The local history museum hosted the fifth edition of the scientific and practical conference "Lepel Readings," bringing together individuals interested in, studying, and conducting research on the history of our region.
The local history museum hosted the fifth edition of the scientific and practical conference "Lepel Readings," bringing together individuals interested in, studying, and conducting research on the history of our region.
The opening ceremony featured welcoming remarks from Nikolai Nikitin, Deputy Chairman of the District Executive Committee, and Gennady Savitsky, Director of the Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore. Twenty-five reports were presented, with each speaker allocated ten to twelve minutes according to the schedule.
The first presentation, "New Data on the Stone and Bronze Ages of the Lepel Region," was delivered by Maxim Chernyavsky, a senior researcher at the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. A memorable report was given by local historian Valery Tukhto on the topic: "Full Knight of the Order of St. George – Dominik Konopka." He shared recollections of the hero, correlated dates and historical facts, and suggested that the initial data might be erroneous. He detailed the biography of the knight of the Order of St. George, presenting little-known aspects of Dominik Vikentyevich's life. For instance, despite being Catholic, he visited the Vatican and received a blessing from the Pope himself. In his old age, and possessing a fifty-are garden plot, he never used a horse to cultivate it, only a spade. All of this and much more can be found in the recently published popular science edition "V Lepel Readings," which contains the materials from the scientific and practical conference.
Tatyana Valodina, Head of the Folklore Department at the Institute of Art Studies, Ethnography and Folklore of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, whose roots are from the village of Sushi, presented her report "The Forest in the Traditional Worldview of the Belarusians of the Lepel Region." It is not by chance that the forest occupies a unique place in folklore, mythology, and ritual practices – it covers a significant part of the country's territory and forty-two percent of our region.
Doctor of Historical Sciences Valentin Golubev presented to the audience a map of the town of Novy Lepel from the library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, held within the "Manuscript Plans and Drawings" collection. Based on the analysis of the paper, ink, and writing style, it was concluded that the map dates back to the early eighteenth century. The fundamental layout of the town has been preserved to this day, and some streets precisely align with the modern map.