- In my collection of Ukrainian antiquities there are over 30 thousand exhibits. In order to have a place to show them, I opened on an area of 170 hectares the country's first private historical and ethnographic museum "Kozatski Lands of Ukraine" (located in the Chernobaevsky district of the Cherkasy region near the village of Veremeyevka. - Author), says the general director of the museum Volodymyr Nedyak. The most interesting exhibits of his collection are now on display at the exhibition, which has opened in the National Reserve "Sophia Kievskaya". - I have almost finished (it remains only to insert the windows) the construction of the central building of my museum - an exact copy of the stone house of the Cossack colonel Yakov Lizogub (built in the 17th century in Chernigov). After the death of Lizogub, his widow sold this mansion to Hetman Ivan Mazepa, therefore it is also called Mazepa's house. It has survived to this day. I built a copy of it in my museum in order to place there the most valuable rarities of the Cossack era that are in my collection.
“36 dealers work for me all over Ukraine - I learn from them about all the interesting archaeological finds that appear on the antiques market,” continues Volodymyr Nedyak. - I do not ask them who found this or that rarity, but I demand that they report where it was found. Dealers have a rule of thumb to keep this information confidential. But for me they make an exception - they understand that information about the place of discovery is needed to certify items that replenish the museum's collection. Once one of the mediators reported that Cossack cannons were found, which once stood on seagulls (flat-bottomed boats of the Cossacks of the 16th-18th centuries). “There are only seven such cannons in the museums of Ukraine,” I answered him. "Are you sure your information is correct?" “You can rest assured,” the dealer assured. "They were found in the old channel of the Southern Bug."
This conversation took place on December 29, on the eve of the new 2010. I just gave out a salary to my employees (24 employees of the museum and 12 employees of the printing house), there is almost no money left. But I didn't want to miss out on such rare things as cannons-falconets, so I said: "Let them carry." And on one of the first days of January, at half past seven in the morning, my administrator said: “Four young men have arrived. They look like ransomware. " I went to them (these were guys who were not even 30 years old), I asked: "Boys, have you accidentally lost your way?" - "No, we are looking for you - we brought the guns." - "Why are you four?" - "The guns are heavy, albeit small - 120 kilograms each." Two cannons with clay adhered to them lay in the trunk of an old Volga. As I saw them, my heart sank - I had long dreamed of such. The guys named the price: five thousand dollars each. Total - 10 thousand. Where to get them, I don’t know. But I do not refuse to purchase. He asked his female workers to set the table, said: "We accept the lads, like gentry gentlemen." During the feast it turned out that one of these guys had a birthday, so I gave him an expensive cologne. We sat very sincerely, but the guys were tormented by the question, which they finally said aloud: "And when will the money?" - "In a month. Take whatever you want as collateral. " - "No need, we believe you." It was January - a "dead" month for the antique market. I had to take half a million hryvnia from the bank. The dollar was then eight hryvnia. So it was enough to pay for the guns and lay a tin roof on a copy of Colonel Lizogub's house. Then he gave this money for three years. He asked his female workers to set the table, said: "We accept the lads, like gentry gentlemen." During the feast it turned out that one of these guys had a birthday, so I gave him an expensive cologne. We sat very sincerely, but the guys were tormented by the question, which they finally said aloud: "And when will the money?" - "In a month. Take whatever you want as collateral. " - "No need, we believe you." It was January - a "dead" month for the antique market. I had to take half a million hryvnia from the bank. The dollar was then eight hryvnia. So it was enough to pay for the guns and lay a tin roof on a copy of Colonel Lizogub's house. Then he gave this money for three years. He asked his female workers to set the table, said: "We accept the lads, like gentry gentlemen." During the feast it turned out that one of these guys had a birthday, so I gave him an expensive cologne. We sat very sincerely, but the guys were tormented by the question, which they finally said aloud: "And when will the money?" - "In a month. Take whatever you want as collateral. " - "No need, we believe you." It was January - a "dead" month for the antique market. I had to take half a million hryvnia from the bank. The dollar was then eight hryvnia. So it was enough to pay for the guns and lay a tin roof on a copy of Colonel Lizogub's house. Then he gave this money for three years. We sat there very sincerely, but the guys were tormented by the question, which they finally uttered out loud: "And when will the money?" - "In a month. Take whatever you want as collateral. " - "No need, we believe you." It was January - a "dead" month for the antique market. I had to take half a million hryvnia from the bank. The dollar was then eight hryvnia. So it was enough to pay for the guns and lay a tin roof on a copy of Colonel Lizogub's house. Then he gave this money for three years. We sat very sincerely, but the guys were tormented by the question, which they finally said aloud: "And when will the money?" - "In a month. Take whatever you want as collateral. " - "No need, we believe you." It was January - a "dead" month for the antique market. I had to take half a million hryvnia from the bank. The dollar was then eight hryvnia. So it was enough to pay for the guns and lay a tin roof on a copy of Colonel Lizogub's house. Then he gave this money for three years.and put a tin roof on a copy of Colonel Lizogub's house. Then he gave this money for three years.and put a tin roof on a copy of Colonel Lizogub's house. Then he gave this money for three years.
Falconet guns are now on display at the exhibition Genesis of Statehood - Cossack Ukraine "in the reserve" Sophia Kievskaya ".
Are items made of precious metals presented at the exhibition in Sofia Kievskaya?
- Yes, a wide belt with silver overlays of the leader of the Haidamak rebel movement Ivan Gonta. I bought this relic from a family that descended from Gonta.
How much did you pay?
- I cannot name the amount. Let me just say that this is a very expensive purchase. According to legend, the belt was on Gont at the time of his execution by the Poles. Before that, the leader of the Gaidamaks spent a year in prison. They treated him loyally - they did not torture him, they did not take away expensive clothes. They guarded him in a special way: the chief of the guards spent the night in the prison, because he was responsible for an important prisoner with his head. The day before the day of the execution, he asked Gonta for permission to take his silver belt after Ivan was killed. Chuckling, Gonta replied: "We'll wait for tomorrow."
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It must be said that in those days (mid-18th century) there were rumors that Gonta headed the Haidamaks, led them to rob and burn the estates of the wealthy gentry of Right-Bank Ukraine by secret agreement with … the Polish king. For this, Gonta was entitled to an impressive reward. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain why he went to the haidamaks. After all, everything in his life was good for him: he served as a centurion in the court militia of magnate Franciszek Pototsky, was financially secure. And suddenly he destroyed his own well-being, became a state criminal.
What could have prompted the king to send the rebels to his gentry?
- The reluctance of tycoons to obey. The mortal danger that emanated from the Haidamaks forced the pans to ask for protection from the monarch and thereby obey him.
So, the executioners took Gonta to the scaffold, but they were in no hurry with the execution - they were waiting for the final verdict. More precisely, two decisions - the king and the Diet (parliament). While they waited, the chief of security again turned to Gonta with the same request. He replied: "When the execution begins, take the first flap of skin that will be removed from me on your belt." And then a messenger from the Diet rode up. The verdict was disappointing - quartering. But after the first came the second rider - with a letter from the king. However, by that time the decision of the Seimas had already been announced. Gonta was executed. It so happened that the monarch's sentence to replace the death penalty with a long term of imprisonment was not carried out.
The belt, which, according to legend, was on the legendary Gont at the time of execution.
Do you make money in the antique market?
- I have an art gallery "Hetman's belongings". She brings me funds for the maintenance of the museum and the replenishment of the collection. You have to sacrifice something, and I sell works of Russian, Western European and the latest Ukrainian art. Life made me, and crossing myself, parted even with three of Repin's works! Of the Ukrainian masters I put up for sale only paintings by living painters. But I prefer not to part with the works of our compatriots who have passed away such as Vladimir Makovsky, Petr Levchenko, Sergei Vasilkovsky. Unfortunately, the antique market has now sank heavily - war, crisis. There is not much to add to the collection. For example, recently I was informed that a Scythian copper cauldron was found of 30-40 liters of bronze. In excellent condition, the price for such a valuable thing is acceptable - two thousand dollars. But I don't have them. I am puzzled over what to sell to raise money to buy this rarity.
The construction of the main building of the Museum "Kozatski Zemli Ukrainy" is almost completed. This is an exact copy of the house of the Cossack Colonel Yakov Lizogub, which was later bought by Hetman Ivan Mazepa.
What, besides a copy of Colonel Lizogub's house, are you building on the territory of your museum?
- A project has already been created for a large structure, which I call "Cossack Stonehenge", to house ancient Scythian stone women - I have 30 of them in my collection. One of them has magical properties - it helps women to get pregnant. This amazing quality of her became known by chance. I'll tell you in order. I have arranged to purchase this ancient stone sculpture. I asked a seller named Ivan to stay with him in the winter, and in the spring I will take her to the museum. The man laid the statue on wooden poles and covered it with a tarp. Ivan's dog became very ill in winter, and he was sure that she would not live long. The sick dog got into the habit of laying on the stone woman, and unexpectedly for everyone recovered.
Soon after that, a friend came to visit Ivan's wife. “I have a big kitchen,” Ivan later told me. - The women talked at one end, and I was busy with the housework at the other. I hear the guest started a conversation about painful things - they just can't have children with her husband. Then the goblin pulled me to say jokingly: "We have a healing stone woman - the dog has recovered from her." The woman took Ivan's words seriously. I sat for a while on an ancient sculpture. And a couple of months later I came with brandy. Got pregnant! But that's not all. A week passed, and another woman came to my friend. She brought cognac and asked: "Can I sit on a stone woman?" Ivan began to explain that he had jokingly said about the healing properties of the sculpture. But the guest insisted, and he conceded. About four months later, when I had already taken the statue to the museum,the woman came to Ivan with words of gratitude - and the woman helped her. This sculpture is made rather roughly, it looks like a phallus.
There are 30 stone women in the museum of Vladimir Nedyak. The far left contributes to the conception of children, the owner of the collection believes.
What will be the structure in which you will place the Scythian stone women?
- I will lay a thatched roof on thirteen massive oak pillars to create a large canopy. I'll put the women facing west. In the central part of this structure I will place an ancient pagan temple.
What does it look like?
- Polished stones that are laid out in a circle. In the center is a boulder - on it people in antiquity made sacrifices to their gods. I exchanged the temple for one of the Scythian women. The people who exchanged with me wanted to give the stone woman to a high-ranking person.
I am building in the museum a farm of a prosperous Cossack foreman with cloons, sheepfolds, stables, sheds, storerooms. He called it “Taras Bulba's Farm”. There are already buffaloes, cows, pigs, sheep, horses, poultry. Museum visitors, if they wish, will be able to experience for themselves how people lived in such farms: they will have the opportunity to milk a goat, ride a horse, taste dishes of ancient Ukrainian cuisine …
When I took 170 hectares of land for a museum, I thought that financially it would be easier for me. But it was not there! I am obliged to conduct agricultural activities, because according to the documents I am registered as a private entrepreneur. So I'm doing sowing, harvesting. The harvest is enough to feed livestock and poultry.
There is where to grind the collected rye and wheat - three old windmills have been restored. By the way, one of these windmills, built in 1785, was presented to me by a 90-year-old miller five days before his death. People who knew me said to my grandfather: "Give it to him - he will keep it." Transportation of this windmill to the museum cost eight and a half thousand dollars.
Volodymyr Nedyak at the exhibition in "Sophia Kievskaya" demonstrates the work of one of the students of the genius sculptor Johann Pinzel.
How many years have you been collecting?
- I am a collector with 55 years of experience - the first antiques (treasure of coins) fell into my hands at the age of seven. The guys and I found an old pot decorated with paintings, in which there were coins. Divided them equally - each got two. The question arose what to do with the pot. They didn’t think of anything better how to break and divide the shards. My collection began with this find.
When I was in the sixth grade, I began to look for antiques with the children at the site of the old Cossack village of Staraya Veremeyevka, which became the bottom of the Kakhovka reservoir of the Dnieper. In the summer, the water receded for one - one and a half months, and the flooded village became dry land. Every year, the water washed out certain antiques that became our finds. To search for rarities, we also went to the islands of the Kakhovsky Sea - for us, boys, these voyages were an exciting adventure.
Now in my collection there are a thousand icons, two thousand works of folk painting, hundreds of old books and geographical maps, 300 painted hideouts, four thousand towels, 120 hives, 38 bandura and kobz, 26 Cossack carts, thousands of Cossack cradles, treasures of Polish, Turkish, Tatar and even Roman coins, rarities of Tripoli culture and Scythian times …
Author: Igor OSIPCHUK, photo by Sergey TUSHINSKY.