The BNR Rada returned part of the state archive that remained inaccessible for half a century. It will be transferred to London's Skaryna Library
The Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic (BNR) announced the return of control over a unique state archive, which was held by Mikoła Abramčyk — Chairman of the Rada from 1947 to 1970. After more than fifty years of uncertainty, the documents will finally be transferred for preservation and research to the Belarusian Library and Museum of Francysk Skaryna in London.
Mikoła Abramčyk (1903—1970) is one of the key figures of the Belarusian post-war anti-communist movement. It was he who officially resumed the activities of the BNR Rada in exile in 1947 and headed it until his death in France.
Documents of the BNR state archive came into his possession during the height of World War II. On March 6, 1943, in Prague, the mortally ill President of the BNR Rada, Vasil Zacharka, drew up a will, by which he transferred his powers to Mikoła Abramčyk, and the position of secretary to the poetess Larysa Hienijuš.
The document directly stipulated: "It goes without saying that all archives of the B.N.R. Rada and documents also pass to you". Abramčyk managed to take this part of the archive out of Prague and preserve it despite his arrest by the Gestapo and subsequent exile to France.
Key document of the emigration: Vasil Zacharka's will (Prague, March 6, 1943). By this act, he transferred the powers of the President of the BNR Rada to Mikoła Abramčyk, the position of secretary to Larysa Hienijuš, and directly entrusted them with the preservation of the entire state archive of the BNR. Photo: BNR Rada.
According to the decision of the BNR Rada, immediately after Abramčyk's death in 1970, these documents were to be transferred to the Skaryna Library in London. However, due to certain circumstances, the archive remained outside the possession of the BNR Rada until 2025.
And now, the ownership rights have been restored. The Secretariat of the Rada and the Library's Board of Trustees have agreed that the documents will be stored in London until a historical mandate of the BNR Rada is drawn up in accordance with its Statute, and a joint decision is made about their final fate. After a preliminary inventory, the archive will become accessible to historians.
Certificate issued to Vasil Zacharka by the Chairman of the BNR Rada in 1920. Photo: BNR Rada.
"Excellent festive news! It seems that the fate of that part of the BNR Rada archive, which was taken out of Prague by Mikoła Abramčyk in 1943, is finally being clarified and the archive is logically being settled," commented Natalja Hardzijenka, a historian of emigration, on the event.
The transfer of documents to the Belarusian Library and Museum of Francysk Skaryna is a logical step, as it is the only independent institution in the world outside the country that specializes exclusively in Belarusian studies. Founded in 1971 through the efforts of Greek Catholic priests Česlaŭ Sipovič, Lieŭ Haraška, and Aliaksandr Nadson, today it holds the richest collections: from fragments of Skaryna's books and Statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to complete collections of émigré periodicals.
The library already preserves a significant archive of BNR-era documents (1918) and post-war diaspora materials, which, together with the new addition, makes the Skaryna Library one of the main centers for studying the history of the BNR government in exile.
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