Mystic castles of Belarus

Mir Castle Mir  Castle in Grodno region is one of the most important tourist attractions in Belarus, an outstanding 16th-century fortification and a UNESCO  World Heritage site. History of Mir Castle The Mir Castle complex  (Mirsky zamok)  is an outstanding example of 16th-century fortification art. It’s located in the town of Mir in the  Grodno region  of Belarus. The construction of this Belarus’  Gothic style castle was started in the 1520s by  Duke Ilinich . In 1568 the castle came into the hands of  Mikolay Radziwil , who completed it in  Renaissance style . A  three-storey palace  was built along the eastern and northern walls of the castle which had forty fretted rooms. Earth walls were built around the castle with bastions at the corners, surrounded by a water moat. An  Italian garden  was laid to the north of the walls and an  artificial lake  was established to the south. The Radziwills owned the castle for several centuries. During the  Napoleonic wars  the cas

Kossovo castle A unique monument of neo-gothic architecture of the 19th century is situated in the Belarusian town of Kossovo. The Palace of the Puslovskys, or Kossovo Castle, has been nicknamed "knights’ dream" for its fairy-tale-like appearance and splendor. History of Puslovskys Palace The Kossovo town (today’s Ivatsevichi District, Brest Oblast) was first mentioned in 1494 when Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander Jagiellonpresented these lands to Yan Khreptovich, a high-ranking state official of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. For several centuries Kossovo was owned by several distinguished dynasties: the Khreptovichs, Sanguszkos, Flemmings, Czartoryskis and Sapiehas. Wojciech Puslovsky bought the estate in 1821. He founded a carpet-making factory in Kossovo and built and restored about 60 churches in the neighborhood. The Puslovskys took pride in their estate being neighbors with the manor in the Merechevschina village, which was the birthplace of nation

Ruzhany palace The palace complex in Ruzhany is one of the unique places in Belarus. For centuries this magnificent architectural ensemble, nicknamed the Belarusian Versailles, was owned by the mighty Sapieha dynasty. History of Ruzhany Castle The first written record of  Ruzhany  (today’s Pruzhany District in  Brest Oblast ) dates back to the late 15th century. It is known that before 1552 it had belonged to the Tyshkevichs. Back then, Ruzhany was famous for its cloth, carpets, decorated belts and pottery. The town played host to big fairs. In  1598  the  Ruzhany estate  was bought by  Lew Sapieha , the famous  magnate  and  politician , the chancellor and one of the authors of the unique code of laws, the  Statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . He ordered a major construction of the estate in the early 17th century. A  castle  with three towers soon appeared in Ruzhany which combined the traits of a  defensive fortress and a ceremonial palace . In the 17

Lida castle Lida Castle, in the Grodno region, is one of the oldest of all Belarus castles History of Lida Castle Medieval Lida castle, a fine archeological monument that is officially protected by the state, lies 112km north-east of Grodno in the Grodno region of Belarus. Lida Castle  (Lidskiy zamok)  was built in the early  14th century  by Grand Duke Gediminas of Lithuania. Famously  built on   sand , Lida Castle has withstood 7 centuries of battles and occupations of the surrounding land. Lida Castle is similar in layout to another famous place in Belarus, Mir Castle. Boulder walls constructed in the early 14th century were later faced with red brick. The castle dominates the town of Lida,   which was badly damaged in a  fire in 1891. Stones from the south-western tower and parts of the western wall of the castle were used to repair fire-damaged houses. In the 1920s work began to restore some of the castle walls. On January 22, 1940 the Castle of Lida was

Lubcha castle Lubcha Castle  is a great building having a long history, interesting present and beautiful nature around. Read more about the Castle! The ghost of tycoon Jan Kishka and the return of the serpent              The ghost of tycoon Jan Kishka was partially obliged by his appearance to the volunteers-restorers who worked on the restoration of the Lyubchansky castle. The ghost allegedly attentively and meticulously follows the work and can make a joke about someone who neglects or inadvertently mentions Jan Kishka in a conversation.              Ian Kishka included Lyubchu in his land holdings in 1547. Spreading the ideas of Arianism, he opens in the town a prayer house, a school and a printing house. Later begins the construction of a stone castle.            Under Yana Kishka, Lyubcha received the Magdeburg right and its own coat of arms. It is not surprising that Kubka still takes care of his former possessions. It is said that in time, the ghost o

Golshany castle Soaked in legends, described in many literary works,  Golshany Castle  was built later, in the first half of the 17th century for Deputy Chancellor Pavel Stefan Sapieha. Today this once majestic, beautiful red-brick residence is nothing else but half-ruined walls and intricate patterns of arches steeped in mysterious legends about  White Panna  and  Black Monk ... However, it is still impressive and attractive for lovers of romance and antiquity. Golshany Castle boasts two otherworldly inhabitants at once: the White Lady and the Black Monk.     The White Lady. The first legend dates back to the construction of the monastery. When, during the construction of one of the walls, one collapse occurred first, and then another, the builders, who were very afraid of Sapega's wrath, decided to sacrifice to the castle. Namely, wall up the first woman who will bring lunch to her husband. She became the wife of a young bricklayer. Since then, her ghost

Krevo Castle The many colourful stories surrounding Krevo Castle ruins, from secret tunnels to trapped princesses, make it one of the most popular tourist attraction in Belarus. History of Krevo Castle ruins The Krevo Castle ruins are situated near the town of Smorgon in the Grodno region of Belarus Krevo Castle is one of the oldest Belarus castles and dates from the early 14th century. It is an important place in Belarus because it was the  first all-stone castle  to be built in the region. The stone walls were 2.5m thick and 13m high. The castle had two towers which guarded the rest of the fortress. Grand Duke Keistut   was murdered  in the castle in 1381, and in 1385 the famous  Krevo Union  (between Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania) was signed here. During the 16th century  the Tatars and the Russians tried to capture the castle  but it remained intact. By the early 19th century the castle was abandoned and the buildings were mostly  destroyed during

Nesvizh Castle Nesvizh Palace is considered the country’s most beautiful palace by the people of Belarus. Its richly diverse architecture and attractive gardens make it one of the most popular tourist attractions in Belarus. The history of Nesvizh Palace The estate and town was acquired by the  Radziwil family  in the middle of the 16th century, and they stayed there until 1939 when they were expelled by the invading  Red Army . The foundation stone of Nesvizh Palace was laid in 1584 .  It was rebuilt many times and as a consequence has features of  manyarchitectural styles  including: Renaissance Baroque Rococo Classicism Neo-gothic Modernism In 1770 Nesvizh Palace was  seized by Russian forces  and the Lithuanian Archive removed and sent to Saint Petersburg where it remains to this day. Much of the artwork was distributed among Russian nobility. In the late 19th century Nesvizh Palace was restored by the Radziwil family who also designed one of  largest lan