Mahiliou Authorities Refuse To Commemorate 1661 Year Uprising

At the same time, a memorable sign to the base of operations of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II was placed recently in Mahiliou.

Maryna Klepchukova, deputy head of the department of culture of the Mahiliou city executive committee gave a negative response to the petition with a proposal to install a memorial shield dedicated to the February 1, 1661 uprising on the city hall, Radio Liberty reports.

The Mahiliou uprising occurred during the war of Russia with the Rzeczpospolita: residents of the city occupied by the Russians destroyed a many-thousand garrison and liberated Mahiliou in several hours. For the uprising, the city received from the King Jan Kazimir Vaza the Magdeburg law (which was seized in 1654 after the Muscovites occupied the city without a fight) and a new coat of arms, the most active participants of the uprising were nobles.

The petition stated that "perpetuating the memory of the uprising will promote the growth of patriotism and pride of the people of Mahiliou, as well as the patriotic education of the new generation." They proposed to establish a memorial shiled "at the site of the beginning of the uprising" - on the building of the Mahiliou City Hall.

Representative of the city executive committee Maryna Klepchukova responded that the proposal was "historically unfounded", since "the city hall in question [...] has no direct relation to the modern city hall, except for the general continuity." The former wooden town hall, she writes, was burned down in 1664, and was not at the same place as the modern one (in place of the old house #8 in Pershamaiskaya Street).

She did not offer any other options for honouring the uprising.

At the same time, less than a month ago, a memorable sign to the base of operations of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II was placed opposite the city hall in Mahiliou. The last Russian autocrat commanded his troops in the First World War from Mahiliou.

The opinions of experts who discussed the initiative of the city executive committee were divided. Some insisted that the initiative of officials is not aimed at perpetuating the Russian autocrat, but at celebrating the historical fact that the base of operations was located just in Mahiliou. There were speculations that the memorable sign should be considered as a compromise version of the monument to Nicholas II.

Others adhered to the position that the event and the people from Belarusian history, which strengthen the Belarusian statehood and the national consciousness of the citizens of the country, should be honored first of all. In 2009, the city was even going to put a bust to Nicholas II, but as a result, it was transferred to the museum.