Olga Woronoff

Gun licence obtained by Paul Woronoff in 1918

War rages and he obtained a gun licence

It is 1918 and Russia is in the last stages of World War II. On the 3rd of March of that year the newly formed Russian government, under the leadership of Lenin, signed a peace treaty with Germany called the Brest-Litovsk treaty, ending Russia’s involvement in the war. For the

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Book written by Tatiana Botkin

A Book Over One Hundred Years Old, Fragile and Falling Apart

Once again I find myself with a conundrum, and once again it has to do with something I have inherited, a book so fragile it is already falling apart. In 1921 Tatiana Melnik, neé Botkin, published a book about her memories of the Russian Imperial Family and members of the

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Ipatief House Ekaterinburg

An ancient motif; the swastika – lucky charm of Empress Alexandra

It is apparently common knowledge that Empress Alexandra of Russia believed the swastika to be lucky. However, I didn’t know that until I began to look through old French magazines which I inherited. It makes sense though as, according to my grandmother Olga Woronoff, the Empress was deeplyreligious but also

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Grand Duchess Olga and Grand Duchess Tatiana

More than a remote connection; corresponding with OTMA

OTMA – was the acronym the daughters of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia gave themselves; it was taken from the first letters of their Christian names – Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. Four Grand Duchesses, four beautiful young women whose lives were cut short some 104 years ago. Four girls

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