Machul’ 2014. Мачуль 2014 г.
Nestled on the River Moustva (Mastva), the village of Machul’ in the central Pripet Marshes celebrates its five-hundredth anniversary in 2014. Machulians themselves and inhabitants of neighboring villages consider Machul’ to have an aristocratic identity; indeed, many Machulians are conscious of their roots in the minor nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Time and the river flow slowly in Machul’, but they flow inexorably, and while every visit feels like coming home, there are always changes to reckon with. At the beginning of May the old wooden bridge in Machul’ was still standing, if infirmly. A visit three weeks later brought the sad sight that the bridge had collapsed, although one was pleased to see how the local kids had turned the jumble of planks and pilings into a Huck Finn adventure.
