Verkhneye Chernikhovo Park
Verkhneye Chernikhovo Park belongs to landscape naturalistic park types of the eclectic and classical period.
Chernikhovo is first mentioned in historical documents in 1437. Its founder Piotr Strachevic transfered to the possession of the catholic church different property including the lands in Chernikhovo estate.
Throughout its history, the estate, which had been divided into 2 parts: “Hilly” (Upper) and “Dolny” (Lower), belonged to several families. In the 17th – 18th centuries the 2 estates still existed. In 1693 , one of them was bought by a Jesuit Collegium from Warsaw. In late 18th century, Lopata-Bykovsky, a famous statesman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, became the owner of both estates.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Upper (Verkhneye) Chernikhovo was owned by the Rdultovsky family, one of whom, Constantine, was a senator of Rzeczpospolita the Republic of Poland). The last owner of the estate, until 1939, was Evheny Konstantinovich Rdultovsky.
The estate-and-park ensemble in Verhneye Chernikhovo was laid in the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century separately from the village on the moraine elevation. The park belongs to the landscape parks of the eclectic period. It has panoramic views of long-distance perspectives. Verkhneye Chernikhovo Park is a natural monument.
On its southern side, there is a large orchard, on its northern side lies a pond. The park is surrounded by chestnut and lime-tree alleys.
In its centre there is a homestead. There is a hexagon brick tower- shaped smokehouse in the park which has remained entact, and at the entrance to the estate stands a roadside sacral chapel. At the end of the park there is a tomb –chapel with 12 cells for coffins.
Geographic coordinates: N 53° 14' 48,784" E 26° 14' 01,96"
Foto: Владимира ЗУЕВА, Андрея ПОНОМАРЕВА
