Luzhki - is a village of Sharkaŭshchyna district, Vitebsk region of Belarus. The main attraction of the village Luzhki is St. Michael the Archangel Catholic church, which was built from 1744 to 1756. Originally, the church in the village of Luzhki was part of the monastery, which was founded here in 1741. After the uprising of 1830, this monastery, like many other Catholic monasteries in the territory of modern Belarus, was closed. And in 1843 the church in the village of Luzhki was transferred to the Orthodox Church, a little rebuilt and converted. After the First World War, when the village of Luzhki was part of Poland, the church again moved to Catholics. In 1949 the church in the village of Luzhki was closed by the Soviet authorities. Later, the building of the temple was refurbished and used as a warehouse for mineral fertilizers. In the late 1980s, the church was returned to the Catholic Church and restored.

Luzhki

The church in the village of Luzhki is a very vivid embodiment of the architecture of the so-called "Vilna" baroque. This ancient and very unusual church stands out among other churches of Belarus in that its main facade gives the impression that it is bent inside. This effect is achieved due to the fact that the two high towers of the main facade are not in the same plane with it, but are rotated at an angle. Today the church in the village of Luzhki has been completely restored and is an important architectural monument of the 18th century, a historical and cultural value and an interesting landmark of Belarus.

Luzhki

Luzhki

Also in the village of Luzhki there is another very ancient temple. It is about the Orthodox church of the Nativity of the Virgin, built in 1794. The church in the village of Luzhki is in good condition and is also an important architectural monument of the late 18th century, a historical and cultural treasure and an interesting landmark of Belarus. The area around the church is surrounded by a stone fence. The central entrance is decorated with a brama. Brama and the fence date from the end of the 19th century. This church is located in the central square of the village of Luzhki. In the same area, there are several other remarkable historical buildings dating back to the early 20th century. Also in the village of Luzhki relatively well preserved brick water mill of the late 19th century.

Luzhki

Luzhki

Luzhki

Comments  

+1 # Mr. Jason Sutcliffe 2024-12-27 23:54
My Grandfather, Janek Kosnikowski was born in Luzhki in 1933. He grew up there until he was removed by the Soviet authorities during World War II to Siberia with his mother Zosia (Sophia) Kosnikowska and his little sister Leokadia (Lala). His Father Kazimierz Kosnikowski was incarcerated with other military personnel in the Soviet Union. I need to visit Luzhki to see where my ancestors came from. Did any records survive of people from before the war years? Could anyone help me?
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0 # Viktor 2024-12-28 03:38
Information about your ancestors may be contained in the state archives of Belarus or Poland (with a low probability). At the same time, without knowing Russian or Polish, respectively, it will be very difficult for you to interact with these institutions. In Belarus, you may have additional problems when contacting the state archives, since you are not a citizen of Belarus. You are not in any danger in this case, but you may be refused cooperation or will need a lot of additional documents, for example, that you are a scientist historian (all documents with notarized translation into Russian). But even if you manage to establish interaction with the Belarusian state archives, you will wait a very long time for an answer, and the probability that the answer will be: "Nothing found" is very high. I cannot say for sure about the situation in Poland, I only know that the level of digitalization of archives there is a little higher, and perhaps some things can be done even online. There is a vanishingly small probability that some information about your ancestors may be in the local authorities of the Sharkaŭshchyna district and Vitebsk region. But I am almost certain that you will not be able to establish cooperation with them without knowledge of the Russian language and Belarusian citizenship. What you can definitely do is come to Belarus. At the border with Belarus, you will need a considerable package of documents to enter the country (I do not know exactly what set of documents and cannot advise, you need to find out on the website of the consulate of your country in Belarus), but you will definitely be able to enter, visit the village Luzhki, and at the same time Minsk and something else, and safely leave Belarus. At the same time, nothing threatens you. You will also be pleasantly surprised by the hospitality of Belarusians and the level of service in Minsk. Taxis, hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, all kinds of entertainment will be at your service. In the capital, you will be served in English in most tourist sites, and everything will be fine, familiar and very pleasant. But the level of tourist service in the Sharkaŭshchyna district and the village Luzhki is very harsh, almost no one will know English there, it may be very difficult to find accommodation and transport. The Sharkaŭshchyna district is one of the most sparsely populated and poorest in Belarus. When going to the village, you can only be sure that you will be able to buy food there in a grocery store, the rest must be carefully planned in advance. You should seriously prepare for the trip from Minsk to the village Luzhki. In Minsk, you can rent a car, perhaps this will help you. Thus, if you just want to see where your ancestors lived, then you can do it. It will be an interesting adventure full of new emotions and unforgettable impressions. If you want to find information about your ancestors in old documents, then most likely you will waste your time. And you will certainly not find, learn or hear any such information when visiting the village Luzhki directly. There you can only look at the land of your ancestors, take a walk, enjoy nature, admire the Catholic church, breathe fresh air, feel the local flavor. But you won’t learn any new specific information about your ancestors there...
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0 # Agnieszka 2025-02-05 22:54
Mój tata i jego rodzice również mieszkali w okolicy Łużki i byli zesłani na Syberię, tata Wiktor Kośnikowski, a jego rodzice to Jan i Anna.
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