Kamai

Kamai is an agro-town (until 2005 - a village), the center of the Kamay Village Council in the Postavy district of the Vitebsk region. It is located 18 km south-west of Postavy, 12 km from the railway station Godutishki, at the intersection of the road Pastavy - Lyntupy and Naroch - Godutishki.

The first mention, as the estate of Prince Gleb Pronsky, refers to the beginning of the XVI century. After the death of the prince (1513), the estate passed into the possession of his widow, and in 1533 - to his sons Andrew and Frederick (Frederick).
In 1550 Kamai are referred to as a small town, which, according to the administrative-territorial reform (1565–1566), became part of the Oshmyany povet of the Vilno voivodeship. After the death of F. Pronsky (1555), his son Alexander Pronsky became the owner of the settlement in 1572. He sold Kamai Foma to Rudomin-Dusiatsky. In 1592 Kamayami owned Jan Rudomin-Dusiatsky, who in 1603-1606 built the stone church of John the Baptist here.
The inventory of the estate of Kamai Oshmymyansk povet for 1611 was preserved, which was printed in Lithuania in the original language in the collection of documents «Inventories of Lithuania XVII century» (Vilnius, 1962).
Since 1643, a hospital existed at the church for 5 men and 13 women. In 1673, the Church of John the Baptist was rebuilt after a fire.
Since 1722, Kamai were in possession of the Sulistrovskys.
In 1795, Kamai became part of the Russian Empire.
In 1847 the Jewish community of Kamai numbered 199 people.
In the early 1880s, a church, a Jewish prayer school, a hospital operated in Kamayakh, 4 shops, a tavern, a brewery, a mill, and 8 regular fairs were held.
In 1886 there were 28 courtyards, a parish government, a church, a poorhouse, a school, 4 shops, a tavern, 7 regular fairs.
In 1896 there were 312 inhabitants in the town of Kamai (243 Belarusians, 4 Tartars, 65 Jews).
In 1905 there were 63 inhabitants (28 men; 33 women) in the estate of Kamai (Chekhovich), in the town of Kamai - 431 inhabitants (188 men and 243 women). There was a public school, a shop and a post office were working.
In 1909 - 35 yards.
During the German occupation in 1941-1944, the Jewish population of the village was moved to the ghetto in Kobylnik and destroyed.
In 1945, a mechanical mill was opened in the town of Kamai.
In 1971, there were 164 courtyards in Kamai; there were a secondary school, a pre-school institution, a cultural center, a library, a hospital, a pharmacy, a mill, a sewing workshop, a post office, a canteen.

Church of St. John the Baptist (1603-1606) - monument of defense architecture.
Stone cross XV-XVI centuries. The cross is located in the center of the settlement, 30 meters from the Church of St. John the Baptist. The cross of impressive size: height 2, 5 m, width up to 0.7 m, thickness 0.6 m. It has a triangular niche. Under it are four rows of barely noticeable signs. Below them is carved a circle about 9 cm in diameter, under which there is a sign in the form of an umbrella.
Mass grave of Soviet soldiers and partisans (1953).
Old Jewish cemetery.
Monument to countrymen (1967).