21 May 2002
Brest commemorates 19th-century politician, historian Niemciewicz

 A conference and a church service held in Brest this past weekend marked the 161st anniversary of the death of historian and politician Juljan Ursyn Niemciewicz, born in 1758 in his family's estate of Skoki several kilometers from Brest.
In a 1794 uprising for Polish independence, Niemciewicz was aide-de-camp to the rebels' leader, Thaddeus Kosciusko. Together with Kosciusko, he spent two years in a Russian prison following the defeat of the uprising. He then lived in the United States for several years, and returned to Skoki in 1807. Based on his 1811-1828 travels, he wrote a
book about the history and culture of his homeland, describing Brest, Grodno, Novogrudok and other places in what is now western Belarus. He is the author of numerous other historical works.
The May 17-19 memorial events brought together Niemciewicz family members, researchers, historians, writers, journalists, about 150 in all. Flowers were laid at the historian's grave in Brest. The organizers - the Polish Consulate General in Brest and the local Polish Society -
see the anniversary as a way to highlight the future of the Skoki estate, which dates from the late 18th century and is becoming increasingly dilapidated.