The image of Europe in Yekaterina Dashkova’s memoirs

In this article the author investigates the image of Europe in the travel notes of Yekaterina R. Dashkova (nee Vorontsova, 1743 1810) an outstanding woman of the XVIII century, Russian aristocrat, writer, director of too academies simultaneously, the woman who marched with the empress Catherine II the Great. Her memoirs “The Notes 1743 1810” (written in French and headlined “Mon histoire”, they were first published in Russian by Alexander Herzen in 1857) contain the description of her many years long trips round Europe, where she and her family visited many countries and cities joining the European culture and meeting the most advanced people of science of that time. Dashkova’s observation and inquisitive mind allowed her make interesting marks on the life in Europe. Through communication with the Europe’s intellectual elite she could influence the perception of Russia and Russians by the Europeans.