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Glory literally fell on the quiet Shchuchinsky district after Elena Zuy-Voytsekhovskaya's ironic song "Shchuchinshchyna" in the form of Elena ZheludOK. The video parody on YouTube has already gained 800 thousand views. Many Belarusians noticed that once you listen to it, the song haunts you all day. However, if you visit the Shchuchin region, the line "here zhyts is the best reward" does not seem so jerky. Indeed, there is something to see and something to be surprised at.
So, we go along the modern and picturesque Grodno highway M6 and turn off in the area of the agricultural town of Mozheikovo. And just a few minutes later we see the majestic Malomozheikovskaya church (and it also has a name - the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary) in the village of Murovanka. This defensive-type temple, unique for Belarus, was built 500 years ago. The thickness of its walls is 2 meters. The value of the church is also in the fact that it has survived practically unchanged to this day. Although it was stormed many times during the war between the Muscovites and the Swedes. Many times she saved local residents from enemies. It is interesting that Alexander I personally took care of maintaining it in good condition, who had been passing through Murovanka. After the First World War, the church became a church, and at the end of the 20th century it was again transferred to the Orthodox. Among the "remakes" to which it was subjected, one can consider the narthex at the main entrance and the towers that grew slightly at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The main attraction of the village of ZheludOk (by the way, the accent on the last syllable) is the old estate of Prince Ludwig Svyatopolk-Chetvertinsky. It was built in 1908 by the architect Vladislav Marconi, who had Polish and Italian roots. The owners lived in the estate until 1939. In 1941, the war began, Ludwig ended up in Auschwitz, from which he never returned.
Unfortunately, the estate is slowly falling apart, but even now one can imagine how beautiful it was. The palace itself was built in the neo-baroque style, the wing evokes associations with medieval castles, and next to it there is a neo-gothic chapel. On the territory you can find a barn, a shank, a stone mill and a smithy. Previously, a French park with many alleys was laid out here - now only majestic trees remind of it.
For 80 years now, this architectural monument has been waiting for its owner, who could restore its former beauty. In Soviet times, there was a branch of the Konus hot shredding plant here. But the building was simply operated without even trying to save it. After the collapse of the USSR, one of the descendants of the clan Isabella Chetvertinskaya came to Zheludok. She offered to attract money from the European Union for the restoration of the estate. But, unfortunately, it was not possible to come to an agreement with the local authorities.
But filmmakers have long had an eye on the estate. For example, director Andrei Kudinenko filmed the horror film Masakra here, and Artem Lobach shot the short film Dom. The familiar building also appears in the music video of the Belarusian singer Alena Lanskaya.
By the way, Zheludok is the birthplace of the rebel Valery Anthony Vrublevsky, a colleague of Kastus Kalinovsky, as evidenced by a memorial sign in the center of the village.
Also, under the altar of the local church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the remains of a representative of a noble family, the first Belarusian ornithologist and Grodno headman Anthony Tizengauz are kept. They say that in his collection of paintings were originals of Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Durer, Peter Paul Rubens. Where are they now?
So we have arrived in the city of Shchuchin, founded in 1537. The name is either jokingly or seriously deciphered as "at the behest of the pike." Here, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the luxurious palace of the Drutskys-Lubetsky was built, almost a miniature copy of the Little Trianon Palace in Versailles. Now there is a palace of creativity for children and youth, but there is a museum exposition for tourists. The analogies with Versailles are not accidental. Prince Vladislav Drutsky-Lubetsky was the grandson of the Minister of Finance of Poland Franciszek Drutsky-Lubetsky. And he lived in Paris and was greatly impressed by the architecture of the residence of the French kings.
Shchuchin is also associated with the famous French general Charles de Gaulle, who whiled away his days in captivity here during the First World War. In memory of this, the local authorities, together with the French Embassy, are even going to erect a monument. In the meantime, the most beautiful monument in Shchuchin is considered to be the monument to the poet Aloiza Pashkevich (Tsetka). She comes from these places.
The extravagant Ivanovsky estate in the village of Golovichpolye was built in 1909. The architect gave free rein to his imagination and, taking Art Nouveau as a basis, created a real cocktail of different styles. Unfortunately, it is impossible to go inside the estate - since Soviet times, there is a boarding school in its building and tourists are not allowed. But you can definitely take a picture of it. Moreover, not so long ago the estate was restored.
In the village of Stary Vasilishki, the rock legend of the 70s, Czeslav Nemen, was born. The popularity of Nemen could be compared with the idols of the 60s - The Beatles. The Polish weekly Politika even called Czeslaw Nemen the main musician of the 20th century. The house where he was born and raised is now a museum. Any local will show you the Church of St. Peter and Paul, in which Cheslav Vydzhitsky was baptized (the real name of the musician, and he took his pseudonym in honor of the Neman River) and in which his father served as organist. This is evidenced by a sign at the entrance. The temple was built at the beginning of the twentieth century, and is very striking in its architecture - both outside and inside.
We drove along the route Murovanka - Zheludok - Shchuchin - Golovichpolye - Starye Vasilishki, and this trip was enough for the whole day. But you can suggest another route - Shchuchin region is an inexhaustible source of amazing stories!
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