Pinsk-style Excursion. At Yakub Kolas Museum in Polesie, they sing songs and organize quests
The memory of one of the important stages in the life of Kanstantsin Mitskevich is carefully preserved in the Pinsk district. More than 120 years ago, a young teacher arrived here, in the village of Pinkavichy, destined to become the national poet of Belarus. A national literary and local history museum operates in the building of the former school, where the future writer taught children from Polesie. Today, it is among the most popular tourist attractions in the region. The publication Times.by found out what valuable exhibits can be seen here.
Kolas's School
Yakub Kolas (Kanstantsin Mikhailavich Mitskevich) was born on November 3, 1882, in the village of Akinchytsy, Stoŭbtsy district, Minsk region, into the family of forester Mikhail Kazimirovich Mitskevich. In 1902, he graduated from the Nesvizh Teachers' Seminary and began teaching in the Hantsavichy district, in the village of Lyusina.
In September 1904, after saying goodbye to his family, the young teacher Mitskevich went to the vicinity of Pinsk to teach rural children.
The current building, which houses the poet's museum, stands on the historical foundation of the public school, laid in 1863. Over its existence, it has been rebuilt several times.
The idea of creating a museum dedicated to Kanstantsin Mitskevich's years in Pinsk Polesie belongs to Ivan Kalosha. In the early 1960s, he came to Pinkavichy Secondary School, which has borne the name of national poet Yakub Kolas since 1952, to teach Belarusian language and literature.
He began collecting the first exhibits in the surrounding areas, recorded the memories of local residents and Kolas's students on magnetic tape. He became acquainted with the poet's relatives, who often visited Pinkavichy later.
Ivan Kalosha was the museum's curator for many years and conducted excursions himself. Years later, already a well-known local historian, he wrote the book "Pinkavichy and Vishavichy: Past and Present" — not every village can boast such a chronicle.
In 1987, the elementary school moved, and it was decided to dedicate the entire building to the exhibitions. After renovations, the Yakub Kolas Literary and Local History Museum opened its doors on November 11, 1990.
"Pinsk-style" Excursion
By good tradition, guests are met here at the entrance to the estate. For many years, since 2014, Zhanna Verych, the guide, has been introducing visitors to the Pinsk period of the Belarusian classic's life.
Through her efforts, a regular sightseeing tour has turned into an interactive quest with deep immersion into the life and work of the writer in the Polesie hinterland of the early 20th century.
Zhanna Verych is a unique person: a philologist, poetess, educator, methodologist at the district Center for Creativity, developer of excursion routes, one of the most creative guides on the Pinsk walking street, author of the tourist project "Pinsk-style Vacation," and a mother of seven children. Her tireless energy is enough for everything.
During excursions, she speaks in poetry and only in Belarusian. She often uses the local colorful dialect:
"Tourists really like it when I speak 'Pinsk-style,' especially those from the capital. And even Russians ask me not to switch to Russian."
Guests come from all over Belarus, as well as from other countries. Last year alone, the museum was visited by about three thousand people.
"My excursions are conducted in the form of a quest. And each new one is unlike the previous. We sing, we dance. For example, guests gladly perform Kolas's favorite song, 'Why shouldn't I sing, why shouldn't I hum?' Kanstantsin Mikhailavich loved music — he sang in the church choir at the local Protection of the Holy Mother of God Church."
She continues:
"Visitors are also very interested in the location where they can try on traditional clothing worn by the Polesie residents in the times when the writer lived and worked here. They gladly take selfies for memory in the ambiance of an authentic rural house."
"Royal Conditions"
Kolas's apartment in Pinkavichy was very conveniently located — right in the school building.
In his free time, he loved to walk around the village, go to the banks of the Pina river. He talked with local residents, collected and recorded folklore. Among them, he quickly gained authority and respect. Kolas later wrote: in Pinkavichy, he had "royal conditions" of life.
These places, with their unique landscapes, swamps and floods, the simplicity and sincerity of the Polesie residents remained deep in his heart and later found reflection on the pages of one of his greatest works, "At the Crossroads."
There were nine children in the Mitskevich family. In 1902, the young teacher's father died, and when he came to Pinkavichy, he decided to take his youngest brothers Yuzik and Mikhas to live with him.
"Not every young man, even back then, would have done that. He could have gone to evening gatherings in his free time, traveled to Pinsk, rested... But he replaced their parents, was the best older brother and a strict teacher," the guide recounts.
In Memory of the Wedding
Kanstantsin Mitskevich worked in Pinkavichy from autumn 1904 to January 1906.
His life paths led him to these places again in 1912 — he came to teach at the parish school near the railway station in Pinsk.
It was in this city that one of the most fateful meetings of his life took place — he met his future wife, Maria Dmitrievna Kamenskaya, with whom they lived in a happy marriage for many years. She was a teacher at the railway school for girls.
In memory of their marriage, a commemorative plaque was installed on the bell tower of St. Barbara's Church in Pinsk in 2019.
The young family rented a room not far from the railway — in the house of the paramedic Arseniy Balevich on the former Vodoprovodnaya Street (now Ivan Chuklai Street). Balevich's relatives still live there to this day. It was also here, in September 1914, that the Mitskeviches' firstborn, Danila, was born.
From a Chest to a Suitcase to America
"In total, our museum has about a thousand exhibits," says Zhanna Verych.
In four halls, items related to Kanstantsin Mitskevich's period of work in Pinkavichy and the history of the village itself are collected.
The exposition begins in the hall. Among the paintings is a cross-stitched portrait of Kolas — local librarian Svetlana Mozharovskaya worked on its creation for half a year for the classic's 140th birthday. The bust of the national poet was donated by the Metropolitan Literary and Memorial Museum of Kolas.
A separate exhibit is a photo album of the famous American traveler Louise Boyd, who came with an expedition to Polesie in 1934. Some residents of Pinkavichy recognize their ancestors in her 100-year-old photographs.
Over a hundred exhibits illustrating the everyday life of Polesie residents are located in the first hall, "Peasant Hut," precisely where the teacher's living quarters were.
"Mitskevich's three-room apartment was an addition to the school. And this exposition shows the conditions in which he lived at that time," explains Zhanna Verych.
It features the traditional decor of a rural house from the early 20th century — a stove, a loom, a wooden chest, wide benches, embroidered towels, as well as footwear and clothing. Among the items of rural life are dishes, a mortar for grain, an iron powered by coals, and much more.
"In the 1990s, there was an interesting story — when a bride and groom from neighboring villages were preparing for their wedding, the electricity went out. And they hadn't yet tidied up their outfits — so their grandmothers took out these ancient irons and ironed the clothes with them," the guide recounts with a smile.
Among the unique exhibits are a lamplighter's lamp, straw galoshes, a large wicker suitcase with which Polesie residents, hoping for a better life, emigrated to America, Argentina, Brazil, Australia.
He Was "Very Likeable"
In the next hall, you can see items used in schools at the beginning of the last century: a primer from 1903, writing instruments, a "tablet" of that time — slate boards for writing, a manual with advice on raising children — Lyadov's guide from 1875.
Among the museum's rarities are a church record book from 1799–1810 and an original issue of the magazine "Niva" from 1904, published in St. Petersburg, and a certificate of graduation from the Pinsk public school in 1915.
The stands feature quotes from students' memories of Kanstantsin Mitskevich. Visitors are told how the young teacher took them for exams to Zhabchytsy, became a godfather in Alexander Loy's family, went to evening gatherings, played the violin, and was "very likeable."
Behind glass showcases are original letters and photographs, a library with editions by Yakub Kolas and famous writers with autographs, and Ivan Kalosha's violin, on which he played while conducting excursions.
You can see what the famous petition to Mr. Skirmunt, written by the teacher on behalf of the peasants, looked like. It was precisely because of it that he soon had to say goodbye to Pinkavichy — he was sent to work at the Vyarkhmenskaya public school near Stoŭbtsy.
Visitors really enjoy the opportunity to take a photo with the young and fashionable Mitskevich — and he was a dandy, asserts Zhanna Verych — not long ago, the museum decided to create a life-size model of him. There's no end to those eager to take a photo.
"Hunt for Exhibits"
An association of young guides "HiD" ("Talkative and Inquisitive") operates at the museum. Under the leadership of the tireless Zhanna Verych, her proteges have repeatedly won first places in republican competitions, including local history, creative, and journalistic ones. And their video clips about Pinkavichy and the museum are shown to visitors during excursions.
A good tradition has become holding a competition among schoolchildren to find new exhibits. The campaign is called "Hunt for Exhibits" — children from rural schools examine the homes of their grandparents, the surroundings, and always find something interesting that can replenish the local history and ethnographic collection.
Frequent guests in Pinkavichy are the poet's relatives, with whom the museum staff have maintained close ties for many years.
Kolas's grandchildren have visited here: Maria Mikhailovna, Vera Danilovna, Andrei Danilovich Mitskeviches. A beautiful, spreading birch tree grows on the estate grounds — it was planted by his brother Iosif Mitskevich in 1972 for Yakub Kolas's 90th birthday.
The museum in Pinkavichy is not just a collection of artifacts and ancient things, but a living history, whose interest does not fade.
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