TOURIST PATHS OF VORONOVO LAND
Voronovo land is rich in historical heritage. For a long time, folk traditions, customs, creativity, crafts have been observed here, the memory of famous countrymen, events of the war years and the feat of the Soviet soldier have been saved. You can get acquainted with historical wealth of Voronovo land while visiting five tourist routes.
The route “Adam Mitskevich’s paths of love” leads to agritowns Boltsiniki and Benyakoni. Putcamers’ estate, the park of the 19th century, so called “Marylya’s Grove” in Boltsiniki have saved the history of love, romantic meetings and bitterness of parting of the famous poet Adam Mitskevich and his love – Marylya Verashchaka, later Countess Putcamer up to our days. By the way, the former possession of the Putcamers was noticed by cinematography in 2012. The serial “Vangeliya” by producer Sergey Barchukov was made there. Boltsiniki estate looks like the house for the blind in Bulgaria, where the famous soothsayer Vanga studied.
It is not by chance that there is a catholic church of Saint John the Baptist on this route in Benyakoni. Patron Countess Putcamer was buried near that saint place.
The centre of culture and folk creativity in Pagarodna suggests going by the “Road of Ancestors”. Those who are interested in folk crafts will have the opportunity to visit master-class “My Mum Taught Me to Cross Weave” by S.V.Mihna, get acquainted with the things made by Pagarodna craftwomen in the museum organized in the centre. It will be pleasant to walk in the park of the XVIII century, where there was an estate of Ciprian Kandratovich, a general and a participator of Russian-Japanese and the First World War, and where his daughter Vera Reiney was buried. If you step on Pagarodna land use the chance to be in the catholic church of Saint George in the village of Asava so as to listen to the sound of the ancient organ.
Nacha land meets us on the route “The Land Which Brought Us up”. This land gave the world a real inflorescence of historical personalities. Vandalin Shukevich, a well-known scientist, historian, a beginner of scientific archeology in Western Belarus, Theador Ostyk-Narbut, an engineer, an archeologist, a folk scientist, a historian, a poet and the man who knew nine European languages and also his son Ludvik Narbut, a leader of the rebel squad in Lida(1863) were born here. Dumb witnesses of the fact that those people lived on Nacha land have been kept up to our days, — Shukevich family tomb, a memorable stone in honour of the rebels of 1863 -1864, a grave of T.Narbut near the church of Blessed Virgin Mary.
It’s worth walking on the “Pages of History of Radun”. The most famous personality of this town is a spiritual leader of the Jews Israel Meir Akoen(1838-1933), more known as Hafets Haim.
He created Radun yeshiva in 1869 (now there is a centre of national cultures). It was considered to be the best in Eastern Europe. You can visit the centre itself, Jewish cemetery, where the sage is buried and also a catholic church of God Mother, a grave of the victims of fascism, and in the village of Garadishcha, not far from Radun – ancient settlements of Medieval times.
The second in Belarus original museum of glacial boulders under the open sky was opened on the territory of the local secondary school. It became a particular landscape museum of Voronovo district. Unusual stones, stones of the regular geometric shape , with animal or human footprints, plants and also other recesses of ancient times.
The tourist route “Faithful to Eternal Memory” (Trokeli – Bartashuny – Voronovo) tells us about the memorable places of the district where the events of the Great Patriotic War left deep marks. Trokeli remember the first shot, which sounded on peaceful Voronovo land. Descendants didn’t forget the combat feat of the hero of the Soviet Union A.I. Kanarchik and Chevalier of Four Orders of Glory, a honoured citizen of Voronovo district T.Y.Litouchik. Today they bow their heads on mass graves as a sign of memory of the killed soldiers and partisans, victims of fascism.
You should also visit the catholic church of God Mother. Here there is a miraculous image of God Mother with a child Jesus in her hands, which is known not only in Belarus but far beyond its borders. The image survived during the fires which twice destroyed the church. Every year at the beginning of July tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over Belarus come here to ask Virgin Mary for help and health.
Agritourism is also developing in Voronovo district. Five farmsteads such as “Nightingale Song”, “At the Zhizhma”, “Ye-mine”, “Nona”,” Barysh” wait for those who love nature.
Marina Kandratovich
Translated by Zinaida Tserpitskaya