When you imagine the smallest city of Belarus, imagination draws postcards of a paved outskirts with tiled roofs. But in fact, the title "The smallest city" can mean only one thing - almost everyone left the city. Or here everyone died. Or were shot. Historically, the disin is a crystal-snowy, covered by the mysterious fogs of Silent Hill, who took the souls of alive in the kingdom of the dead. 3,800 Jews were shot here, more than half of the city's population. And for 78 years who have passed since then, the Disna could not get out of this demographic pit. The prosperous Polish county turned into a depressive town in the north of Belarus. Now, many consider the death death inevitable: all enterprises went bankrupt and closed, it makes no sense to live here, wait for something and every day to get out 80 km away, riding a job in Novopolotsk. But some residents of the city do not want to bury him. One of them is Natalia Ostrovskaya, dreams that the Disna becomes Tourist Mecca, because here is nature, and architecture, and one on all the big grave, over which the intricist is silent over which every summer. In May 2019, Natalia Fedorovna opened a cafe in the city by putting a large amount of money. Repair costs promised to be credited to the rental price, but the parties did not come together in numbers, and barely opened cafes turned out to be on the verge of ruin. About the life of a business woman in the Belarusian semi-tracker city - Onliner reportage.
The road to the disney is not a high-speed route between Minsk and Vitebsk, but the snow-covered path of four hours of driving, on the last one who does not meet a single embarrassing settlement. Only pillars, spruce, bulbs with crosses, billboard with Yanke Volata, in the outlines of which are guessing Stalin's mustache, "loaf", dark green trucks covered with tarpaulter, and people in tag races and with frowning faces.
The city from all sides is enveloped by the River Disna and West Dvina. At the time of river shipping, it was a blessing, now it turned out to be a curse. How to live in the city cut off from a large water civilization , if even in Lunocharnye, which is 500 meters from here, is it necessary to wind into a detour 100 km? Before frosts, ferry crossing is running, but as soon as the old woman comes, dozens of disns, working in the Lunochard psychoneurological boarding school, are clogged in the passenger cars, discharged to gasoline and overcome 100 km simply to get to work. In the disperse itself, it is almost no, but almost all cars. Not from a good life, but from bad.
There is a disperse and more strategic neighbors - the same Novopolotsk. Hundreds of people go to work in Novopolotsky LPDS (they say there is a salary of as many as 800 rubles), but the town of Novopolotsk, the town does not particularly justify the town: from bed-space to the feeder - 40 km. The day comes out all 80 km. People, of course, are spinning, work in three shifts, so as not to return to such a long-range "sleeping bag, but it's hard to live in such a mode, and the people are trying to move closer to the place of work at any cost.
By the standards of 2021, a sleeping area from the disense is so-so. Residents of royal two-story buildings with exquisite brick masonry on the facade use street toilets of the "Sortyr" type, and wash in the city bath. Gas to the city reached only in 2014. Then it became clear that in the light of the input of the Belarusian NPP of the meaning in an expensive gas pipe a little: the country began to introduce electrical installation. But it seems that in Belarus it is customary to think in five-year plates, and 2014 is a past five-year plan.
Cafe and Raipo
Against the background of the ruins of ancient architecture, places dressed in a cheap plastic siding, in the city that does not produce and is interested only in its record small size, the local resident of Natalia Ostrovskaya decided to open a cafe. The only one in the disyn, the second in the Miorsky district. Natalia Fedorovna is convinced: the disnna is not only able to attract tourists, but also does it every summer. And if you establish a tourist infrastructure here, in the summer it will not push back from visitors. Why there are tourists there - even the inhabitants of the city, according to women, do not miss the opportunity to go to the institution. The last days of the old year, the cafe worked to a deep night, and there was no removal from customers.
Before Natalia Fedorovna, the cafe room was emptied for three years. And before, from the Soviet times, the building was a state restaurant, which belonged to Moro Raypo. The restaurant broke down shortly before the bankruptcy of its owner. Years of exploitation and abandonment did not spare a finish: the ceiling "Mooked", the paint went with stakes, the wooden floor was made up, and somewhere he was not observed at all. Under the ceiling had to substitute eight basins to catch all the water.
And the tenant Natalia Fedorovna, and the landlord Miorsk Raypo understood that the premises need to be repaired. Therefore, they agreed that the customer of repair would be Rypo, the contractor - Natalia Fedorovna, and the cost of materials and work performed will begin the hostess of the cafe on rent.
This moment is registered in the contract: "The total cost of the current repairs conducted by the tenant should not exceed 6300 white. rubles. The final amount is subject to coordination after the entire volume of repair work, according to the tenant of acts of work provided.
Natalia Fedorovna suffered additional costs, and the repair came out not for 6300, but almost for 15,000 rubles. But the act of work performed was signed by the Chairman of the Rightovo, as if agreed with such costs. However, in May 2019, Natalia Fedorovna had no reason for the rental of the premises, as if there were no arrangements for relatives. Business woman decided not to pay. Since then, 20 months have passed, and she still does not pay, because there is a contract and there is an act of work performed, signed by the customer.
- Before signing the lease agreement, I did not have the right to reveal the floor, the heating system and understand what state they are. In Raypo, they said that everything was fine, and I believed. Opened the floor - he turned out to be rotten. Heating pipes were rusty, sanded down. Therefore, the repair cost it more than I assumed. Riotova was aware that I would spend more money, and even signed a preliminary estimate by 15 thousand rubles. The commission was checked work. Signed the act of work performed. And now it turns out that I made repairs in someone else's room and should rent more than 8,000 rubles for 20 months, "says Natalia Fedorovna.
The chairman of the bankrupt Rippo Irina Fedukovich has a somewhat different vision of the situation:
- Before concluding a lease agreement, we warned Natalia Fedorovna that the building will be sold, as we go to the step of bankruptcy. And there is no big money to invest here, the appraisers will not take into account them. Associated in the amount of 6,300 rubles. She crashed that it would be enough to give the room a more or less visible look. And then the beginning of pollen and invest more money than necessary. The estimate was so much that even the profit was laid as a construction organization, did not apply not those factors, did not provide invoices for the purchase of building materials. I gave the estimate of our manufacturer of work and asked to double-check with more competent people, but he did not apply to anyone, just signed an act. Time went, we went to bankruptcy, and Ostrovskaya demanded to immediately sign the act. I just started signing and seeing - the amount does not coincide. Opened the folder in the table to look at what amount we agreed during the conclusion of the lease agreement. And discovered that there is a completely different amount. The contract is clearly written: no more than 6,300 rubles. We are ready to consider this amount. But for this you need all documents.
Such an incomprehensible situation lasts for 1.5 years. For the past few months, Natalia Fedorovna was intrigued by the termination of the lease agreement, if it does not pay the bills. During all this time, the entrepreneur did not even begin with those 6,300 rubles, which they agreed in advance.
Very small homeland
Natalia was born in the disyn. In his youth, I left for Moscow: a sociable and active girl was not to the slowdown pace of life of the depressive town. Then family circumstances were forced to return: Father died, and the sick sister and the elderly mother remained alone, and they needed help. Natalia returned to his native fenats, sank about the metropolitan life and since then he is trying to live in a disney as once he ever lived in Moscow.
Recently won the European grant for the improvement of the local square, landed the alley of lilac and bushes of the Samshites. So far, all this potential beauty rests under the snow, but soon it will grow and blooms with a rapid color.
Now Natalia Fedorovna is preparing an application for another European grant - to update the old Dubrava, which stands over Western Move. She said that once a luxury wrought-iron gate was led to the park and an orchestra played in it every day, and now even the giants are eaten by time from the inside.
In addition to the park, Square and Cafe, Natalia Fedorovna had another glorious project - reconstruction of a local pre-revolutionary building. The building is, however, says loudly. When a woman bought him, there was no roof, nor overlap, only the external walls with the preserved brick masonry. I wanted to repair the house and live in it, but in the end I bought ready, and the rescued building of the Red Brick now serves as a workshop for her husband.
The two-story building appeared, the staircase to the second floor, windows and roof. By the way, Natalia Fedorovna's husband is a local artist. This is he designed a cafe in the style of sea cabin, this autumn photographs are decorated with siding on the walls, this is his bar stand from the tree, plexced by the plexiglass resin, symbolizes the mighty river, whose name is cafe.
Not to all buildings in the disperse is so lucky: right behind a two-story building - a quarter of abandoned houses, in which Dissense Jews lived before the war. Now they lie in a fraternal grave, and pre-war buildings with a whole brickwork for 80 years so no one came in handy.
Residential apartment buildings in the dispel also look sad. For example, a former gymnasium from red bricks, with a wide staircase and luxurious forged railings, with four-meter ceilings today performs the function of a residential building, but no one wants to live in it: half the apartments are abandoned, half of the windows are scored. From the benefits of civilization inside - only electricity.
What the authorities say about 100 km to work in winter
According to the estimates of the Disnensky City Executive Committee, about 40 people worked in the Lunochargeanian home boarding school on January 1, 2020. In January, February and March, to get to work there in a detour - 100 km. Ferry crossing works for 9 months a year, and people - 12. But the bridge here will not be built - too expensive for 40 workers.
- the owner of the ferry opens the navigation in the spring and closes in late autumn, "said Evgeny Baran, chairman of the Disnensky City Executive Committee. - It is not tied hard to date, it all depends on weather conditions: when it is possible to walk along the river - ferry goes. When winter, night frosts, walking on the river - walk the ferry is unsafe. Last year, we had the only case, an exception to the rules for many decades, when the weather conditions have developed in such a way that the ferry did not stop navigation. We have repeatedly went out on the employers of these people, agreed to somehow compensate for people to the expenses on the road. It is clear, to wind 200 km per day is not just hard, but also obligated. But people somehow cooperate, drive together, change with shifts, so that they immediately work out three shifts, without returning home, and then rest. The need to build a bridge over Western Dvina is now missing. To build a bridge, you need very serious grounds.
... o seeding ruins, repair and new building
- Some buildings of the pre-war construction used to belong to the Dissence of the building materials - continues the Chairman of the Disnensky City Executive Committee. - In about 2010, this organization went bankrupt and ceased to exist. Two-storey houses that stood on their balance, switched to the Balance of Housing and Communal Services. They were examined for the subject of wear and ability to reconstruct, and today there are current and overhaul.
Two old buildings are already repaired: the former hotel that has now become a residential building, and the hospital of nursing care to 40 beds. The next year, funds are laid out of the budget for the repair of a two-story building on the street. Kirov.
This year, 12 streets are additionally gasified in the disperse with the possibility of connecting more than 100 houses. Built the water supply system of our village. More than 240 apartments we conducted absolutely new water supply and drainage. About 500 people live in these apartments, the quality of water there has become much better. In addition, a 9-apartment house is drawn to remove people from emergency housing.
... about the dying city without work and prospects
At 2020, a 1341 resident registered in the disperse, and 1000 people do not live, Valery Drabo, deputy chairman of the Miorine district executive committee.
- Disna dies? Similarly, it is possible to say about the entire Myster district: if 30 years ago in the area there were 40,000 people, now there are less than 20,000. Yes, there was a time when the worlds were a tiny settlement, and the disense flourished, because stood on a shipping river and traded flax. But then the railway branch was built, and all economic life moved to the railway. Then one region develops, then another.
When I meet with the population of the disperse, they tell that they did everything to leave the children from there. They took loans for training, although someone from the children may not pull this study, judging by school estimates ... And now they noticed that in the disney, it turns out, almost no one lives! I ask my parents: What did you do that your children stay here? Nothing. But this is life, people are looking for where it is better.
Yes, in Soviet times there was an industry, a cannery. Cannedi were in demand by military. When the USSR was not, people stopped buying Soviet canned food. I ask local residents: are you a lot of canned food in the store? No, they say, do not buy. They want the plant to work, but no one does not buy his products. So the market has developed in the republic, that it was not claimed.
Disna - a beautiful, historical city. We are trying to invest there. She gets more money than the Miora district center. We implies that we have the smallest city in the republic. And we are interested in developing tourism. But now, when there are no productions in the disyn, it becomes such a dacha city. Former residents come there for the summer.
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