There is a great number of villages called Zapolle both in Belarus and in Russia. But we are interested in a small village near Pinsk. There is a beautiful manor house built in the early XXth century.

The history of the estate

We can’t examine the estate on the lands of Zapolle itself without the history of the village, as they are inseparably linked.

For the first time we get to know about the village from the chronicles of 1488. Then it was a part of the lands which were subject to the princes of Yaroslavichi’s family. The estate had passed through many hands: from Yaroslavichi to Radievichi; in 1496 Valoshka Radievich sold his possessions to Tyszkiewiczi, and the Drutsk-Lyubetsky’s dynasty took the farm over them. The next hosts of Zapolle were Puslovskie (the most famous gentry family; we are to be indebted to them for many perfectly preserved monuments of architecture, such as the palace in Kossovo, the complex in Old Sands, that was their family nest, and many others). The Platers were the last owners, from 1872 to 1939. They have built their residence on these lands, so we have the good fortune to see it in the village of Zapolle.

The lands of Zapolle are also notable for the fact that in 1784 people met the king of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Stanislaw August Poniatowski. The show of office was carried out in the daytime, and in the evening a luxurious ball with the illumination took place. A majestic summer hall was built for that ball. The walls were decorated with the images of Neptune. But unfortunately the building has not been preserved up to now.

Architectural features and the fate of the monument

Nowadays the manor house is the only thing that has preserved on the lands of Zapolle. It was built in 1920. Its architectural appearance combines the elements of baroque and classicism organically and extremely well. The U-shaped building of the estate has one floor, it is built of wood and covered with hip roof. The symmetry of the composition is achieved by having two stone porticoes, consisting of four columns. The entrances to the palace were designed by using the triangular pediments. The windows in the palace are rectangular. The courtyard had a horseshoe shape due to the side wings adjoined to the front.

The interior layout was quite typical for those times and it had enfilade-hallway room arrangement. The working space was at the lateral parts of the palace. They had their own entrance. A spacious lobby met the guests of the palace. Through it they got to the hall.

Now the building is falling into disrepair. Almost nothing left from its former magnificence. Despite the fact that the palace is listed as a historical and cultural heritage of Belarus, its building is used as a dwelling house. However, while traveling to Pinsk and beheld the numerous objects of its cultural heritage, you can visit Zapolle, because it is just few kilometers from the district center.