Chashniki District: From the navigable Ulla to the city of energy workers
The history of the town of Chashniki spans over five centuries. The first mentions of the settlement can be found in the list of the largest settlements of the Polotsk Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After all, the geographical and natural conditions for rapid development here are more than suitable. Nowadays, the winding Ulla River can be crossed on foot in some sections. But before, it was a very important navigable link on the route "from the Varangians to the Greeks," attracting merchants and skilled people in itself.
The Chashniki district has not been lacking in talented people in our time either. Today, it is a developed socio-economic center with large enterprises known far beyond its borders. Lukomlskaya GRES, the expanded clay gravel plant, the Krasnaya Zvezda paper mill, dozens of successful representatives of small and medium-sized businesses. And most importantly, it is the people who, with their own hands and minds, continue old traditions and master new ways of creation for the benefit of their native region. They will be discussed.
— I've gotten used to them over 30 years; they feel like feathers to me. But seriously, I don't understand how one can work uncreatively. I service the main pumps that supply water to the boiler, which provides steam to the turbine. The pressure in these pumps is 340 kilograms. That is, about 1.2 thousand cubic meters of water pass through the pipeline per hour. Can you imagine the force of the flow? The equipment itself presents tricky problems to solve. So you think: how to do it quickly, efficiently, and cheaply?? It's like a doctor's appointment: you need to make a diagnosis and choose the optimal treatment method. Sometimes these methods differ from generally accepted ones. It happens that there is a simple answer to a complex problem: you just need to look at the situation from a different angle...
Locksmith Vyacheslav Shaginov is a unique person. He works with such huge wrenches at the Lukomlskaya State District Power Plant. He approaches his work creatively. Shaginov is one of the best innovators at the enterprise.
During his work at the power plant, Vyacheslav Shaginov made about 40 rationalization proposals (8 in the past year alone). Over 30 have already been implemented in production. What did this give the enterprise? Dmitry Lavrov, an engineer at the production and technical department of the Lukomlskaya GRES, answers the question:
— Vyacheslav Shaginov is one of our best innovators, and in recent years he has consistently taken prize-winning places in all competitions. And his proposals result in increased reliability of equipment operation, reduced labor and material costs for repairs, and improved working conditions for personnel.
Interestingly, Vyacheslav Anatolyevich is a hereditary power engineer. His parents worked at the LGRS for a long time. His father is an Honored Power Engineer of the Republic of Belarus, he was also a fitter, a foreman, spent two years on a business trip to Iraq, and even has a certificate signed by the leadership of the Arab country.
Vyacheslav considers his father his first teacher. And he himself has already managed to become a mentor for dozens of young specialists. He expands his qualifications by performing the duties of a master for the repair of steam and gas turbine equipment, is familiar with the work of leading Russian energy facilities, and was invited to the Belarusian NPP.
— It would be interesting to work in Ostrovets, of course, — Vyacheslav reflects. — But I was born and raised in Chashniki district. Therefore, I consider it my duty to work here. Today, the strategic importance of the Lukomlskaya GRES is not weakening: there must always be a reserve of capacity in the country's energy system. And our plant has been greatly modernized in recent years, it has received a new lease of life. And also — we have a wonderful city. Look at this lake! Like all newлукомчане, я тоже рыбак. Забросишь удочку — и любуешься очертаниями величественной станции-корабля, что украшает противоположный берег. Классно…
Сегодня чашникский мастер кисти, вспоминая эту историю, не скрывает: тот эпизод стал самой высокой наградой в жизни. Что же так впечатлило незнакомую женщину?
— Это был пейзаж. Я часто использую солнце для выразительности содержания, — рассказывает автор. — Вот и там была изображена темная аллея в сумрачном лесу. Но аллея вела к живописной поляне, на которую сквозь мохнатые лапы елей падали яркие солнечные лучи. Я подметил это здесь, в родном районе, недалеко от Новолукомля. И сам был впечатлен.
Природа словно подводила к жизнеутверждающему выводу: как бы плохо в этой жизни человеку ни было — где-то его обязательно ждет свет. Главное, не сбиваться с пути и продолжать идти вперед.
Не знаю, что тогда было на душе у той женщины, какая беда выбила ее из колеи, но это очень хорошо, что картина помогла, — искусство тоже имеет целебную силу.
Рисовать Михаил Петрович начал еще в раннем детстве. Часами сидел на бер
Today, the Chashniki brush master, recalling this story, does not hide: that episode became the highest award in his life. What impressed the stranger so much?
— It was a landscape. I often use the sun for expressiveness of content, — the author says. — And there was a dark alley in a gloomy forest depicted. But the alley led to a picturesque clearing, onto which bright sunbeams fell through the shaggy fir branches. I noticed this here, in my native region, not far from Novolukoml. And I was impressed myself.
Nature seemed to lead to a life-affirming conclusion: no matter how bad things are in this life for a person, somewhere light is waiting for them. The main thing is not to lose your way and keep moving forward.
I don't know what was on that woman's mind then, what trouble knocked her off track, but it's very good that the painting helped – art also has healing power.
Mikhail Petrovich began to draw in early childhood. He sat for hours on the bankalong the local river, he traveled around the district with an easel in his hands. By his final year of school, he had clearly decided on his future profession. He didn't get into university on his first try. He went into the army. He served in the Air Force of the Transcaucasian Military District, in Tbilisi. There, noticing the talented recruit, they found a job to his liking – they sent him to the army headquarters as a cartographer. Security clearance – No. 1. How many airfields, troop positions, and other important objects he depicted is countless. But he also found time for sketches of Georgian landscapes. After demobilization, he entered the art department without any problems.
— I received my diploma, then I worked as a teacher of technical drawing, drawing, and labor in a rural school according to my assignment, our hero recalls. — And ten years ago, I became the director of the Lukoml school, where over 130 children studied then. Now, unfortunately, only primary classes remain – only 8 children. Another 9 children are of preschool age. This is the smallest school-kindergarten in the district.
The director still finds time for art. His students win competitions, and about ten children are already studying painting at universities. Mikhail Baykov is the author of over 300 paintings. Most of them are dedicated to the nature of his native region. His favorite is "Sunflowers," painted in the post-impressionist style based on Van Gogh's works about 30 years ago. It now hangs in his office. And the artist sadly emphasizes: he has repeatedly wanted to repeat something similar, but it doesn't work out – the years push him towards realism, he no longer has that dreamy youthful perception of the world. Although, with his students, Mikhail Petrovich is still on equal footing – it is to him that the children run in search of sympathy, support, and reconciliation. And perhaps, that's how it should be?
— You are not the only one surprised by the architect's skill, soand remaining unknown, — notes local librarian by profession and historian and local lore enthusiast by calling Tatyana Kozlovskaya. — Whoever comes here, whoever visits, they all claim: the old church is a rarest architectural monument. Look: with the help of unusual brickwork, the dome seems to soar above the ground and just as surely makes the human soul soar...
Tatyana Mikhailovna is also a unique person. For a quarter of a century, she has been working on the Chereya land, where she came from the Urals. This is the homeland of her father.
— How can one live and not know the history of the region? — the interlocutor wonders. — Especially such a one. Do you know that the famous French poet Oscar Milosz was born here? And that his family lived in the estate of Lev Sapieha? The house built by my father is located next to this estate. Ten meters away is an old linden alley. A little further is a lilac one... Oscar once wrote that when approaching the estate, he could not pass by the lilac alley. The Miloshes were very progressive people — they even had their own hot air balloon, a greenhouse, and 126 varieties of lilac. And during the war, about a thousand Jews were shot here — people also come to the monument to the fallen. So, whether you want to or not, you have to be a tour guide...
Tatyana Kozlovskaya, of course, is modest. The surroundings of Chereya have long become a base for her scientific research. Now she can spend hours talking about the French poet, with whom she maintains constant contact with foreign admirers, and about the versions of the construction year of that very White Church. She studies, analyzes, seeks justifications, and draws conclusions. A person so passionate about history and local lore that she cannot even draw a clear line between familyand work, and her hobby. It's just that all of this is her indivisible life.
— Recently, with the help of enthusiasts, we released another video about Chereya, first mentioned in 1066. For those who have long left their hometowns. You can't imagine how many responses we got! — the librarian rejoices. — Before the war, over 3,000 people lived in the town, which was once the center of the district. Now there are only 300... Former natives, their descendants are very interested in seeing how the surroundings are changing. They ask for more...
The villagers help Tatyana Mikhailovna collect old photographs, memories, and other exhibits. For example, a plywood suitcase with combat awards and letters from Senior Sergeant Ivan Soldatenko, who died on the front line, is carefully kept in the library now — they were handed over by relatives. And here are the notes of the legendary General, Hero of the Soviet Union Evgeny Ivanovsky: "Flying over Chereya, I always wave my wing..." — his homeland, by the way, is also here.
Meet Monsieur Boris Boignard. He was drawn to the Belarusian hinterland by a great love. He met his future wife, Oksana, in Belgium, where bothcame to visit friends. And after some time, Boris was already packing his things to move.
Oksana worked in Vitebsk, but her chosen one dreamed of living in nature. He bought an old estate in the Chashniksky district and acquired a household. The few local residents initially considered him an eccentric, but then they began to adopt European agricultural experience — the Frenchman developed a large household plot (Vietnamese pigs, chickens, geese, ducks, goats), prepared garden beds in a special way, and brought foreign seeds. Language barrier? No, it doesn't exist, smiles Boris, with whom we communicate through a translator.
— The villagers and I somehow easily understand each other. They speak Russian, I speak French. And everything is fine, — the hero claims. — Admittedly, my neighbors don't like everything from French cuisine…
The restaurateur says: he once decided to host a friendly dinner. He put escargots baked with butter, garlic, parsley, and almond crumbs on the table — finger-licking good! To withstand all the nuances of the complex technology, the preparation of the French delicacy from Belarusian raw materials takes about a month. But the guests were very skeptical about this dish, preferring confectionery delights.
Nevertheless, they now collect snails and bring them to their foreign neighbor — he will find them useful. Boris is often invited to cook at dinner parties, banquets, and he gives master classes in the most popular restaurants in Minsk and Vitebsk. And his connoisseurs highly value his snails.
— Recently, they called from Nesvizh asking for the snail recipe. Of course, I don't mind — enjoy. I only fear one thing: Belarusian colleagues often "unify" my recipes to put them into mass production.dish, speed up its preparation. And this is an author's method, tested and refined to the smallest detail. Any deviation means a loss of quality. Then they will say that the recipe is "from Boris" – not respectable...
The fact that the newcomer is an exceptionally creative person is evidenced by the facts: Boris Buanyar willingly participates in all holidays, festivals, and competitions. He never tires of admiring Belarusian nature, travels by bicycle around local lakes, and has already developed a whole series of tourist routes for his foreign friends who are eager to visit. Recently, Boris bought out the building of a former shop and acquired a vacant residential building in Strazhevichi – he plans to open an agro-estate with a culinary twist. He will hold master classes here for everyone who wishes, and at the same time draw inspiration from the beauty of the lake region.
Today, the children compete on equal terms with renowned artists and win prestigious competitions. Including remote ones.(such competitions became popular during the pandemic). They have numerous awards, and the studio's graduates are admitted to the most famous universities of culture and arts in Belarus and Russia.
— My students are just very good, — the studio head modestly dismisses the question about the secret of success. — It's impossible not to win with them. This is what the jury of prestigious international festivals and competitions "Creativity Without Borders" (Minsk), "Journey to the Stars", "MuzStart Fest", "#Children of LightBeviktor#", "ARTheritage" (Moscow), "Scarlet Sails — 2020" (Saint Petersburg) also decided. Our awards are Grand Prix and winner diplomas.
The Chashniki district has not been lacking in talented people in our time either. Today, it is a developed socio-economic center with large enterprises known far beyond its borders. Lukomlskaya GRES, the expanded clay gravel plant, the Krasnaya Zvezda paper mill, dozens of successful representatives of small and medium-sized businesses. And most importantly, it is the people who, with their own hands and minds, continue old traditions and master new ways of creation for the benefit of their native region. They will be discussed.
They Don't Shirk Their Duties
Vyacheslav Shaginov is a unique person. It is incomprehensible to an amateur how an ordinary locksmith, a foreman of a centralized repair shop, can work creatively? With these huge wrenches, which are difficult even to lift. Vyacheslav Anatolyevich laughs:— I've gotten used to them over 30 years; they feel like feathers to me. But seriously, I don't understand how one can work uncreatively. I service the main pumps that supply water to the boiler, which provides steam to the turbine. The pressure in these pumps is 340 kilograms. That is, about 1.2 thousand cubic meters of water pass through the pipeline per hour. Can you imagine the force of the flow? The equipment itself presents tricky problems to solve. So you think: how to do it quickly, efficiently, and cheaply?? It's like a doctor's appointment: you need to make a diagnosis and choose the optimal treatment method. Sometimes these methods differ from generally accepted ones. It happens that there is a simple answer to a complex problem: you just need to look at the situation from a different angle...
Locksmith Vyacheslav Shaginov is a unique person. He works with such huge wrenches at the Lukomlskaya State District Power Plant. He approaches his work creatively. Shaginov is one of the best innovators at the enterprise.During his work at the power plant, Vyacheslav Shaginov made about 40 rationalization proposals (8 in the past year alone). Over 30 have already been implemented in production. What did this give the enterprise? Dmitry Lavrov, an engineer at the production and technical department of the Lukomlskaya GRES, answers the question:
— Vyacheslav Shaginov is one of our best innovators, and in recent years he has consistently taken prize-winning places in all competitions. And his proposals result in increased reliability of equipment operation, reduced labor and material costs for repairs, and improved working conditions for personnel.
Interestingly, Vyacheslav Anatolyevich is a hereditary power engineer. His parents worked at the LGRS for a long time. His father is an Honored Power Engineer of the Republic of Belarus, he was also a fitter, a foreman, spent two years on a business trip to Iraq, and even has a certificate signed by the leadership of the Arab country.
Vyacheslav considers his father his first teacher. And he himself has already managed to become a mentor for dozens of young specialists. He expands his qualifications by performing the duties of a master for the repair of steam and gas turbine equipment, is familiar with the work of leading Russian energy facilities, and was invited to the Belarusian NPP.
— It would be interesting to work in Ostrovets, of course, — Vyacheslav reflects. — But I was born and raised in Chashniki district. Therefore, I consider it my duty to work here. Today, the strategic importance of the Lukomlskaya GRES is not weakening: there must always be a reserve of capacity in the country's energy system. And our plant has been greatly modernized in recent years, it has received a new lease of life. And also — we have a wonderful city. Look at this lake! Like all new
Пейзажи от сердца
…Она стояла и молча плакала — пожилая женщина никак не могла оторвать взгляд от картины. Художник Михаил Байков, чья выставка тогда проходила в Художественном музее Витебска, подошел к посетительнице, чтобы спросить, в чем дело. А та сквозь слезы улыбнулась в ответ: спасибо, что дали надежду.Сегодня чашникский мастер кисти, вспоминая эту историю, не скрывает: тот эпизод стал самой высокой наградой в жизни. Что же так впечатлило незнакомую женщину?
— Это был пейзаж. Я часто использую солнце для выразительности содержания, — рассказывает автор. — Вот и там была изображена темная аллея в сумрачном лесу. Но аллея вела к живописной поляне, на которую сквозь мохнатые лапы елей падали яркие солнечные лучи. Я подметил это здесь, в родном районе, недалеко от Новолукомля. И сам был впечатлен.
Природа словно подводила к жизнеутверждающему выводу: как бы плохо в этой жизни человеку ни было — где-то его обязательно ждет свет. Главное, не сбиваться с пути и продолжать идти вперед.
Не знаю, что тогда было на душе у той женщины, какая беда выбила ее из колеи, но это очень хорошо, что картина помогла, — искусство тоже имеет целебную силу.
Рисовать Михаил Петрович начал еще в раннем детстве. Часами сидел на бер
Fellow townspeople, I am also a fisherman. You cast your fishing rod and admire the outlines of the majestic ship-station adorning the opposite bank. Cool…
Landscapes from the heart
She stood and cried silently – the elderly woman couldn't tear her eyes away from the painting. Artist Mikhail Baykov, whose exhibition was then held at the Vitebsk Art Museum, approached the visitor to ask what was wrong. And she smiled back through tears: thank you for giving me hope.Today, the Chashniki brush master, recalling this story, does not hide: that episode became the highest award in his life. What impressed the stranger so much?
— It was a landscape. I often use the sun for expressiveness of content, — the author says. — And there was a dark alley in a gloomy forest depicted. But the alley led to a picturesque clearing, onto which bright sunbeams fell through the shaggy fir branches. I noticed this here, in my native region, not far from Novolukoml. And I was impressed myself.
Nature seemed to lead to a life-affirming conclusion: no matter how bad things are in this life for a person, somewhere light is waiting for them. The main thing is not to lose your way and keep moving forward.
I don't know what was on that woman's mind then, what trouble knocked her off track, but it's very good that the painting helped – art also has healing power.
Mikhail Petrovich began to draw in early childhood. He sat for hours on the bankalong the local river, he traveled around the district with an easel in his hands. By his final year of school, he had clearly decided on his future profession. He didn't get into university on his first try. He went into the army. He served in the Air Force of the Transcaucasian Military District, in Tbilisi. There, noticing the talented recruit, they found a job to his liking – they sent him to the army headquarters as a cartographer. Security clearance – No. 1. How many airfields, troop positions, and other important objects he depicted is countless. But he also found time for sketches of Georgian landscapes. After demobilization, he entered the art department without any problems.
— I received my diploma, then I worked as a teacher of technical drawing, drawing, and labor in a rural school according to my assignment, our hero recalls. — And ten years ago, I became the director of the Lukoml school, where over 130 children studied then. Now, unfortunately, only primary classes remain – only 8 children. Another 9 children are of preschool age. This is the smallest school-kindergarten in the district.
The director still finds time for art. His students win competitions, and about ten children are already studying painting at universities. Mikhail Baykov is the author of over 300 paintings. Most of them are dedicated to the nature of his native region. His favorite is "Sunflowers," painted in the post-impressionist style based on Van Gogh's works about 30 years ago. It now hangs in his office. And the artist sadly emphasizes: he has repeatedly wanted to repeat something similar, but it doesn't work out – the years push him towards realism, he no longer has that dreamy youthful perception of the world. Although, with his students, Mikhail Petrovich is still on equal footing – it is to him that the children run in search of sympathy, support, and reconciliation. And perhaps, that's how it should be?
Secrets of the Chereyskaya Land
It seems that the planet has stopped and you have stepped out… into the heavens, where the unique vaults of the dome of the semi-ruined church in Belaya Tserkov near Chereya beckon.— You are not the only one surprised by the architect's skill, soand remaining unknown, — notes local librarian by profession and historian and local lore enthusiast by calling Tatyana Kozlovskaya. — Whoever comes here, whoever visits, they all claim: the old church is a rarest architectural monument. Look: with the help of unusual brickwork, the dome seems to soar above the ground and just as surely makes the human soul soar...
Tatyana Mikhailovna is also a unique person. For a quarter of a century, she has been working on the Chereya land, where she came from the Urals. This is the homeland of her father.
— How can one live and not know the history of the region? — the interlocutor wonders. — Especially such a one. Do you know that the famous French poet Oscar Milosz was born here? And that his family lived in the estate of Lev Sapieha? The house built by my father is located next to this estate. Ten meters away is an old linden alley. A little further is a lilac one... Oscar once wrote that when approaching the estate, he could not pass by the lilac alley. The Miloshes were very progressive people — they even had their own hot air balloon, a greenhouse, and 126 varieties of lilac. And during the war, about a thousand Jews were shot here — people also come to the monument to the fallen. So, whether you want to or not, you have to be a tour guide...
Tatyana Kozlovskaya, of course, is modest. The surroundings of Chereya have long become a base for her scientific research. Now she can spend hours talking about the French poet, with whom she maintains constant contact with foreign admirers, and about the versions of the construction year of that very White Church. She studies, analyzes, seeks justifications, and draws conclusions. A person so passionate about history and local lore that she cannot even draw a clear line between familyand work, and her hobby. It's just that all of this is her indivisible life.
— Recently, with the help of enthusiasts, we released another video about Chereya, first mentioned in 1066. For those who have long left their hometowns. You can't imagine how many responses we got! — the librarian rejoices. — Before the war, over 3,000 people lived in the town, which was once the center of the district. Now there are only 300... Former natives, their descendants are very interested in seeing how the surroundings are changing. They ask for more...
The villagers help Tatyana Mikhailovna collect old photographs, memories, and other exhibits. For example, a plywood suitcase with combat awards and letters from Senior Sergeant Ivan Soldatenko, who died on the front line, is carefully kept in the library now — they were handed over by relatives. And here are the notes of the legendary General, Hero of the Soviet Union Evgeny Ivanovsky: "Flying over Chereya, I always wave my wing..." — his homeland, by the way, is also here.
A French Accent
Dreamed of experiencing haute cuisine and trying French delicacies? In the Chashniki district — it's easy. Want cordon bleu, quiche lorraine, béchamel sauce, or chocolate fondant? No problem — a renowned French restaurateur who moved to the village of Strazhevichi six years ago loves guests.Meet Monsieur Boris Boignard. He was drawn to the Belarusian hinterland by a great love. He met his future wife, Oksana, in Belgium, where bothcame to visit friends. And after some time, Boris was already packing his things to move.
Oksana worked in Vitebsk, but her chosen one dreamed of living in nature. He bought an old estate in the Chashniksky district and acquired a household. The few local residents initially considered him an eccentric, but then they began to adopt European agricultural experience — the Frenchman developed a large household plot (Vietnamese pigs, chickens, geese, ducks, goats), prepared garden beds in a special way, and brought foreign seeds. Language barrier? No, it doesn't exist, smiles Boris, with whom we communicate through a translator.
— The villagers and I somehow easily understand each other. They speak Russian, I speak French. And everything is fine, — the hero claims. — Admittedly, my neighbors don't like everything from French cuisine…
The restaurateur says: he once decided to host a friendly dinner. He put escargots baked with butter, garlic, parsley, and almond crumbs on the table — finger-licking good! To withstand all the nuances of the complex technology, the preparation of the French delicacy from Belarusian raw materials takes about a month. But the guests were very skeptical about this dish, preferring confectionery delights.
Nevertheless, they now collect snails and bring them to their foreign neighbor — he will find them useful. Boris is often invited to cook at dinner parties, banquets, and he gives master classes in the most popular restaurants in Minsk and Vitebsk. And his connoisseurs highly value his snails.
— Recently, they called from Nesvizh asking for the snail recipe. Of course, I don't mind — enjoy. I only fear one thing: Belarusian colleagues often "unify" my recipes to put them into mass production.dish, speed up its preparation. And this is an author's method, tested and refined to the smallest detail. Any deviation means a loss of quality. Then they will say that the recipe is "from Boris" – not respectable...
The fact that the newcomer is an exceptionally creative person is evidenced by the facts: Boris Buanyar willingly participates in all holidays, festivals, and competitions. He never tires of admiring Belarusian nature, travels by bicycle around local lakes, and has already developed a whole series of tourist routes for his foreign friends who are eager to visit. Recently, Boris bought out the building of a former shop and acquired a vacant residential building in Strazhevichi – he plans to open an agro-estate with a culinary twist. He will hold master classes here for everyone who wishes, and at the same time draw inspiration from the beauty of the lake region.
We Grow Talents Ourselves
What ringing voices! Young artists from the vocal exemplary studio "DoMiSolka" of the Chashniki District Center for Children and Youth conquer with their sincerity and skill. For 17 years now, the studio has been led by a young and talented teacher, Yulia Zinkevich – a primary school teacher and psychologist by diploma. Without specialized higher musical education, she managed to open the way to international success for the group, which now involves over fifty children.Today, the children compete on equal terms with renowned artists and win prestigious competitions. Including remote ones.(such competitions became popular during the pandemic). They have numerous awards, and the studio's graduates are admitted to the most famous universities of culture and arts in Belarus and Russia.
— My students are just very good, — the studio head modestly dismisses the question about the secret of success. — It's impossible not to win with them. This is what the jury of prestigious international festivals and competitions "Creativity Without Borders" (Minsk), "Journey to the Stars", "MuzStart Fest", "#Children of LightBeviktor#", "ARTheritage" (Moscow), "Scarlet Sails — 2020" (Saint Petersburg) also decided. Our awards are Grand Prix and winner diplomas.