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--Our town-- --Straw Braiding-- --Ceramics-- --Sloik-- --Sparish-- --Clay toy-- --Straw Dresses--

Volkovysk is a small and cosy town on the west of the Republic of Belarus. There are 271 km between Volkovysk and Minsk, the capital of our state. Look at the map of Belarus. You can find our town not far from the border of Poland (the city of Belastok in Poland is about 97 km from our town).

Volkovysk is an ancient town, one of the oldest towns in our country. It was first mentioned in Turovsk manuscript in 1005 as a fortress on the banks of the river Volkoviya. Volkovysk was situated on the waterway, which linked the Dniper with the Western Dvina and the Neman and followed to the Baltic Sea. Because of such an advantageous geographical location our town was growing and developing rapidly.

At the beginning of the 13th century Volkovysk was a part of the principality of Polatsk. At the end of the century it became the part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Belarus. Volkovysk was a town of merchants and craftmen, who were making weapon, clothes and footwear, crockery, wine and beer. In 1503 our town received the law for self-government. There was even a period in the history of Volkovysk when it became a place for Grand Duchy's ambassadors and senators to meet.

From the end of the 16th century Volkovysk was a part of Commonwealth. The most difficult time for the town began in the 17th century when Belarus became the area of many wars and battles. A lot of settlements and cities were ruined and burned at that time. Volkovysk suffered greatly, too. Only 362 houses and 2,127 people remained in it at the end of the 18th century.

After the 3d division of Commonwealth Belarus appeared in the territory of Russian Empire and soon became the place of a new war, between Russia and Napoleonic France. As it was many times before, Volkovysk was occupied and ruined. All the 19th century the industrious inhabitants of Volkovysk were rebuilding their town. Till the end of the century Volkovysk had transformed into a town with clean streets, big railway station and 22 small factories. But new century brought new difficulties and tests for the town and its inhabitants. They went though 3 revolutions, 2 world wars, Polish and German occupation, but remained firm and powerful.

They rebuilt their town even after the 2nd world war, when it had been ruined almost completely and the majority of its population were killed by German fascists. They gave a new life for an old town, their native town.

Today Volkovysk is a small but very beautiful and cosy town. It is the centre of a district, which population is about 47,000 people. Our town is growing rapidly. A lot of modern buildings, houses, offices and shops has appeared in Volkovysk last years. There are 18 industrial enterprises in Volkovysk district today. They produce food, building materials, tools and other goods. Some of them enjoy a high reputation both in our country and abroad. There are 8 secondary school, 3 colleges, music scools, 2 sports schools, many kindergardens, libraries, clubs, a museum in our town.

Last years Volkovysk is known in the world as a place where European championships on motocross take place.

But the main wealth of our town is its inhabitants, simple, industrious and kind people. We invite everybody to visit our city, to enjoy its beauty, to feel the warmth and hospitality of its inhabitants.

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Straw braiding is a kind of folk decorative applied art, which was known in all European countries in early times. It was wide spread in Belarus, too. For braiding people used only rye straw with long, thin and straight stalk, which had been reaped and threshed by hand. They were soaking dry straw in water to do it soft and elastic. For braiding they used all the stalk or straw ribbon. There were several technologies of straw braiding: spiral or straight braiding, flat or volumetric braiding. More spread in Belarus was the technology of spiral braiding of straw straps, switches, roots and flax threads. They made large and small straw boxes, baskets and other things. Straw plastic art was a kind of straw braiding. They made toy animals, birds, people of straw bunches to use them in family rituals.

Our forbears usually presented two toy to newly married couple with hope their future life would be happy. Wedding big loaf was also decorated by a figure of straw goat. Straw birds were used to decorate houses during Christmas time.

Last years-straw things (toys, caskets, decorative marks) are very popular in Belarus. They are used as traditional Belarussian souvenirs.

Alina Dubrovskaya, 8 grade, Volkovysk, Belarus

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Ceramics is also traditional Belarussian souvenir. Belarusians made clay plates and dishes, jugs, flowerpots, toys from old times(Even our native town Volkovysk was wide known in the country of its good potters.)

Potter's industry in Belarus achieved the best results in the end of 19 century. In 1930-s there were 40 main potters in our country.

Alina Dubrovskaya, 8 grade, Volkovysk, Belarus

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	Clay jug (sloik) - is a high earthenware crockery with bulging or strait sides and wide neck. It may have one or two lugs. It's capacity is from 0,5 to 50 litres. Clay jugs were used in Belarus for salting cucumbers, mushrooms, cabbage, for soaking apples. Jugs of small and middle size were used to save honey, fat, soured cream, jam and other food.

Alina Dubrovskaya, 8 grade, Volkovysk, Belarus

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Double-pot (parnik, sparish) - is an earthenware crockery which consists of two or three pots (or salt-cellers sometimes) of the same or different size. They are joined with a lug. Pots often have covers. Such double-pots were used by farmers to bring food to the field during harvest time.

Alina Dubrovskaya, 8 grade, Volkovysk, Belarus

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Clay toy - is one of the oldest toys on the territory of Belarus. It is known from the New Stone Age. Clay penny whistle is a very old kind of toy. In ancient times those toys were used to drive of evil ghosts. Clay figures of people or animals were symbols of ancestors. It was thought they could influence on family happiness. Mass manufacture of clay toys in Belarusian cities Grodno, Volkovysk, Mogilev, Mstislav began in the 11-13th centuries. Traditionally clay toys were covered by green, yellow or brown glaze.

Alina Dubrovskaya, 8 grade, Volkovysk, Belarus

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Straw Dresses? Why Not!

Infinite Belorussian fieldsÖ they stand like walls of fresh green shoots in spring. The wind sways their ripening ears in the summer; in the autumn they are adorned by yellow stacks, consisting of great many thin straws. Goods made of straw have been traditional folk handicrafts in Belarus since the old times.

StrawÖ if you bend it sharply, its brittle stem will be broken. If you wet it and begin to bend it slowly, it will take the shape you have thought about. You should know the secrets of this material. You need your soul, fantasy and a lot of work before a chaos of many thin sunny threads transform into a golden miracle: wonderful basket, vases, caskets or traditional straw toys dressed in Belorussian national costumes.

How about the idea of making a straw dress for a model?

A dress of straw? That's not possible! What about having a try?

Thin fingers of 17 year-old girls braid and weave straw lace. Fairy flowers are opening on the crowns; long threads of beads are gathered of straw stars. What else does this costume lack? Maybe a lady's bag? Of course. There is unrepeatable lady's bag made for every dress! Their industrious hands have created all this beauty!

Natalia Khavanova, 10 grade, Volkovysk

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