Castles of Belarus

Thanks to the many legends - from tales of secret tunnels to stories of walled-up princesses - the ruins of the Kreva castle are one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Belarus. Kreva Castle is one of the oldest Belarusian castles, created at the beginning of the XIV century. It was the first castle in Belarus completely built of stone. The Krevo Castle has witnessed numerous historical events. In his dungeon, Prince Keistut was strangled by the order of his nephew Jagiello. Several years later, the project of the Krevo Union was adopted here. Beginning in the 16th century, the fortress was repeatedly besieged by enemy units: Perekop Tatars and Moscow princes. During the First World War, the front line passed through the castle, and observation posts and residential barracks were organized within its walls. In the 16th century, the castle repeatedly withstood the siege of the Tatar and Moscow troops. By the beginning of the 19th century, it lost its defensive significance and was abandoned. During the First World War, the castle was badly damaged. At present, only ruins remain of the castle: the walls are still visible, some parts of the towers have survived. A magnificent view of the ruins of the castle opens from the top of a high hill - Yuryev Hill.

The most famous palace and castle complex in Belarus. Nesvizh castle and park with decorative lakes and shady alleys - the most beautiful palace and park ensemble of Belarus, n the first half of the 16th century, the Radziwill family, one of the richest in Europe, became the owner of Nesvizh. The first stone in the foundation of the Nesvizh castle was laid in 1583. The Italian architect Giovanni Bernardoni had a hand in the construction project. To make the castle reliable and inaccessible, an artificial 20-meter hill was created on the site of its construction, and a deep moat was dug along the perimeter. The entrance was only by a single bridge, which was raised and lowered using a special mechanism. The castle was rebuilt many times and as a result acquired the appearance of a palace, combining features of many architectural styles (name it - you have it here). The Nesvizh Castle has become a real cultural center. In addition to the princely chambers and ballroom, it housed a library, portrait and art galleries, museum complexes with a rich collection of weapons, coins and orders, ceremonial halls, workshops, a chapel, a sacristy and a gallery for liturgical processions. In 1764 and 1768, due to the anti-Russian position of the then-owner of the castle Karol Stanislav Radziwill, nicknamed Pane Kahanku, Nesvizh was occupied by Russian troops. All values ​​of the castle were confiscated, the library of 10 thousand books and the archive were taken to St. Petersburg.

An iconic architectural monument, the only surviving royal castles on the territory of Belarus. The old castle was built on the remains of the ancient Upper Castle for King Stefan Batory by the architect Santi Gucci from Florence. Many of the great dukes lived in it, among whom were Vitovt, Stefan Batory and Kazimir Jagellonchik. The lower part of the defensive walls, parts of the tower, as well as the foundations and walls of the princely palace were used from the decaying fortifications of the times of the Grand Duke Vitovt. The builders calculated everything: the conversion of the castle into a royal residence, and the improvement of the defensive system. It is believed that the famous fortifier Rudolfino de Camerino took part in these works. However, at the beginning of the 18th century, the castle was burned down by the Swedes during the Northern War and never again had the same meaning.

The construction of the new royal palace was initiated in the 18th century by August II ( Augustus the Strong), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. At the time, the Seim of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was held in Grodno. Already under this monarch, the idea of ​​building a new royal residence appears, which could serve not only for the residence of the king but also for the oficial receptions of the Seim.

The most beautiful architectural ensemble, which is sometimes called the Belarusian Versailles. The Ruzhany Palace is the residence of the richest and most influential Sapega dynasty known throughout Belarus. It is so well preserved and strikes with the splendor and beauty of its facades and interiors. The initial building of the castle took place more than four hundred years ago, in 1602, and none other than one of the most famous and influential representatives of the family - Lev Sapega, chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, had a hand in the creation of the residence. A century and a half later, the palace was almost completely rebuilt and modified. The Saxon architect Jan Samuel Becker, who took charge of the project, added classicist features to the building's baroque style. The cruciform shape of the main building was replaced by the rectangular shape traditional for classicism, thanks to which it was combined with the side buildings by means of an arcade, which consisted of an entrance gate between the wings. In addition to the architecture of the palace building itself, the theater, which at that time was one of the largest in Europe, deserved special attention. A troupe of sixty actors and forty musicians housed and gave performances for the nobility!

An architectural monument of the first half of the 19th century. It is located in Kossovo, a small town in the south of Belarus, which, over the entire history of its existence, became either Polish or Belarusian, or turned out to be a typical noble possession, or swore allegiance to the Soviet Union. For its fabulous image and luxury, the palace of the Puslovsky Counts (Kossovsky Castle) was called a 'knightly dream'

The stone castle in Novogrudok is a unique construction of defensive architecture. It includes Detinets (Castle Hill) with the remains of a stone castle and a roundabout town (Small Castle). It was found that from the beginning of the XI century. and until the middle of the XIII century. on the ramparts of ancient Novogrudok there were wooden walls of various designs, which were restored at least five times. Nowadays, on the territory of the Novogrudok Castle, there are anual knightly festivals and tournaments .

A wonderful monument of the defensive architecture of the XIV century. The construction of the castle was started in 1323 by the Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Gediminas. The castle was erected on a loose sandy hill surrounded by the marshy banks of the Lideya and Kamenka rivers and a moat connecting these rivers from the south and separating the castle from the city. Throughout its history, the castle has withstood many battles and sieges. Crusaders , English and German soldiers, troops of the Smolensk and Moscow princes, detachments of the Crimean Tatars invaded. During the Northern War, the castle suffered the largest destruction, its towers were blown up, and the fortress itself turned into almost ruins. In the 18th century. it lost its strategic importance and began to gradually collapse. In 1891, the central part of the city of Lida was badly damaged by fire, and stones from the south-western tower and part of the western wall of the castle were used to restore buildings damaged by the fire.

The main attraction of Gomel is the palace and park ensemble, created from 1777 to the middle of the 19th century, the palace of the Rumyantsevs and Paskevichs is considered to be a bright pearl. Work on the palace project began at the direction of Field Marshal Count Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, to whom the “village of Gomiy” was donated by Empress Catherine II in 1775 for outstanding victories in the war with Turkey. The construction of the palace was completed in 1796. The author of the project, it is assumed, was Ivan Starov, famous for the construction of the Tauride Palace in St. Petersburg. After P.A. Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, his middle son, State Chancellor, Count Nikolai Petrovich Rumyantsev, conducted the second phase of the palace construction (1797-1805). In 1834, I.F. Paskevich, Field Marshal, Count 'Erivansky', His Serene Highness Prince 'Warsaw'. Under Ivan Fyodorovich, the palace 'underwent a luxurious renovation' under the direction of the Polish architect Adam Idzkowski. Simultaneously with this reconstruction, a landscape park was created, which constitutes a single complex with the palace.

The city was first mentioned in the Chronicles of Bykhovets in 1280. At that time, it was a settlement of the princes of Golshansk - a very noble family of those times. The Golshanskies participated in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, made various fateful decisions in the life of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and were generally considered prominent political figures. It was from this princely family that, for example, Sofia Golshanskaya, the queen of Poland and the wife of Jagiello, was. The first period of prosperity of Golshan fell on the XIV-XV centuries, when the city was the center of the appanage principality of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1525, Princess Elena Golshanskaya married Pavel Sapieha, Sub-Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the area was taken over by the Sapieha. It was under Sapieha, in the first half of the 17th century, that the peak of the development of the town took place. Then a huge castle was rebuilt, which was located at a distance from the settlement itself, on a hill, and was surrounded by moats with water. At the same time, a Franciscan church was erected in Golshany, which, unlike the castle, has been perfectly preserved to this day. Everything began to fade away gradually after the Northern War with the Swedes (early 18th century), when the castle was first decently damaged. In addition, at that time Pavel Sapieha was no longer alive, and the creditors shared the castle (the last owner managed to make a sea of ​​debts). Without the master's hand, the castle gradually began to decline: part of it remained destroyed, one of the floors was dismantled into bricks. Although the central part of the building was still residential. Ну и как это часто бывало с важными архитектурными ценностями на территории Беларуси – последний удар замку нанесли мировые войны. После Второй мировой замок почти разобрали на кирпичи, чтобы построить хозяйственные постройки для колхоза. От былого величия остались лишь заросшие бурьяном разрушенные стены.

Monument of medieval architecture, located in the urban village of Mir. It is a former defensive fortification and the residence of the families of Ilinichs, Radziwills, Wittgenstein and Svyatopolk-Mirsky, famous in Belarus. The architectural complex of the Mir Castle includes a fortress residence, earthen ramparts, a picturesque park created in the English style, an Italian garden, a pond, a chapel-burial vault of the Svyatopolk-Mirsky family, a watchman's house, and a roadside chapel. The exact date of the start of the construction of the stone castle is unknown. However, as some historians believe, most of it was built in the 16th-17th centuries on the site of a feudal estate, among the plains, near the Miranka River. The founder of the Mir Castle is considered to be the noble family of Ilyinichi. The first period of prosperity of Golshan fell on the XIV-XV centuries, when the city was the center of the appanage principality of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1525, Princess Elena Golshanskaya married Pavel Sapieha, Sub-Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the area was taken over by the Sapieha. It was under Sapieha, in the first half of the 17th century, that the peak of the development of the town took place. Then a huge castle was rebuilt, which was located at a distance from the settlement itself, on a hill, and was surrounded by moats with water. At the same time, a Franciscan church was erected in Golshany, which, unlike the castle, has been perfectly preserved to this day.