A monument to Tadeŭš Kaściuška was dismantled at his family estate

In Małyja Siachnavičy of the Malarycki district, the monument to Tadeŭš Kaściuška (Tadeusz Kościuszko in Polish language) was dismantled. It had stood on the territory of the former estate since 1988. A flower bed now occupies its place.

The monument was located near the Žabinka Historical and Local Lore Museum, which had originally been created to honor the memory of Kaściuška. The Kaściuški family had owned Siachnavičy for several centuries. After returning from the United States, where he fought in the War of Independence, Tadeŭš Kaściuška settled at the local estate and lived there for four years. It was the only private home he ever owned in his adult life.

The monument to Kaściuška was created in 1932 by sculptor Balbina Vidackaja-Svityč.

It is unclear when exactly the monument was removed. As of September 2024, it was still in place. However, in photos from the local newspaper dated May 7, 2025, a flower bed is visible in its place. The photos were taken during a ceremonial reopening of the reconstructed World War II Hall.

All mentions of Kaściuška have disappeared from the museum’s website, even though the museum was originally established to commemorate the famous local figure. The current exhibition is now divided into four halls: an ethnography hall (featuring items of peasant life from the late 19th and early 20th centuries), a history hall of the Žabinka region, a hall of military glory dedicated to events of World War II, and an exhibition titled “Crimes of Fascism: The Genocide of the Belarusian People during the Great Patriotic War.”

The “Genocide of the Belarusian People” hall was opened in 2022 on the site of a former room dedicated to the Kaściuški family and its most prominent member — General Tadeŭš Kaściuška.

Tadeŭš Kaściuška (1746–1817) was a military leader and national hero of Belarus, Poland, the United States, and Lithuania. He fought for American independence in the Revolutionary War, where he served as a skilled engineer and received recognition from George Washington. In Poland, he led the Kościuszko Uprising of 1794 against Russian and Prussian forces in defense of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Kaściuška was a staunch advocate of liberty and equality, including for peasants and enslaved people. Today, he is remembered as a symbol of resistance and republican ideals across multiple nations.