Stolbtsy

The district center called Stolbtsy is situated in Minsk region. Its location is very picturesque and beautiful: the right bank of the broad and brimming river Neman. According to the census a little more than sixteen thousand people live here.

Some scientists believe that the origin of the town’s name is connected with the river on which it stands. They think that in ancient times when people were sailing here, they tied their ships to the wooden pillars or columns situated on the bank (the word “column” sounds as “stolb” in Russian).

However, there is another legend. According to it long time ago a local landowner founded a monastery on these lands. The reclusive monks settled there. They rarely left their abode and got everything necessary from the local farmers. When plague came to these lands, there was no one to take care of the ascetics. The disease withdrew and the farmers went to visit the monks. They found out that no one was left alive: the terrible disease had decimated all the ascetics. To commemorate those who died the farmers constructed memorial columns on the territory of the monastery.

Historical Chronicle of Stolbtsy

The town was founded by Galshka Kmityanka, a woman who was a widow of the Krichev head Nicholai Slushka. This event occurred in the distant 1593. The family of Slushka was the owners of the land to the middle of the XVIII century. Later on the land of Stolbtsy belonged to the Dengof family, and then to the famous family of Czartoryski. They owned the settlement not very long. For the assistance and participation in the uprising of 1830 the Russian authorities confiscated the land and the gentry.

The town constantly exposed to destruction and devastation. The Russian-Polish war shook the economy of the town, so for some time Stolbtsy got the exclusive right not to pay taxes and carry out fairs on its territory. Then the destructive wave of the Patriotic War against Napoleon trapped the town. Stolbtsy also suffered greatly from the severe wars of the twentieth century.

The attractions of the town

The main architectural sight of Stolbtsy is The Church of St. Anne. It is the oldest building in the city (dates from 1825). Originally it was a Catholic church, but later it was handed over to the Orthodox, who opened a parish here. The temple has a very convenient location: it is situated on a small hill which makes it visible from all points. It has one distinctive feature: the temple was neither damaged during the wars nor stopped the service during the persecution of religion in the Soviet period. Moreover, it has a fine collection of ancient icons and Orthodox relics.

The village of Akinchitsywhich became a part of the town in 1977 is well known far beyond Stolbtsy. It is the birthplace of a famous Belarusian poet Yakub Kolas.

On the place of the poet's native home there is a museum, which houses a unique and very interesting exposition. The finest details of the life style of Belarusian peasants of the nineteenth century were re-established.

The diversity of Stolbtsy attractions will be interesting for the tourists of different ages who want to discover the world of Belarusian historical and cultural heritage.

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