Expedition in Western Ukraine is on process

The population of Bilinka Mala is very religious, part of them are Greeck -Catholic, part of them are Orthodox.

The church of Oziminy village, the motherland of father and grandfather of Ivan Franko – famous Ukrainien writer.

The monument for local fighters for freedom (Russian, Polish and Jews mostly censern them as bloody terrorists of war time).

The American Cameraman

Have been working with American Cameramen Randy Graham in Moscow and Tula

Back from Sibiria

I am back from my expedition to Sibiria (Novosibirsk – Ogneva Zaimka – Barnaul), some photos are available here http://photofile.ru/users/dombaisaglara/3768572/. Now Tver’ Saint-Petersbourg and Ukraine on the list.

Posts about my latest researches

are available here

http://ouranopolis.livejournal.com/122568.html

http://forum.vgd.ru/264/24731/

(Russian language)

The last expedition to Nizhny Novgorod-Kazan

Photos from the last expedition to Nizhny Novgorod – Kazan

Kresy Wschodni next expedition -at September

Brżeżany, Ternopil region, Ukraine, old cemetery

Kursk-Belgorod-Kharkov-Rovno-Lutsk

July 31 2009 train Lutzk-Polonnoe

It’s just 6th day of the expedition, but I feel that I almost was born on the way. After my visit to Kursk I have moved to Belgorod, not big, but modern and explicitly developing town on the Russian – Ukrainian border. I have learned some documents in the local archive and then have crossed the border for Kharkov – the second biggest town of Ukraine, just to sit at the best train of Ukraine “Slobozhanshina”.

I have woken up near Rovno, I was visiting Rovno first time in my life and was a little bit nervous. The search for the famous Polish clan of Cholodeckie was very important for me. I have promised to the founder of Cholodecki’s web-site Lukasz Cholodecki to found some documents of the beginning of XIX century, that could be at Rovno Archive, but I am always worry before the beginning of work. These documents of 1820-s, this is far away for ex- Soviet countries. I know – for France or Germany, or UK there are a lot of people who are able to search through their genealogy so far to XVII-XV century – but in ex-Soviet countries it’s almost unbelievable! It’s a big success to find something for XVIII century. Well, our bureaucracy is not so old.

The vice chief of Rovno archive was really nice – the work was very fast and I have found the document I needed so much!

I was in the beautiful mood when I was sitting at the train to Luck.

The Luck Archive looked completely different. Well, it’s was my fault, I had not called them in advance, because it was the last Friday of the month, when Archives (and not only archives) have so named “sanitarny den” (a cleaning day), day, when they should clean and wash all the building ( but ordinary nobody does). I was extremely upset! And more I was upset by directors and vice directors’ coldness. That’s was first archive of Ukraine where when they know I came from Russia, they keep on speaking Ukrainian. It’s not problem for me to understand Ukrainian, but, after all, I have moved 1500 km to be there! For Rovno Archive it was a big deal, but for Luck Archive – just another problem.

Well, it means, I should visit Luck and Kovel again one week later. I was really pissed off, that’s I shouted and complained in the lobby, but only for 2-3 minutes, may be. Nothing private, of course. But it was terrible – to be in Luck, in the corner of Ukraine, the place nowhere to go except of Poland and Belarus. Hope, visiting this archive next week the chief would not refuse my apply because of my complains.

Diary of my expedition.

1st day of expedition,26 th July 2009 Koursk, Russia

Koursk looks like in the middle of nowhere. I guess there were not any foreign tourists at all, because there is nothing to look. It’s quite ordinaire Russian town in “Chernozemie” region, known because of it’s extremely good soil (Chernozemie means “Black Soil” Black Ground Area”.

But it’s quite Russian because of it’s very Russian feeling. I do not like it a lot of, but Koursk people speak about themselves as about evil, agressive and ugly. Partly it’s connected with the history of the region, 400 years ago it was a border of Russia on the edge of the Wild Field full of wild nomads, to guard this border Russian tsar needed special people whose name was sevruki – wild, really agressive. But modern Koursk people has not a lot of from them. They are quite province, supersticious, more village-inhabitants then “towners”, but they are not agressive!

Koursk, after all can be interesting for it Orthdox Christianity’s holy place Korennaia Pustyn – famous Orthodox monastery and the place of the biggest tank battlle in the world, which is, actially, in the neighbour Belgorod region.

New Press about me

Ukranian newspaper from Vinnitsa (“20 minutes”) has published the extract of my 4th Ukranian Expedition. As at happened quite often, Ukranian readers had read some political aspect at absolutely peaceful travelog.

It’s available there on Russian language

http://20minut.ua/news/152294

An interview with me on Russian entertainment magazine ” Vash Dosug”

I am just after the Big European Expedition

Yes, I am just after the Big European Expedition, where I have been working in Paris (The Archive of Credit Agricole Bank Group),

Trondheim (Norway), State Archive of Trondheim and Warsaw, Poland where I have been working in The Archive of Polish Jewish Institute.

Well, I really realize that my German, French and Polish must be improved