Manor complex in Vereyki (Volkovysk district) attracts tourists not only with its architecture, but also with a special aura of mystery. Love and detective stories, which happened to the owners of the village in the 18^th-20^th centuries, are indirectly interconnected with the manor and a park.

Who owned the manor in Vereyki

Local historians consider two versions of the origin of the manor house in Vereyki.

According to one of them, the estate was built in the village only in 1929 and belonged to one of the tenants of the estate. There are documents, claiming that the land was rented by pan Elsky at that time. But soon he was replaced by a landowner Yadzaysky who, most likely, built a house in Vereyki. After the revolution of 1917, the estate was given to a local farm. Now the Administration of “Volkovysskoye” RSKUP is located in the one-storey building of the former manor.

The other version of the origin is connected with the history of the Bisping family, who owned Vereyki. It is believed that the manor complex was built about the same time with the church (1830), and that the estate served as plebanii/a clergy house (home for priests). And when church was returned to the Orthodox Church (1865), the Bisping family rebuilt the manor house for themselves.

Perhaps, the estate had to do with the strange events that occurred with the Bisping family at different times.

Three love stories

Vereyki with its own atmosphere incline to a passionate love. Even the name of the village refers to a love legend. According to it, a young man Tay who was in love with a girl drowned while bathing in the local river. The body was never found, and the girl idolized by dead man was drowning in her tears on the river bank all days long. She believed that her beloved will return. According to her faith (“vera” in Russian), the river was called Vereyka and the village – Vereyki.

Is the name of Tey and Teodor are connected, is unknown. But in the 18th century Vereyki was owned by Catholics Yuzef and Teodor Bisping. Their daughter Alexandra was passionately in love and married an Orthodox landowner Alexander Svetchina (permission for intermarriage was given them by the Vatican). Alexander began to build a temple in Vereyki, but he died in 1838. Even now it is unclear to what denomination the church has been built (the documents are contradictory). But after the death of her husband, the widow converted the church into the Catholic temple. Perhaps, that time “plebanya” for priests appeared.  

One more representative of the Bisping family, Alexander was crazy in love with the daughter of the governor of Grodno. To succeed in winning her hand in marriage, he promised to accept Orthodoxy. He prepared even all the documents, but again was refused. Governor's daughter did not want to marry the “defector”. Desperate, Alexander Bisping shot himself...

Detective story

As for Baron Yan Bisping, even “New York Times” wrote about him in due time. Yan was the main suspect in the sensational case of the murder of Prince Vladislav Drutsky-Lyubetsky that occurred in Warsaw in 1913. On that fateful day, Bisping visited prince, who accompanied him to the station...

The Court had no direct evidence of Bisping’s guilt, but counterfeit bills signed by the victim were found in the house of the suspect. Baron was found guilty and sentenced to four years. But ten days later he was free. His wife, Princess Zamoyska, gave enormous sum of money at that time for his freedom – 100 thousand rubles... Interestingly, Baron Bisping was trying to appeal the verdict the whole his life. Finally, in 1928, he succeeded. Perhaps, it is all about money.