Vitan-Dubiejkaŭski Lavon

Vitan-Dubiejkaŭski Lavon (also spelled: Dubeikoŭski; Вітан-Дубейкаўскі Лявон), architect, businessman, political leader. Vitan-Dubiejkaŭski was born into a small, impoverished, noble Belarusian family on the estate of Dubiejkava on July 7(20), 1869. He studied in local schools and at the age of 17 went to Warsaw to work and continue his education. Dubiejkaŭski enrolled in a renowned technical school from which he graduated as a builder-architect. He continued his education at the Institute of Civil Engineers in St. Petersburg and received the degree of architectural engineer. Dubiejkaŭski went from St. Petersburg to Paris and pursued his studies at the Ecole Speciale d'Architecture, receiving the additional diploma of architect-artist. He began to specialize in church-building construction and built many Roman Catholic churches on Belarusian territory. However, he designed and built many industrial buildings both in Belarus and in Russia. He worked for many well-known architectural firms and founded his own construction company. While studying in St. Petersburg Dubiejkaŭski came into close contact with the Belarusian Socialist Hramada and befriended many Belarusian activists such as Branisłaŭ Taraškievič, Vacłaŭ Ivanoŭski, and others. After the February Revolution, he came to Miensk and began working with the Belarusian movement. Together with Alaksandar Ułasaŭ, he assisted in organizing numerous Belarusian organizations and enterprises and assisted in carrying out the agenda of the Belarusian political conference in March of 1917. Dubiejkaŭski was elected to the Belarusian National Committee at that conference and took an active part in preparations for the All-Belarusian Congress. He served the Government of the Belarusian Democratic Republic in various capacities. After the revolutionary years, Dubiejkaŭski settled in Western Belarus. He turned to his profession and did very well. He was also of great assistance to Belarusians during the election campaign to the Polish Sejm. Following the elections of 1922, he was involved almost totally in professional work, as an architect and a consulting engineer. However, he helped the Belarusian Society in Warsaw assisting them in organizing and supporting many publication programs in Belarusian. During the decade of the 1930s he was often very ill and on November 6, 1940 he died in Vilnia.

References: Kvietka Vitan. Lavon Vitan-Dubiejkaŭski New York, 1954, 40 p.

The Belarusian Statehood (the beginning of the 20th c.)