A small village in Smorgon surroundings would have left one of numerous Belarusian villages, lost in great number on the map of the sights of Belarus. But the township of Zalesye was destined to enter into history, as now it is associated with a big name of Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky. It is known for certain that one of his most famous and heart-rending opuses “Farewell to my Homeland” was born there, it was later named “Oginisky’s Polonaise” in honor of its consummate author, who essentially was considered to be courageous politician, involved even into the Kostyushko Uprising.

The history of the "manor of the Muses": how the Oginsky estate appeared in Zalesye.

A wonderful estate in Belarusian small village went into possession of Mikhail Oginsky thanks to his uncle’s ability, which gifted him one of his numerous estates, where Oginsky lived with his family for many years. Having arrived, Oginsky got down repairing the estate to his own taste, entrusting those works to promising architect Shultz. Oginsky’s estate acquired the features of the classicism, and the palace made of stone was one-storied. It’s noticeable that besides a luxurious palace there were many attractive buildings in the estate.

There was a mill jointed to two greenhouses on the territory of the estate. Oginsky was infatuated with flowers, that’s why he used to fell in love with some unusual plant after each of his trip abroad. And it at once appeared on the Belarusian land. There was also a small chapel, his own brewery, and even a couple of menageries, which remote pavilions were located nearby. Two massive boulders devoted to a mentor Raley and the Kostyushko Uprising have wholly preserved in the park.

The manor of Oginsky and destructive twentieth century.

It is sorrowful that Oginsky’s beloved brainchild fell into complete desolation after his death. Thus, a boardinghouse was opened on the foundation of the estate in 20s of the XX century; it was transformed into socialistic health resort during the Soviet period. The estate was being used as a Nazi headquarters during the Second World War period, and old men were taken to that place in postwar period. A neglected estate of Zalesye has been taken under the patronage of the Republic of Belarus very recently. Literary museum of Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky was placed in the palace, where a cozy café functions for numerous visitors, and the furniture is selected identical to that the famous composer and politician’s family could have used.

And once Oginisky’s estate resounded all over the place: dinner parties, ceremonial receptions and splendid balls were arranged in it. The most outstanding political figures of that time and aristocracy of talent gathered there, it was there where a wonderful truth was born in heated arguments and debated.

In postwar years Oginsky’s estate in the village of Zalesye was being reconstructed, money was allocated not only fr om the fund of Belarus but also of other states, which deeply honored the outstanding figure of a great composer and a son of the Belarusian people.

A visit to the Oginsky manor in Zalesye is included in many excursions.

Now you can visit the historical place easily: just book one of the excursions around Belarus with a visit to Smorgon. This city is the part of the programs of many sightseeing routes across Belarus: here is the only memorial complex in Belarus for the memory of the victims of the First World War, as well as the Garden of Stones and the monument to the Bear Academy (the place wh ere the bears were once trained for performances in the circus).