By comprehending the ingenious personality of Panteleymon Kulish (1819-1897), the author of well-known "Notes on Southern Rus", historical novel "Black Rada", one of the first translators of the Holy Scripture into Ukrainian, our souls seem to replay the complicated history of our nation.
The thing is that during the soviet era his art had been labelled as "bourgeois nationalistic" which put the idea of his museum out of the question.
That is why Panteleymon Kulish's historical and memorial preservation museum "Hannah'sWilderness" was founded as late as in 2000. It is situated ten kilometers away from Borzna near Motronivka village.
It was here in Borzna neighbourhood where a 28-year-old writer had married a 15-year-old Oleksandra Bilozerska who over the years also became a writer Hannah Barvinok. By the way, their best man was Taras Shevchenko. Ever since that time the doors of the couple's house were always open for progressive people of that time. Their place was visited by writers Viktor Zabila and Marko Vovchok, historian Mykola Kostomarov, physicist Ivan Pulyui. However, Panteleymon Kulish himself started living there almost thirty years after the wedding.
"Kulish's farm-stead is not large, his entire landmakessome 120dessiatinas, but what a lovely place that farm-stead is anyways. Although the garden isn't young anymore it is still beautiful..." - wrote Oleksandr Konyskyi, a Taras Shevchenko's biographer, who was an often guest there.
Not so long ago only three almost forsaken graves of Kulish himself, Hannah Barvinok and her brother Vasyl Bilozersky reminded of the Hannah's wilderness past. Although it is known that after Panteleymon Kulish's death their family home turned into a sort of a museum by efforts of widowed Hannah Barvinok. Archive data render a pretty precise look of the place of that time.
With the help of the Panteleymon Kulish International Charitable Foundation the Bilozersky family house, in which Hannah Barvinok was born, the Kulish's house and the St. Panteleymon the Healer Chapel were rebuilt and a linden alley was planted.
The entire steading was cleared up and planted with flowers. And near the well there sits bronze Panteleymon Kulish as if he has just returned from another journey of which his life consisted. While his faithful wife Hannah Barvinok is hastening to meet hip.
The house in which Hannah Barvinok was boif now' accommodates the museum. Although there are no a*ithentJe items which felt the couple's touch everything is made so as to sense the spirit of that time.