Smolyany. The grave of Tomash Zahn.

Tomash Zahn was born in 1796 in the Molodechno district. He studied at the men's gymnasium in Minsk, where he became friends with the Vereshchak brothers. Zahn was very friendly with the poet Adam Mickiewicz. After graduating from the men's gymnasium, Zahn brilliantly graduated from the University of Vilno. As a university student, he took an active part in organizing secret student groups that engaged in educational and enlightenment activities.

In 1823, he was arrested and exiled by the tsarist government to the Urals. There he was very active in geology and botany. During his expeditions in the Urals, he found copper ore, gold and oil. Tomash Zahn organized a Museum of Minerals in Orenburg.

After the amnesty, Zahn works in St. Petersburg at the Mining Institute. In 1846, he returned to Belarus, bought an estate and married.

Tomash Zahn's literary career began in 1817. Among his works are ballads, poems, comedies, which are influenced by Belarusian folklore and entography.

Tomash Zahn died in 1855 and was buried in Smolyany at the local Catholic cemetery. A memorial plaque with an epitaph in Polish is installed on his grave. The grave is located in the center of the cemetery on a small hill. It is currently in good condition.

In 1996, on the 200th anniversary of Tomash Zahn's birth, the damage at the cemetery has been repaired. His wife and son are buried nearby, with similar monuments on their graves. Grateful descendants honor the memory of the Belarusian-Polish poet and public figure.

In 2013, as part of the Art-Belarus project, Belgazprombank acquired a painting by Valencia Vankovich "Portrait of Tomash Zahn" (1837-1839) from a private owner. One of the streets of Grodno bears Zahn's name. There is a memorial plaque in his honor in the village of Myasota, in his small homeland. It is installed on the school building. An orographic elevation in the Southern Urals bears his name. And also the image of Tomash Zahn was shown in his work "Dziady" by A. Mickiewicz.