The Ruins of Belarus is a collection that tells the story of the fate of our stone structures.

At one time, all of Belarus's buildings were threatened with destruction – war, neglect, and state violence destroyed castles and churches, town halls and cathedrals, synagogues and houses. Many of them vanished without a trace, but they remain in photographs. Some have been saved; they shape our surroundings and embody ancient history. Others continue to crumble and need our help to avoid disappearing forever. In the photographs, we also see the people connected to these buildings. Some are photographed against a backdrop of ruins, wanting to touch a noble antiquity or preserve the memory of beloved places, while others mock the destroyed cities they have come to as occupiers. Thus, the photographs tell us about the fragility of the world, where a once-solid wall lies in ruins, but also about the resilience of memory, as people return to the stones of their homeland through oblivion and neglect.

Concept author, project curator, photo editor, introduction: Lesia Pčolka
Cataloging, library search, and architectural descriptions: Asia Khmyz
Essay author and architectural description editing: Uladzimir Hramovič

Consultants:
Vitebsk Oblast — Kastuš Šytal,
Gomel Oblast — Jaŭhen Malikaŭ,
Grodno Oblast — Stepan Sturejka,
Mogilev Oblast — Aleś David Lisoŭski

Graphic design: Karalina Petšyk, Tobias Wenig
Format: 240 × 320 mm
Number of pages: 256
Cover: Munken Lynx 400 gsm. Interior pages: Munken Print White, 115 gsm

"Ruins of Belarus" – a book prepared by the VEHA archive, published by the Arsenal Gallery and the Center for Belarusian Culture in Białystok

PUBLISHER:
ISBN 978-83-66262-30-0 — Galeria Arsenał in Białystok
ISBN 978-83-972232-6-4 — Center for Belarusian Culture in Białystok