End of "petty-bourgeois" streets  

Kobrin → Outstanding persons → Alexey Mikhaylovich Martynov

Without exaggeration it is possible to claim that any other event, including the enormous fire on July 15, 1812, almost completely destroyed Kobrin, was not such cataclysm which brought so many fundamental changes in life of our narrow-mindedness as World War I. Approach of the front in August, 1915 compelled a set of petty-bourgeois families — dense homebodies, suddenly to break with centuries of the rendered habitable places and to rush in an unknown distance.

First of all, the beginning of August was marked for Kobrin by a construction of the pontoon bridge through Mukhavets which connected st. on September 17 with Railway. The old wooden bridge upon which the avalanche of military masses with artillery and wagon trains fell did not cope with unprecedented loading in any way. Day and night city central streets were filled with the receding infantry and a cavalry alternately with infinite wagon trains of the Polish refugees. The Kobrin carts covered so characteristic of them with polukushka gradually began to join this chaotic stream. At the same time on the river coast opposite to monastery ruins the inspection buying from the population of horses and the cattle which is driven away by herds on the East tselodenno sat.

The matter is that the notorious Brest fortress on which powerful forts so many hopes were laid completely was not repaid. There was a real threat to turn out in the opponent's pincers that forced the Russian command to leave fortress without resistance. But multi-day fierce rearguard actions were tied in attempt to constrain in process of opportunities a strong impact of superior forces of the enemy between Brest and Kobrin. Confirm huge losses of both parties a large number of the military cemeteries of 1915 scattered across Kobrin and adjacent areas. Following the theory of "scorched earth", the Russian command forcibly moved country people from a front line, and villages were burned. Evacuation of kobrinets was made doubly. The part of citizens concerning public service became "refugees" (such term was soon legalized), getting on board plank beds of the commodity cars adapted for military transportations. Irrespective of numerical structure, on each family about ten poods (160 kg) of house property were allowed to take. Owners of own "draft force" were offered to go to a hard way under the own steam. Near the carts loaded by house belongings and kids wet nurses Burenkas whom because of a beskormitsa it was necessary to leave in way quite often walked. As for the Jewish population making a half of citizens, it in the weight preferred to remain on familiar spots, relying on likeness of the "slang" applied by them with German. Apparently, it suited the authorities as tests of violent evacuation of Jews were not applied.

Million refugee masses crept away across all Russia great, often getting to extremely difficult conditions, and with impatience expected an opportunity to come back somewhat quicker to homes. For rather small particle of the refugees who got stuck near the settled front line, this moment came in 1918, after the conclusion of the peace treaty. The main weight had such opportunity as a result of the Riga contract of 1921. And if in east direction the human stream was overthrown by falls, then the way back proceeded liquid streamlets, having completely come to the end in 1923. Only the small handful of the Kobrin refugees who comfortably got accustomed on new places preferred to take root there.

By then the new Polish power which was not especially hospitably meeting repatriates from "Bolsheviya" already strongly located in the former Grodno province. But the few relatives who avoided evacuation it is equal as Jews, tried to help newcomers as far as possible. Fortunately, during military operations Kobrin suffered a little, and the shelter for all was provided. Rather easier ex-refugees who during revolutionary ruin managed to get own horse became independent and with his help safely to overcome all road drudgeries. In general, under the created conditions of a horse were invaluable treasure for a raising of the thrown virgin soil into which lands arable earlier for many years turned. However, if the Polish government left returnees to the mercy of fate, then essential help was given by the American charitable organization distributing seeds, the food and material aid the person in need.

Overcoming huge difficulties and deprivations, narrow-mindedness life gradually returned to habitual normal. People gradually got used to new orders, Polish, restored a family life, got living creatures. Though many of antiquated traditions for years of wanderings on chuzhezemyyu were effaced from the memory of younger generation, nevertheless the deeply taken most roots customs came back home in inviolability. The many-sided experience which is saved up in fleeing did not go to waste, and a lot of useful took root into house use. So, on petty-bourgeois estates saplings of fruit trees which before from in a false manner there was very few understood benefit began to appear. Among garden cultures tomatoes, vegetable marrows and many others "exotic novelties", earlier here not growing gained popularity.

Such fact deserves special attention. If in the majority of petty-bourgeois families talked before fleeing on a local rural dialect, then all came back home Russian-speaking. Besides, the youth quite often managed to Russify the surnames, having turned from Kruk into Krukov, Stepanyuk — in Stepanov. However, sometimes, the same double-dealing fellow Stepanov, having appeared in a new situation, managed again "to be turned", this time in more harmonious for the Polish ear of Stefanovich. Also the hopeless and sad twentieth anniversary of unpromising life stretched for petty bourgeoises-zemlerobov. In comparison with antiquated times progress was expressed unless that with huge difficulties some got manual straw cutters, cultivators, winnowers, manual and horse threshers were by sharing the cost got. However, harvests of all cultures remained ridiculously low and sale of agricultural products was connected with considerable difficulties.

The most active layer of youth pined owing to impossibility to find useful application for the forces and abilities. In all branches chronic unemployment and the competition connected with it exasperated. It was difficult starting out to receive a simple craft profession. The most energetic tried to save up the treasured sum of money for payment of a shifskarta for emigration across the ocean. If in the beginning it did not represent special work, then soon it became more difficult to make the way to the countries of North America. In the form of available substitutes remained Argentina yes Paraguay with Uruguay where and until now many their descendants live.

More romantic natures were carried away by the communistic promotion fed by dollars in the area of MOPRA. However, it is unlikely naked moral substance played the taking priority role here. The attracting secret of conspiracy, an opportunity to prove, pokhorokhoritsya, throw down a challenge to the authorities tightened. As in a song: "Let us fry and heat, razmazurik of children! We to the administration will not comply, we will better sit down in a casemate", And sat down. Others repeatedly and for a long time. And when further game became nevterpezh, tried to make the way illegally in "Sovdepiya". There they were met not with open at all... After an obligatory vacation threw back, having inspired for edification: do revolution at yourself, and the stranger nothing to use fruits. The same few lucky who nevertheless managed to remain there (Pavel Kuresha, Olimpy Klychev, Vyacheslav Lvov), despite the solid training passed by them in the Polish jails, eventually got a trivial bullet in a nape for "espionage and diversion".

It is necessary to add especially wide scope of a polonization to told in the mid-thirties. From the overpopulated central voivodeships on "Kresa to the vskhoyena" more and more families annually systematically moved. They were granted the soft monetary loans and a number of essential privileges. What "tuteyshy" it was not necessary even to dream of.

In such atmosphere came 1939. In March in east voivodeships general mobilization was carried out, and echelons stretched with "kresovyaka" on the western border. And at dawn on September 1 on superpeace Kobrin the German bombs fell down from heaven. With bated breath, kobrinets endured a nightmare of lightning war. on September 17th on the southern suburb of the city tselodenny fight between parts the Polish 18 divisions and Germans was started, and the Polish losses reached 150 people. On the same day radio reported about transition of the Polish and Soviet border parts of Red Army.

The twenty-monthly pause between 17 September, 1939 and on June 22, 1941 plunged Kobrin narrow-mindedness into a condition of the complete confusion.

As the narrow-mindedness survival subject in the terrible third anniversary of fascist occupation is too extensive, it is necessary, speaking about this period, to be limited to several fluent shtrishka. The congenital habit to passive submission to any force affected also during occupation. Only units with unfeigned pleasure met "vyzvolitel" as it appeared on gebelsovsky posters. Were soon and such who voluntarily joined the ranks politsayev. However the vast majority concerned to invaders with the concealed hostility. All thoughts were directed to one: to worry by all means. Knowing, than disobedience threatens, resignedly carried out all orders,

Gradually many citizens contacted guerrillas, delivered intelligence information and various financial support. Tens got over then in guerrilla groups. In recent weeks wars as a result of bombardment by the Soviet plane of the hidden German fuel truck at the end of Krasnoarmeyskaya Street the fire which exterminated ten houses broke out.
The first post-war years were marked by a long agony of centuries-old way of petty-bourgeois life. In the beginning individual land use appeared as if on a roadside of the trunk main of the revived economy which is not deserving special attention. By the taken roots inertia of zemliyets somehow it continued to be processed, being responsible for it with scanty harvests. Representatives of different departments and ranks regularly bothered with early performance, and then an overfulfillment of grain-collections and all other duties. Meanwhile only those who for various reasons could not get other, more tempting job continued to hold the earth convulsively. And for the wishing opportunities was enough. There were all new establishments, artels, the enterprises needing a rabsila which chronically lacked. It must be kept in mind one very essential circumstance. In the city for July 22, 1944 there were no more than 2,5 — 3 thousand inhabitants. The nazi genocide exterminated over 6 thousand Jews, thousands of others ran for Bug with the receding Germans. Migration of rather full peasantry to the half-starved city was only in a germ. All this in total led to the fact that city agriculture dragged some more years miserable existence, expecting the radical solution of the fate.

It came in the early fifties when on all area the wave of continuous collectivization "spontaneously" swept. Naturally, the city in this case could not make an exception. And here at general meeting of the keeping silence land owners creation of collective farm "Kobrin" was proclaimed. Certain streets made crews with the land massifs assigned to them. However, as easily it was possible to assume from the very beginning, nothing left this bossy sounding nonsense, collective farm soon, to the general satisfaction, safely self-destructed, and its lands are transferred to the nearest collective farms. As then it became clear, all invention with city collective farm had one purpose — to create visibility of legality for nationalization of petty-bourgeois lands.

Thus many centuries the existed originality of several Kobrin petty-bourgeois streets broke. And at the same time also the estate of the petty bourgeoises who received in exchange the depersonalized status sovgrazhdan disappeared.

 A. Martynov

Martynov, A. Konets of "petty-bourgeois" streets / A. Martynov//Kobrynsk_ vesn_k. – 1993. – 5, 9, 12 chervenya.



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