Merlin homesteads, basin of the River S’ts’viha in the Pripet Marshes south of Tsjerablichy and Azdamichy.
Owing to the wilderness and difficult-to-penetrate nature of the marshes in the S’ts’viha basin, people did not homestead the Merlin area until the turn of the 20th century. According to Belarusian linguist, politician and civic activist Vintsuk Vjachorka (Вінцук Вячорка), whose forebears were among the homesteaders, by World War II the Merlin homesteads contained 15 villages and hamlets.
In 1960 the Soviet regime may have targetted an ICBM test flight with a live nuclear warhead from the Soviet Far East onto a part of these marshes; one would have to have access to still-secret archives to determine whether any direct evidence exists for such a test. In any event in 1960 the Soviet regime suddenly evacuated the entire population of the homesteads (residents of Tsjerablichy and Azdamichy speak of several thousand evacuees, all of whom the regime resettled in Tsjerablichy and elsewhere). In 1961-62 the Soviets turned much of the area into an artillery and bombing range. Only in the early 2000s did the Belarusian authorities terminate the range and open the area to civilians.
Now people from Tsjerablichy, Azdamichy and other towns in Stolin District, as well as Ukrainians from across the border, pick mushrooms and harvest wild cranberries in commercial quantities from the former Merlin homestead area; treckers make the several-day-long voyage in kayaks and boats along the River S’ts’viha.
What remain from the homestead era are several cemeteries. In addition innumerable craters remain from the decades when the Soviets operated their bombing range; the Soviets also “ameliorated” much of the historic marshland outside the range into oblivion.
After helping beekeeper Misha Naskjevich inspect and collect honey from five tree hives (photos of the day for December 12-18), we made an expedition deep into the woods to visit one of the Merlin homestead cemeteries and an area along the S’ts’viha.
Мэрлінскія хутары, лес і Альманскія балоты ў басейну ракі Сьцьвіга пад Цераблічамі й Аздамічамі.
Гл. https://www.svaboda.org/a/788046.html для гутаркі з Вінцукам Вячоркам, чыя продкі жылі на Мэрлінскіх хутарах, пра гісторыю гэтага краю.
Пасьля агляду свіх калодаў і збору мёду на ўрочышчах пад Цераблічамі, Міша Наскевіч прывёў нашу кампанію на адны з некалькі могілак, якія засталіся на Мерлінскіх хутарах пасьля таго, як савецкая ўлада раптоўнага й прымусова перасяліла ўсіх жыхароў у 1960 г. і на працягу дзесяцігодзьдзяў выкарыстоўвала цэлую зону як палігон.
Cemetery, forcibly abandoned in 1960 (I/II), Merlin homesteads 2018.
Some descendants have begun to return to tend the graves of their forebears.
Могілкі, прымусова накінутыя ў 1960 г. (I/II), Мэрлінскія хутары 2018 г.
A gravestone from the 1930s, when the Merlin homesteads were at the eastern edge of Belarusian lands incorporated into the interwar Second Polish Republic.
