State Property Committee: Alfred Romer's estate in Postavy district sold at auction

On June 23, the estate of Alfred Romer in the village of Korolinovo, near Postavy, was sold at auction. Romer was an artist from an ancient Saxon family who never became famous in Belarus but gifted his last painting to the Vitebsk region.

Alfred Romer was a renowned artist, sculptor, ethnographer, and author of works on religious themes. His notable works include the painting "Christ and the Orphan," also known as "The Savior with a Boy," which can still be seen in the Church of St. John the Baptist in the agro-town of Kamai, Postavy district. Another famous work is "Madonna of Pinsk" in the Cathedral of the Ascension of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Pinsk.

The estate in its current form was restored in 1863 after a fire. It was burned down because its owners had sheltered insurgents, including Alfred Romer. After his release from prison, he moved to Munich to study painting.

Alfred Romer became the owner of the estate in 1874 after marrying Countess Wanda Sulitrovska, to whom the estate belonged. Under his ownership, Korolinovo became an artistic and cultural center of the region.

The manor house is quite spacious, built of larch wood. It had 14 rooms on the first floor and 3 on the second, furnished with antique furniture and family relics. A large veranda with a balustrade was added. Nearby, there was a 4-hectare garden and a park.

Since 1939, when the estate was nationalized, it initially housed a hospital. During the Great Patriotic War, it became a refuge for residents of a neighboring village burned down by the Germans.

From 1951, a school was located here. After the school moved in 2005, the estate was no longer used, resulting in its dilapidated state.

In 2020, a decision was made to sell the property. During this time, the estate was put up for auction by the committee four times, both at its assessed value and with price reductions.

Ultimately, on June 23, at an auction with an 80% price reduction, the manor house acquired a new owner – a resident of Minsk. The price of the property was 9700 rubles. The new owner plans to restore the estate and use it for agro-ecotourism.

On the territory of the Vitebsk region, there are other unused sites with the status of historical and cultural value that can be offered to investors. You can find out more about them on the website of the committee.