Baron Munchausen was not only a real person, but he also worked in Russia! The famous storyteller, who shot a deer with cherry stones, flew on a cannonball, and pulled himself out of a swamp by his hair, truly existed! Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Munchausen was born in Bodenwerder, Lower Saxony, in 1720. The young man decided to follow in his military father's footsteps and entered the service of Duke Ferdinand Albrecht II of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. In 1738, Munchausen arrived in Russia – an 18-year-old page accompanying Duke Anton Ulrich of Brunswick, who soon became the husband of Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna, the grand-niece of Peter I. He spent twelve years there and even made a decent military career. He participated in the Russo-Turkish War, entered Ochakov with Minich, fought in the Battle of Stavuchany, served in the Brunswick Cuirassier Regiment, and then commanded its elite company - the Leib-Company. Incidentally, he knew Russian quite well and could read it fluently. In 1744, Munchausen was assigned an important task – to meet the bride of the heir to the throne, Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich. Sophia-Frederica Anhalt-Zerbst, the future Catherine II, was accompanied by him from Riga to St. Petersburg. Soon, he himself married a Russian subject – Jakobine von Dunten from Riga. Six years later, having risen to the rank of captain, Munchausen took a leave of absence and returned to his homeland. A little later, he sent a resignation request. Such documents were usually submitted personally, but for some reason, he never returned to Russia. Consequently, he was considered a deserter by the military department and was excluded from the regiment. He had many memories of his life in Russia. Gathering listeners in the hunting pavilion of his estate or in a tavern, Munchausen told incredible stories about duck hunting, entering St. Petersburg in a sleigh pulled by a wolf, jumping over a carriage, and a suddenly raging fur coat.