmogory after 32 years of captivity. If Munchausen, who was in the same Riga, had been remembered, a similar fate would have awaited him.

But the baron nevertheless left the retinue of the prince 2 years ago. Elizabeth showed mercy, confirmed his rank of lieutenant by personal decree and left him to serve in the first company. But now the rapid promotion could be forgotten.

The daily life of a lieutenant of the first, ostentatious company, was a continuous chore. In the surviving daily correspondence, Munchausen begged for weapon brackets, mouthpieces, saddles, dismissed cuirassier Vasily Perdunov, and sold old cuirassier saddles at auction.

Three times a year, he submitted reports on " a gun, uniform and amnitsia, that fit, unfit, and in place of the lost and unaccepted claimant in addition, a report card”, as well as about people, provisions. In addition, he led the purchase of horses " from across the sea"- powerful cuirassiers needed thoroughbred powerful horses.

The company commander sent people to retire, certifying them for non-commissioned officer positions in dragoon regiments; reported to the commandant of Riga, Lieutenant General Eropkin, about the flight of two cuirassiers with weapons and uniforms, etc.

Report of the company commander Munchausen to the regimental office (written by a clerk, with the handwritten signature of Lieutenant v. Munchhausen). 02/26/1741

Meeting with the future Empress Catherine II

Most bright episode services of the baron - a meeting on the Russian border of the 15-year-old Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst Sophia Augusta Frederica, the future Empress Catherine II, accompanied by her mother, who was passing to St. Petersburg, in February 1744.

They followed incognito, but the most solemn meeting was arranged at the border. The life cuirassier regiment built on this occasion, as Catherine II's mother Johanna Elizabeth noted, was "really extremely beautiful."

For three days, the princesses stayed in Riga, where they lived in the house of Becker's adviser on Zunderstrasse. An honor guard of 20 cuirassiers with a trumpeter was commanded by Munchausen, who also escorted the Angaltin sleigh from the city towards St. Petersburg.

"Released for His Needs"

Immediately after a successful meeting, on February 2, 1744, Munchausen married Jacobine von Dunten, the daughter of a Riga judge. The marriage was happy but childless.

Munchausen had no promising prospects in Russia. He had no special merits or sins, without a patron his promotion stopped, and by 1750 he was already older than all the lieutenants of his regiment.

Decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna on the promotion of Hieronymus von Munchausen to captain. Munchausen Museum in Bodenwerder. 1750.

Then Jerome filed a petition addressed to Elizaveta Petrovna with the words that "in that corps I am the oldest of all." On February 20, 1750, he was promoted to captain, and on November 2 of the same year, the empress released the "baron" with his wife to Hanover "for his needs."

Landowner Munchausen

The captain of the cuirassier regiment, Munchausen, was twice extended his vacation so that he could divide the property left after the death of his elder brother Hilmar and his mother, as well as the death of one of younger brothers, George Wilhelm Otto, on the battlefield in 1747 in a battle on the territory of modern Belgium. Finally, Wilhelm Werner Heinrich received all the buildings in Rinteln, and Jerome received the estate and land in Bodenwerder.

The estate was located on one side of the branch of the river Weser, and family woods and fields - on the other. The distance in a straight line was about 25 meters, and bypassing through a single bridge - 1 km. Munchausen was tired of crossing on a barge, he ordered his workers to build a bridge.

Now the city administration is located in the Munchausen house. The burgomaster's office is located in the bedroom of the former owner. The real Hieronymus von Munchausen called his burgomaster "a nasty brawler", and this was the mildest epithet.

This aroused the indignation of the townspeople: vagrants could enter the city along the new bridge, and money for new post and the city did not have additional guards. A certain tailor angered the people, a crowd with axes tore off the bridge deck and knocked out the piles. Since the bridge was small and did not correspond to the scale of the meeting, they broke at the same time the new fence of the estate.

Squabbles with the burgomaster filled the life of Munchausen. Either his workers grazed cattle on the city pasture, then the city council took pigs as a security for non-payment of duties, then they divided the meadow beyond the Weser. The nearest neighbors only irritated Jerome.

Stories in a Göttingen tavern and at court

Together with other landowners, Munchausen sought refuge from scandals in hunting and traveling around the country. The hunting was good because it dragged on for several weeks, a huge company gathered and you could relax your soul, sitting in the evening with a bottle of good wine. Munchausen's favorite place was the Roelender inn in Göttingen at 12 Judenstraße.

In life, a direct and truthful person, the "baron" had a special property - when he began to tell, he composed, lost his head and was himself convinced of the veracity of everything he said. IN modern psychology this property of the narrator is called "Munchausen's syndrome".

According to the memoirs of contemporaries, "usually he began to talk after dinner, lighting his huge meerschaum pipe with a short mouthpiece and placing a steaming glass of punch in front of him ...

He gesticulated more and more expressively, twisted his little dandy wig with his hands on his head, his face became more and more animated and reddened, and he, usually a very truthful person, played out his fantasies wonderfully at these moments.

To those who tried to rebuke him and convict him of a lie, other listeners explained that the narrator was out of his mind and asked not to interfere with him. Munchausen was inspired in the presence of the audience and spoke in such a way that his drinking companions personally represented everything he was talking about, even if it was impossible to believe.

One day, young officers - guests of the tavern - began to brag about their successes with the ladies. Munchausen modestly sat aside, but still could not stand it and said: “Is it a matter of my sleigh ride, which I had the honor to make at the invitation of the Russian Empress ...” and then he told about a giant sleigh with chambers, a ballroom and rooms where young officers frolicked with court ladies.

In some place, general laughter broke out, but Munchausen continued quite calmly, and when he had finished, he silently finished his dinner.

Meanwhile, the story was always based on a true incident. Catherine II really traveled in a huge sleigh with an office, a bedroom and a library.

Road cart of Catherine II. Engraving by Goppe. Late XVIII V.

I eat incidents at the review in August 1739.

One soldier fired a gun, a ramrod hammered into the muzzle flew out with force and crushed the leg of Prince Anton Ulrich's horse. The horse and rider fell to the ground, the prince was not hurt. We know about this case from the words of the British ambassador, there is no reason to doubt the authenticity of his official report.

Munchausen became such a celebrity that he was invited to the Elector's court. The "Baron" was urged to tell something, and as soon as he began, everyone immediately fell silent so as not to frighten away his inspiration.

Literary fame

The baron did not remember what he had said, and therefore was furious when he saw his stories printed.

The first book was published in 1761 anonymously in Hannover under the title "Sonderling" (Eccentric). Anonymous, Count Rochus Friedrich Lynar, lived in Russia at the same time as the baron. Three of his stories - about a dog with a lantern on its tail, about partridges shot with a ramrod, and about a hound that whelped on the run in pursuit of a hare - were later included in all collections.

20 years later, in 1781, a Guide for funny people”, where 18 stories were already presented on behalf of the quite recognizable “M-n-x-z-na”. The already elderly baron immediately recognized himself and realized who could write it - he shouted at every corner that "university professors Burger and Lichtenberg have disgraced him throughout Europe." Already this edition has greatly enriched the Gottingen booksellers.

But the saddest thing was ahead: at the beginning of 1786, the historian Erich Raspe, convicted of stealing a numismatic collection, fled to England and there, in order to get some money, he wrote on English language the book that forever introduced the baron into the history of literature, "Stories of Baron Munchausen about his wonderful travels and campaigns in Russia." During the year, "Stories" went through 4 reprints, and Raspe included the first illustrations in the third edition.

Even during the life of the "Baron" it turned out Russian edition. In 1791 the collection " Don’t listen, don’t listen, but don’t interfere with lying without the baron's name. For censorship reasons, short stories describing the customs of the Russian military and courtiers were omitted.

Higher. - Here. Here. "Messages from Abroad: ...England Recognizes America's Independence." So! 10 minutes to 4. We did it. Their happiness. I have the honor! - It's unthinkable! He let him go. - What could he do? This is a monstrous coincidence! Isn't it clear? No. This is not a duke. It's a rag! Madam, what do you want from him? England surrendered. Why is the war going on? Do they not read newspapers? Remembered! He did shoot the deer. But through the chimney. Bravo! Your wedding dress really suits you. - It suits every woman. - You especially! It's a shame they only wear it once a year. You will wear it every day. We will get married every day. Good idea? Excellent. You just need to break up first. Have you forgotten that the divorce proceedings will begin in half an hour? It started a long time ago. Since I saw you. If you knew what a gift I have prepared for you! - How many days in a year? - 365 It's hard to speak with so many sympathetic eyes looking at you. Divorce is disgusting not only because it separates the spouses, but also because the man is called free, and the woman abandoned. No. No need to feel sorry for me, gentlemen. Do not humiliate me with pity, pity yourself better. My husband, gentlemen, is a dangerous man! 20 years of my life is given to him! For 20 years I pacified him. I kept him within the boundaries of family life. And in doing so, she saved a life. your life. Society life from it! But you yourself are breaking our bonds. Well... Then blame only yourself. Not scary. It's not scary that I'm abandoned. Not scary. It's scary that he's free! Think about it, judges! - What is it about? - Baron hides. - And what does he say? - It is clear that the scoundrel, he says. - Crazy crazy, unfortunate liar. - And what does he want? - It is clear what, so as not to throw. - Logically. ...He must be under the supervision of either the state or the family! I think family is more reliable! - Carl, why so late? - In my opinion, it's too early, not all nonsense has been said yet. Karl, I'm begging you. - I understand. Not one extra word. By the way, I made an amazing discovery. - What now?! You all gasp! It will change life in our city. Baron, I'm begging you, just begging you, but not today! Answer only one question: How many days are there in a year? 365. Okay. The rest later. Baron Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Munchausen is summoned! I'm here, mister judge. Monsieur Baron, what can you tell the court on the merits of the case? - It depends on what you consider a creature. - Like what? Explain why you are getting divorced? How is it: everything was fine for 20 years and suddenly such a tragedy? Excuse me, mister judge, the tragedy lasted for 20 years... - And only now everything should be fine. - Explain in more detail. I explain in more detail. Dear judges, ladies and gentlemen! There are couples made for love. We were created for divorce. Our marriage, oddly enough, began long before we were born. Rod Munchausen always dreamed of intermarrying with the von Dutten family. Therefore, when a girl was born to them, I, in turn, was born not only a boy, but also a husband. Jacobina did not love me from childhood and, to her credit, she managed to evoke response feelings in me. In the church, when asked by the priest whether we want to become husband and wife, we unanimously answered “no” and we were immediately married. After the wedding, my wife and I went on a honeymoon trip. I went to Turkey, she went to Switzerland and lived there in love and harmony for three years. I protest! You insult my client! The truth cannot be offended, dear lawyer. In general, it seems to me that you are somewhat limited in your understanding of life. Mr Ramkopf. Divorce is one of the highest achievements of mankind! It only takes a minute to fall in love. To get a divorce, sometimes you have to live 20 years together. It was a difficult 20 years, but I do not regret them! At one time, Socrates once told me: get married by all means. get caught good wife- you will be happy. Bad - you will become a philosopher. I don't know which is better. Anyway, I