Miller's house for guests

There is a small building near the windmill. This is the so called miller’s house for guests but not his own house as it is considered to be by mistake very often.  The miller was a very rich person and could afford to build and maintain a big mansion in the nearby village. However, for his clients he usually constructed a small house near the mill where people could have some rest and some meal and even stay during the nighttimes after a long journey.

Inside our miller’s house for guests a traditional interior of a typical house of a Belarusian peasant has been recreated.

Near the front door there was always an oven. Opposite the oven there was a women’s corner which is a prototype of a modern kitchen. There a lady cooked food because it was convenient to put it in the oven. Diagonally from the oven there was the so-called beautiful corner, or icon’s corner. It was the most sacred corner in the house where the icon decorated with special beautiful towels was put. It was the place either of the most honorable guest in the house or of the head of the family. A dinner table was also placed near the icon’s corner. Alongside the walls of the house there were benches. All in all there were usually three small windows in the walls. Near another windowless blind wall, which was the warmest one, sleeping benches for all members of the family were situated. If there was not enough place for all children were sleeping at a level high. The oven was a sleeping place of the elderly as it was the warmest place in the house. However, it could be offered to a guest if there was any in the house. The separate sleeping place was owned only by a little baby who slept in a hand-made cradle made by the housefather while the family was expecting the firstborn. It was a must-do for him if the future parents wanted to have a big and friendly family. We also have a cradle in out miller’s house for guests and they say if to push it several times there will be definitely a new baby in the family.