From the Czarna Hańcza River. Tales of Old Believers, Russian Banyas, and Starow

Piotr Malczewski, From the Czarna Hańcza River. Tales of Old Believers, Russian banyas, Old Believer villages, wooden houses, and beavers. Stories Written with Life

This book could have been composed of a million other splinters and fragments, because there are as many Suwałki Regions and stories about them as there are views of them, as many post-glacial boulders and stones… But whichever end of the story you start with, there is no Suwałki Region without what Piotr tells…

So I invite you to Piotr's Suwałki Region… Listen to the stories of the Old Believers, houses, and beavers, but also to the stories of the people who shaped this space… Piotr has no other Suwałki Region, and I have no other… Because when I close my eyes, I clearly see "my" Suwałki Region: Piotr's wooden house, a beaver frolicking in the pond, a black dome just above the river, and Andrzej Strumiłło's wrinkled face…

Immerse yourself in Piotr's world, and then stand on the Bridge, look at Czarna Hańcza and find your own stories about one of the most beautiful places on earth... They are here, I assure you, they are and they are waiting for you...

PIOTR BRYSACZ, publisher

"White snow outside, the first major one this winter. And finally a frost, albeit a slight one – minus 10 degrees. Goldeneyes are already flying over the river. There are also whooper swans, winter guests on the river...

Black and white trees. Silence. Only the fire crackles and roars in the tiled stoves. I light incense from Mongolia, and a ribbon of fugitive smoke drifts like a flowing River. Through the window I look at my river – Czarna Hańcza.”

PIOTR MALCZEWSKI – nature photographer and traveler. In 2007, his album Rospuda was published, in 2008 the album Magiczny Bajkał (Magic Bajkał), in 2010 the album Wigry. Kraina Wody i Nieba (Wigry. Land of Water and Sky), and in 2016 the Kraina Czarnej Hańcza (Land of Czarna Hańcza).

He has also won awards in numerous photography competitions. His portfolio includes primarily nature, art, and travel photography. He lives in Buda Ruska on the Czarna Hańcza River. There, he founded the Museum of Mongolia and a photography gallery, presenting, among other things, His photographic output includes exhibitions and thematic slideshows from the Suwałki Region and his expeditions to Central Asia.

He is a co-founder and co-organizer of the Looking East literary festival and the Powsinóg Festival. Journeys Near and Far. In 2020, his book "Trans-Siberian Railway. A Story of People, Space, and the Road" was published, and in 2021, "Baikal.

Tales of the Holy Sea."

By purchasing this product, you support the KOSTROMA Association, and the proceeds will be used to support the development and operation of the Tourist Information Center in Suwałki.

Number of pages: 244 Publication year: 2025, 1st edition ISBN: 978-83-974967-8-1 Illustrated: YES (color and black-and-white photographs by Piotr Malczewski and from the author's archive) Format: 160 x 230 mm, softcover with flaps Color: Black