Witnesses of History

For many readers, the history of Belarus is associated with a dozen key events and a few restored monuments that are kept in good condition. But if you step just a little off the beaten tourist path, you can see architectural landmarks that convey the glorious, impressive, and tragic pages of history with astonishing power.

Some events are no longer written about in textbooks; others are forgotten over time. Sometimes, all that remains are churches and chapels, castles and manors. However, even they are fading into oblivion. But in the age of bitcoins and smartphones, we can still see these artifacts of history.

These architectural monuments are not as distant as the stars of other galaxies, but they captivate the eye and mind just as much with their stories and secrets. In this project, we unveil some of them.

The settlement of Staryja Peski (Old Sands) is over five hundred years old (first mentioned in 1503). But its finest hour came at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. It was then that Franciszek Pusłowski — a chamberlain [a high-ranking court official] to King Poniatowski and a friend of Ludwik Kościuszko, Tadeusz's father — began work on building the estate. His son, Wojciech Pusłowski, completed it. A magnificent palace with a rich collection of paintings, an archive, a library, a weapons collection — none of it has survived to our days. Most of it burned down in a fire in 1843. The culprits were servants preparing Lithuanian krupnik (a hot drink made from vodka with honey and spices). The palace was never restored. Today's tourists can see the former stables, which were converted into a manor house after the fire, a few other buildings, and the northern gate — the most striking architectural monument remaining from the immense wealth of the Pusłowski family.

Not far from the northern gate in Staryja Peski lies the western gate. It was smaller, had no towers, and looked more modest than its neighbor. The western gate has survived in a much worse condition; in essence, it is a ruin.

Once, the trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks" [a famous medieval trade route connecting Scandinavia with the Byzantine Empire] passed near the village of Bielaja Carkva (White Church), and in the neighboring village of Chareja, the Sapieha and Miłosz princes held feasts. Secular life thrived in the picturesque places of the Viciebsk region. In the 16th century, Bohdan Sapieha, a representative of the famous magnate family [a term for a powerful, wealthy aristocrat in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth], built a Basilian monastery and a church on this site, which were later destroyed. The church, which stylistically belongs to the early Baroque, was later restored. However, it has reached our days in a semi-ruined state. Yet, in the 21st century, creative people from Minsk have begun to move actively to Bielaja Carkva. This summer, the "SPRAVA" festival was held near the White Church, which means these places are gradually beginning to revive.

The Bernardine monastic order left a significant mark on Belarusian land. For example, in Minsk, they owned an entire complex, of which only the former Church of St. Joseph remains, its building now housing the Archive-Museum of Literature and Art. In Dubroŭna, the Bernardine monastery was founded in 1630 by the magnate Mikołaj Hlebowicz. But all the wooden structures were destroyed by fire over two hundred years ago. It was rumored that Ksawery Lubomirski burned it down. To atone for his guilt, he ordered the construction of a two-story stone monastery building, which has survived to this day. By the way, the date of its construction is easy to remember: it happened three years before the war with Napoleon.

Perhaps the memorial column in Liavonpaĺ was very lucky. The chances of it surviving to this day were minimal. It was erected by Jan Nikodem Łopaciński in honor of the Constitution of May 3, 1791 — [This was the first modern constitution in Europe and the second in the world after the American one, adopted by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to reform its political system]. Why was the monument erected in such a remote place? For twenty years (1772-1793), the border ran right here [This border was established after the First Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a process where Russia, Prussia, and Austria began dividing the state's territory]. The lands to the east already belonged to Russia. And Łopaciński wanted to tease his "fearsome neighbor" a little. The constitution strengthened the power of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Rzeczpospolita), which not everyone liked. Just two years later, Russian troops entered the territory of the Commonwealth [leading to the Second Partition in 1793], and the constitution was abolished. Nevertheless, the monument survived tsars and general secretaries and still stands in its place today.

After the October Revolution [the Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917, which led to the creation of the Soviet state], the new authorities began a decisive offensive against religion, which they called the "opium of the people." One of the victims was the Church of St. Anthony, built back in 1714. The last service was held in 1929, after which the church was turned into a club. But it was impossible to have fun in the holy place in frosty weather: the tiled floor froze and became slippery. Therefore, the church was turned into a warehouse, and after the war, people simply began to dismantle it for bricks. Now, only ruins remain of the church. Of the neighboring monastery, not even a trace is left.

The Sanguszko princes traced their lineage back to the Gediminids, who once ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania [a major Eastern European state from the 13th to the 18th century, which formed the core of the later Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]. The Sanguszkos did not reach such political heights, but they accumulated incredible wealth. One member of this family sponsored the construction of the church, which was erected in 1678 in the village of Smaliany next to the famous "Bely Kovel" castle. The church — a masterpiece of Vilna Baroque — was open until the Uprising of 1830-31 [the November Uprising, an armed rebellion against Russian imperial rule aimed at restoring the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]. By the beginning of the new century, the church was restored, but the ancient walls were powerless against the Bolsheviks. A collective farm warehouse was housed in the church. Now, only ruins and bare walls remain of the church — as well as of the other Sanguszko buildings.

There are places in Belarusian Polesia where Gothic architecture looks so organic it seems to have stepped out of the pages of a chivalric romance. The chapel-tomb in Zakoziel is a prime example. Erected in 1849 to a design by the talented architect Franciszek Jaszczołd (who also created the famous Kosava Palace), it served as the family crypt for the noble Ożeszko family.
This was not just a crypt, but a true temple in miniature: lancet windows were adorned with stained glass, sculptures of the Evangelists stood in niches, and the facade was decorated with cast-iron family coats of arms. The famous writer Eliza Orzeszkowa [a highly regarded Polish-Belarusian novelist and a leading figure of the Positivism movement, nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature] was a frequent guest at the estate. Alas, the 20th century was merciless to this beauty. During World War I, German troops stripped the copper roofing. After 1945, during the Soviet period [a time when religious buildings and noble estates were often neglected, repurposed, or destroyed as symbols of the old regime], the chapel fell into complete disrepair, gradually turning into picturesque ruins. It seemed its story was over, but a revival began in the 21st century: the chapel is now undergoing a large-scale restoration, which is returning this architectural masterpiece to its former glory.

Almost a hundred years ago, in 1918, the Belarusian People's Republic (BNR) [the first attempt to create a modern Belarusian state, which was short-lived and not internationally recognized] was established. One of its leaders was Roman Skirmunt — an influential politician whose voice was heard in Europe. Unfortunately, Skirmunt remained in the minority on many issues. Historians cite this as one of the reasons why the BNR was not recognized by the world's leading countries. The village of Moladava belonged to the Skirmunt family, and under their rule, it became the center of the region. The adornment of these places was a palace that guests compared to the Petit Trianon in Versailles, where Marie Antoinette lived. In 1944, the palace was blown up on the orders of the Soviet authorities. Of the entire ensemble, only the chapel-tomb has survived. Roman Skirmunt was shot in 1939 at his estate. In the neighboring village of Porzecze, his nephews met the same fate.

For many years, Benedykt Tyszkiewicz was unknown in his homeland. In 1993, the Nicéphore Niépce Museum of Photography (Chalon-sur-Saône, France) acquired an album of 19th-century photographs from a Parisian antique dealer. On the back, the place and date were indicated — Vialaje estate, Lithuania, 1883, as well as the author's name — Benedykt Tyszkiewicz. It was later discovered that he was a famous traveler, artist, and photographer. There is a version that a photo studio even operated in the palace. To get to the Tyszkiewicz estate, you have to go to a sanatorium. Yes, the ruins of the red brick palace with light plaster are located right next to the abandoned building of the "Lesnoye" sanatorium, built in the Soviet era. During World War II, German pilots were based in the palace. To "smoke them out," partisans blew up the building. After the war, local residents continued their work, taking the house apart for bricks.

Today, fewer than a hundred people live in the village of Liavonpaĺ, but it was once the center of local cultural and political life. In the 18th century, the Great Scribe of Lithuania, Mikołaj Tadeusz Łopaciński, acquired the Churilovichi estate and renamed it Liavonpaĺ in honor of his father, Leon. An Italian architect was invited to Belarus to build the palace, who constructed a Baroque-style palace and laid out a French-style park next to it. In 1863, the Łopacińskis participated in the Kalinowski Uprising [also known as the January Uprising, another major rebellion against the Russian Empire]. In retaliation, Cossacks burned down the palace. In the early 20th century, the residence was restored. After the war, the estate was handed over to the local collective farm. Later, it housed a technical school, a special school, and a health resort. It has now been transferred to the Catholic Church, and a Catholic church of Christ the King has been set up inside.

Visitors to the State Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Lifestyle in Strochitsy have likely noticed several windmills that are preserved in good condition. The windmill from Saltany, which dates to the first half of the 19th century, was less fortunate. This monument is gradually deteriorating, although from the outside it still looks sturdy. The mechanisms and millstones are preserved inside.

At different times, the estate, first mentioned in 1551, belonged to distinguished families — the Sapiehas and the Zianovichs. Before the revolution, the last owners of the estate were the Światski landowners, who turned the place into an industrial center of its time. The estate purified alcohol, milled flour, and processed groats. A steam engine operated here, and ten people were employed. In 1903-1904, Yanka Kupala [a classic writer of Belarusian literature, considered one of the greatest Belarusian-language poets of the 20th century] served Karol Światski. In 2008, the architectural monument was purchased by Latvian investors. They wanted to turn it into a cultural and business center with a cafe, hotel, sauna, and hunting lodges. The authorities set a condition: the building had to be renovated to be close to the original structures of the late 19th century. The current state of the estate can be seen in the photograph.

A few years ago, 26 stone crosses were discovered in the village cemetery of Babcy, near the Minsk-Polotsk highway. They are all of different sizes — from 30 centimeters to 2 meters. The exact time of their creation has not yet been established, but it is assumed they were used as tombstones. But now, the addressee of a poem by Ryhor Baradulin [a celebrated Belarusian poet, essayist, and translator, nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature] has become clear.

Most of the Belarusian castles that have survived to this day are located in western Belarus. One exception is the "Bely Kovel" (White Kovel) castle, built in the Viciebsk region. The word "Bely" (White) in the name appeared due to the color of the castle's whitewashed walls and tower. The word "Kovel" is the name of the town from which the Sanguszko princes moved to Smaliany. The construction of the castle began in 1620 by order of one of them — Semen Sanguszko — and lasted for about 80 years. After the Partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth [the process in the late 18th century by which the state was divided and annexed by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, erasing it from the map of Europe for 123 years], the castle was confiscated by the Russian treasury. Only the five-tiered central tower has survived to our time — it is all that remains after the castle was dismantled for building materials.