Art village "Chyrvony Kastrychnik" (Red October).

In 2009, friends Dmitry Yankov, a well-known Gomel ecologist and local historian, and Kirill Kravtsov, a photographer and traveler, decided to find a village that could be turned into an art object. When the children saw the beauty of the lakes, the floodplain meadows of the Dnieper, and the forest landscapes of these places, they realized that this was exactly the corner where they would like to stay. Having bought most of the houses, the settlers actually saved the village from burial. They came up with the idea of restoring the village in an authentic way. Only six houses on one street have been preserved from their former appearance.

The guys are doing a lot of work not only in their village, but also in the neighboring one. They established that Mikhailo lived here. Gromyko is a geologist, poet, playwright, author of the first play about Francisk Skorina. He was one of the first to suggest that oil fields could be located near Rechitsa city. According to his tip, this oil was found. Thanks to Dmitry, together with Belorusneft company, a memorial plaque has been installed in the village, where tourists can now visit and tell them about the history of the region.

Cooperation has also been established with local ornithologists who observe birds and collect data about them. A number of works on birds of the Dnieper region have already been written, and this should serve as a basis for including this territory in the national ecological network.

The new owners held several festivals in Kastrychnik called "Charouny Kastrychnik" (Magic October). Artists, musicians and other creative people come to it to perform or hold a joint master class. There was also a music festival - "Vyalikaya Vada" (The Big Water), which you need to swim to on rafts. The owners also organized an apiary. There are a lot of animals in these places: There are beaver huts on the water, and numerous hares, foxes, and even a lynx listed in the Red Book. Sometimes a lynx along with kittens appears in the village. The guys dream that the Kastrychnik will remain the same as it is now: neat, primitive, "lamp-like", as the guests call it.

The guys also organize places for tourists to stay. A hostel was built, painted with geometric shapes, the second one is being completed in a wooden style. To admire the sunset, in the rays of which roe deer often walk in front of the house, a double-glazed window is built into the roof. There are plans to do themed tours for 20 people. These can be ecotropics, birdwatching, children's drawing camps, master classes in ceramics, soap making, and even beekeeping. A deep lake shimmers with dark matte water nearby. According to legend, a turtle lives at the bottom, bringing happiness. The water "boils" from the crucians and tench, which are bred by the inhabitants of the village. 

Life in the village is very diverse: those who wish can master the professions of carpenter, bricklayer, botanist... The Mezhen art picnic is held annually in the middle of summer. Theater groups, poets perform on stage, and talk shows on rural lifestyle are held. Technological and human benefits are not given up in the village.: They go to the village store in the neighboring village for the missing products. There is also a school for children there.

The life position of the renovated village of Chyrvony Kastrychnik is that we want to live in a different way: without alcohol, eat healthy food, breathe fresh air, and not think about unnecessary problems.