Estate savichi belonged to the Voynilovich family for almost 2,5 centuries, starting from 1662. Once upon a time, these were the richest lands with excellent farming, a palace, a distillery and, of course, a landscape park. Today, nothing reminds of those distant times. True, if you carefully examine the village of Savichy and the nearby fields, then it is fleetingly possible to capture the ancient atmosphere of this place.
It is worth starting with burial mound of the Voynilovichiwhere many representatives of this noble family were buried. There is no road to the mound, it is located in an open field, so I advise you to choose either a frosty day or a hot and dry one for the trip - you have to go on foot.
Interestingly, the Voynilovichi from Savich did not build any tombs or at least crypts (like their relatives from Mokran), but were buried according to old traditions and rituals.
Two crosses, Orthodox and Catholic, were installed and illuminated closer to 2017, when the mound was ennobled.
Around the same period, a stone appeared in memory of Edward Voynilovich, who bequeathed to be buried in Savich, on the mound of ancestors.
However, this request could not be fulfilled, Edward Adamovich died in the city of Bydgoszcz in 1928.
With the consent of the authorities of Poland and Belarus, as well as with the approval of the church, the remains were transported to Minsk and solemnly reburied near Church of Saints Simeon and Helena (of which he was the founder) in 2006. It is curious that a street in honor of this famous public figure could even appear in the capital.
The old nameplate (or rather, a tombstone) in the picture below was found just a few years ago in the garden of one of the residents of the agro-town Timkovichi. On it is the inscription “Antoni Syn Adama. Marszalek powiаtu Sluckіеgour 1773 R ”(Anthony son of Adam, Marshalak Slutsky 1773).
If everything is clear with the mound, then find the place where he stood palace in Savichy - it will be difficult, since no landmarks on the ground have been preserved. Only old maps of the area can help in the search.
The two-story palace of classical architecture was built in the first half of the 19th century, on the site of an old wooden manor house. Outwardly, it looked rather modest, but it had a developed landscape park and rich interior decoration.
Various outbuildings were located on the territory of the palace complex: a barn, a stable, an outbuilding for servants and a distillery building, the ruins of which can still be seen today.
The main facade of the palace was distinguished by a portico with 3 arches and a classical pediment. Attention in the picture is attracted by the peculiar buttresses, which are more characteristic of Gothic and neo-Gothic architecture. Their purpose is not decorative, but quite practical - they were installed in order to strengthen the foundations of the palace.
Despite all the challenges of history, the Voynilovichi continued to expand and strengthen their possessions. There were fears that after the defeat of the 1863 uprising, the estate would be confiscated, but this did not happen.
The real trouble came in 1918, although its harbinger was visible even earlier, at the beginning of the First World War. The retreating soldiers and ardent Bolshevik peasants from the village of Savichi completely plundered the palace.
Miraculously surviving Edward Voynilovich, returning to the house of his ancestors, was morally destroyed. The same villagers with whom he grew up and spent his whole life destroyed his house. It was especially painful to see the burnt library, where an archive with family records for the last 300 years was kept.
In 1920, the Voynilovichi left Savichi, fleeing the onset of the Red Army, though still hoping to return soon.
Literally a year later, a peace treaty was signed with the designation of new Soviet-Polish borders. This agreement put an end to the plans of the Voyniloviches - their native Savichs remain with the Bolsheviks.
At his own peril and risk, Edward Voynilovich makes decisions to see his native land for the last time. He will stay in Savich for only a couple of hours, trying to understand what is happening. At that time, in 1921, the house was already completely looted, the distillery was burned down, and the park with centuries-old trees was cut down right before his eyes.
The church, which stood on the edge of the village, was closed in 1930 and began to be used for the needs of the local collective farm as a warehouse.
In the 90s, the ruins of the temple were dismantled, now a memorial cross has been erected at that place.
The village of Savichy itself, in the Kopyl district, looks rather sad today: there are many abandoned and burned-out huts, but I recommend visiting this place. You can leave the car near the ruins of the brovar and try to go to the Voynilovichi mound, below the point with a mark on the map:
If you're in the area, take a look at Kopyl and the small village of Sunai, where she was manor of the Iodko family.
