National Library of Minsk hosts presentation of book ‘The Madjarski : The Armenian Family in the History of Belarus’ 

On March 12, the National Library of Belarus hosted the presentation of the book ‘The Madjarski: The Armenian Family in the History of Belarus’ published by the ANIV Foundation for Development and Support of Armenian Studies in cooperation with the National Historical Archive of Belarus.

The book is the first one in the publishing series ‘Armenia-Belarus’ and is devoted to the history of the family of Armenian master weavers, who created the famous ‘Slutsk belts’, father and son Jan and Leon Madjarski.

The book gives the readers an opportunity to get acquainted with the history of the famous Slutsk manufactory of kontush belts, which are a peculiar synthesis of Armenian, Eastern, and Belarusian cultural traditions, uniting the Armenian and Belarusian peoples. 

The book also includes unknown and little-known images, drawings of the buildings of the factory, portraits, personal letters of the Madjarski family to the Radziwill family, and other documents found in the archives. 

The presentation also featured a traveling exhibition about the history of the Madjarski family of Armenian master weavers, who contributed to the development of the culture of Belarus in the 18th and 19th centuries. The tablets presented in chronological order the main dates of the family history, images of historical characters, places, and artifacts, as well as the role of ‘Slutsk belts’ in Belarusian culture.