On the memorable places of the Gorvatt family.

The Gorvatt family, which left a vivid mark in the history of Belarus, was represented by a Russified branch of the Hungarian nobility.

Since the end of the 18th century, they owned the village of Lipovo, turning it into their ancestral residence. Otton Horvatt played a key role in this, with whom the main manor house was completed by 1862 and a picturesque park was laid out.

However, the real gems of the Gorvatt heritage were their estates in Narovlya and Barbarovo. These estates were not just houses for rich landowners, but real centers of culture and treasures of art. The owners, such as Daniel Gorvatt in Narovlya and his brother Alexander in Barbarovo, were enlightened patrons who had amassed impressive collections.

The walls of the Narovlya palace, according to the descriptions of researcher Roman Aftanazi, were densely covered with canvases. There were works by the Dutch school, family portraits by Jan Damel and Januarius Sukhodolsky, as well as a portrait of Jadviga Horvatt by Ludamir Janovsky, who was awarded a gold medal at an exhibition in Paris. The interiors were magnificent: unique parquet floors, painted ceilings with allegories of the Dnieper and Pripyat rivers, as well as a rich library.

The collection of Alexander Gorvatt in Barbarovo was not inferior in value, where paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and other masters, as well as family silver, crystal and sculptures were kept.

Unfortunately, the 1917 revolution put an end to this era. The estates were nationalized, and the fate of most of the art treasures still remains a mystery.

Nevertheless, the memory of the Horvatts as connoisseurs of beauty, who created unique cultural centers in the Belarusian countryside, continues to live on.