Belarus Photography - M1key - Michal Huniewicz

I went to Belarus to have a look at the village where my grandma grew up, and was kicked out from by the Soviets in mid 1940s, to move to Morąg. Her village was part of Poland before WW2, but became part of the USSR after the war. Morąg was part of Germany before WW2, but became part of Poland after the war. If you liked this gallery, you can follow me on Twitter or Facebook, much appreciated. Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Uploaded on: 2015-10-18.

Welcome to Belarus

Welcome to Belarus Welcome to Belarus! This is Lida Castle, originally erected to protect against the crusading Teutonic Order. Despite being protected by two rivers, the castle was taken over several times. [ 1 ISO 200, 36mm, f/2.8, 1/2000s.

Ksenia

Ksenia Here's a rogue I found in the castle, just when the local peasants were about to throw rotten tomatoes at her. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/640s.

Helmet

Helmet After freeing her, I felt obliged to purchase armour for her in order for her to survive the journey. We left the peasants' bodies where they lay. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/160s.

Grodno

Grodno This is the city of Grodno, where my grandmother went to school (it was still part of Poland then). Unbelievably, it has over 300,000 inhabitants [ 2 ], but feels like there are about 50,000. ISO 200, 44mm, f/3.2, 1/2500s.

Red

Red Belarus is often referred to as the last dictatorship in Europe. They never renounced Communism, their KGB is still called KGB (the Russians renamed it to FSB), and a pig farmer named Lukashenko is their eternal president. Red is still in fashion. ISO 200, 70mm, f/8.0, 1/250s.

Red

Red It might be a dictatorship, but unlike in Russia, driving culture is excellent; unlike Ukraine, it's peaceful and safe; and unlike Poland, it's clean. ISO 200, 48mm, f/8.0, 1/320s.

Neman

Neman This is river Neman - or Niemen in Polish. The river is culturally important in that part of Europe, and was even featured on the Lithuanian 500 litas banknote. [ 3 ] I remember it from school - the too boring to read novel entitled Nad Niemnem. ISO 200, 24mm, f/5.6, 1/60s.

New Castle in Grodno

New Castle in Grodno The so called New Castle is a royal palace of Augustus III of Poland and Stanisław August Poniatowski. [ 4 ISO 200, 52mm, f/4.5, 1/125s.

Vintage

Vintage Vintage vehicle in Grodno. ISO 500, 42mm, f/4.5, 1/40s.

Ksenia Looking at Kolozha Church

Ksenia Looking at Kolozha Church Ksenia looking at Kolozha Church. ISO 200, 52mm, f/8.0, 1/1600s.

Great Synagogue

Great Synagogue The beautiful, if cluttered, Great Synagogue. After the Jewish community was destroyed by the Nazis, the Soviets closed the synagogue down. It was returned to the Jewish community in 1991. [ 5 ISO 320, 24mm, f/5.6, 1/40s.

Synagogue Windows

Synagogue Windows The synagogue boasts an interesting, neo-Moorish style. ISO 200, 38mm, f/5.6, 1/320s.

Windows

Windows Grodno Old Town. ISO 200, 24mm, f/5.6, 1/1250s.

Bridge

Bridge I thought this was photogenic enough. Five seconds after I started shooting someone was yelling at me through a megaphone, which Ksenia kindly translated as "stop taking pictures!" ISO 200, 70mm, f/5.6, 1/2500s.

Brest Train Station

Brest Train Station Brest train station. ISO 200, 24mm, f/8.0, 1/800s.

Białowieża Forest

Białowieża Forest Belovezhskaya Pushcha is what remains of a primeval forest that once stretched across the European plain. ISO 200, 24mm, f/8.0, 1/80s.

Swamp

Swamp It's partially in Poland, partially in Belarus, but to visit it (and effectively cross the border), you don't need a passport. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/400s.

Marsh

Marsh I just couldn't decide, which photo I liked more, but it's my website, so... Incredibly, there are turtles here living in the wild. Turtles in Poland and Belarus - who would have thunk? ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/400s.

Grass

Grass We met two Polish drunks, who had come to kill a bison, which is supposedly much cheaper in Belarus. I tried to find out what's so cool about killing an animal, but they were unable to answer cohesively. ISO 200, 35mm, f/8.0, 1/60s.

Ksenia and a Tree

Ksenia and a Tree Ksenia and a tree. ISO 200, 48mm, f/2.8, 1/8000s.

Chicks with Guns

Chicks with Guns "Aim at Stalin!" ISO 560, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/40s.

Brest Church

Brest Church Church in Brest. My theory is that you only see this type of green in post-Soviet republics. ISO 200, 35mm, f/8.0, 1/2000s.

Babushka Ksenia

Babushka Ksenia Ksenia in an Orthodox Christian church. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/60s.

Józef Malinowski

Józef Malinowski Finally, we visited the village my grandmother is from - Krzemienica, now known as Kramianica. My dad gave me a few photos with places to find. ISO 200, 35mm, f/8.0, 1/640s.

Chapel

Chapel I don't think this has ever been a bustling village, but now mostly old people live there, and most inhabitants dwell here, in the cemetery. Polish names are gradually replaced by Belarussian. ISO 200, 28mm, f/8.0, 1/640s.

Maciej Kowalewicz

Maciej Kowalewicz My grandmother must have known some of those people, but she can't remember. ISO 200, 36mm, f/8.0, 1/200s.

Church

Church We spoke to the local priest (who lives with his bonsai dog - I think a Yorkshire terrier), but we failed to find any records on my family, as most of them have been lost or destroyed during or after the war. There were documents kept in the nearby settlement of Zel'va (Zelwa), but they perished in fire. ISO 200, 24mm, f/8.0, 1/800s.

Cemetery Hill

Cemetery Hill During WW2, my grandmother met here Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus, a Nazi general, whose army was eventually defeated at Stalingrad, which was the turning point of the war. He was one of the Nazis that said "I'm sorry". My grandma says he was very polite. ISO 200, 24mm, f/8.0, 1/250s.

School

School School building and a WW2 memorial. ISO 200, 31mm, f/8.0, 1/800s.

Where My Grandma's House Used to Be

Where My Grandma's House Used to Be Ksenia got this woman and her daughter to help us locate the house of my grandma. ISO 200, 24mm, f/8.0, 1/640s.

Into the Bushes

Into the Bushes We only had some photos from before the war to help them identify the building. ISO 200, 24mm, f/8.0, 1/250s.

Foundations

Foundations After my family moved out, the house was a surgery for several decades - my great grandfather had some medical training, and lots of practice (two world wars). It was demolished in the 90s. ISO 200, 24mm, f/8.0, 1/320s.

Garden

Garden What used to be a garden is now a small jungle. In the black and white photo, on the left, my grandmother. ISO 200, 24mm, f/8.0, 1/500s.

Tree

Tree The woman reckoned this was one of the original trees that had been planted more than 7 decades ago. ISO 200, 24mm, f/8.0, 1/60s.

Thank You