In Belarus, there are some museums that are more often visited by foreign tourists than the Belarusians themselves. At first it seems surprising and even somewhat unfair. One of tourists’ favourite places is a private Grodno museum presenting the Belarusians’ everyday life in different centuries. By the way, the exposition and the atmosphere here is very different from the usual public exhibitions.

An ordinary brick building is located on Lermontov Street in Grodno, the appearance of the building is not different from the others. And only a few years ago, the building became so unusual and unique that many tours with foreign travelers first come there.  

The owner and creator of the museum is an unusual and vivid person. Yanush Parulis was once a sailor, but after a long tiring seafaring, decided to change the life and became a businessman. He organized the first club of collectors in the USSR and devoted his free time to work in art studios and work on restoration of ancient churches and cathedrals. And Yanush even lives in his own museum at the moment. By the way, none of Grodno museums is complete without valuable exhibits of Parulis.

Why is this place so attractive for tourists? Here is created a unique atmosphere that is unlike any others. At first glance, it seems that 20 000 exhibits are completely unrelated between each other and even a bit messy. However, this impression is very deceptive. Actually, every item takes its own place, and all exhibits are thoroughly divided into theme sections. But the collection, among other things, is very huge!  It becomes even doubtful that such a large number of really unique things could be collected by one person. But Yanush himself asserts that many things were passed on from generation to generation. All the exhibits have thoroughly been collected since the early 17^th century.

Tours are conducted by the owner of the museum, and moreover he can enthusiastically talk about each of even the smallest thing for hours. Yanush is very proud of his grandfather who also dedicated all his life to the study of urban life of the 19^th century. The owner of the museum with sincere pride shows to every visitor his grandfather’s helmet and boots, in which he went to the parade. Another exhibit, which Yanush Parulis with love and joy demonstrates to all visitors, is a collection pair of deer’s horns that once belonged to Stanislav Zhivno. He is considered the founder of Grodno Museum of Nature, who brought from America a unique collection of butterflies and insects. Stanislav Zhivno gave those and some other souvenirs to the owner of the museum absolutely free.

One can talk about the museum exhibits for hours, because every thing has its own unique and interesting history. To keep the museum so neat and create a unique atmosphere and mood, undoubtedly, it is necessary to love your work. Yanush Parulis is a clear confirmation of this. The cost of visiting the unusual museum is quite small in comparison with those impressions and unforgettable emotions, which are guaranteed to get every visitor. In any other showroom you will not find a person who is so much in love with his job, his home, as Yanush Parulis.