Features of the royal hunt

Alexey Vengerov, professor, doctor. tech. Sciences

In central Russia, forests occupy vast areas. The population living in a forest area far from cities traditionally knows how to take everything that is possible from the forest: mushrooms, berries, game - cheaply and good for health.
But people coming from the city - officials and businessmen - learn about the skill of a hunter by reading I.S. Turgenev and briefly looking at the painting "Hunters at Rest" by V.G. Perov, hanging in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Poorly trained, but gambling, they often find themselves in unpleasant situations, while themselves becoming targets for journalists and the Greenpeace organization.
But not everything is lost, since the rules of behavior on the hunt, which, along with medical insurance, would protect modern hunters from tragedies in the forests, steppes and mountains of vast Russia, are described in the books of the 19th century.

"Hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha" (1861)

Belovezhskaya Pushcha - an area of ​​1076 km2, traditionally abundant in living creatures: bison, elks, wild boars, hazel grouse, black grouse - was annexed to the Russian Empire in 1794 after the third partition of Poland. In 1803, Pushcha received the status of a royal reserve, and in 1831, the Svisloch dacha, confiscated from the Polish nobleman Tyshkevich for participating in an anti-Russian uprising, was added to it.

However, the real great royal hunt came to Belovezhskaya Pushcha only in the autumn of 1860 and was timed to coincide with important negotiations for Russia with Austria and Prussia. Today, such an event would be called a "meeting without ties."

On the night of October 5-6, 1860, Emperor Alexander II, the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Princes Karl and Albert of Prussia and their large retinue arrived in Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

On October 6, at dawn, at the signal of Alexander II, the beaters drove the animals to the line of fire. The shots did not stop until 4 pm. On this day, 44 animals were killed, including 16 bison and four wild boars. The emperor's prey was 4 bison and a wild boar. In the evening, the host and guests dined to music performed by the orchestra of the Velikolutsky Infantry Regiment.

Hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. St. Petersburg: Printing house of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1861. 71 p.: tsv. and tones. ill.; 38.1X29.3 cm. On tit. l. - chromolithography according to fig. M. Zichy. In all-leather lane. second half of the 19th century with gold embossed title. On the top cover with gold-embossed geometric frames and ornaments on the cover and spine. Triple gold trim. Light beige moire endpapers. Circulation 50 copies. The rarest edition, intended not for sale, but for presenting as a gift to hunting participants

The hunt took place without accidents and cost the treasury 18 thousand rubles. silver. Local ranks were presented to the emperor and awarded with diamond rings, some of the riders received gold watches, and the peasant beaters received cash bonuses. The skins of animals killed by the princes were transferred to their property.

In 1861, by order of the Minister of State Property, a luxurious illustrated album was released, dedicated to the Bialowieza hunting season of the past season. The entire circulation - 50 copies - was intended for gifts to its participants. For foreign guests, several copies were printed in French.

The publication was illustrated by Mikhail Aleksandrovich Zichi (1827-1906), Honorary Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, who was present at the hunt. Hungarian by nationality, Zichy, then Mihaly, studied in Budapest and Vienna. In 1847 he came to Russia and was invited as a drawing teacher to Grand Duchess Ekaterina Mikhailovna. In 1859-1873 and 1883-1906 he was the court painter of the Russian emperors.

During his life, Zichy designed many books, but "Hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha" is one of his greatest successes. This is not surprising: after all, even in his youth, Mihai Zichy gained fame as a talented animal painter.

For more than 140 years "Hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha" has been a subject of desire for collectors.

"Grand-Ducal, Royal and Imperial Hunting in Russia" by Nikolai Kutepov (1896-1911)

According to the "Dictionary ..." V.I. Dahl, "hunting is catching, baiting and shooting wild animals as a trade or fun." But unlike hunting out of necessity, which has accompanied mankind throughout the history of its existence, hunting-entertainment is a sign of a multi-structural society, the privilege of people with wealth and power. It is the “imperious” type of hunting in Russia that is devoted to the study “Grand-Ducal, Royal and Imperial Hunting in Russia” by N.I. Kutepov, usually called among the scribes simply - "Royal Hunt".

Kutepov N. I. Grand Duke, royal and imperial hunting in Russia: East. essay: In 4 vols. Il. V.M. Vasnetsova and N.S. Samokish. St. Petersburg: Expedition for the preparation of state papers, 1896-1911. 37X28.2 cm. In four full-leather publisher's bindings with gold and polychrome embossing on covers and spines. On the top covers of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd volumes there are silver applied corners. Volume 4 was published without corners. Binding and endpapers with polychrome printing based on drawings by N.S. Samokish. Triple gold trim. Fabric silk bookmarks attached to blocks with metallic silver thread

The “sovereign hunt” in Russia has been documented since the 10th century. Initially, it was only a pastime of the ruler, fun for him and his squad, a competition for courage, dexterity and endurance, by the middle of the 17th century, the royal hunt gradually turned into a meticulously designed ceremonial. However, despite the strict regulation and even ritual nature of such a hunt, much in its form and content was determined by the passions of the monarchs. For example, Alexei Mikhailovich and Catherine II preferred falconry. Peter II - with a dog, Anna Ioannovna and Elizaveta Petrovna - with a bird, two Alexanders - the Second and the Third - loved to hunt bears, elks and bison.

Of the Russian rulers of the New Age, only two emperors denied themselves this entertainment: Peter the Great, who said: “This is not my fun. And without animals, I have someone to fight with, ”and Alexander I, too refined for the harsh joys of a hunter. All this is described in the work of N.I. Kutepov, based on the richest factual material gleaned from public and private archives. And in the book you can also find detailed descriptions of various types of hunting, registers of hunting trophies, characteristics of hunting weapons and, finally, information about the sovereign's hunting grounds - Izmailovo, Kolomenskoye, Tsarskoye Selo, Gatchina, Oranienbaum, Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

Initially conceived as a small-circulation gift edition, the book "Royal Hunt" was printed at public expense in the printing house of the Expedition for Procurement of State Papers. They did not spare money for registration. Part of the edition had "silver corners" - false silver edging, dust jackets with embossed Russian coats of arms. Copies are known in calico and leather bindings of various colors. Illustrations by special order were performed by the most famous artists of that time - A.N. Benois, V.M. Vasnetsov, E.E. Lansere, L.O. Pasternak, I.E. Repin and others.

For V.A. Serov, also invited to participate in the work, hunting scenes with images of Peter II and Catherine the Great were the first experiments in the historical genre.

The development of publishing bindings was entrusted to a graduate of the Academy of Arts, a well-known master of battle and hunting plots, Nikolai Semenovich Samokish (1860-1944). Following the idea of ​​Kutepov, who divided the publication, according to the periodization of the royal hunt developed by him, into four parts, Samokish proposed an individual version of the design for each volume.

The top cover of the first volume, dedicated to the hunting of the Russian Middle Ages, was decorated with a 12th-century ornament and the seal of Grand Duke Vasily III Ivanovich.

On the second volume, which tells about the era of the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexei Mikhailovich, the artist placed the image of Monomakh's cap and the coat of arms of Moscow with St. George the Victorious, whom Russian hunters honored as their patron.

The third volume contains materials about the end of the 16th - beginning of the 18th century, when the sovereign's hunting, together with the imperial court, moved from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Therefore, on the binding there are two falcons flying from the capital to the "banks of the Neva" and supporting the royal crown.

Finally, the last, fourth volume, which tells about hunting in the 18th-19th centuries, is decorated with the coat of arms of Nicholas I.

Academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts, winner of high awards for battle canvases dedicated to the history of the Russian army, N.S. Even after the change of power in the country, Samokish remained faithful to the military theme. Soviet critics of the 30s enthusiastically wrote about the well-thought-out composition and detailed drawing of details in his painting “The Red Army Crossing the Sivash”. In 1941, Samokish became a laureate of the Stalin Prize.

And once designed by him, the four-volume "Royal Hunt" was banned as glorifying the "master's life", but at the same time remained one of the outstanding monuments of Russian publishing.

Today, the rehabilitated "Royal Hunt" is an almost impossible dream of any bibliophile collector.

As you know, now canonized, the Russian Emperor Nicholas II did not like workers, but he liked to hunt in the protected areas of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. He hunted not only himself, but also taught his young children to do this. There is enough historical evidence of this.

So on September 21, 1912, Grand Duchess Tatyana Nikolaevna enthusiastically announced her participation in a real hunt. "My dear Aunt Ksenia ...-: It was terribly fun in Belovezha. Olga and I went hunting with Papá. Marie was with Anastasia only twice. I stood twice at Pap's room, once at Prince Golitsyn, once at Prince Beloselsky and once at Drenteln's. It was terribly good."
In the modern Belovezhskaya Pushcha on the territory of Belarus in the Museum of Nature, a whole hall is dedicated to the royal hunt.

Belovezhskaya Pushcha became the property of the royal family in 1888 in exchange for land in the Oryol and Simbirsk provinces. After the construction of the Belovezhsky Imperial Palace was completed, Alexander III, Nicholas II, the Grand Dukes hunted in the forest. The palace has not survived to our times, it burned down during the liberation in 1944, and the locals stole the richest collections. In the post-war period, the ruins of the palace were blown up, burned down or other buildings were destroyed. So only the entrance gate remained and this model in the Museum of Nature

Before the Russian tsars, Belovezhskaya Pushcha was a favorite hunting ground for Polish magnates.
By the beginning of the 15th century, wild bulls were still found in Pushcha - tours, which were completely exterminated at the beginning of the 17th century.

At the end of the 19th century, hunting in Pushcha took on a truly royal scale. Numerous trophies of that time have been preserved in various museums around the world, including the Darwin Museum. What is placed on the walls of the Museum of Nature is most likely modern products.

The most solemn event of the royal hunt was the drift (or drift). This is when the trophies obtained during the day were brought to one place and stacked in a certain order. In the first row, the game caught by the Sovereign Emperor was placed according to species, then other participants. The carcasses were decorated with garlands of oak branches. A hunting team lined up behind the trophies. At the edges stood palace workers in red shirts with torches in their hands. The counting of carcasses and their weighing began, after which a grand dinner was held ...

The number of trophies of large animals reached tens of units. Mention is made of hunting for waterfowl and upland game when the personal account of Nicholas II in the form of quails and pheasants often exceeded a hundred. In passing, the emperor did not disdain to shoot crows, seagulls and cats. At least three shot cats are recorded in his diaries. True, Romanov's defenders insist that they were wild cats. But then you have to look where they came to an end, in Pushcha or in St. Petersburg. I'm more inclined towards the second version.

According to various sources, Nicholas II was in Belovezhskaya Pushcha at least six times.

Some more photos from Tyrnety
Alexander III hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha in August 1894

And this, if there are no mistakes, is already the era of Nicholas II

After Nicholas II, the Soviet General Secretaries and their guests hunted in Pushcha, Hermann Goering during the occupation period, and I will tell you about modern hunting

Printed by order of the Ministry of State Property in the printing house of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. 1 l. title - color chromolithography, printed in gold and paints, 71 pages with 8 large vignettes in the text, executed in single-color and color chromolithographs based on drawings by M. Zichy in the lithographic workshop of R. Gundrieser. Text in a colored ornamental frame. Most of the edition (like our copy) was bound in an expensive dark green morocco binding with a title embossed in gold on the front cover among a wide ornamental frame, with embossed gold and blind geometric frames on the spine.And it, as it were, can, with some reservations, be classified as a publisher's binding.Inside there is a border embossed with gold. Triple gold trim. Light beige moire endpapers. Circulation 50 copies. Format: 38.1x29.3 cm. Rare deluxe edition, printed on thick Bristol paper (subject to slight "fox spots") and intended not for sale, but only for gifts to hunters. The publication occupies one of the first places among antique books Russia!

Bibliographic sources:

1. Antiquarian book trade Solovieva N.V. Catalog No. 105, Rare Books, Livres Rares, St. Petersburg, 1910, No. 296.

2. Collection of rare and valuable publications from the library of Maxim Yakimovich Sinitsyn. L., 1930. Antiquarian catalog of the Joint-Stock Island "International Book". Choix de Beaux livres provenant de la bibliotheque de M. S... "Mejdounarodnaya kniga", section des livres anciens, Leningrad, 1930, No. 35.

3. Vereshchagin V.A. Russian illustrated editions of the 18th and 19th centuries. (1720-1870). bibliographic experience. SPb., 1898, No. 644.

4. N.B. Russian book rarities. The experience of bibliographic description. Parts I-II. Moscow, 1902-03, No. 419.

5. Vengerovs A.A. and S.A. Bibliochronika, vol. I, Moscow, 2004, No. 72.

6. Gauthier V.G. A catalog of mostly rare and wonderful Russian books. Moscow, 1887, No. 774.

7. Pankratov V.V. Hunting in Russian art. Forgotten names. Moscow, 2004, pp. 83-88.

8. Aleshina L.S. Mihai Zichy. Moscow, 1975.

Belovezhskaya Pushcha - an area of ​​1076 sq. km, traditionally abounding with living creatures: bison, elks, wild boars, wolves, foxes, roe deer, capercaillie, hazel grouse, black grouse. It was annexed to the Russian Empire in 1794 after the third partition of Poland. In 1803 it received the status of a royal reserve. In 1831, the Svisloch dacha, confiscated from the Polish nobleman Tyshkevich for participating in the anti-Russian uprising, was attached to the forest. However, the real big royal hunt came to Belovezhskaya Pushcha only in the autumn of 1860 in the form of an unofficial meeting of the heads of some European states, organized on the initiative of the Russian Emperor Alexander II, and served as a pretext for the gradual exit of the Russian Empire from the isolation in which it found itself after the Crimean War of 1853- 1856 and the Paris Congress of 1856 that completed it. It was timed to coincide with important negotiations for Russia with Austria and Prussia. Today, such an event would be called a "meeting without ties." The most important steps of Russian diplomacy were directed precisely at the return of Russia's influence in Europe with the coming to power of Emperor Alexander II and the new Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Prince Gorchakov. In his famous circular, Prince A.M. Gorchakov (1798-1883), wrote "Russia Focuses". Hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha was one of those "concentrations" of Russia. The hunt in Belovezhskaya Pushcha was successful in terms of Russian foreign policy, as can be seen from the so-called "Warsaw Date" that followed it in October 1860, in Warsaw, when Russia began to regain its lost influence and prestige in Europe. So, on the night of October 5-6, 1860, Emperor Alexander II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Princes Karl and Albert of Prussia, August of Württemberg, Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel and a large retinue arrived in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The highest persons were greeted with festive fireworks. Long before that, thousands of beaters began to round up and drive bison, elk, chamois, wild boars, and foxes into a specially fenced menagerie. Twelve firing points-gallery, disguised with branches, were prepared for firing. One of them was intended for the Russian Emperor, five - for the Austro-German princes, the rest - for the retinue. On October 6, at dawn, at the signal of Alexander II, the beaters drove the animals to the line of fire. The shots did not stop until 4 pm. On that day, 44 animals were killed, including 16 bison and 4 wild boars. The Emperor's booty was 4 bison and 1 wild boar. In the evening, the host and guests dined to music performed by the orchestra of the Velikolutsky Infantry Regiment. On October 7, the hunt continued. Another 52 animals were killed. The Emperor got 6 bison. The hunt took place without accidents and cost the treasury 18,000 silver rubles. His Majesty expressed his full pleasure for the organization of the hunt to the Comrade Minister of State Property, a member of His Majesty's retinue, Major General Zeleny. Local ranks were presented to the Emperor and awarded with diamond rings, some of the riders received gold watches, the peasant beaters received cash bonuses. The skins of animals killed by the princes were transferred to their property. In 1861, by order of the Minister of State Property, a luxurious illustrated album was released, dedicated to the Bialowieza hunting of the past season. The entire circulation - 50 copies - was intended for gifts to its participants. Several copies in French were printed for foreign guests. Illustrated edition

Mikhail Aleksandrovich Zichi (1827-1906), Honorary Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, who was present at the hunt. Hungarian by nationality, Zichy, then Mihaly, studied in Budapest and Vienna. In 1847 he came to Russia and was invited as an art teacher to Grand Duchess Ekaterina Mikhailovna. In 1859-1873 and 1883-1906 he was the court painter of the Russian emperors. During his life, Zichy designed many books, but "Hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha" is one of his greatest successes. This is not surprising: after all, even in his youth, Mihai Zichy gained fame as a talented animal painter. For more than 140 years "Hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha" has been a subject of desire for collectors. Now let's take a closer look at the life of Mihai Zichy in Russia.

Barin at home? Makovsky asked the lackey who had opened the door.

That's right, sir, - answered the shaggy gray head.

Vladimir Yegorovich quietly entered the spacious room and stopped at the threshold. A middle-aged man was sitting by the window at a large white table, drawing.

Please! .. Please! .. - he said in a friendly voice with a strong foreign accent and, not looking up from his work, but smiling, turned to the guest.

Will you have tea or tokay? suggested the man, who continued to smile. - Are you without a guitar today? added in a slightly disappointed tone.

Yes, I'm in a minute. Was driving by and decided to stop by.

Makovsky knew the hospitable Mihai Zichy well and was afraid to sit too long again. Mikhail Alexandrovich, as Zichy was called in St. Petersburg, finally got up from the drawing table and, sitting down in an armchair opposite, radiated genuine cordiality with his whole appearance.

Yesterday we walked early, - as if justifying ourselves for our dressing gown, - Zichy said and, without waiting for questions, began to talk about what happened in his house not only yesterday, but much more often.

My old friend Ms. Esipova played this wretched piano wonderfully. Then the artists from the Mikhailovsky Theater rolled in. You know them. Well, of course, we "drank" a little and "talked"... Sverchkov and Baron Klodt sat for a little while.

Vladimir Yegorovich did not interrupt, listening to the uneven Russian speech. The good fame of the house of this handsome Hungarian has been thundering throughout the capital for more than one year. Who has not abused his hospitality! The regulars never ceased to wonder how a stranger could so quickly become Russified and assimilate our, including not the best, customs and habits. “However, it cannot be said that Mihai spent his whole life in one contentment and fun. His school years were also not particularly bright, but his soul had not become stale, ”Makovsky was already thinking on the street, returning to his place for exercise on foot. Zichy was born on October 15, 1827 into an old Hungarian noble family. The family estate of Zala, where he spent his childhood, still exists. After graduating from high school, the boy decided to devote himself to art. However, the parents used all their strength to overcome his passion for painting. Unsuccessfully: with five pennies, Mihai fled from his parental home to Vienna, where at first he was taken in charge of the watchman of the Academy of Arts. Through private lessons, Zichy progresses rapidly and exhibits his first painting at the age of sixteen. In 1847, he accepted an offer to become a home drawing teacher for the daughter of the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna and moved to Russia. Zichy's court teaching activity did not last long: already in 1849 he was fired and a period began when he had to somehow get money for lunch for his servants, himself remaining hungry for three days. “When you come to the kitchen, it smells so damn delicious of hot cabbage soup,” the artist recalled that time with humor. Things got better after a job with the St. Petersburg photographer Veniger as a retoucher with a good salary, reaching up to seventy rubles a day. Simultaneous work as a watercolorist-portraitist brought additional income. The work of Mikhail Zichy, especially in the first decade of his stay in the Russian capital, is largely associated with graphics, which in general helped the artist return to high society. First, he completed the watercolor "Nest" for Tsesarevna Maria Alexandrovna. Six drawings in colored pencils and gouache came to the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich. Apparently, on the direct instructions of His Highness, drawings were made reflecting the events of the Russian-Hungarian campaign of 1849: “Departure for a campaign”, “Dressing station near Weizen” and “Cossacks in a Hungarian village”. In 1852, Zichy creates two large series of watercolor portraits (27 in total) of officers of the Life Guards Horse Artillery and Horse Pioneer Division, where his talent is revealed with renewed vigor. In the same year, 1852, he published a lithographed album: Scènes du Caucase composées et dessinées sur pierre par Zichy. 1 livraison". It contains the following scenes, printed in tone with Russian and French legends: 1. Secret. - 2. Team for water. - 3. Foragers. - 4. Enemy body. - 5. Abduction. - 6. Revenge. - 7. Return. - 8. Feat. - 9. First wound. - 10. Farewell. - 11. Prayer. - 12. No legend (shot). - 13. Also without a legend (murder). (1852). - 14 and 15. Full-length portraits of cavalry guards: book. Manvelova and Grieg. Chertkov. In the fifties, Mikhail Alexandrovich, it seems, is slowly getting used to the peculiarities of life in a new country for him. His sociable character helps him win the sympathy of the metropolitan intelligentsia (“Society of Fridays” and “Thursdays” by I. Kramskoy). Emperor Nicholas I himself treated him very kindly. He laughed heartily, looking at Zichy's caricatures of the generals: “This is half me,” he said, “and this is half Adlerberg ...” Mihai met many nobles, in particular, the Jägermeister of the highest court, Count P.K. Ferzen, representatives of the branched family of Tolstoy, who helped him really get carried away with Russian hunting. Soon his apartment is literally filled with hunting trophies. The French writer and poet Theophile Gautier, who visited our country in 1858, was delighted with Zichy’s living room, devoting many enthusiastic lines to her description in his book “Journey to Russia” (in this book “Voyage en Russie” Gautier devoted an entire chapter to Zichy, which significantly raised his reputation with the Russian public): “One of the walls was occupied by delightful hunting accessories. There were guns, carbines, knives, game-bags, powder flasks hung on deer antlers and skins of lynx, wolf and fox, which were both victims and models of the artist, just like in the house of the Chief Jägermeister or sportsman-hunter. In the workshop where Zichy received the Frenchman, he saw a rich collection of weapons: “Toledo swords, blue Damascus blades, Kabyle fessakhs, scimitars, Malay daggers, daggers, guns with long black barrels, with butts inlaid with turquoise and corals ... And another thousand (!) Items that he liked to collect because of the picturesque originality, covered another wall. Zichy is a regular visitor to the Shchukin yard in St. Petersburg and markets in Moscow. In Constantinople, he did not leave the bazaar of weapons and armor without a purchase. He hurries to capture what he experienced during the hunt in his paintings, sepia and drawings. Three large watercolor still-lifes appear, depicting a fox, a wolf and a lynx, whose skins hung in the living room and which he himself killed. Gautier also emphasizes the incomparable skill of Zichy the artist, who managed to convey the nature of the killed animals in such a way that "each animal retained its temper in death." Since the late 1850s, Zichy's ties with the court have been strengthened. The successful participation of the artist in the creation of the coronation album on the occasion of the wedding to the kingdom of Alexander II also affects. In 1858, the Imperial Academy of Arts recognized him as an academician of watercolor painting, and a year later he was "granted the title of painter of His Imperial Majesty." Zichy acquires a stable financial position at the cost of strict duties: all his free time to make drawings and watercolors about the life of the imperial family. Mihai himself, by the way, also started a family. The marriage with A. Ershova turned out to be quite happy; the fact that the husband did not accept Orthodoxy did not prevent them from having four children. The systematic work on the execution of court orders certainly affected the general nature of Zichy's work, the subject matter of which was limited to historical, secular and everyday scenes. It is widely known that Alexander II was the most passionate hunter of all the Russian tsars of the 19th century, and this circumstance gave rise to many works by Zichy with hunting plots. The invitation of the graphic artist to the Emperor's winter hunts in Lisino (near St. Petersburg) quickly gave its first results. In 1859-1860, five watercolors were published: "Hunting in Lisino", "Hunting for a bear" (2 versions) and "The bear that attacked the beater", as well as "Hunting in Lisino on March 2, 1860" (Pavlovsk Palace Museum) . Zichy continues to delight his patron with new sketches of the highest hunts. A series of watercolors “Hunting at the Court of Alexander II”, consisting of 30 sheets (RM), summed up the image of royal hunting pleasures for that period of time. It is impossible not to admire one of the albums designed by Mihai and presented to the emperor, made in the most exquisite way. On each page, framed with vignettes of the finest taste, “the artist painted various hunts: for a bear, a lynx, an elk, a wolf, a hare, a black grouse, a hazel grouse, a thrush, snipes, and all with special hunting suits and landscapes that correspond to them.. Predatory animals, all kinds of game, thoroughbred horses, thoroughbred dogs, guns, knives, powder flasks, horns, nets and all hunting devices are depicted subtly, truly, amazingly accurately ”(T. Gauthier). When studying the graphic legacy of Zichy, attention is drawn to the abundance of watercolors with various bear hunts: “Hunters at the den are waiting for a bear”, “Moose and a bear breaking through the chain of hunters”, “Bear attacking the huntsmen”, “Walking bears”, “ Bear hunter", "Search for a bear", "Bear with guide" and others. Moreover, all of them were prepared during the reign of Alexander II, the most "protracted" bear cub. Mihai, of course, knew about this addiction of the Sovereign and tried to do him a disservice with his pictures. The king got so used to him that the first question he had when he got up from the sleigh on a hunt was: “Is Zichy here?” It goes without saying that Mihai was always at hand. In fact, the best years of the court painter are dedicated to Russian hunting. Not a single significant episode of imperial hunting fun escaped his attentive eye. Naturally, the English setter Milord, the favorite dog of Alexander II, also got into watercolor. The historical hunt of Emperor Alexander Nikolayevich on October 6 and 7, 1860 in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, without any doubt, needed an artistic embodiment. The sovereign, who personally took 10 bison in two days, did not hide his satisfaction with the organization and results of this grandiose event. In 1861, Mikhail Alexandrovich presented a series of watercolors dedicated to this event, which were personally approved by the Sovereign. The book "Hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha" with illustrations by Zichy, published in 1862, also received the highest appreciation. A picturesque chronicle of hunting episodes, combined with meaningful text and wonderful design - all this made the book one of the best examples of Russian hunting literature. Almost fifteen years in the role of a court painter passed with Zichy quite serenely. During this time, he made hundreds of different drawings that recorded various manifestations of the life of the Russian imperial court. The range of forms of hunting works by Mikhail Alexandrovich is also quite wide: from a set of playing cards with hunting humoresques (52 sheets) to such serious works as "Alexander II's Departure for Hunting", "A Courtier and a Hunter", illustrations for the handwritten work "Alexander II's Hunting" (19 sheets), etc. In general, the poetic nature of the Hungarian was not embarrassed even by drawing erotic pictures that became popular in the then society. He painted them constantly, not paying attention to the critical educational remarks of I.E. Repin. In 1874, the well-established life and creative activity of Zichy changed dramatically: he was removed from the post of “painter of His Majesty assigned to the Hermitage”. A.P. Bogolyubov in “Notes of a sailor-artist” explains Mihai’s resignation by the fact that allegedly “the Minister of the Imperial Court, Count Adlerberg, seeing Zichy’s exorbitant salary received for drawings of hunts and other royal households, offered to make some concession. Zichy resisted and was fired from his service. He moved to Paris. I made my exhibition at the Mirliton club and, of course, completely failed ... ”Indeed, in France and Hungary, Mihai tried to establish himself as a painter, and also took up easel graphics and illustration. The hunting plot receded into the background, except for the portrait of A.K. Tolstoy, poet, playwright and passionate hunter. Well, and a cycle of watercolors, made on the basis of impressions from a trip to the British Isles, under the general title "Hunting in Scotland", one of which he would later give to V. Makovsky. Despite the departure from Russia, Zichy was not forgotten with us. The magazines "North" and "Artist", the newspaper "Governmental Bulletin", but most of all "Niva", popularized his works, providing him with their pages. In the "Niva" of the 1870s, one can find both engravings and drawings of hunting, as well as illustrations by the academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts for the immortal works of Russian classics (M.Yu. Lermontov, N.V. Gogol, A.S. Pushkin). While abroad, Zichy never broke ties with figures of Russian culture. Painfully experienced separation from Russia. By the end of the 1890s, he would win the name of one of the best illustrators in our country. Returning to St. Petersburg, Zichy from 1883 until his death will again become a painter of the imperial court. The number of works made by the artist in this role is striking. Eighty-one notebooks with his sketches are kept in the Russian Museum and the Hermitage. Frequent trips expanded the scope of observation of the "elegant" draftsman. The hunting theme of the traveler is gradually revived. Several albums are filled with sketches of royal hunts in Rovno, Spala, Skiernevitsy, Ivangorod. In 1892, a collection of 30 watercolors by Mikhail Aleksandrovich was published under the title "Hunting in 1890". In the painted screens of the palace of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich, Zichy's brushes belong to separate hunting and battle compositions. The artist captured not only the various visits of Alexander III, but also the coronation of Nicholas II, his stay in Moscow, Warsaw and Kyiv, the family of the last Russian monarch in the country, hunting and a mosaic of court life. In the book “Belovezhskaya Pushcha” by G. Kartsev published in 1903, along with illustrations by K. Dryzhitsky, V. Navozov, N. Samokish, R. Frentz and A. Khrenov, five drawings by Zichy are placed: “Wolves beating bison from the herd”, “ The arrival of Sovereign Alexander II in Belovezh, "Sovereign Alexander II on the stand", "Planting a tree by Sovereign Alexander II". The screensaver, made by him, is dedicated to "Bison hunting in the 18th century." And everywhere his eye is so precise, his hand is so sure that every stroke hits the target. During the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Zichy's creative activity in 1894, many warm reviews about the artist appeared in the Russian press. On February 23, 1898, he was elected an honorary member of the Academy of Arts. The weakening painter continued to work in recent years, at the same time systematizing the court series of his works. On February 15, 1906, he died at the age of 79. The obituary, placed in the Niva magazine, said: “In the person of M.A. Zichy, the Russian art world has lost one of its most important representatives ... and the entire Russian society - a rare soul of a person who devoted the best years of his life to his second homeland. M. Zichy was not forgotten in Russia. And in this sense, nothing else could be a more worthy manifestation of respect for the great "master of illustration" than the inclusion of 10 of his drawings in the design of the IV volume of "The Imperial Hunt in Russia" by N. Kutepov in 1911. (“Departure of Emperor Alexander II for hunting”, “Count Ferzen with beaters”, “Bashkirs with falcons”, “Belovezhskaya Pushcha”, “Court hounds with greyhounds”, “Bear hunter”, etc.) Now few people remember paintings Zichy, graphic calendar of the royal court, Humoresques, etc. But thanks to the artist's watercolors and drawings, which have adorned our best literary publications about hunting, his name will forever remain in Russian art and in the memory of the knights of Diana.

Belovezhskaya Pushcha is the oldest reserve in Europe. It has a very ancient history. As an old virgin forest, Pushcha is mentioned in the Ipatiev Chronicle of 983. The Kyiv Chronicles indicate that the territory of the present Pushcha was inhabited by the Yotvingian tribe, who were engaged in hunting and fishing. In the 12th century, Vladimir Monomakh lived on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha for a long time, and in 1276 Prince Vladimir Volynsky founded the city-fortress Kamenets here. At the end of the 13th-beginning of the 14th centuries, Lithuanian princes (Troiden, Keistut, Jagello, etc.) owned Pushcha, and in 1413, when Lithuania and Poland united, Belovezhskaya Pushcha passed into Polish possession. Strict rules for the protection of wild animals are soon established, although the Polish kings (Sigismund I, Stefan Batory, August III) - the successors of Jagiello - turned the Forest into a place for their luxurious hunting. First, in 1557, the Polish king Sigismund Augustus issued a forest decree, according to which it was forbidden to cut even a dead forest without a ticket, which was signed by the king himself, and then in 1640, King Vladislav IV adopted a decree prohibiting cutting damp-growing trees without special permission . In 1802, a decree was issued on the conservation of Pushcha and the conservation of bison. The first attempt to get income from Pushcha took place in the middle of the 16th century, under the same Polish king Sigismund August, when 4 iron works were built on its territory. Resin was also mined here, tar was driven, coal was burned out, and they tried to arrange timber rafting. In 1795 Belovezhskaya Pushcha became part of Russia. Its area then was 120 thousand acres. Having little interest in the fate of the unique forest, Catherine II distributed a significant part of it to her close associates who participated in the conquest of the region (Count Rumyantsev, Mikhail Kutuzov, Colonel Drenyakin, etc.). In 1811, the largest fire in its history occurred on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha (from May to October), caused by a very strong and prolonged drought. In 1842-1847. in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the first forest inventory was carried out, after which Pushcha was divided into a quarterly network, and in 1861 - 1862. passed the second forest inventory. From this moment, accurate accounting of its forest fund begins. As before, in the possession of the royal family, Pushcha remains a place of grand ducal hunting. At the same time, all possible measures were taken to increase the number of hunting species of animals, mainly ungulates. For this purpose, in 1802, Alexander I issued a decree banning hunting for bison, and from 1809 their regular registration began. In 1864, deer were brought from Germany (they were completely destroyed by 1705) for their further breeding and organizing hunting for them. In 1888, Belovezhskaya Pushcha passed directly into the ownership of the royal family (specific department), after which hunting was intensively developed in it. A year later, in Bialowieza (now the Republic of Poland), the construction of a huge imperial palace began, which was subsequently used as an official country hunting residence and resting place for the king, members of his family and court (its construction was completed in 1894). In 1887, a railway was laid to the palace from Gainovka for a more convenient access for the royal people. Since that time, magnificent hunts have been organized, the most grandiose of which date back to 1897, 1900, 1903 and 1912. During these hunts, a large number of animals are killed, but thanks to strict measures taken to protect wild animals and a ban on hunting for unauthorized persons, the number of ungulates increases dramatically. So, in 1907, for example, in Pushcha, whose area then amounted to 126 thousand hectares, over 11 thousand wild animals (bison, deer, roe deer and fallow deer), as well as about 10 thousand heads of livestock were fed. This led to the "overgrazing" of land, the impoverishment of the forage base and, as a result, to the subsequent degradation of animal populations and the development of diseases and epizootics among them. The forests of Belovezhskaya Pushcha have been cut down in all ages. Thus, in 1839, 3,000 of the largest and most straight oaks and giant pines at least 350-400 years old were harvested and exported for the naval department (building ships) in Pushcha. For these purposes, about three thousand workers were involved. For the trading house "Thompson and Bonar" from 1845 to 1848. about 13,000 of the best pines were cut down, which A.I. later wrote with indignation. Herzen and N.P. Ogarev in the newspaper "The Bell". In total, from 1849 to 1854, about 45 thousand large trees were cut down in Pushcha, and from 1845 to 1857. more than 174,000 trees were exported for foreign trade. But the most intensive logging occurs at the beginning of the 20th century. During the First World War from 1915 to 1918. Belovezhskaya Pushcha is under the occupation of German troops. This period was an example of the strongest exploitation of its wealth. At this time, intensive laying of narrow-gauge railways (about 300 km) begins in order to harvest valuable wood, and 4 sawmills are built for its processing. In two and a half years, 4.5 million tons were exported to Germany. cube m of wood, and the most valuable species. This is almost the same amount as harvested in Pushcha for the entire previous history (5 million cubic meters). After the end of the war, Pushcha became the property of Poland. However, the exploitation of its forests did not end there. So, in 1927 - 1928. in accordance with a contract with the Polish government, the English company Century European Corporation (Centura) is engaged in the development and logging on its territory. In just 2 years, 1 million 947 thousand cubic meters were harvested. m of wood, after which in 1930 the Polish government, having paid a penalty, broke the concession agreement due to violation of the rules of logging. Although the contract had already been terminated, clear felling continued. So, in 1934-35. 1 million 208 thousand cubic meters were sold from Pushcha. m of wood. As a result, by that time, in total, up to 20% of the territory of the Pushcha had already been cut down. The First World War caused enormous damage to the animal world. By 1919, bison and fallow deer were exterminated, the number of deer and wild boars was sharply reduced. True, from the same moment, the active work of people who are not indifferent to nature, aimed at preserving this species, begins. In 1923, at the International Congress for the Conservation of Nature, the Polish delegate Jan Stolzman proposed saving the bison from complete extinction. After that, a bison nursery is created in Belovezha, where 6 bison are imported from private estates, zoos, zoos, and work begins to restore their population (by the beginning of the Second World War, they managed to increase their number to 19 individuals). As a result of economic activity, the territory of the Pushcha was gradually reduced due to peripheral parts, however, since the beginning of the 18th century, it has undergone relatively small territorial changes. In 1921, near the administrative center of Pushcha - the town of "Belovezha" - on a site of 4594 hectares, the forestry "Reservat" was formed and 1061 hectares of forest were covered by absolutely protected protection (the rest of the Pushcha was partially protected). In 1924, this forest area received the status of a forest area, and since 1929, its entire territory (4,640 ha) has become an absolute reserve. In 1932, on the site of this superforestry, the “National Park in Belovezh” (4693 ha) was formed with a strict conservation regime, which exists to this day, only in 1996 increased in size to 10502 ha. During this period, work began in Pushcha on the restoration of the free population of bison (1929), a nursery for tarpan horses was created (1936), and the number of deer, wild boar, and roe deer began to recover. But clear-cutting of the forest, although in a somewhat orderly manner, continued. In 1939, Belovezhskaya Pushcha became part of the BSSR and, by the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the BSSR (No. 1234 of December 25, 1939), the Belarusian State Reserve "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" was organized on its territory. It included the entire forest area of ​​Pushcha, meadow farming (700 ha) and the Svisloch forest dacha - a total of 129.2 thousand ha. However, by this resolution, full conservation was established only for the former National Park (4,760 ha), bison nursery (297 ha), limited territory (29.7 ha), that is, in fact, the regime remained within the same boundaries that existed in the Belovezhsky National Park Poland. Some time later, a resolution “On the economic regulation of the Belarusian State Reserve “Belovezhskaya Pushcha” (No. 1059 of July 27, 1940) was adopted, which provided for the complete conservation of the entire territory of Pushcha. But this was not possible due to the outbreak of war with Nazi Germany (June 21, 1941). During the Second World War, during the occupation of Pushcha by German troops, its wealth was practically not exploited, since at the initiative of Hitler's closest ally, Hermann Goering, it was decided to create an exemplary Reich hunting estate on its territory, where high titled persons could hunt. After the liberation from the German troops, the activity of the reserve was resumed by a decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the Byelorussian SSR in October 1944. But when the state border of the USSR with Poland was established, part of the reserve (55 thousand hectares), together with its historical center - the village of Belovezha, the National Park and the bison nursery - went to Poland. 74.5 thousand hectares of Belovezhskaya Pushcha remained on the territory of Belarus, practically without a base for scientific work and organizational activities. All this had to be created again. A new bison nursery was built and the Polish colleagues handed over 5 bison, which became the ancestors of the bison population in the Belarusian part of Pushcha. By 1953, the number of animals in the enclosures reached 19 individuals. After that, they were released into the wild and from that moment a new stage in the history of bison breeding began (in recent years, their number has ranged from 315 to 235 individuals). From 1944 to 1957 Pushcha had the status of a reserve, but in August 1957, in accordance with the order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, the State Reserve "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" was reorganized into the State Preserved Hunting Economy (GZOH), the main task of which was to breed wild animals and carry out hunting for high-ranking officials. In the shortest possible time, the Viskuli government complex (guest pavilion, hotel, cottages, bath-sauna) was built in Pushcha. Subsequently, two artificial reservoirs were created for hunting waterfowl, as well as a number of biotechnical structures with nearby hunting towers. Very quickly, the number of wild animals, and primarily deer, exceeded the optimal one by 3-5 times (up to 3.5 thousand individuals), which led to the destruction of the undergrowth and undergrowth of the main forest-forming species (pine, oak, ash, etc.) and endangered the future of Pushcha forest. At this time, both around the Pushcha and inside it, large-scale reclamation drainage work is being carried out, which led to a decrease in the level of groundwater, a deep restructuring of ecosystem ties, weakening of forest stands (primarily spruce), which, in turn, provoked a mass reproduction of stem pests. (typographer bark beetle) and the death of spruce forests over large areas. At the same time, economic infrastructure is intensively developing in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (well-maintained roads are being built, cordons are being electrified and equipped with telephones, comfortable residential buildings are being built for farm workers, a Museum of Nature, a cultural center, a polyclinic, etc.). In addition, the regime of conservation and secrecy prevented mass access to the territory of the Pushcha for visitors, which ultimately played a positive role in its preservation as an integral natural complex. By the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus No. 352 dated September 16, 1991, the State Zoo was reorganized and the first State National Park (SNP) "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" in the Republic was created on its basis and within its borders. Well, the famous hunt of October 6-7, 1860 was reflected in the famous monument to the Zubr at the site of those events, on the pedestal of which the names of the reigning and royal persons participating in it were carved.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (October 6-7, 1860)- an unofficial meeting of the heads of some European states, organized at the initiative of the Russian Emperor Alexander II, and served as a pretext for the gradual exit of the Russian Empire from the isolation in which it found itself after the Crimean War of 1853-1856. and completed it.

Description of the event

Hunting trips took place on October 6 and 7. The Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Princes Karl and Albert of Prussia, August of Württemberg, Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel, as well as a large retinue went hunting with Alexander II.

In 1803 Belovezhskaya Pushcha received the status of a royal reserve.

About a hundred animals became hunting trophies: bison, wild boars, elks, chamois, foxes.

Political background of the event

The main goal of this hunt was the gradual weakening, and, ultimately, the exit of Russia from the isolation in which it found itself after the Crimean War of 1853-1856. and the Paris Congress of 1856 that completed it.

It was to this that the most important steps of Russian diplomacy were directed with the coming to power of Emperor Alexander II and the new Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Prince Gorchakov. In his famous circular, Prince Gorchakov wrote "Russia is concentrating." Hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha was one of those "concentrations" of Russia.

Hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha was successful in relation to Russian foreign policy, as can be seen from the so-called "Warsaw date" that followed it in October 1860, in Warsaw, when Russia began to regain its lost influence and prestige in Europe.

event memory

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Excerpt characterizing Hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (1860)

- But what, count, is Klyucharev's fault? Pierre asked.
“It is my business to know and not yours to ask me,” cried Rostopchin.
“If he is accused of distributing Napoleon’s proclamations, then this has not been proven,” said Pierre (without looking at Rostopchin), “and Vereshchagin ...
- Nous y voila, [So it is,] - suddenly frowning, interrupting Pierre, Rostopchin screamed even louder than before. “Vereshchagin is a traitor and a traitor who will receive a well-deserved execution,” said Rostopchin with that fervor of anger with which people speak when they remember an insult. - But I did not call you to discuss my affairs, but to give you advice or orders, if you want it. I ask you to stop your relations with such gentlemen as Klyucharev and go from here. And I'll beat the crap, no matter who it is. - And, probably realizing that he seemed to be shouting at Bezukhov, who was not yet guilty of anything, he added, taking Pierre's hand in a friendly way: - Nous sommes a la veille d "un desastre publique, et je n" ai pas le temps de dire des gentillesses a tous ceux qui ont affaire a moi. My head is spinning sometimes! Eh! bien, mon cher, qu "est ce que vous faites, vous personnellement? [We are on the eve of a general disaster, and I have no time to be kind to everyone with whom I have business. So, my dear, what are you doing, you personally?]
- Mais rien, [Yes, nothing,] - Pierre answered, still without raising his eyes and without changing the expression of his thoughtful face.
The Count frowned.
- Un conseil d "ami, mon cher. Decampez et au plutot, c" est tout ce que je vous dis. A bon entendeur salut! Farewell, my dear. Oh, yes, he shouted to him from the door, is it true that the countess fell into the clutches of des saints peres de la Societe de Jesus? [Friendly advice. Get out soon, I'll tell you what. Blessed is he who knows how to obey!... the holy fathers of the Society of Jesus?]
Pierre did not answer and, frowning and angry, as he had never been seen, went out from Rostopchin.

By the time he got home, it was already getting dark. About eight different people visited him that evening. The secretary of the committee, the colonel of his battalion, the manager, the butler and various petitioners. Everyone had business before Pierre that he had to resolve. Pierre did not understand anything, was not interested in these matters, and gave only such answers to all questions that would free him from these people. Finally, left alone, he opened and read his wife's letter.
“They are soldiers on the battery, Prince Andrei is killed ... an old man ... Simplicity is obedience to God. You have to suffer… the meaning of everything… you have to match… your wife is getting married… You have to forget and understand…” And he went to the bed, without undressing, fell on it and immediately fell asleep.
When he woke up the next day in the morning, the butler came to report that a specially sent police official had come from Count Rostopchin to find out if Count Bezukhov had left or was leaving.
About ten different people dealing with Pierre were waiting for him in the living room. Pierre hastily dressed, and, instead of going to those who were waiting for him, he went to the back porch and from there went out through the gate.
From then until the end of the Moscow ruin, none of the Bezukhov households, despite all the searches, saw Pierre again and did not know where he was.

The Rostovs remained in the city until September 1, that is, until the eve of the enemy's entry into Moscow.
After Petya entered the regiment of Obolensky's Cossacks and left for Belaya Tserkov, where this regiment was being formed, fear came over the countess. The thought that both of her sons are at war, that both of them have left under her wing, that today or tomorrow each of them, and perhaps both together, like the three sons of one of her acquaintances, can be killed, for the first once now, this summer, came to her mind with cruel clarity. She tried to get Nikolai to her, she wanted to go to Petya herself, to find him somewhere in Petersburg, but both turned out to be impossible. Petya could not be returned otherwise than together with the regiment or by transfer to another active regiment. Nikolai was somewhere in the army, and after his last letter, in which he described in detail his meeting with Princess Marya, he did not give a rumor about himself. The countess did not sleep at night, and when she fell asleep, she saw her murdered sons in a dream. After many councils and negotiations, the count finally came up with a means to calm the countess. He transferred Petya from the Obolensky regiment to the Bezukhov regiment, which was being formed near Moscow. Although Petya remained in military service, but with this transfer, the countess had the consolation to see at least one son under her wing and hoped to arrange her Petya so that she would no longer let him out and always enroll in such places of service where he could not get in any way. into battle. While Nicolas alone was in danger, it seemed to the countess (and she even repented of this) that she loved her elder more than all the other children; but when the younger one, a naughty fellow who had studied badly, broke everything in the house and bored everyone with Petya, this snub-nosed Petya, with his merry black eyes, fresh blush and slightly piercing down on his cheeks, got there, to these big, terrible, cruel men who there they fight something and find something joyful in it - then it seemed to the mother that she loved him more, much more than all her children. The closer the time approached when the expected Petya was supposed to return to Moscow, the more the countess's anxiety increased. She already thought that she would never wait for this happiness. The presence of not only Sonya, but also her beloved Natasha, even her husband, irritated the countess. “What do I care about them, I don’t need anyone but Petya!” she thought.

79 On October 10, 1856, Jägermeister Count Fersen reported to the Minister of the Imperial Court: “On the occasion of sending the Imperial Hunt to Moscow for the coronation, I, wanting to present it in the proper form, corresponding to its purpose, was forced to make orders to acquire a certain number of horses and dogs But in order to be able in the future to deliver pleasant and varied hunts to His Majesty, to successfully fulfill other duties assigned to her, such as the destruction of wolves and other predatory animals and birds, monitoring private hunters, etc., it is necessary to add to its existing staff: 13 riding horses, 22 lifting horses, 30 greyhound dogs, 60 hounds. All the dogs shown are now available, but only 3 riding and 22 lifting horses have to be bought.

"With this increase in horses and dogs, it is also necessary to strengthen the team of people, according to the following distribution: 10 rangers, 10 rangers, 17 shadowmen, 9 stirrups, 4 waders, 4 grooms, 1 barber. In addition, one veterinarian, who the state is not supposed to.
"The need to strengthen the team by servants ... 1828; summer frock coats with basons and breeches, built in 1828; huntsman jackets with bloomers, built in 1828; working dress; summer frock coats without a bason with breeches, built in 1828; sheepskin coats ; camel wool coats; downy coachman hats; red paper sashes; overcoats of light gray color, cloth, on sheepskin, and wolf fur under the floors; plush hats; undershirts with trousers of dark gray cloth; garus sashes; blue Armenians; Armenians camel white wool; frock coats on wolf fur cloth "(Arch. Administration. Imp. oh., N0 1 6/726).

Addition. Among the institutions that were close during the described era to the department of the Imperial hunts, it should be noted the Lisinsky educational forestry and Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

These institutions, although they were completely independent of the Jägermeister department, however, in the lands that belonged to them, hunts were carried out in the highest presence, organized by the joint efforts of the local administration and the Imperial Hunting Department.

In particular, the highest hunts were often carried out in the lands of the Lisinsky educational forestry, and the hunting part of the forestry was organized on a completely rational basis.

As for Belovezhskaya Pushcha, taking into account its special significance and special character, as well as the fact that in the early sixties of the current century there were grandiose highest hunts, for which the Court Hunting was sent from Gatchina to Belovezh, the hunts, the descriptions of which are given in In its place, we consider it very useful to preface the above descriptions with a few words concerning the state of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, mainly by the middle of the 19th century, borrowing this information from the essay "Belovezhskaya Hunt", published in 1861.

Belovezhskaya state forest, with an area of ​​112,080 acres, or 1,076 square versts, is located in the Pruzhany district of the Grodno province.

Belovezhskaya Pushcha in former times belonged to the specific royal forests and, due to the variety of game that was found in it, was a favorite hunting place of the Polish kings. It was ruled by royal officials under the command of the commissar-general of the royal property and under the close supervision of a local forester, who was assigned residence in the palace that existed in the village of Belovezh. His duty was solely to look after the hunting arsenal and to manage the subjects related to hunting.

We do not consider it necessary to give information about the organization of the Belovezhskaya hunt during the period when Pushcha was among the property of the Polish crown: this information does not concern our task.

On the accession of Belovezhskaya Pushcha to the possessions of the Russian Empire, in the reign of Empress Catherine the Great, the lands that made up this forest were distributed to: Count Rumyantsev, Count Ferzen, Count Sievers, Kutuzov and Drenyakin.

And Emperor Alexander I, wishing to preserve the breed of bison living in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, made it a reserve in 1803, and from that time on, hunting for these animals was allowed every time only by a special imperial order.

In 1820, felling of the forest growing in Belovezhskaya Pushcha was completely prohibited.

In the period from 1843 to 1847, surveys and taxation of the Pushcha were carried out, which at the same time was divided into 541 two-verst quarters.

About the same time, five separate forestries were organized in Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

In the middle of the current century, within the boundaries of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, in the villages, sedge dwellers lived among 298 souls, whose main duty was to prepare hay for the winter for bison.

At that time, the forest was inhabited by: bison, elk (which from year to year became less and less, and he appeared in the forest more in winter, hiding for the summer in the swamps of the Slonim and Kobrin districts), deer, wild boar, hare, hare , wolf, fox, marten, weasel, bear and badger. In the first half of the century, there were beavers on the rivers Lesna, Narevka, Belaya and Gvozna, even before which the former inhabitants of the forest disappeared: red deer, fallow deer and wild cat. Of the birds in the forest, there were capercaillie, black grouse, rakelgan, hazel grouse, snipe, cranes, herons, and so on.

3 ubry lived in herds of 10, 20, 40 and 60 pieces. At the head of the herd there is always an old bison or bison leader; completely aged animals roam one by one or two together, and then they are no longer afraid of a person and, when they meet, they threaten to attack him, especially when they are annoyed or inadvertently frightened. The bison detects the first movement of anger by shaking the head; then he digs the ground with his foot and licks his lips, occasionally wagging his tail. If an old bison, or, as he is called, a lonely man, warmed by the sun, is located on the road, then sometimes no threats will force him to yield to the passerby. Horses are always afraid of bison. On the contrary, a herd of bison, seeing a man, runs away from him into a dense thicket of the forest, and the crackling of the young forest he breaks is heard for a long time.

In the summer, from the heat and pesky insects, bison take refuge either in the deepest thickets of the forest, where, to refresh themselves, they sometimes plunge into swamps and rivers, deftly and without fear swimming across them, or go out to the forests, where, tearing sand with their feet, throw them at each other and roll like horses on their backs. In many forest forest areas, especially near rivers and where the black forest turns into a forest, one can see shallow pits dug by bison, which are locally called "kupala".

Zubry, despite their heavy appearance, are extremely fast on the run and in all movements. In winter, they mostly stay near the places where the hay prepared by them in stacks is stacked.

Towards the end of winter, bison, especially old ones, come close to human dwellings and not only harm the peasants' haystacks, but sometimes turn entire pig sheds with their strong horns.

In addition to the rum of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, bison are found in state-owned forests adjacent to the first one: Svislotskaya, Shereshevskaya, Yalovskaya and Lyadskaya Pushchaks, in the Omelyanets dacha and private forests that belonged to the landowners Eisymont and Count Sievers in the middle of the century.

The management of Belovezhskaya Pushcha annually checked the number of available bison, their profit and loss, and also took measures to provide them with food, to protect them from predatory animals and to avert the passage of bison from Belovezhskaya Pushcha to neighboring areas.

In 1824 there were 500 bison in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, in 1830 there were 700 bison. For the period of time from 1832 to 1854 there is the following table.

The number of animals in the forest
In 1855, there were 1824 bison in the forest; in 1856 - 1771; in 1857 - 1898; in 1858 - 1434 and in 1859 there was no verification; in 1860 - 1575.

By the way, we note that the discrepancy in the table of profit and loss and then the final result of the number of bison by the next year, apparently, can be explained by the fact that every year a certain number of bison migrated from Belovezhskaya Pushcha to the surrounding forests and back.

The most convenient method for counting bison is based on the fact that each of their herds is constantly kept in certain places or tracts, depending on the time of year, mainly near rivers and streams, which is why any shooter can know quite approximately the number of bison that are in his bypass. Verification is done annually according to the first powder (the bison are not counted immediately after the snow falls, because the bison, like any wild animal, at first, until it gets used to the snow, is timid and does not go far from the place; having been in this position for a day, and sometimes another, tormented by hunger, he finally makes the transition from the parking lot); then all the shooters of Belovezhskaya and Svislotskaya Pushchas on a certain day, in the morning, each in his own area, bypassing the borders of it, count by footprints how many bison entered, distinguishing the traces of old ones from those of the same age. In addition, each shooter goes around his area up and down, looks for a herd, sneaks up to such a distance that he can correctly count the number of bison that make up the herd. After this, the arrows, having gathered to their guard, each announce the number of bison that are in their rounds. The ranger, upon receiving the reports of the shooters, draws up a report on the number of bison in his detour, and submits this to the forester for compiling a general statement on forestry and reporting to the authorities.

With such a count of bison, which depends most of all on the conscientiousness of the testimonies of the shooters, no doubt, only approximate figures are obtained, without any possibility of indicating separately the number of males and females.

They are accepted for the hay prepared for them only when they already lack pasture, and first of all they try to spread the haystack, looking for unexhausted grass, through which a lot of hay disappears.

These beliefs are often the prey of predatory animals, mainly wolves. In autumn and spring icy conditions, wolves make, one might say, regular raids on these animals; having beaten off the bison, mostly young, from the herd, they drive it onto the ice, where this animal cannot stay on the slippery surface and becomes their victim.

Although the bison, being in danger from predatory animals, take up a defensive position to protect themselves, enclosing the calves in the middle of the herd, but the wolves will always manage to break the herd with cunning maneuvers; three wolves are enough to kill the strongest bison.

In 1844, a bear of enormous size and strength was killed in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, which ate an old, huge bison; the space on which the fights of these animals took place, about a hundred square sazhens (near the road from Belovezha to Rudnya), proved the fierceness of their struggle; according to eyewitnesses, the bison dragged the bear on himself.

In 1846, a bear was also killed in Pushcha, which in one summer ate five bison.

To protect the bison from predatory animals, the local forest guards carefully watched the appearance of the latter. Any shooter, having confirmed the appearance of wolves, bears or lynxes in his rounds, was obliged to immediately report this to his forester, by order of whom all the forest guards subordinate to him immediately gathered to round up and destroy predatory animals.

If, during their rounds in the forest, the forest guards found an inanimate bison, then, having put a guard on it, they immediately brought it to the attention of the local forester; the production of a formal investigation revealed the cause of death of this animal, after which an examination report was drawn up. The bison, after removing the skin from it, was buried in the same place in the ground, and the skin was sold at a public auction at the proper higher price.

The proximity with Belovezhskaya Pushcha of both state and private forests, apparently, provided the bison with the opportunity to make frequent crossings in them; meanwhile, it was known from experience that if whole herds of bison sometimes crossed into adjacent forests, then again soon returned to the Pushcha, probably not finding proper food and tranquility for themselves in the heavenly forests. Therefore, there was no need to take measures to prevent such cases.

On the other hand, aged bison, wandering, as already noted, one by one or two together, often move into adjacent forests, from where they themselves rarely return, but are almost always driven back by local peasants and forest guards. To avert this, by the way, it was decided to preserve, to the extent possible, the estates of foresters, former guards, shooters of the permanent forest guard and sedge guards around the Pushcha, who were charged with the duty, in case of crossing bison from the Pushcha, to immediately take measures to drive them back.

Regarding the methods of hunting for bison, practiced in antiquity, we have already spoken in the first part of materials for history.
Grand Duke and Royal hunts. We borrow only from the essay "Belovezhskaya Hunt" the following interesting detail concerning the current state of the Pushcha.

In the center of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, near the village of Belovezha, on the elevated bank of the Narevka River, there is a monument made of gray sandstone, 16 feet high, looking like a small obelisk, with an inscription in Polish and German.

"2 September 7, 1752, His Royal Majesty August III, King of Poland, Elector of Saxony, with Her Royal Majesty and Their Royal Highnesses Xavier and Charles, hunted bison here, of which 42 were killed, including 11 large ones, of which one weighed 14 centners and 50 pounds; 7 smaller, 18 females, 6 young; 13 moose, between which there were old males, of which one weighed 7 centners; 5 females and two young ones; 2 chamois, 57 in total.

"With this were: His Excellency Count Branitsky, Crown Hetman; His Excellency Count de Brule, the first Minister of His Royal Majesty; Crown Chesnik Velepolsky; Grand Equestrian Count de Brule; Marshal de Bieberstein, head of the crown post; Court Marshal of His Royal Majesty de Shonberg; Messrs. Colonels Poniatowski, Vilchevsky, Betersky, Starzhevsky and Captain-Lieutenant Sapieha".

"O hota was ruled by Count Bolefersdorf, Chief Hunter of His Royal Majesty. Present during the hunt: Gg. de Gablenz, hunter of His Royal Majesty; de Arnim, chamberlain of His Royal Majesty; de Leipziger and de Desevu, pages during the hunt; court shooters: Gg. Pflug, Stockman, Zegreier and Petzold; foresters: Schubart, Angermann, Richter, Eichler, Kozlovsky, Bapa, Rode, Prokopovich and Schreuter; senior foresters: Breiter, Bormann and Eygard.

We omit a detailed description of this hunt, as not included in our task. It is available from Brinken in "Memoire descriptif sur la forkt Imperiale de Bialovieza" (Warsaw, 1828 edition, p. 85).