Prokhorovka explores military history from different perspectives: exhibitions cover the Battle of Kursk, tank production, and the relocation of businesses and people from the front line. Monuments and an alarm bell provide their own points of remembrance. When planning your stay, you can therefore choose based on whether you are most interested in exhibitions, technology or memorial sites.
Museums: the history of battles and technological developments
At the “Third Military Field of Russia” Museum, the exhibition covers the history of the Prokhorovka District and the course of the Battle of Kursk. It also features models of various military vehicles and objects belonging to those who took part in the fighting. For activities with children, the museum has a technologically equipped learning room with 24 seats. Quiz events and team games are held there.
The “Weapons of the Great Victory” Museum focuses on the large-scale evacuation of businesses and people from the front line to the interior of the country. A recreated railway carriage brings this subject to life in a different way: visitors can step inside and listen to the stories of fellow passengers. The journey to the distant hinterland is presented as part of the exhibition.
Those interested in the development of armoured vehicles can visit the Museum of Armoured Technology, whose exhibition traces the history of tank production from antiquity to the present day. The “Rotmistrov Headquarters” complex, in turn, contains original furniture from the house that served as the army commander’s headquarters, as well as personal belongings of P. A. Rotmistrov. These places focus on different themes rather than telling the same story in the same way.
Tankodrom: vehicles, exhibitions and events
The Prokhorovka Tankodrom course covers 1.2 hectares. Its exhibition grounds feature 15 armoured vehicle exhibits and eight artillery exhibits. They were brought there from various Russian regions, from Rostov Oblast to Novosibirsk, with the support and involvement of the Ministry of Defence. The Tankodrom also includes a BTR-70, a BMP-1, a BRDM-2, a BMD-2 and a BA-64.
Spectators have access to stands with more than 1,300 seats. Mass events are held at the Tankodrom every year, including the national soldiers’ song festival “Field of Glory” and ceremonial parades of armoured vehicles. If you are planning your visit around a particular festival or parade, check the event dates in advance; the fact that it takes place annually does not specify a particular date.
Memorial sites on the Prokhorovka Field
Victory Park is a themed park on the Prokhorovka Field. Its monuments and sculptures include “Rest Stop”, “Into the Attack!” and “Military Commanders”. Other figures depicted include Soviet soldiers, women in wartime, Pavel Shpetny and Mikhail Borisov. The different subjects offer several distinct points of interest for a walk around the park’s memorials.
Inside the dome of the bell tower on the Prokhorovka Field hangs a 3.5-tonne alarm bell. It rings three times an hour in memory of the battles of Kulikovo, Borodino and Prokhorovka. The chimes thus refer to three different battles, extending beyond the history of this place.
Visitors with mobility impairments can use a wheelchair free of charge at the museum-reserve facilities. Please check with the museum before your trip to confirm its use.
Discover more destinations: Valuyki, Belomestnoye, Shebekino, Belgorod, Zhdanov, Stary Oskol, Ivnya, Pushkarnoye
For the regional travel overview: Belgorod Oblast.
