Local guides have learned to position Belarus as a tourist "reserve of ghosts" no worse than their colleagues from Scotland or Ireland. In any Belarusian castle (or, more likely, in the ruins left from it) today, there is bound to be an unfortunate Pannochka, idly wandering around in the midnight light in search of peace of mind.
And how many tales are there about Tsmoks - huge black lizards that were allegedly found even in the Minsk Svisloch ?! Don't feed the guides with bread, just let the foreign tourists be intimidated with stories about the crystal coffin and dragon bones, which a century ago could be seen in Svisloch just opposite the Yubileinaya hotel.
Mermaids and dinner kings, water snakes from Lake Nescherdo and the mysterious Chupacabra - the coordinator of the Ufokom project, Ilya Butov, has been engaged in “ghost hunting” for over ten years.
And therefore, with good reason, he claims: 90% of the phenomena in which our people see mysterious signs and promises are not anomalous. Another thing is the remaining "ten". The one that so far remains without a scientific explanation.
Ilya Butov does not like the word “ufologist”. Prefers to be called "anomalous phenomena specialist."
Photo: sb.by
I'll start with the background. I found Ilya Butov thanks to the Talakosht crowdfunding platform. An expert on anomalous phenomena turned to the people's project for public funding in order to find those who were not indifferent to “the Belarusian land and its main ethnographic riddles”.
Promotional video:
Butov is one of the authors of the collection "Mysterious Belarus", for the release of which he now needs help not only in word (read - advice), but also in deed. Ilya is looking for possible sponsors, a partner printing house, journalists, volunteers - in a word, all those who are ready to help with the publication, distribution and promotion of the book.
“Mysterious Belarus”, says the anomalist (ufologist in a simple way), is a collection of scientific and research works of scientists, ethnographers, historians and archaeologists dedicated to numerous ethnographic secrets and mysteries of our country:
- Modern science can explain almost everything, but some phenomena are still awaiting rational interpretation. What some people see often defies logic, and therefore is often ranked among fictions and fantasies. For more than ten years, the Ufokom members have been trying to solve the riddles of the anomalous phenomena that occur in our country.
We study various phenomena - urban myths and legends, poltergeists and ghosts, occult pagan buildings and megaliths. Over the years, we have conducted over 200 expeditions. Among them were both successful and completely unsuccessful. In any case, if something inexplicable happens somewhere, we go to the place.
Photo: sb.by
Ufokom is, rather, a platform for specialists interested in the study of anomalous phenomena, who, privately and at their own expense, do what they love. All current expenses (gasoline, accommodation, meals) are paid by the Ufokom enthusiasts themselves.
Considering the expensive devices and the distances that sometimes have to be overcome, the hobby is completely off-budget. Therefore, those wishing to join the ranks of search engines Butov advises to weigh everything carefully:
- On average, one trip (depending on distance) costs 250-500 thousand. It seems that the amount is small, but try to put it out of your pocket every time with a small salary … People come to us from completely different spheres - biologists, historians, teachers, programmers. Among them there are students and candidates of science.
Before leaving for the site, the specialists are engaged in thorough preparation: they study the archives, look for witnesses … They adopt scientific methodology and modern technology, and do not run after vampires with a head of garlic:
- Most often, when we go to check the next story, it turns out that it is the fruit of the wild imagination of local residents. Therefore, we record a lot of cases not related to anomaly. But there are, of course, the opposite situations. It happens that we really see moving transparent figures - ghosts, in other words. Fear, of course, is always present, but we try to act rationally.
Once we went to the cemetery where unidentified corpses are buried. It was in the Krichevsky district. We were told that strange rustles and shadows were heard here. We arrived, took up an observation post at night, and at the moment when they began to talk about ghosts, a tree suddenly fell nearby. But there was no wind or thunderstorm. The tree could not fall for natural reasons - it was very young, strong, completely healthy …
About palace legends associated with ghosts, Butov speaks with a grin. Like, all this is nothing more than a lure for tourists:
- Take, for example, our most popular ghost - the Black Panna of the Nesvizh Castle. It is believed that this is the ghost of Barbara Radziwill. Let's assume that ghosts are really the restless souls of dead people. But the attachment of ghosts to a particular place must be due to certain reasons.
Such, for example, as the place of death. But the fact is that there is no evidence that Barbara Radziwill has ever visited Nesvizh! Theoretically, of course, I could: for example, come to visit my cousin Nikolai Radziwill Cherny …
But is this enough to be attached with all your soul to the city after your death? Not. Having studied the archives and thoroughly analyzed the history, I can tell you: if we assume the thought that the ghost of the Nesvizh castle really exists, then it belongs to another person.
The prototype of the ghost is most likely Princess Anna Katerina Sangushko, the wife of Karol Stanislav Radziwill. A woman with a very difficult fate: the couple had 13 (according to other sources - 15) children, of whom seven died in childhood …
The participants of "Ufokom" have been researching anomalous phenomena for more than 10 years.
Photo: sb.by
Many urban legends, according to Butov, are not true - this also applies to the alleged ghost of the Loshitsa estate.
There is a legend, but there are no eyewitnesses of ghosts, paradoxically! The fact is that not a single testimony or testimony of an eyewitness has survived who really saw with his own eyes the famous White Pannochka, the wife of the last owner of the estate:
- In Minsk, most ghost stories are nothing more than city tales. Ghosts, as a rule, should not be found in abandoned estates, but in ordinary buildings. The most important thing here is the history of the place and the area.
One of these days "Ufokom" will go to one of the landowners of the Vitebsk region, where, according to rumors, a ghost has settled. The local administration discourages enthusiasts: they say, knocks are heard from the upper floors, and sometimes the piano itself plays … But they still give permission to stay overnight. Ilya smiles:
- Our research helps people get more information about their country, about its legends and mysteries, about forgotten historical places and events. Therefore, returning to the beginning of our conversation, we decided to publish some of the studies as a separate collection. We asked the authors to present their reports in a living literary language so that they could be understood by everyone. And so that everyone who is interested in anomalism (and there are a lot of them, believe me) could find answers to their questions in the book.
Ilya Butov does not believe in palace legends. But he listens to the voice of reason. Ilya hopes that readers will support his initiative. And someone may even want to take part in the next ethnographic expeditions.
Another opinion
Igor Marzalyuk, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of History, Member of the Council of the Republic:
- If we talk about the ghost of the Nesvizh castle, then it certainly does not exist. This story is deeply rooted in history and is the result of charlatan manipulation by a cunning alchemist.
I think it makes no sense to retell this whole story - more than one book has been written about it. At archaeological excavations, of course, anything happens, but this always - I emphasize! - there is a scientific logical explanation.
I do not believe in fairy tales, I believe only in science and scientific thought. Over the years of practice, I have never seen a ghost, but I have not seen even a hint of its existence. I treat all kinds of ghost hunters as enthusiastic people, but I see their activities as nothing more than a hobby. It has nothing to do with science.
Yuliana Leonovich, Belarus Segodnya newspaper
