STUDYING THE HISTORY OF OUR SMALL MOTHERLAND
2018 has been declared the Year of the Small Motherland. On this occasion, a number of activities are being carried out in educational institutions and enterprises of the country, aimed at popularizing national traditions and developing the cultural awareness of Belarusians, in particular young people. The Belarusian-Russian University has also become involved in these events.
The teachers of the Belarusian and Russian languages have a good tradition to begin each academic year with interesting excursions to historical places of Belarus. On October 7, V.V. Panezha and N.U. Fiodarava arranged an interesting trip to one of the main political and cultural centers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the town of Navahrudak. Every square meter there is filled with history. During the excursion, the students had an opportunity to get acquainted with the rich history of Navahrudak. The destinies of many countries were decided in Navahrudak. The town withstoodn attacks of the Crusaders. The local Farny Church remembers the wedding of Yahaila and Sophia of Halshany. The life of many famous people is connected with the town, and Adam Mickiewicz is one of them. The Mound of Immortality was built near the Zamkavaya (Castle) Hill in memory of this celebrated poet. From the top of this mound we enjoyed a stunning view of the castle ruins and the town. Then we visited the hamlet of Litouka, a picturesque fairytale place, which is located seven kilometers from Navahrudak. The trip ended in Lubcha castle (built in 1581) on the left bank of the Nioman river.
Not far from the Mir and Nesvizh Castles (60 km from Minsk) there is the park-museum of the interactive history ‘Sula’. On November 11, a group of students with the teachers V.V. Panezha and N.U. Fiodarava visited this fabulous place, where you can feel a miraculous atmosphere of the past. In Sula we enjoyed picturesque views of a castle, a beautiful park and a lake with a boat rocking peacefully on its quiet waters. During the excursion we got acquainted with an interesting life of the former owners of the estate, the Lenski family. We visited shops of various craftsmen, the puppet theater Batleyka and even a sorceress. After that we went to the village of Stankava, where the estate of the Chapski family is located. Unfortunately, today you can see only the ruins of the former palace. In Stankava the students participated in the quest ‘In Search for the Treasures of Hutten-Chapski’. To find the treasures ‘hidden in the depths of the earth’, the treasure hunters had to overcome some challenges, perform complex tasks, not only apply their knowledge, but also be inventive and creative.
Despite the cold weather, the fog and the wind we had a great time!
