Kashtalyanovschina. Bykhovets family Manor.

In the Vitebsk region, in the Glubokoe district, in the village of Kashtalyanovschina, you can still see the remains of a manor built in the XIX–XX centuries. This estate belonged to an ancient family of Bykhovets gentry, many of whom held important positions in the civil service, served as officers and contributed to the development of education.

In addition to the lands in Kashtalyanovschina, the Bykhovets family owned other estates in the west and north of Belarus. Their uniqueness lay in the presence of their own chronicle, the Bykhovets Chronicle, which is a valuable historical source describing events in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania before 1507. The fate of the chronicle is shrouded in mystery: after its publication in 1846, the manuscript disappeared, and its whereabouts are still unknown.

Manor buildings in Kashtalyanovschina are recognized as an architectural monument of the XIX–XX centuries. Only the barn, stable and some outbuildings have survived to this day. Unfortunately, the main house has not been preserved. Near the estate, you can see the remains of an old mill, which was gradually dismantled into bricks by local residents.

It's hard to imagine what the Bykhovets family manor house was like. There is no historical information, no photographs, no drawings, no memoirs of contemporaries. Therefore, local residents have little to say about the estate complex. The brick buildings are in disrepair, abandoned and overgrown with grass. It is not known what kind of place this was: a center of social life with balls or a quiet corner for family recreation of Bykhov residents.

The preserved buildings, despite the destruction, are of interest to tourists. Locals love the park, where children walk, ride horses and bicycles, and relax in the shade of trees.

The barn, stable, and remnants of the mill attract architects, artists, and poets looking for inspiration within these historic walls.