38 kilometers fr om the capital of Belarus - Minsk - there is the birthplace of the great Belarusian poet Yanka Kupala. He was born in 1882 in a small village called Vyazynka, in Molodechno district. The year before, in 1881, the parents of the future Belarusian pesnyar (literary man) had moved to that farm belonging to Valentij Zambzhitsky. As the Lutsevich family was poor, it could only afford to rent a part of a traditional gentry’s manor.

The history of creation of the museum-estate in the village of Vyazynka  

The resolution “On perpetuation of memory of the national poet Yanka Kupala” was adopted on August 4, 1945. A year later, they began to implement it: a memorial museum was established in 1946 in the historic house, in which the poet was born. And another 2 years later, in 1948, the museum welcomed its first visitors.

This village welcomes visitors with just these lines – a boulder with the immortal lines and a sign are on its outskirts. Then travelers are met by a bust of the poet, created by the sculptor Z. Ashura in 1972. The poet thoughtfully looks forward; his gaze is turned to the direction of his home.    

The exposition of the Yanka Kupala museum in the village of Vyazynka           

The exposition of the museum is divided into two parts – memorial and historical-literary. In the memorial part, it is an exhibition showing a typical decoration of peasant houses of the late 19^th century. Here the interior, wh ere lived the parents of Ivan Dominikovich Lutsevich (as it is known, it was the real name of Yanka Kupala) is reconstructed with maximum accuracy. Ancient pieces of furniture and utensils, walkers and a stroller, as well as a stove of impressive size – the attention was paid to every detail.

The memorial-literary part of the exposition is devoted to Yanka Kupala’s childhood and youth.  Here are presented various autobiographical materials and manuscripts, books and photos. In addition, everyone can see the family tree of the Lytsevich dynasty here. In due time, it was restored by Onufry, who was grandfather of the great poet.

The exposition was expanded in 1992. It is located in a historical building “swiren” (a barn) and tells visitors about national holidays and customs, which were so fascinating the poet, and even he took the pseudonym in honor of one of them – the night of Ivan Kupala, or Kupalye (Midsummer).

Yanka Kupala Memorial Center in Belarus

In 1992, the Government of the Republic of Belarus decided to establish on the basis of the exposition a whole literary-memorial reserve, dedicated to the personality of Yanka Kupala.  The authors of the project were the architects S. Musinsky, A. Qajar and A. Konovalenko, who tried to preserve the natural landscape of Vyazynka. They spent much time studying archives, library, newspaper and magazine information for that purpose. As a result, now the literary-memorial complex of Yanka Kupala occupies the territory of 21 hectares.     

You can get acquainted with the heritage of Yanka Kupala during the excursion 

To visit the manor-museum of the classic of Belarusian literature Yanka Kupala means to touch the great legacy of the poet. And the easiest way to do this is to book an excursion tour on the VETLIVA website. You will have a great time, learn a lot of new things, and also you will be able to see the sights of Minsk and monuments of architecture of Molodechno. Both of these cities are located near the village of Vyazynka, and their visit is included in the programs of many sightseeing tours around Belarus.