Chaotic notes about the State wet nurse of Kobrin district 

Kobrin → Outstanding persons → Alexey Mikhaylovich Martynov

It is not casual at all when one hundred and fifty years ago the new coats of arms of the district cities of the Grodno province were approved, the spreading wooden plow of a pas a green field was Kobrin's symbol. From the grandfather great-grandfather as a major activity of indigenous people of Kobrin district steadily served agriculture.

The word "Kobrin district" used by me in heading at first sight is extremely clear to all and to everyone, in any case does not allow idle talks. However it far not so what it is easy to be convinced at the most fluent review of the main milestones of our not rectilinear past of. During the different periods of the centuries-old history the territory of Kobrin district was exposed to essential changes. Distended diversely, on the contrary, significantly contracted. At the same time only the city of Kobrin with the lands which are directly adjoining it in a radius of several tens versts remained the invariable center.

If in search of the beginning began to look at our lands in depth of centuries, then according to the mossy legend long since occurring in memory national emergence of our city is known that the fishing settlement from time immemorial existing on a small island in the delta of the small river of Kobrinki at its confluence with Mukhavets was its cradle. One of descendants of the Kiev prince Izyaslav, hunting in local woody and marshy backwoods, came across this the settlement unknown until then and was late on rest. Having appreciated an advantageous island arrangement in the defensive relation, he decided to put on it the strengthening which served as the beginning of the city. The matter is that local a porubezhya of the Old Russian state long since was exposed to infinite attacks of the neighboring aggressive yatvyazhsky tribe. And therefore for timely due repulse constant vigilant surveillance was required. There was it long before official date of the basis of Kobrin, rise to which the written mention which incidentally reached posterity "city of Kobrin" in entry of 1287 in the Ipatyevsky chronicle gave. In the course of prolonged crushing of grand-ducal possession Kobrin district was a part of the Vladimir-Volynsk principality. The expression which became winged "belongs to this period Kobrin is based". Then, as a result of the next sections, Kobrin district appeared in borders of recently arisen specific Ratnensky principality. And at last, after prolonged stay on supporting roles of the northwest suburb, for the first time in history Kobrin district found a certain state independence, having become the Kobrin principality. There was it in 1387 (according to other data in 1404). The son of Vladimir Olgerdovicha Roman became the founder of a new princely dynasty.

During that time the new principality was stretched in the northern direction, having included in the city boundaries Dobuchin (Pruzhana) and Bluden (Birch). When at the beginning of the 16th century the family of Kobrin princes died away, without having left posterity, the States of Kobrin district passed into structure of grand-ducal table estates of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. During this period they became object of donation, alternately passing from hand to hand the Polish queens: Bona, Anna Yagellonka, Constantius Avstriyachki. Official language of the Middle Ages defined such lifelong possession of the term "for feeding". And firmness of borders of the retired principality called further "povety", "economy", was not broken for a long time.

The next abrupt withdrawal pains comprehended Kobrin district in 1795 as a result of the third partition of Poland. Then there was a Kobrineky county which entered at first the Slonimsky namestnichestvo, then the Lithuanian province, at last since 1801 to the new created Grodno province. This time borders of Kobrin district were very significantly moved apart in the southern direction, having appeared in two tens versts from Pinsk. On the occupied space, 4645 sq. versts, the county became the second among the Counties of Grodnenshchina.

The new zigzag of historical destinies since 1921 turned Kobrin district in povt the Polish Polesia voivodeship, with the territory in 3691 sq.km. However and on it whirl did not calm down. On administrative division of 1940 from the Kobrin trunk five neogenic areas gemmated: Zhabinkovsky, Antopolsky, Drogichinsky, Ivanovo, Divinsky. As a result of the next reorganization in Kobrin district remained all 1000 with small sq.km. When in post-war years a number of "unpromising" areas was liquidated, among them Divinsky whose possession passed to Kobrin again okzatsya, having expanded his limits to 2000 sq.km.

Now we will pass to consideration of a question of land use in Kobrin district in the remote past slightly in more detail. Especially as the authoritative source in a type of the solid volume "Audits of Kobrin Economy" published in 1876 can be for this purpose used. The original of this of the most valuable to us of the document dated 1563 is stored in the Vilnius state archive of Lithuania. However, original thoroughly nadgryzen "time tooth": in it completely there is no description of the central part of Kobrin, besides, many single sheets are lost. An origin of this of "the pistsovy book", on the Russian terminology, is as follows: in the middle of the XVI century in Grand Duchy of Lithuania the detailed inventory at first all grand-ducal, and then and shlyakhetsky land tenure named "by Volochna pomery" was carried out. This considerable action set as the purpose the careful accounting of all land grounds (with definition of everyone on such categories: the earth is kind, average, mean and prepodly) for streamlining of the taxation, and in passing - further even more comprehensive enslaving of peasants. The voloka (21 - 25 hectares) and a morgue became the main criteria of the large land plots (1/30 drag). Smaller units of measure were called rods (about 25 sq.m) and twigs. The last were applied to measurement of "selitebny sites" and the kitchen gardens which are directly adjoining them. Besides, on roadsides of the main land massifs the small "bits" called by naddatka, torture chambers, nivka and nivochka were scattered. As to marvel national memory when many centuries later, to be exact - up to the fortieth years of the twentieth century, in a daily lexicon of our petty bourgeoises farmers these archaic words behind which one known quite certain land plots a lot of scattered outside urban development were only to them easy flitted.

On pages of Audit names of city and rural land owners with the indication of the sizes of the selitebny sites and kitchen gardens adjoining to them assigned to everyone are imprinted. Deserves attention that, from the modern point of view, sites under building were extremely modest by the sizes and on average fluctuated from three to five rods. Also the fact that from each side of the street concerning building area touching equality was observed is remarkable: if on the one hand it was five rods, then with opposite - only three rods. By way of exception under building of "Kobrinskaya's plebanea and igumene" which in general were exempted from payment of taxes ten rods were taken away. The inexplicable reason for which all selitebny rods settled down concerning the street obliquely, that is "fir-tree". However, still rather recently separate models of similar building could be met on some "petty-bourgeois streets".

The areas of kitchen gardens incomparably were more diversified by the sizes, fluctuating from two to twenty rods. Directly lust morgues tried to keep step with petty-bourgeois kitchen gardens, and behind them the main land massifs were located - drag away. As to process and pay rather weighty taxes for I drag, i.e. over two tens hectares, were not on forces to one family, Audit dazzles with instructions on fixing drag for two-three owners. It should be noted that already during that time tryokhpolny agriculture was widely applied.

As for directly Kobrina, in it there were 337 built-up parade-grounds, total area with kitchen gardens made 240 tithes. An arable land at citizens was registered 130 dragged away, i.e. about 3000 tithes. From them dragged away ten belonged to four city tserkva: Spassky, Christmas, Nikolsky and Petrovsky. Also very not numerous Jewish families in which use eight were registered were engaged in agriculture dragged away.

On it it is time to say goodbye to our Middle Ages and to remove to closer times. However, the handful of the curious data on Kobrin relating to a change of 18-19 centuries is not deprived of interest. At that time the population of the city made over two thousand, of them a half of Jews. There were 246 petty-bourgeois families. In the property relation they were distributed thus: the rich - 11, well-founded-16, middling persons - 59 whereas the vast majority - 160 families - were made by the poor. According to the same data, draft force petty bourgeoises farmers had oxen - 116 heads whereas horses there was only 33.

However, how not to remember that for the lowered history period a long row of rustic generations especially sharply tested a bitter share of the "krepak" deprived of civil rights offered by owners for sale on an equal basis with hunting dogs and a livestock.

Meanwhile over Kobrin district centuries passionlessly crawled, on their background human generations sumatoshno changed. In consciousness of the hereditary plowman the earth continued to remain the greatest value indestructibly. Enhancement or loss of its scrap responded in soul of the devout grain-grower with equal sharpness of pleasure or a grief. Who knows, perhaps, somewhere in its deep genes traces of the remote memories of that superhuman exhausting work which was spent by ancestors for rooting out of century forests in order that they were replaced by immense present open spaces of the earth wet nurse, suitable for agriculture, got stuck.

Exactly a century ago, in 1897 in Russia there was a significant event: the first comprehensive population census which in passing enriched statistics with a number of other valuable data took place. By consideration of the land questions some indicators which are directly relating to Kobrin district are of special interest to us. "The Kobrin County of the Grodno province, the area is 4620 sq. versts. Plain surface, location low, considerable marshy space. The soil is poor, loamy, podsolic, peaty and marshy. Irrigate the rivers of the Pin, Mukhavets, Yatsolda. Lands country next-to-skin 185612 des., private-ownership 248318 des. Including noble 92%, i.e. 215000 des., state 2669, church 5655, monastic 223, city 140 des. From them arable 146623, haymakings and pastures 135588, the woods 81838, inconvenient 89338 des."

In in the slightest degree fixed analysis of this chain of dry figures strikes comparison of landowner land use with country. Whereas in hands of 919 landowners there were 215 thousand tithes, on a share of 170 thousand peasants only 185 thousand tithes got. And there is more to come. After notorious "release of peasants from a serfdom" 35 years passed, but only 113663 of them in the county possessed allotments on the right of original owners. Whereas other 57 thousand still officially were called as "the state peasants" as they not completely paid off with "redemption payments". Besides: in the county there were 4523 completely landless hereditary farm laborers poor creatures firmly attached by destiny villain to landowner possession.

Therefore it is hardly necessary to be surprised if at so scandalous inequality the unfortunate rustic weight in which memory memories of century pansky oppression were still fresh felt steady hostility to neighbors landowners on whose favor very many financially completely depended. Especially as so it developed that the vast majority of "sirs" consisted of the Poles alien on language and religion to local population. The fact that in the years of the first Russian revolution Kobrin district steadily took in the province the leading place on number of arsons of pansky manors is also explained by it. Only in one 1906 there were over thirty. For fight against mass "agrarian disorders", speaking official language, for a number of years the county consisted on the provision of "the strengthened protection" - a little softened martial law when for protection of manors troops were attracted.

At the very beginning of this century growing to a malozemelya and full lack of land familiar spots forced unfortunate country families to desert everything and to move on virgin open spaces of Siberia, especially Far East that was in every possible way encouraged with the government. Figures of annual emigration in search of the better lot are rather eloquent. If nine Counties of Grodnenshchina in 1906 were left by 4500 people, then to the share of one Kobrin district fell over one third...

When in the middle of the XIV century frontiers of Grand Duchy of Lithuania began to extend especially intensively due to absorption of the West Russian specific principalities, for alarmed natives the calming slogan was thought up: "We do not touch old times, and we do not enter a novina". This delightful rule in centuries stuck into consciousness of Kobrin narrow-mindedness before that least violation of eternal foundations in life was perceived by hardened public opinion as inadmissible heresy, equivalent to a crime and deserving general censure. Conforming to this rule, life of radical kobrinets proceeded measuredly, grandly, being guided since ancient times by the established canons. As firm milestones served strictly observed Orthodox Christians "also the prisvyata is sacred". So, following this peculiar calendar, the term of a pasture of cattle was established "from spring Yury to autumn Mikola". The beginning of a sowing campaign or harvest was followed by a certain ritual. Even the food in certain holidays prepared according to the century standards which were not allowing willful innovations.

The petty-bourgeois wooden houses which are not differing in a big architectural variety under immemorial straw eaves quite often still were located in time-honored "fir-tree" and in any case an end face to the street. Served as direct continuation of housing adjoining it curtail also mosquitoes, it is equal as other auxiliary structures of different function. Further in a firm order followed: stable, cowshed, pigsty. On considerable strike from this set of constructions, in order to avoid the fire, in proud loneliness rose klunya, intended for storage and a threshing of grain. In passing does not prevent to note that the considerable percent them was made by the oats which are grown up on a forage to horses.

The threshing was conducted manually, wooden chains on clay to current, on each side which in "zastoronka" under the eaves accurate laying of sheaves of different types grain rose. Still one arises, apparently, small, but expressive household shtrishok. Despite short-term stay grain in zastoronka, devout gospodar jealously tried to make laying as it is possible more exactly, more pleasantly for an eye. If it did not work well at once, then appropriate "esthetics" was reached by a probrivaniye of a straw wall slanting. As obligatory accessory of Clooney served Nikolay flatterer's icon.

The beginning and the end of a harvest harvest season should be noted zazhinka and dozhinka, concerning potatoes – a dokopinama. The special part at the same time was assigned to the first and last sheaf which is taken away from an eddish. And now small nostalgic retreat in our narration. It is thought, will be not superfluous to remember in brief in the end to the contemporaries spoiled by mechanization about different stages of a harvest manually. The rye stalks which are cut off by a sickle low over the earth zhneya collected in zhmenyu (handful), and then consistently stacked on spread on an eddish perevyaslo. It consisted of two bunches of straw connected at cones. After accumulation of a certain volume the sheaf which hardly communicated at komlya perevyasly turned out. It became by means of the pointed piece of wood – kneblya which was at a zhnea behind a belt.

If a certain cunning plowman found time to count that when plowing one tithe of the earth he happened to walk about fifty versts behind a plow, then it is possible to imagine what set of bows to the ground was given zhneyoy for the long summer day. It would seem, so exhausting work brought "zhenchikha" by the evening to full exhaustion. On the contrary. Coming back home an amicable crowd, women modulating chorus sang lingering songs of the corresponding content.

Depending on weather conditions sheaves for preliminary drying in the field were established in a certain similarity of a shalashik by ears up. They were in turn covered with the spread wide sheaf in the form of an umbrella. Such construction on a local dialect was called lyashky, is more rare the grandma or ten.

The special skill was demanded by skillful laying of sheaves on the very tall truck. That in way sheaves did not creep away, from above firmly pressed them the long bryovnyshk called by "ruble" which on both sides reliably dragged on a rope. In addition the truck was carefully surrounded with it "up to a waist". And to what the driver sitting on three-four-meter to a cart of hay or grain haughtily looked at undersized petty-bourgeois houses!

Within the past centuries incalculable military hard times ruthlessly fell upon long-suffering Kobrin district. Usually during enemy attacks the population escaped in forest thickets or in impassable bogs of vast local bogs. However without exaggeration it is possible to claim that hardly last bloody tests on the scale and consequences could be compared to that which farmers of Kobrin district happened to test at the beginning of this century. And it is improbable, but the fact - "the enemy force" was responsible for a national grief this time only indirectly. The matter is that according to popular once military doctrine of "scorched earth" which was left to the enemy at the compelled retreat completely the decayed theory hundreds of thousands of inhabitants of the Grodno province, including Kobrin district had to be influenced by this.

Violent squall of World War I kobrinets, inveterate homebodies, were uprooted from the native places which are rendered habitable by generations. In hot August days 1915 they "under a kerosene stove" in large quantities appeared on wheels. The majority - on own supplies in a hurry loaded with casual property, minority - on plank beds of the military teplushka which were taking away the people who lost the head in an unknown distance. The tragedy was aggravated with the fact that many of them were witnesses of how the left settlements were ruthlessly burned. So abrupt withdrawal pains were perceived by that more painful that even the seasonal works popular in other places, at us were unknown. It happened to visit the foreign land far only to young recruits who are taken away "in Russians" i.e. in soldiers as here were expressed in the old days.

Only the few lucky managed to return already soon after the conclusion of the Brest peace treaty in 1918. For the main weight the refugee harvest season dragged on till the end of 1923. And if the long wagon trains of poleshuk were forced to rush in flight by for certain whole world that was important moral support, then for successful overcoming of a way back often it was necessary to show remarkable own initiative, convulsively finding out where and when are formed. echelons, and it is frequent also separate cars, for "repatriates" (there was popular also such word). Not to the liyena to remember: in Russia the revolutionary chaos continued to rage, so to whom there was a business to destinies of certain poor fellows refugees.

Already in Baranovichi the meeting with new shape of the homeland was not iridescent. There, on the city suburb, the central quarantine in the former barracks for prisoners of war settled down. On its plank beds within two weeks returnees needed to idle in plenty. Quarantine initially served for prevention of possible epidemic diseases. At the same time employees of the Polish defenziva with addiction sifted suspicious therefore potential Bolshevist agents, "vyvrotovets", were immediately turned out back.

Completely become puzzled of abundance of the gushed novelty of immigrants in quarantine continually dumbfounded an instructive hail of police officers: "psya krev, tutay to you not a bolsheviya, but panstvo Polish". Quite often for the greater confirmation told the rubber stick was used. In completion of surprises in the charitable soup offered the yearned repatriates fat white worms quite often were found... All this involuntarily forced "pribyshy" krepenko to become thoughtful.

And what met ex-refugees on a native farmstead was capable to depress the most inveterate optimist. Seldom to whom rather escaped housing and hozpostroyka has the luck to find. In the majority traces of the former structures managed to be determined only by a necklace of the boulders which were once serving as the base of the burned constructions.

Not less sad thoughts cast meetings with the thrown arable grounds. Only on a sinuosity of the former shelters it was possible to establish borders of own land plots not without effort. In absence of owners they violently overgrew not only various bushes, but sometimes the real melkolesye.

And still the aspiration to provide a family with a shelter the forthcoming winter was the general prevailing care at the beginning. The way out was prompted by entrenchments which just died away fires of war generously larded the Belarusian fields. The narrow courses of entrenchments alternated the timbered dugouts, vryty in the earth, serving as protection at war from any falsities of weather. Thanks to the combined efforts of neighbors construction of a dugout was quickly argued. Thus, at the beginning the primitive barrier was delivered to a winter icy cold. For many and many families unnatural vegetation in extreme density and insanitary conditions dragged on on a row of dreadful years. Series of incurable chronic diseases profited. Still quite recently in conversation the fleeing subject was touched. According to one of interlocutors, his grandfather later with horror remembered decades the neighbour's children which swelled up during that time from a golodukha.

After approach of the world the various help to "pribysha" began to arrive from different sources. At the beginning the Polish government feeling not sure allocated to builders partly gratuitously, partly on favorable terms the construction wood. The American charitable mission supplying the most needing food, worn footwear, clothes developed the activity in the povetovy cities. The matter is that the American industrial complex which is extremely enriched on military deliveries, without having considered a possibility of so fast capitulation of Germany, saved up huge stocks of the various production which was not finding sale in peace conditions. In order to avoid inevitable death of products under the arisen circumstances, as well as for self-advertisement reasons, the considerable part of stocks was sent to Europe ruined by long-term war. Something got also to Poland. And desperately starving poleshuk which yearned on bread and potato had a rare opportunity to regale on tinned pineapples and condensed milk. Important feed of "talyarama" arrived from the numerous fellow countrymen who are once driven with lack of land into the USA and Canada. Their considerable number was enriched by a military environment, here and remembered about distressed "кобринцях", sharing the accumulation.

And how deep wounds were put to agriculture of Kobrin district with a long absence of careful owners, eloquently tell official data on productivity with hectare for 1931: wheat - 5,4, rye - 6,1, barley - 8,5, oats - 5,8 and, at last, potatoes - 74 centners. War consequences still completely were not izzhita a decade later.

If evacuation of villagers had mainly a certain chaotic and panic character and depended in each separate case on an arbitrariness of the population leading operation on exile and the momentary bringing to fire of the left real and personal estate (and it was assigned mainly to the Cossack parts), then in the city the situation was absolutely differently. Here approach of the front was marked by the fact that over a week at the end of Klyashtornaya St., on the bank of Mukhavts, the special estimated commission on reception from the population of horses and cattle which was under the own steam overtaken on the East sat. Petty bourgeoises were given an evacuation opportunity on. - with the indication of the new residence elected by them. It was also not forbidden to go in the same direction on own a supply, carrying own dray-horse moreover with a "pristyazhny" korovyonka.

Unlike ruthless burning of country housing, urban development suffered a little. Clean malls yes here and there - separate petty-bourgeois houses burned down on a central square. And as evacuation did not concern the Jewish population making most of citizens at all is equal as a certain number of the old men who categorically ignored the terrible bossy order, least care of the thrown housing and the left property was provided. Kitchen gardens and suburban lands were also not completely thrown. Therefore fleeing consequences for citizens were incomparably softer. Besides came the way of citizens repatriates from tips of the American benefactors much more.

Well-known, each medal has two parties. Fleeing is not an exception in this case. Therefore in it negative mixes up with positive, especially "by and large". Alas, profound consideration of these aspects would take away us far from the main subject of this sketch which already thoroughly stretched.

A. Martynov

Martynov, And. Chaotic notes about the State wet nurse of Kobrin district: pages of history / A. Martynov//Kobrynsk_ vesn_k. – 1997. – 6, 10, 27 verasnya, 8, 15, 18, 22 kastrychn_k.



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