Karchevo. The Filaret Stone.

In the village of Karchevo, Baranovichi district, there is a unique monument of nature, history and literature – the Filaret stone. There is also a beautiful Tuganovitsky Park, which is associated with the great Belarusian and Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz.

To get to Karchevo, you need to get to the town of Gorodishche, which is between Baranovichi and Novogrudok, and turn right at Gorodishche and after a few villages you will arrive at Karchevo. There is a good asphalt road leading there. Leave your car in the center of Karchevo and walk to the Filaret stone.

The stone is located about one kilometer from the village in the nearest forest. If you are in doubt about how to find the stone, then ask the local residents and they will definitely tell you. If you go to the monument, be sure to take milk with you to the nearest store. Why milk? Near the monument you will find out…

And yes, you went through the forest – first you walked along a dirt road, and then along a forest path. Gradually, you find yourself in a ravine, with earthen ramparts rising from your right and left, and at the bottom of the ravine you will see a huge boulder that is about twice as tall as you. Granite boulder: three meters wide, about two meters high, and more than four meters long. It was here that the members of the secret society of Filaret gathered at the boulder stone, which stands for "Filaret" from Greek means "lover of charity."

The Filaret Society was a secret organization of students in Vilnius in 1820-1823. The organization's goal was enlightenment and self-improvement. The charter was developed, according to which there were several directions and groups in the organization: educational and medical, moral and physico–mathematical. The Filarets were mainly engaged in translations, writing poetry and prose.

Filarets often gathered in Karchevo near a huge boulder. We read our poems and made reports here, held debates and sang songs. At the same time, according to some researchers, young people drank... milk. An outstanding Belarusian and Polish poet, our countryman, who came from the neighboring village of Zaosye - Adam Mickiewicz, poets Jan Chechot and Thomas Zan, scientist Ignat Domeyko and some others gathered here.

In 1823, the Russian authorities uncovered the organization and many members and participants were exiled from Belarus. There are many songs, poems and paintings about the stone in Karchevo.