Sisters in the Glubokoye district are restoring their ancestral estate and chronicling an unusual dynasty

A small house in a farmstead near the village of Prozorki in the Gluboksky district is unremarkable at first glance. A typical scene for the Vitebsk hinterland: a neat building, a beautiful flower garden nearby, a well-kept vegetable garden and orchard. However, this place is apparently truly special. It's no wonder that relatives from one very large and friendly family come from different corners of Belarus, Russia, Poland, and even France.

Holidays, weekends, vacations – all are an occasion for the ten brothers and sisters – Iosif, Alina, Regina, Maria, Sofia, Leonid, Alfreda, Viktor, Vera, Alexander – to come to their parental home with their children and grandchildren. They work together, relax together, have fun, and in difficult times, they support each other and share sorrows and worries.

– Our large family is united by love and care for each other, and kindness. Mutual understanding brings us together. We are always together in joy and sorrow. A single whole. A family. This is our strength, – says Alina Sobachevskaya, the eldest of the Furs sisters. – After our mother Vaclava Adolfovna and father Viktor Vasilievich passed away, we decided to preserve our farmstead, our native corner. We didn't sell the house, but made it a place where we constantly meet, as life has scattered us across different cities and even countries.

Alina Viktorovna lives in Prozorki, works as a librarian, and carefully preserves all family relics – photographs, documents, certificates, diplomas, and, most importantly, items made by her mother and other relatives. One of the most valuable items in the collection is a seven-string guitar that Vaclava Adolfovna played.

– Mom was very creative: she painted beautifully, played the guitar, and sang wonderfully, especially romances. She was also a jack-of-all-trades: she knitted, wove, sewed, and embroidered, – the woman recalls, and also admits that many of these talents were passed on to one of her younger sisters, Maria. – Our Marika sews wonderful dolls, each with its own character and mood.

Maria, like Alina, often visits her native farmstead. She lives in Novopolotsk, worked at JSC "Polotsk-Steklovolokno" before retiring, and now, together with her husband, maintains order in the ancestral estate. If something large-scale needs to be done, for example, to patch the roof or repair a building, everyone gathers at her first call for help.

The Furs family estate in a farmstead in the Gluboksky district is also open to all relatives; they warmly welcome cousins from Poland – Teresa and Sabina, and even a distant relative from France came to visit.

Over time, a "family tree" has grown in the house, where brothers and sisters come with their families: the roots are the parents Vaclav and Viktor Furs, who became a strong foundation for each of their ten children and the young generation in the form of grandchildren, and the very green leaves – great-grandchildren.

Sisters Maria and Alina also keep the family chronicle. Several large folders with memories and photographs have already been accumulated. The first chapter is dedicated to the parents, followed by short stories-characteristics of each representative of the family, their children and grandchildren. Thanks to this family collection, we get acquainted with this amazing family.

The eldest, Iosif, lives and works in the Mogilev region; he and his wife run a large farm, so they don't visit as often as relatives would like, but they always keep in touch. Next in age is Alina; she is rightfully considered the elder of the family; she has become a second mother to everyone – she cares, worries, and looks after everyone. Regina is the "family lawyer"; they turn to her for disputed issues. Like her older brother, she lives in Mogilev, but comes to the farmstead for vacation every year. Sofia flew farthest from her native nest; she and her husband and two sons are now in Vologda, and she doesn't often visit her homeland, but she is constantly in contact with her brothers and sisters. Another of the Furs men – Leonid – lived and worked in Prozorki, investing a lot of effort in restoring the estate. He recently passed away, and the family is deeply grieving this loss.

Alfred, one of the younger sisters, was led by life's path to the village of Babinichi in the Vitebsk region, but a close connection with her father's

remains. Her efforts on the farm have resulted in a renovated garden, where apple, cherry, raspberry, and blackberry saplings planted by Alfreda and her family are growing. Viktor is the most cheerful; his relatives believe it's because he was born on December 31st, just before the New Year, making him a "holiday person." He lives in the same village as his older brother, Iosif.

The younger members of the Furs family, Vera and Alexander, are everyone's favorites and remained under their parents' care the longest. Vera now lives in Vitebsk, works as an accountant, and often calls her relatives. Sasha is called the "family businessman"; he has his own business in Vitebsk. He visits his native Prozorki with his children and wife to relax and unwind from his work.

– With age, the need for communication with loved ones becomes more acute. It's fashionable now to turn farmsteads into agro-tourism estates, but we all decided that this corner is needed for ourselves. We want to and love to meet, and we couldn't find a better place for it than our parents' home, – believes Maria.

Natalia Kamleva. Photos by Dmitry OSIPOV, "Vitebskiye Vesti".