The Fairy Tale of Polesie
People are used to call the city where I was born and live the “Fairy Tale of Polesie”. It is difficult not to agree with this definition. My native town is Pinsk. If you look at the map of Belarus, you will probably not notice it easily. Pinsk is situated in the south-west of the country on the bank of the river Pina which gives its name to the place. The Pina flows into the Pripiat river that carries its waters through Polesie region to the Dnieper.
Pinsk is one of the most beautiful cities in Belarus. It is ancient and many-sided. They say it is the uncrowned capital of Polesie. It was first mentioned in chronicles on November 5, 1097, the date that is celebrated today as its birthday. Pinsk has a population of about 135000 people. This fact makes it the tenth largest town in Belarus.
During its long history Pinsk changed hands between different states. It was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Rzeczpospolita, the Russian Empire, Poland and the Soviet Union. This fact influenced the ethnic composition of its population and religious priorities. At the time of Rzeczpospolita Pinsk was a citadel of Catholic orders. A huge Jesuit monastery was built here in the 17th century which was destined to become the city’s landmark. And it still remains one.
Before the Second World War Pinsk was mainly a Jewish town. In 1939, its population came up to about 36,000 people, of whom 27,000 were Jews. Most of them (17000) were killed on October 28, 1942 during the liquidation of the Pinsk Ghetto. My native place suffered a lot during different wars when thousands of people perished and many historical buildings were destroyed.
At the beginning of the 20th century Pinsk was a sleepy provincial town of narrow streets, one-storied houses, small factories and workshops. Nowadays it is a growing city with high buildings, tree-lined streets, public parks and gardens, and a wide range of social, cultural and leisure facilities. In recent years Pinsk has changed beyond recognition and is becoming more and more attractive with every passing year.
At present it is also an industrial city with a number of factories and plants such as the plant of upper-knitted wear, the plant of casting machinery, th veneer and match-making factory, the furniture plant and others. It is a cultural centre of the district with modern cinema halls, music and arts schools, houses of culture and libraries as well. Its monuments commemorate the most important events in its history. Pinsk is a city of students and therefore it is still very young.
The capital of Polesie is very nice, especially in spring and summer when everything is green and in full blossom (by the way, green is my favourite colour). Ancient architecture and numerous places of interest attract tourists from different parts of our country and from abroad. Today Pinsk is a place where various cultures, traditions and confessions meet and people of different nationalities live together in harmony. No doubt, my city is a nice place to live in. Life here is calm and peaceful with hardly any violence.
I want to finish my short story with the words of the famous Belarusian writer, Vladimir Korotkevich which he dedicated to Pinsk, a city with more than a nine-hundred-year-old history: “ Pinsk is one of the most –liked cities… It has a face of its own. It is a city that is to be written with a capital letter… It has managed to save and store very much despite the swords of the invaders. And we have to carry on all that has been saved in our outstretched hands like a jar of water, taking caution and watching our step not to tread upon Pinsk’s sacred stones that have survived here and there…”
Just come and see everything with your own eyes.
Victor Glodev
