Location: Brest, Belarus
Volynskoe ukreplenie of the Brest Fortress
Open: 9am- 6pm
Closed: Monday
Berestye (Belarusian: Berestse) is a unique archaeological museum
in the city of Brest (Belarus), a branch of the Brest Regional
Museum of Local Lore. It is located on a cape formed by the Western
Bug River and the left branch of the Mukhavets River, on the
territory of the Volyn fortification of the Brest Fortress. The
museum was opened on March 2, 1982 at the site of archaeological
excavations conducted since 1968 under the guidance of Doctor of
Historical Sciences P.F. Lysenko. A total of 43 thousand exhibits
are stored in the exposition and funds of the museum.
At the
heart of the museum are the unearthed remains of the citadel of
ancient Brest, the construction of a craft settlement of the 13th
century. On the territory of Berestye, at a depth of 4 m,
archaeologists excavated streets paved with wood, the remains of
buildings for various purposes, located on an area of 1118 m². The
exposition presents 28 residential and utility log buildings -
one-story log cabins made of logs of coniferous trees (including two
of them preserved for 12 crowns). Wooden buildings and pavement
details were preserved with specially developed synthetic
substances.
Around the opened ancient settlement there is an
exposition dedicated to the way of life of the Slavs who inhabited
these places in ancient times, archaeological finds made during
excavations are presented: products made of metals, glass, wood,
clay, bones, fabrics, numerous jewelry, dishes, details of looms.
The entire exposition is located in a covered pavilion with an area
of 2400 m² of modern architecture, built of concrete, glass and
aluminum. About 60 thousand people visit the museum every year.
The pavilion made of glass, aluminum and concrete, designed back
in 1974, could only be put up after the personal intervention of the
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR A. N. Kosygin.
At the highest state level, a decision was made to reconstruct
the museum, which will last from 2017 to 2019 and is dedicated to
the 1000th anniversary of Brest. The reconstruction provides for the
renewal of the museum's exposition, the replacement of the roof, but
without the installation of a system for maintaining the proper
microclimate to ensure the safety of unique exhibits made of wood
from the 11th-13th centuries.
In 2020, the museum staff was
awarded the Prize of the President of the Republic of Belarus "For
Spiritual Revival" for active work to preserve the national cultural
heritage and the creation of an updated exposition of the museum
branch.
The museum is located on the former site of the Brest Fortress. This was partly built on artificial islands. After archaeological finds were made on the South Island, the Brest Archaeological Museum was established there. Immediately to the west of the museum, across the Bug River, is the border of Belarus with Poland.
The central pavilion of the Brest Archaeological Museum spans the
surviving wooden buildings that were built by Slavs in the 13th century,
especially for trading purposes. At that time, the settlement was at the
crossroads of two important European trade routes and therefore
developed into an important trading center. The remains of this
settlement were uncovered from 1968, today 28 buildings made of tree
trunks can be seen on an area of 1118 square meters. The good state of
preservation of the buildings is remarkable. Visitors to the museum can
take a tour of the sides of the pavilion, viewing the different
buildings. In 14 adjoining bays, one aspect of the life of the Slavs at
that time is taken up in a small space, including the topics of crafts,
buildings and the development of the city of Brest at that time.
In an adjacent exhibition, the life of the Slavs is illuminated in more
detail with the help of numerous exhibits from the 11th to 14th
centuries.
From 1969 to 1981 and in 1988, excavations were conducted under the
leadership of Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor P. F. Lysenko, as
a result of which more than 220 wooden buildings of the XI-XIII
centuries, three street bridges, stockades, numerous objects of material
culture were discovered. of that time. An area of more than 1,800 m² was
exposed, including more than 500 m² - exposed to the mainland. Many
buildings in Berest have survived for five to nine crowns, and some even
for twelve, which is a great rarity in Slavic archaeology.
On
January 18, 1972, the Council of Ministers of the BSSR adopted a
decision on the creation of the "Bereste" museum and the construction of
a special pavilion. Its project was developed by the architects of
"Belgovsproekt" V. Kramarenko, U. Shcherbina, M. Vinogradov. The 40 x 60
m pavilion is built of concrete, glass, anodized aluminum and is a gable
roof with a light lantern in the center. Its outline resembles an
ancient dwelling and at the same time the layers of earth that reveal
the ancient city.
The museum was opened on March 2, 1982.
The museum is located on a promontory formed by the Zachodni Bug
River and the left branch of the Mukhavets River, on the territory of
the Volyn Fortification of the Brest Fortress. It has 14 exhibition
halls, the total area of the pavilion is 2400 m². More than 45,000
exhibits are stored in the exposition and funds of the museum. The
exhibition is dedicated to the emergence, political, economic and
cultural development of Brest in the 11th-14th centuries.
At the
heart of the museum are the uncovered remains of the ancient Brest
hillfort, the construction of a 13th-century craft post. Archaeologists
excavated streets and the remains of buildings of various purposes
located on an area of 1118 m² at a depth of 4 m on the territory of
"Berestia". The exposition presents 28 residential log buildings -
one-story log cabins made of pine tree logs (including two of them with
12 crowns preserved). The wooden structures and details of the bridges
were preserved by the scientists of the Belarusian Institute of
Technology by surface and deep impregnation with an aqueous solution of
phenolic alcohols followed by heat treatment. It was the first
successful experiment in the history of conservation of a large
archaeological monument of wooden pre-humanity in field conditions.
During the conservation of archaeological wood, its shape, size and
natural color did not change.
Around the uncovered ancient post
there is an exposition dedicated to the life contribution of the Slavs
who inhabited these places in ancient times, archaeological finds made
during the excavations are presented - products made of metals, glass,
wood, clay, bones, fabrics, including numerous ornaments, dishes,
details looms. Among the exhibits are rare finds - a boxwood comb with
carved Cyrillic letters, a bone brush, a metal pen, etc.