ZALESYE AFTER M.K. OGINSKI

Northern Athens’ glory after its owner started to fade. Oginski’s son Ireneush Oginski (1808-1863) inherited Zalesye. He lived here with his mother. Amelia, Emma and Ida came here with their families.

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²ðýíåóø Àã³íñê³. Ìàë. Àíòàí³íà Âûñîöêàãà

1838, August 15 – Ida Kublitskaya with her 4-year son Karolek came here for the birthday of duchess Oginskaya. That evening the owners of neighbouring manors came, festive dinner was in the greenhouse, and there were fireworks in the park at night and “Dazhynki” [final reaping – translator] in Rotunda (in “Michal’s forest”).

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²äà Àã³íñêàÿ (Êóáë³öêàÿ). Êîï³þ ç ïàðòðýòà íåâÿäîìàãà ìàñòàêà âûêàíàëà Àìåë³ÿ Âûñîöêàÿ ¢ 1875 ã.

Oginski’s widow needed treatment (she was sick with arthritis) and she went to the resort Druskeniki.

1843 – Maria de Nero Oginski goes to Italy because of her bad health and dies there in 1851. Was buried in Pisa.

Ireneush Oginski, after his mother’s death, moves his residence to Retaw (now in Lithuania), where a new town will be with a church and a palace.

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Çàëåñüñå íà òàïàãðàô³÷íàÿ ìàïå 1850 ã.

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Ðýòà¢. Ñÿäç³áà ²ðýíåóøà Àã³íñêàãà. Ìàë. Íàïàëåîíà Îðäû

From the second marriage with Olga Kalinovskaya (the first one in 1845 was with her sister Yuzefa) duke Ireniush had sons Bagdan Michal (1848-1909) and Michal Mikalai (1850-1902).

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Áàãäàí Àã³íñê³ (1848-1909); ̳õàë ̳êàëàé Àã³íñê³ (1850-1902)

After Ireneush’s death Bagdan Oginski inherited the manor in Retaw, and Michal Mikalai gets a manor in Plunge. He also inherited Zalesye (it belonged to the Oginskis till 1909), which afterwards started to be rented.

Michal Oginski was a patron of a young man M. Churlyonis – he gave him a scholarship 13 rubles to study at the music school, in Warsaw. M. Churlyonis will afterwards become a world-known Lithuanl>During the time of World War II the territory of Western Belarus (which belonged to Poland) became a part of the USSR (after September 1939).

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Àëüòàíêà Àìåë³³. Ôîòà 1934 ã.

1939 –1941 – “Holiday homewas placed in the former Oginskis’ palace. Probably at this time instead of the park a garden appeared.

According to the memories of the old inhabitant G. Kazlousky (1928), the people who had rest in the house, learnt about the beginning of the Great Patriotic War watching the film “Chapaev” near the palace.

After the Great Patriotic War “Holiday home” started to work again.

1961 – “Holiday home” was transformed into “House for elderly people”

1977 – the territory of the estate and manor became a property of Smarhon silicate plant.

1979 – the new owner orders the estate restoration and makes an after-work sanatorium there (restoration author – L. Ivanova)

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Ñÿäç³áà Àã³íñê³õ ó Çàëåñüñ³. Ïðàåêò ðýñòà¢ðàöû³, àðõ. Ë. ²âàíîâà

When the restoration began the last fireplace of relief tile disappeared.

1990 – the first celebration in Zalesye manor “Oginski’s 225”

1992 – Oginski’s chapel was restored and started to work for Zalesye church.

1995 – June 31 Italian ambassador in the Republic of Belarus – Mr. Jean Luka Betseneta visited Zalesye estate.

(since the time of “Northern Athens” he was the second diplomat here– the first one was Oginski).

1996 April – opening of the memorial (sculptor V. Yanushkevich) in Italy, in Florence on the house where M.K. Oginski lived. That happened thanks to the efforts of P. Kavchenko – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.

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Ìåìàðûÿëüíàÿ äîøêà. Ñêóëüïòàð Â. ßíóøêåâ³÷

Ministry of culture - Association of literature museums subordinated the former Oginskis’ estate. The Oginskis’ museum and art school for Zalesye children are planned here.

June – Zalesye teachers and schoolchildren (theatre studio “Pergola” visited Oginski’s motherland – Gusav (Poland), with the support of Belarussian Soros Foundation.

September – teachers and Gusav schoolchildren visited Zalesye.

1996-1997 – Oginski’s descendants Mr. Andrzej Zaaluski (96) and Mr. and Mrs. Iva and Pamela Zaluski (97) visited Zalesye.

Two Belarussian diplomats – P. Kravchenko and V. Schastny renewed the memory about Oginski and the cultural contacts between Belarus and Europe.

1998 September – opening of the monument to Oginski in Gusav, to which the inhabitants of Zalesye and Smorgon were invited. Gusav priest P. Stayanka published the book “Kleofas Michal Oginski”.

2000 – the pupils from Zalesye and Smarhon (studio “Pergola”) were invited to Italy (by Italian foundation “L’ARCA”), where they visited the place where Michal Kleofas Oginski was buried in Florence in the pantheon of Saint Croce.

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Òýàòðàëüíà-ìóçû÷íàÿ ñòóäûÿ "Àëüòàíêà" (Çàëåñüñå, Ñìàðãîíü). 24.IX.2000

This attempt to tell (and to learn) about the person of Oginski, his family and memory of him will probably never end. It is only small (amateur) page in the series of existing (and future) “serious” researches. That’s why we won’t put a dot, and, inviting all the others, interested at this topic, will put omission points – as the “memory step” of OGINSKI IN ZALESYE…

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Àëåÿ äà ìà¸íòêà Ì.Ê. Àã³íñêàãà ¢ Çàëåñüñ³

P. S. And to Zalesye, September 25, to Oginski’s anniversary, people interested at the past of their country will come. The music, the works of duke Michal will sound and the actors of theatre studio “Pergola” will sing for the guests.

Select Bibliography

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