The preservation of historical and cultural heritage is a paramount concern for authorities and the public.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, in particular, noted that Glubokoye is a unique region of the Vitebsk region where large-scale and multi-vector work is being carried out to preserve historical and cultural values. Thanks to the coordinated, competent actions of the district leadership, specialists of relevant services, economic entities, the deputy corps, public activists and the clergy, a great deal has been done here.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Glubokoye District Executive Committee Oleg Morkhat, the Chairman of the Glubokoye District Council of Deputies Galina Vunukovich, the Head of the Main Department of Ideological Work, Culture and Youth Affairs of the Regional Executive Committee Gennady Egorov, and the Chairman of the Committee for Labor, Employment and Social Protection of the Regional Executive Committee Alexander Khristoforov.

The program of the off-site meeting was substantive, rich and extremely useful in terms of enriching with necessary knowledge and gaining invaluable experience developed in the Glubokoye region. And one of the destinations where the participants of the off-site meeting immediately headed was the agro-town of Prozorki — the birthplace of the founder of the Belarusian national theater Ignat Buinitsky, whose 155th birthday we celebrate this year. The place is truly unique both in its historical component and in the content of everything that has been done here in the field of revival, preservation and replenishment of historical heritage.

Prozorki is not just an ordinary settlement. Today, we can confidently speak about the formation of a unique historical and cultural center in this area. And it was created with the direct support of the district

authorities, through the efforts of creative, extraordinary people with untamed energy, sincere, devoted patriots of their native land. Speaking of such people, first of all, I mean the director of the local school, deputy of the regional Council of Deputies for the Podsvilsky Electoral District No. 8, **Volha Ginko**, chairperson of the Prozrotski rural Council of Deputies, **Inesa Mikhailovskaya**. It is they who are the initiators of all good deeds aimed at glorifying Prozrochchyna and popularizing its historical and cultural heritage.

The residents of Prozory, and with them the artists of the folk folklore theater "Tereshka", met the participants of the field meeting on the wide square in front of the church and the rural House of Culture. Flowers, welcoming songs, a каравай — all for dear guests! Not without pride for their native Prozrochchyna, the chairperson of the rural Council of Deputies, Inesa Mikhailovskaya, spoke about the glorious history of the region, about its famous people, and the heritage that is highly valued by the local residents. Among the objects included in the State List of Historical and Cultural Values of the Republic of Belarus, located on the territory of the Prozrotski village council: the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Prozory, the Church of St. Paraskeva Pyatnitsa in Chernevichi, a tombstone monument to I. Buinitsky, a burial mound of the early Middle Ages.

Inesa Mikhailovskaya also spoke about the system developed in the Glyboksky district for maintaining order on the land and improving rural settlements by holding field meetings of the district executive committee and village festivals. When preparing these events, the teams of enterprises and organizations of the city carry out the instructions of the chairman of the district executive committee, **Oleg Morhat**, and the chairperson of the district Council of Deputies, Galina Unukovich, and help the local residents in improving streets and homesteads. The speaker also recalled how, thanks to the efforts of the district and regional authorities and the help of our deputy, the Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, **Vladimir Andreichenko**, a modern building of the rural House of Culture in Chernevichi was opened last year. And this is not just a fact, today in

creative associations of talented people operate in the cultural institution, which care about the preservation of cultural heritage.

Then, the participants of the meeting visited the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, paid tribute to the memory of those who died during the Great Patriotic War and to the memory of Ignat Buyanitsky, and laid flowers at the monuments.

A separate object of the visit was the Prozorok Children's Garden-Secondary School, the team of which is headed by an outstanding teacher, organizer, ardent local historian and creator, deputy of the regional Council of Deputies Olga Ginko. The time spent at the school, according to many participants of the field meeting, enriched not so much with the knowledge of new and interesting facts about the history of the region, but rather strengthened, multiplied spiritual forces, and gave a lot of warmth and joy. Olga Dmitrievna, with her colleagues-teachers and students, literally conquered everyone with sincerity, generosity, tireless energy, and boundless love for her native land, for the noble cause of preserving and multiplying historical and cultural heritage. A school of spirituality and national identity truly opened up before the guests. Everyone spoke about the coherent system of work in this direction: from the director to the first-grader.

Stepping onto the "wish mat," the guests found themselves in an atmosphere of spiritual warmth, tenderness, and respect, in an environment where traditions are sacredly preserved. In the "Uncle Ignat's" living room, national cuisine dishes were presented. During the excursion around the school, guests heard an encyclopedic account of the chronicle history of the school and Prozorok, and the current vibrant activities of school children's public associations, clubs, and circles. And, of course, the most important object in the presentation was the I. Buyanitsky school museum. Olga Dmitrievna conquered with a sincere confession (she read her essay) of love for her school family. According to tradition, the guests were bid farewell in a garden of sensations and scents. And indeed, each participant of the meeting felt with their heart, truly became convinced how in Glubokoe region, in Prozoroki, they care about and cherish the preservation of historical and cultural heritage, how they instill in children a love for the history of their Motherland.

The plenary session of the Presidium of the Regional Council of Deputies was held in Glubokoye, in the assembly hall of Secondary School No. 1 named after P. Sukhoi. Vladimir Terentyev opened it. Gennady Egorov delivered a report on the topic submitted for discussion. He focused the attention of those present on the most pressing issues of the implementation of the Law "On the Protection of Historical and Cultural Heritage in the Republic of Belarus", in particular, on carrying out protection measures, placing protective signs on monuments, compiling passports, creating protection zones for objects of historical and cultural heritage, carrying out restoration and reconstruction work, and others.

In her report, Galina Unukovich described in detail the system of work in the district to preserve historical and cultural values. Having characterized in general terms the objects included in the State List of Historical and Cultural Heritage, Galina Vladimirovna spoke about what has been and is being done in Glubokoye for the research and preservation of historical heritage, about the work of the district coordination council for the protection of historical and cultural heritage, providing practical assistance to economic entities that own historical values, voiced a number of problems and ways to solve them in the future, and separately dwelled on the popularization of historical and cultural heritage through the organization of excursions, holding events, and implementing interesting projects. Confirmation of these words was the performance of the participants of the fashion theater "Alice" of the Center for Children and Youth of the Glubokoye district with the demonstration of two clothing collections: "Pearls of the Glubokoye Region" with images of the most famous places in the region and "Native Images" based on the works of Jazep Drozdovich.

Tatyana Tarasevich, head of the department of ideological work, culture and youth affairs of the district executive committee, reported on the popularization of objects of historical and cultural heritage, participation in international programs and projects within the framework of cross-border cooperation of the Euroregion "Lake Land". The speech of Svetlana Barankovskaya, chairperson of the Vitebsk regional organization of the Belarusian Union of Artists, was dedicated to the activities of artists of the Vitebsk region in preserving cultural heritage.

In Hlybokaye, participants of the field meeting of the Presidium of the Regional Council of Deputies visited the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Trinity Church, inspected buildings erected in the late 19th – early 20th centuries, and visited an exhibition by artist F. Yastreb, located in the district historical and ethnographic museum. The field meeting concluded with an introduction to the system of work on preserving historical and cultural heritage sites in the Plissa rural council. Representatives of the region's deputy corps also visited the new sanatorium and resort complex "Plissa". This modern facility, recently commissioned, is a vivid example of how our historical heritage is successfully popularized through the implementation of an investment project.

Anatol ZINKEVICH. Photos by Varvara VAYAVODOVA.