On June 27, 1709 the Battle of Poltava took place. It had far-reaching consequences for Europe. Since the Battle of Poltava, as the Swedish historian Peter Englund notes, “the period of Swedish domination was over, Russia started to liberate itself from its old enemy, a powerful neighbour who was shutting down the access to the Baltic Sea. At the same time, the Battle of Poltava was a huge catastrophe not only for Sweden but also for Europe; it upset the former balance of forces – (after Poltava) the power passes from Sweden to Russia, which becomes stronger and turns into a great state."
In 1909, at the initiative of the teacher of history of the Petrovskyi Poltava Cadet Corps, I.F. Pavlovsky a museum and a complex of monuments related to the Battle of Poltava on the battlefield of Poltava were opened. They were declared the State Historical and Cultural Reserve "Poltava Battlefield" with a protected zone of the historical field with a total area of 771.5 ha. There are four old settlements and more than 30 mounds in the protected zone of the Poltava Battle, which archaeologists date to 1,000 BC and 1,000 AD. Poltava State Historical and Cultural Reserve "Poltava Battlefield"
SPEAKER'S TEXT/ SCRIPT: "Poltava Battlefield" Reserve is the only one in Ukraine that is a part of the international organization of military and historical museums under the aegis of UNESCO. It is also included in the world tourist route. The materials collected in the museum funds of the history of the Battle of Poltava long ago went beyond the history of the Battle of Poltava. They also belong to the 21-year Northern War, into which Moscovia (or Moscow) drew Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Ukraine and Turkey. Priceless historical relics are presented in nine exposition halls: cold steel arms as well as firearms, medals, coins, paintings, portraits, icons, engravings, combat flags, uniforms, old books, maps, letters and other historical documents of the first half of the 18th century. A number of monuments and memorial signs are connected with the history of the Battle of Poltava: a monument to Hetman Ivan Mazepa on the Sobornyi maydan (Square) in Poltava (2016), ten granite memorials in the place of the former redoubts (1939), “To Swedes from Russians” (1909), “To Swedes from Swedes” (1909), at the spot where the Russian army crossed the Vorskla River (1959), a memorial sign in the place of the command post of Peter the Great (1973), the Common grave of the dead Russian soldiers (1894), Sampsoniivska church (1852 - 1856, reconstructed in 1895), Peter the Great’s memorial in front of the museum of history of the Battle of Poltava (1915), the defenders of the fortress of Poltava and the commandant A.S. Kelin (1909), a monument of Glory (1811), on the spot where Peter the Great rested (1849), the Church of the Saviour (1705-1706, reconstructed in 1845), Khrestovozdvizhensky monastery (1650, where was the headquarter of Charles XII), a memorial sign in the place where Charles XII got the chopper during the Battle of Poltava (village Nizhny Mlyn of Poltava district, restaurant-hotel complex "Hluhoman"), to the Ukrainian dead Cossacks (1994), a memorial sign to the Cossacks who were killed on the battlefield of the Poltava Battle in 1709.