Rejtan Manor in Hrushevka, Belarus, is a valuable architectural monument and an example of traditional wooden construction popular in the area. Buildings of this type were burnt down during both world wars, destroyed during the Soviet era or, at best, unrepaired and slowly devastated after 1945. Rejtan Manor, however, was very lucky. Despite its deplorable condition, the work of restoration was undertaken a few years ago. The effect is amazing, and it is not over yet
Built by Jozef Rejtan, the stone manor house originally had classicist features, but at the end of the 19th century, a new wooden building was erected on the old foundation and given the then fashionable features of spa architecture. The body and façade were enriched with various elements such as a large balcony above the entrance or carpentry ornaments on the gables
Rejtan Mansion today. Photo Peisatai, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The estate was a cultural and economic centre known in the whole area. Balls were held in the manor house, the distillery produced delicious pear liqueur, and exotic flowers could be seen in the greenhouse. Only the red-brick stables and the icehouse built of stone have survived to this day. In the First Republic Hruszówka was located in the Novogrudok voivodeship. The estate had been in the hands of the Rejtans, a family of German origin, since the mid-17th century. In 1910, after the death of the last descendant of the family – Jozef Rejtan, the remaining landed property was divided. After the Treaty of Riga, Hruszówka found itself on the Polish side of the border and became part of the reactivated Novogrodek voivodship
The manor house before and after renovation. Photo Арцём Аблажэй, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons and bar24.by
After World War II, Hruszówka found itself outside of Poland. Rejtan’s land and all properties were handed over to the kolkhoz. At first the manor house was used for flats, later for a country club. Years of neglect led the manor and nearby buildings to ruin, Until recently, the property was still haunted by boarded-up windows and a condition indicating that it would share the fate of many other such buildings and disappear irrevocably from the map of Belarus. In June 2019, however, restoration work began. The plans are grand: to create a museum there, as well as a centre for creativity and workshops. The roof has already been replaced, the balcony rebuilt, new window and door joinery put in, the façade refreshed and missing carpentry elements completed. From the outside, the mansion has been practically restored to its former glory, but work is still ongoing inside
The most famous representative of the family, Tadeusz Rejtan (1742-1780), a famous member of the Novogrudok voivodship at the Partition Sejm of 1773, was born and died in Hruszówka. In the 1860s, Tadeusz Rejtan’s cousin’s grandson, Stefan Rejtan, erected a monument to him. The bust was later moved to the National Museum in Krakow. In 2007, a faithful copy of the monument was unveiled in its original location
Source: bar24.by
Read also: Architecture | Metamorphosis | Renovation | Monument | History | Villas and residences | Wood
