"Meshchanskaya Street"

Kobrin → Outstanding persons → Alexey Mikhaylovich Martynov

One which name within more than four centuries on a bossy whim changed semikratno appeared in one of the previous articles remembering about the oldest Kobrin streets. Nowadays it is suburban Krasnoarmeyskaya St. which in prewar time city old residents persistently called one of the former names "Garbarskaya" (tanning). It affected in daily expression "to descend on Garbara"

What here is stated about life and customs of one street is generally characteristic also of other three "petty-bourgeois" streets October, Proletarian and Nikolsky. According to the ancient document of 1563 when the street still bore the primitive name "Bolotskaya" as lay in on government of der. Bogs, "the first to weed it watering" consisted of fourteen households whereas "another to weed to a poprava" totaled seventeen of those. We do not know when and for what reason rectilinear equalization allocated all builders with ideally equal sites on three "selibny" and two garden rods (a rod – a linear measure of 4,7 m) for which raised a tax in the sum 5 penyazy for a selibny rod and 2 1/2 - for garden. Any of 31 names of petty bourgeoises provided in the list (in our concept at that time commoners had no surname at all) until now did not remain, However, to feel spirit of an era, we will give several most characteristic: Ivashko Homich, Rimchich, Senko Pyshkevich, Hvedko Chinkevich, Tets Hvedtsevich, etc.

In immemorial times the street gemmated from an ancient Pinsky path directly behind the land plot of "Jewish school" (the Jewish synagogue). Still in the twenties the narrow twisting lane passing into present st. of Kirov which emergence belongs to rather recent period lay here. In passing it is necessary to remember that else in pre-war years Krasnoarmeyskaya St., connected to the October narrow country road which rested against the wooden pedestrian bridge through Kobrinka which often is taken down by a high water. Continuing the list of the latest branches from our "highway", it is necessary to call the small lane connecting Red Army to Pervomayskaya Street. Nowadays he bears a name of the guerrilla T. Kravchuk. Till 1939 this lane was property of the next church, as a symbol of what served board gate with a gate in its beginning.

Striding further to the East, soon we reach Gorky St. which is completely absent on pre-war city map. Here the field road to the right of which randomly there were several petty-bourgeois lodges built on the garden sites called by "Zagrudkami" lay. To the left of the road the extensive city pasture serving for a pasture of petty-bourgeois cattle stretched. From its South side the earth shaft intended on a shooting gallery for training in fighting firing practice of city police towered. After an abrupt bend our street is crossed by densely built up Krasnogvardeyskaya St. which piece to May Day arose in the 30th. Earlier there passed the private road through kostelny possession which was also closed by gate. Construction of this road to Kostelny Lane rank, expansion and partial building belongs to the beginning of the 40th.

From time immemorial radical narrow-mindedness was engaged in agriculture, and the settled tenor of life almost did not differ from country. The main distinction was only the fact that on the basis of city self-government, the "Magdebourg right" acquired by Kobrin in 1589, petty bourgeoises possessed a personal liberty from "panshchizna" and a number of other privileges. Only in the foreseeable past former uniformity was replaced by "three-layer". Besides zemlerob sluzhily people, and also single handicraftsmen and dealers Jews appeared. In the language relation the local rural dialect — "kazata according to Prost" prevailed. Then the Russian, Polish and Jewish languages followed. Believers were divided into Orthodox Christians, Catholics and Jews. However, distinction of languages and beliefs did not affect traditional neighborliness, the relation to each other with enviable tolerance at all. The main laudable definition was — the neighbour's person. And then universal values were applied: good - bad, reasonable - the simpleton, the hard worker - gultay, zamozhny - a golota.

Houses usually were under construction low, with small windows about six glasses therefore in rooms the twilight usually dominated. As usually direct continuation of a house served the room for grain storage, further there was a cowshed, a stable, a pigsty. Even if bestial sheds did not adjoin directly housing, they were under construction near that. Whereas klunya, intended under not threshed bread and fodder, it was built surely at some distance. It was made of reasonable precaution on a case of the fire which at density of wooden and straw building quite often exterminated the whole streets.

It is natural that initial allotments were continuously split up by family sections therefore only at the few petty bourgeoises land grounds reached 5-10 tithes. Besides separate plots of land were scattered on the remote natural boundaries, is frequent for Mukhavts. It is possible to imagine, the harvest what is the time was required that on a sickly loshadenka in the spring to bring in the field the manure truck, and then to deliver to the estate. By tradition pastures for cattle were the general for all land owners. It is interesting that names of land grounds remained from the remote Middle Ages: drag, morgues, ponds, naddavka, were less often used official tithes.

The primitive methods of agriculture inherited from the grandfather great-grandfather brought insignificant harvests which were hardly enough for own requirements. Only in the thirties shy use of artificial fertilizers and that inaccessible for the majority land-poor owing to high cost began. It is not necessary to be surprised under such circumstances that even in premilitary years, according to official figures, the average crop grain with hectare fluctuated from 6 to 10 cent., and potatoes – to 150 c.

Horses were available not in each farmstead. But one, and even two cows with an issue and "kormnik" - a pylon kept in the most mean economy. However low-pedigree cows gave low yields of milk, kept also for manure and the lethal weight of "kormnik" seldom passed for centner. Nevertheless, to follow agronomical advice and furthermore to apply rational innovations in the majority avoided, or did with a shy caution. Served as favourite instruments of labor immemorial a plow yes a harrow, and the last was applied also wooden, patriarchal a sickle yes a braid together with a wooden pitchfork-troychatkoy. Crops were conducted manually from a wattled box, threshed on clay to current pradedovsky wooden tsepa. In every second house there were manual millstones for a grinding of grain and a wooden mortar.

In case of the arisen need to quickly carry out labor-consuming action — to dig out a well, to block a roof – neighbors were convoked on "toloka", free aid, symbolical remuneration for which was a generous entertainment. Among women the mutual exchanges of workdays on a harvest and cleaning of potatoes called by "otzhinka" and "otkopina" used a wide circulation. In general in a harvest harvest season to bourgeoises got not less, than to their rural girlfriends. Not from good life the elderly woman, mother of a large family, being not able to be bent, reaped on a lap … And one more amusing shtrishok: the girls working right in the sun carefully tied the person a scarf because fashion of that time it is reprehensible perceived suntan.

Sacredly following an antiquated precept "will be in time", the thresh of collected bread in many farms dragged on quite often till spring. Even before evacuation of 1915 in many petty-bourgeois families in winter evenings of the woman spun on spinning wheels kudelyu from own flax, weaved canvases and cloth fabric on home machines - "krosna" in the spring. As it is necessary, canvases were bleached on dew then from a cloth the linen for all family was sewed. Everywhere bread was baked of house flour at home. And in small families, in order to avoid an excessive zacherstveniye, was in custom to exchange a fresh loaf with neighbors. It is necessary to add difficulty with fuel to it – expensive firewood. Therefore in some houses which had surplus of straw, furnaces were heated by straw plaits.

Such is there was in general rather sad picture of petty-bourgeois life up to World War I. However, these short notes would be not full without mention of self-respect and even the peculiar pride inherent in representatives of some petty-bourgeois "dynasties", with value emphasizing belonging to the estate – "in every possible way meshchana". It was told in the "navolocha" counterbalance which even more often is interspersed on petty-bourgeois Wednesday within one-two last generations. First of all the posterity of several the "Nikolaev soldiers", for fifteen-year service awarded with the land plots in half-tithes meant.

"The eminent surnames inherent mainly in the described street, there was a little: Rafalovich, Satsevichi, Ignatovichi, Masleevichi, Yarotsevichi, Kachanko. It is curious that at the beginning of this century on this street all city heads lived in the close neighbourhood. So, till 1911 the mayor of several terms Nikolay Osipovich Yarotsevich got out. After his death this post was held by his deputy and the closest neighbor Pyotr Ivanovich Rafalovich whose remote ancestor in 1812 was also "president" of city self-government. Up to evacuation in 1915 reins of government city affairs were divided by it with the deputy Yakov Ivanovich Kachanko living nearby on the same street.

 A. Martynov

Martynov, And. "Meshchanskaya Street": staronk_ g_story_ / A. Martynov//Kobrynsk_ vesn_k. – 1993. – 17, 21 krasav_k.



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