Knowledge of modern man about the events that took place several centuries ago, consists mainly of information that has come down to us from written sources, oral stories, and research conducted by archaeologists. In the latter case, even the discovery of well-preserved old household utensils or tools is considered a great success. And when you manage to stumble upon an entire medieval city, such a find usually becomes sensational.
In the late 1960s, such luck smiled on the group of Professor P. Lysenko. She managed to find a citadel of the settlement Berestye. The museum, which exhibits finds made by Belarusian archaeologists, was opened in 1972. Here you can see some of the discovered residential buildings. Today, everyone who comes to Brest can visit it.
Some information about the settlement of Berestye
The museum is dedicated to the medieval settlement, which in the following centuries turned into the city of Brest. More precisely, his brainchild - the inner city fortification. In 1969-1981 in the territoryThe staff of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Byelorussian SSR carried out archaeological excavations on the hospital island of the Brest Fortress. They discovered dozens of wooden buildings of the 11th-13th centuries, as well as fences, street pavements, objects of material culture of this period.
Studies have shown that this is a citadel of the Barestye settlement, which was founded by representatives of the Dregovichi tribe, and later was an ancient Russian trading center on the border with Poland and Lithuania. Excavations continued in 1988. Their total area was 1800 square meters. m. The discovered citadel was unique in that all the buildings were preserved quite well. They were concentrated in a relatively small area. These circumstances made it possible to create a unique museum. It is located next to the famous memorial complex. And his visit is often included in the program of organized excursions to the city of Brest.
Berestie (museum): building
In the conditions of the climate of the Brest region, there was no question of organizing an open-air archaeological museum. Therefore, a pavilion was built over the excavation site made of glass, concrete and anodized aluminum. Its area was 2400 square meters. The outline of the building resembles an ancient dwelling. It has a gable ceiling with a skylight in the center. At the same time, the building looks quite modern. It is of interest to connoisseurs of constructivist architecture.
Excavation description
Archaeological MuseumBerestye is unique in that you can see 28 perfectly preserved residential and outbuildings there. They are located at a depth of 4 meters in the center of the pavilion and are illuminated by a powerful lantern fixed under the roof. According to scientists, this part of the Berestye citadel in the Middle Ages was a handicraft quarter. In addition to buildings, a palisade, 2 street pavements and the remains of adobe ovens have been preserved there.
As a result of the excavations, the original layout of the ancient citadel of the ancient settlement of Berestye was revealed. It turned out that his dwellings adjoined the streets with blank walls. They were built in 3 rows with a distance of 40-60 cm from each other. They were ground, square, single-chamber structures, cut down from round logs of coniferous trees. At the same time, doorways were cut through at a certain height from the floor, and windows - almost under the roof. The foundations of the houses were the lining or the remains of more ancient buildings. Their roofs were 2-pitched, covered with chipped boards.
Exposure
By visiting the Berestye museum in Brest, you can see about 1,200 items related to the origin and history of the ancient city, its planning and development, non-ferrous metal processing, iron-working, bone-cutting and leather crafts, weaving and spinning, as well as woodworking and pottery. There you can also see exhibits representing the reconstruction of the dwelling of a city dweller, tools for animal husbandry, agriculture, fishing and hunting. The Berestye Museum also offers an acquaintance with a unique collection of various lockingdevices: locks, keys, spring shackles and internal locks. The real pearl of the exposition are razors - the rarest finds made of ferrous metal.
How to get there?
If you want to go to Berestye (the museum is located on the territory of the Hospital Island of the Brest Fortress), you can do it in different ways:
- From the bus station, the easiest way to get there is by minibus number 5. She enters the fortress from the North Gate. You can also get to the Brest Fortress by bus number 5 (stop "Museum of Railway Engineering") and then go to Hospital Island.
- From the railway station by public transport to the museum area will not work. For this reason, you will either have to take a taxi or walk about 3 kilometers on foot. First you will need to cross the pedestrian bridge, then turn right to the street. Lenin. Then go to the intersection with Gogol Street and past the Brestsky sports complex to the Museum of Railway Engineering. Directly behind it is the main entrance to the Brest Fortress, on the territory of which the museum is located.
Opening hours and ticket prices
From March 1 to October 1, the Berestye Museum can be visited on any day of the week from 10.00 to 18.00. In the remaining months of the year, its working hours change: on Monday and Tuesday there are days off. Opening hours during the autumn-winter period: from 10.00 to 17.00.
Ticket price for an adult - 2, 2 Bel. rub, schoolchildren - 1, 1 Bel. rub, university student ora student of a vocational school and a technical school - 1.5 Bel. rub. If you translate into Russian rubles, you get 70, 35 and 48 rubles. respectively. For children under 7 years old, veterans and conscripts, admission to the museum is free.
You can order group, thematic and family excursions in Berestye. The following services are also offered: costume photography, participation in the game "Sharpshooter", video and photography, quest tour, etc.
Archaeological Museum Berestye: reviews
You can hear different opinions about this attraction from tourists. Many reviews recommend that when visiting the museum, be sure to book an excursion to find out information about the purpose of the excavated wooden buildings. Among the positive aspects of the exposition, visitors note the presence of a large number of interesting artifacts found during archaeological excavations. And from the negative - the cold in the rooms in the winter. This is partly due to the need to comply with the special temperature regime of preservation.
Now you know where the Berestye Archaeological Museum is located. Brest is a city where there is no shortage of interesting sights. And each of them deserves the attention of travelers who want to learn more about the history and culture of the Republic of Belarus.
