Our Story

The history of Brest Souvenir Factory begins long before 1953. Its roots go deeper – into the decorative applied art of Belarusian Polesia and the tradition of painted chests of Western Polesia, known as skrynias or kufars.

Ogovskaya painting grew out of this very tradition. It was used to decorate large wooden chests for clothing, dowry, and family belongings. Such a chest was not merely a household object. It stood in a visible place in the home, kept important things safe, accompanied a person through family life, and was connected with ideas of prosperity, protection, beauty, and happiness.

There was nothing accidental in these patterns. Flowers, wavy lines, rhombuses, wreaths, and filled space all formed a special artistic language. People understood it because it was born from their life: from the home, the land, water, work, celebration, and the hope for a good destiny.

Later, Brest Souvenir Factory returned to this theme many times, transferring motifs of Ogovskaya painting to new forms – boxes, decorative items, and souvenirs. In this way, the tradition of the painted chest continued within factory culture.

Ogovskaya painting is not the only line in our history, but it is one of its deepest symbols. Through it, the connection between the factory, Belarusian Polesia, folk decorative art, and the meanings once placed into objects becomes especially clear.

At first, some products followed already familiar examples, but in the late 1960s the artists were given an important task – to bring souvenir production into the space of Belarusian traditional culture.

One of the landmark products was the “Lyavon and Lyavonikha” chess set, released in 1968. Folk characters, a fairground spirit, and Belarusian color were brought onto the chessboard. Gradually, national motifs became increasingly visible in the factory’s assortment.

This is how the distinctive artistic language of Brest Souvenir Factory took shape. Floral ornaments, elements of traditional costume, simple peasant kerchiefs, aprons, patterns, and bright color combinations appeared in its products. The painting was lively, dense, and decorative, yet warm and human.

The nesting doll became one of the factory’s most recognizable products, but other lines always existed alongside it: chess sets, boxes, decorative panels, carved figures, wooden souvenirs, straw-inlaid items, and hand-painted pieces.

Handwork remained an important feature. Even in serial production, the items were painted by hand, without transfer images or stamps. The factory had reference samples, quality control, and a production plan, but every piece still carried the work of a craftsperson’s hands.

The village of Ogovo in the Ivanovo District of Brest Region holds a special place in the factory’s history. In 1978, a section of Brest Souvenir Factory was organized there.

This decision was connected with a long-standing local tradition. In Ogovo, large kufars – chests for clothing – were made and painted in a special style. Based on these chests, the factory began creating large boxes while preserving the character of the painting, the harmony of colors, and the national distinctiveness.

Ogovskaya painting is recognizable by its floral and herbal motifs, closed compositions, clear structure, and calm, life-affirming manner. A bouquet of flowers symbolized goodness; a wavy line recalled earthly and heavenly water; a wreath was associated with eternity; and rhombuses and squares with the earth and fertility.

An Ogovo kufar was painted according to a defined scheme. The main pattern was placed on the lid and front wall, the surface was divided into sections, and floral garlands, rhombuses, grids, small branches, and flowers appeared. It was not merely decoration, but a complete system of beauty and meaning.

This is how Ogovskaya painting entered the factory’s history not as an accidental motif, but as a deep source of inspiration and an important part of artistic continuity.

By the 1980s, Brest Souvenir Factory had become a large enterprise. Hundreds of people worked here, and before the collapse of the USSR, the workforce reached almost two thousand people.

The factory produced nesting dolls, chess sets, checkers, boxes, salt cellars, decorative items, carved figures, straw-inlaid pieces, and much more. Its products were shipped not only across the Soviet Union, but also abroad – to socialist countries and to countries behind the “Iron Curtain”: Canada, England, Spain, Italy, and others.

The best pieces took part in exhibitions, received awards, and were used as representative gifts. Through Brest souvenirs, people in different countries became acquainted with the culture of Belarus – not through grand words, but through objects they could hold in their hands.