“Okopy” (Logoisk district), a subsidiary of the State literature museum, is celebrating on August 29th, the 30th anniversary since it has been opened.
The “Okopy” complex is located thirty kilometers far from Minsk in the west-east direction, on the North from Minsk-Dolginovo highway. Benigna Lutsevich’s mother rented a homestead there in 1909 and it became her property in eight years. The landscape was picturesque and nice there: woody hills and swampy valleys were situated on the west of the complex; a bald mountain rose over it; a stream flowed in the ravine. Yanka Kupala loved these landscapes too much, the poet’s brightest artistic page had been related to the “Okopy” complex. He had created about a hundred of verses there, he wrote poems either, dramatic pieces, articles, did translations.
In the Yanka Kupala’s bedroom, there was a desk, bookshelf with books, a few chairs. The aunt Antya (A.D. Lutsevich, a poet’s sister, was called such by the family) had looked after the homestead to be neat and clean. The well with a rod lift and a large bucket for water were in front of the house. The granary was located close to the homestead and the threshing floor, a shed, depots, and a barn were located a little bit far from it. The former owners built a large guest house on the field in the forest. There were the grand piano, many painting, sculptures, and a good library in the large hall.
It was decided to commemorate these places in September 5th, 1989 and implemented in 1992. Yanka Kupala’s “Okopy” branch of the State literature museum consists of two parts: a literature part in the village Khoruzhentsi, and a memorial part, which is located on the place of the former grange named after Okopy (two kilometers far from Khoruzhentsi). The borders of the former country estate are specified in the place where Okopy was located; the foundations of the house and household buildings were restored.
A boulder is the witness of the distant past, where the writer used to rest after a long trip and where a marble plate with the words of the verse “From the wishes’ corner” is installed on it.
The total square of the museum is 6,889 hectare and for the exposition is 155 sqm. The building for the people’s poet museum is a typical Belarussian construction, which dates back to early 20th century. The author of the exposition was the artist E. Agunovich. The concept was developed by artists A. Grachev and V. Protasenya. Complementing one another, each of the five halls allows to trace how fruitfully Ya. Kupala worked and lived in Okopy.
A unique exposition was created based on the documents, publications and poet’s manuscripts, historical and ethnographic items, artists works by E. Agunovich, M. Basalyga, A. Kashkurevich, N. Kupava, H. Poplavski, U. Savich, V. Sharangovich, and photographic material, which display Yanka Kupala’s particular life and artistic period. A type of a theater hall is created in the “Okopy” branch, which introduce to the history of dramatic pieces, their stage performance.
New literature-documentary exposition of the branch was opened on December 31th, 2019.
Approaching the building, the visitors are met by a sculpture of “A Young Kupala” by A. Zaspitski and G. Muromcev. An open stage for poetry festivals and artistic meeting is built nearby the branch. The branch also has a hotel-house.
Yanka Kupala had visited Okopy throughout 1911-1926. That place was a home for a poet in his difficult periods. He had pleasure to spend time not only in Okopy, he used to visit nearabout villages frequently, where he met different people. Sometimes he found prototypes for his works among them. This way “Pavlinka” (1912) was created. The characters of this work were seen by Ya. Kupala in the nearabouts of the homestead. He wrote “Prymaki” (1913), “The bankrupt nest” (1913) and other dramatic works there.
The poet was attentive to folk art that was used in Logoisk district and took notes whenever possible (together with A. Grinevich, then with V. Rynkovich). He had pleasure to listen to folk songs, folk tales, stories of the locals. One of such stories became a scenery for a poem “Kurgan”.
Homesteads Okopy, Karpilovka, Malye Besyadi, Mihalishki used to be for him as places for literature meetings and discussion, understanding of historic-literature traditions of the native region. Okopy were visited by Yakub Kolas, Zmitrok Biadulya, Yadvigin Sh. and other writers. They gathered, read verses, discussed education issues.
A genius of Yanka Kupala was born on the Logoisk ground. These places became inexhaustible inspiration source and artistic lift up. The works, which were created there, had risen Yanka Kupala on the level of the people’s poet, which became the pride of Belarussian literature.
In 2000, “Kupalavski” landscape reserve was created to maintain Kupala’s places in the Logoisk region.
Information about “Okopy” branch of the State literature museum is available in online public access catalogue of the National library of Belarus and in online encyclopedia “Belarus in persons and events”.
The material is presented by the Bibliology research department.
