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Grodno museum to recreate a day in a 12th-century city

GRODNO, 4 September (BelTA) - Grodno Regional Historical and Archaeological Museum promises a journey back to the 12th century on 12 September. An event titled One Day in the Life of the City will immerse guests in the atmosphere of the Grodno Principality, BelTA learned from the museum.

“The program includes medieval reenactments, games, and dances performed by a knightly club and the folk studio Ladies of the Heart from Lida. These performances will create a special historical atmosphere at the start of the event,” said Maria Usmanova, head of the museum’s scientific and educational department. “For those who wish to delve deeper into history, the organizers have prepared another part of the program. The finds discovered by the archaeologists on the grounds of the New Castle during this summer’s digs, during which they uncovered the foundation of a 12th-century church, will be put on display in the courtyard of the castle. Specialists will tell visitors about the history of the Grodno Principality and the architectural school of that era, of which Saints Boris and Gleb (Kolozha) Church is a surviving example. A dedicated Experimental Archaeology zone will reveal the secrets of professional archaeological work.”

The highlight of the day will be a rare opportunity to see the Lower Church, the oldest known Christian church in Grodno, whose construction is tentatively dated to 1116–1141. Its ruins are preserved and closed to visitors. However, the museum has made an exception for One Day in the Life of the City. Guests who book the excursion will be able to literally immerse themselves in history. All existing fragments of the church have been preserved in their original state, exactly as they were discovered by archaeologists nearly a hundred years ago, in the early 1930s. Full-scale restoration and museumification are planned as part of the third phase of restoration work on the grounds of the Old Castle.

Guests will be offered interactive activities: workshops in leatherworking and a workshop from the museum's restoration specialists.

As Maria Usmanova explained, the One Day in the Life of the City event is held annually and is dedicated to different historical eras. The museum has already “transported” its participants to the times of Stephen Bathory and Tyzenhaus; last year featured the 15th century, the era of Vitaut, the Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Litva (Lithuania).

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