Brest. A giant button and the nightly lighting of lanterns.

Brest is a city where traditions come to life every evening, and lamplighter's button dreams come true.

A living legend on Sovetskaya Street

Brest has a tradition that has become its hallmark: since 2009, a man in a historical costume from Peter the Great's time appears on Sovetskaya pedestrian street at dusk and manually lights kerosene lanterns. This man's name is Viktor Kirisyuk, the only lamplighter in Belarus who has been performing his ritual day in and day out for 16 years.

A total of 17 kerosene lanterns have been installed on Sovetskaya Street. A special clock at the beginning of the street shows the exact lighting time, which varies depending on sunset. When Viktor Petrovich lights the last lamp, street lighting turns on all over Brest - this became a symbolic signal of the evening. In the morning, he goes around the lanterns again to extinguish them, pour fresh kerosene, wipe the flasks and trim the wicks.

The magic of buttons and the birth of belief

Over the years, the lamplighter has become not just an attraction, but a real mascot of the city. There was a beautiful belief: if you hold on to the button on his uniform and make a wish, it will definitely come true. People touch buttons with their innermost dreams: about health, family, children, victories.

Viktor Kirisyuk himself says that this tradition dates back to an ancient belief when chimney sweeps' buttons were rubbed for good luck. But the chimney sweeps have been gone for a long time, but the lamplighter remains. "If you believe in a miracle, it will definitely come true", he says. Many return to him with gratitude when their wishes are fulfilled.

Giant Button: Dreams are available around the clock

On City Day, July 26, 2025, Brest residents and guests of the city had a new opportunity to touch the miracle. At the intersection of Sovetskaya and Dzerzhinsky Streets, a giant art object was installed - an exact replica of a button from a lamplighter's uniform.

Its size is impressive:

· Diameter - 340 cm (3.4 meters);

· Weight - 1019 kg.

The number 1019 was not chosen by chance: this year is considered the year of the foundation of ancient Berestye, the predecessor of modern Brest. This is the largest button in the entire post-Soviet space.

Now you can make a wish at any time of the day, without waiting for the evening ceremony. The art object has become a gift to the city and its residents, as well as a symbol that miracles are accessible to everyone.

The man who gives light

Viktor Petrovich Kirisyuk is not just a lamplighter, but a man of amazing destiny. Originally from the village of Zalyadynye, Ivanovo region, he grew up in a large family, served in the Navy, and majored in submarine electrics. He has been working for the same organization in Brest for over 40 years. He calls his position as a lamplighter an "accident" that has become a vocation.

In 16 years, he has never missed his evening shift, except on special occasions, for example, at the All-Belarusian National Assembly. He doesn't consider himself a star, even though thousands of people gather around him in the summer. Every evening, he lights the lights, giving people light and warmth, reminding them that even in the modern world there is a place for a good fairy tale.

How to find and see the ceremony

· Where the giant button is located: Brest, the intersection of Sovetskaya and Dzerzhinsky streets.

· Where to see the lamplighter: Sovetskaya pedestrian street.

· Lighting time: depends on sunset - earlier in winter, later in summer. The exact time is indicated by the clock on Sovetskaya.

· Coordinates of the art object (approximately): 52.0972, 23.6875.

The lamplighter's button in Brest is not just an art object. This is the embodiment of an urban legend, a symbol of faith in a miracle and a tribute to a man who has been giving his light to the city for 16 years. Touch your dream and make it come true!