In the town of Mir stands the pearl of Belarusian architecture - Mir Castle, which over its five-hundred-year history was owned by magnate families, experienced many moments of decline and revival, and today is a national monument and art museum. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Myths and facts

According to legend, ancient town The world got its name from “emir” when a detachment of Tatars was here, according to another version - from “peace”, thanks to the border between Rus' and Lithuania passing nearby. The construction of the castle as a family residence began in the 16th century by the Marshal of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Yuri Ilyinich. Initially, it was small with four towers in the corners and a fifth one above the entrance gate.

In 1569, the fortress passed to Nicholas Radziwill, a prince of the richest family, who asked for the princely title of the Holy Roman Empire. Radziwill began the second stage of construction. A three-story building was added to the eastern and northern walls. By this time, the stone walls and towers of the castle had already lost their defensive significance, and the entire structure had turned into a palace. For defense, ramparts with quadrangular bastions were built on all sides. They laid them at the northern wall beautiful park based on the models of European palaces. Later, glassed-in greenhouses appeared with exotic plants in tubs, which were taken out into the garden in the summer.

The first half of the 17th century was the peak of the Mir Castle's heyday. In the second half, a period of destruction began. During the war between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Moscow State, the Northern War, and the Patriotic War of 1812, the castle was repeatedly destroyed and the owners lost all interest in it and rented out the land.

Mir Castle is a legendary castle in Belarus. Almost every excursion program includes this object in its a tourist route. What is it that attracts travelers so much? amazing place, located 100 km from Minsk?

There is a small urban village called Mir in Belarus. Until now, historians have not determined exactly how its name came about. According to one version, it comes from the word “emir”: this rank was held by the head of a detachment of warriors, the Tatars, who were once stationed here. According to another version, the place was named so because the border between Russia and Lithuania passed nearby.

But there was no historical evidence that any grandiose event took place here, for example, the signing of a peace treaty.

Thanks to the Mir Castle towering here, striking with its grandeur and beauty, the town became known far beyond the borders of its country.

The castle was built as a defensive structure, but historians say that it was a relatively quiet place in terms of wars, so there was no particular need for such a powerful stone structure.

Most likely, the castle was built to raise personal prestige in the eyes of society. After all, the construction was started by Yuri Ilyinich, possibly in 1522, who, in order to receive the coveted count title from the Holy Roman Empire, had to fulfill a mandatory condition: to have his own stone structure. But all these are just our guesses.

The castle's plan is a square - four massive towers are connected by 75-meter walls. A fifth tower was built into one wall, only through which one could enter the territory of the castle-fortress. In the basement of this particular tower there was a prison.

Spiritual life was not forgotten either: on the second floor there was a chapel - a small prayer room only for the owners of the castle.

The Catholic chapel was equipped at the end of the 16th century by Nicholas Christopher Radziwill the Orphan (1549-1616). It was consecrated in honor of one of the most mysterious saints: Christopher. For some reason he was always depicted with a human body and the head of a dog. It was believed that Saint Christopher patronized travelers and protected against contagious diseases.

How the castle came to belong to the Radziwill family

For 40 years, the Ilyinich family finally died out, and they did not have time to complete the construction. According to the will, in 1658 the castle was transferred to Nikolai Christopher Sirotka, one of the representatives of the then powerful and wealthy Radziwill family.

He decides to make the fortress his residence and redesigned the castle, building residential buildings there. But still its main family nest was, but Mir remained just a country residence.

According to the new layout, a wine cellar was located in the basements of the fortress and on the lower floor.

food pantries and an armory.

On the second floor there were rooms for servants and administration: a court, an office; on the third floor there were rooms for the owners. The so-called “Italian” garden was laid out here, which was connected to the count’s chambers by a staircase and a stone bridge.

The entire garden was surrounded by linden alleys and divided into squares by bushes, and fruit trees grew inside these squares. A menagerie was established not far from the palace.

But the war between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia began. It turned out that the World does not stand on a peaceful land. The castle was almost completely destroyed, looted and stood in a terribly deplorable state for almost 30 years.

Only in 1680 Catherine Radziwill decided to return the castle to its former greatness, but in 1700 the Northern War began. And in April 1706, the Swedish invaders again destroyed everything that had been restored over the years.

Then, in the 30s of the 18th century, Prince Michael Kazimir Radziwill began to restore “Rybonka”, and then his son Prince Karol Stanislav Pane Kohanka completely restored the rich external and internal decoration of the palace.

During the grandiose construction, the princely chambers located on the third floor of the castle were completely remodeled. To achieve this, internal partitions were removed and the direction of the stairs was changed. The Main, Dance and Portrait halls appeared.

They were decorated with gilded painted and beautifully carved ceilings, oak parquet floors, luxurious furniture, many beautiful paintings, and elegant items made from earthenware and porcelain. Pane Kohanka constantly organized balls and feasts for his many guests in the castle.

How does a change of owner affect the fate of the castle?

After the death of the last heir of the Radziwill family in the male line in 1813 and long legal proceedings over the ownership of the castle lands, the palace had to be sold.

And in 1891, Prince Nikolai Svyatopolk-Mirsky, who was the Cossack chieftain of the Don Army, became its new owner. He immediately decided to radically change the appearance of the castle complex.

On its territory, by order of the new owner, a 2-story palace was soon erected. A distillery began operating nearby.

Construction of the chapel

Between the new, recently built palace and the castle, another beautiful structure appeared among the trees. This was the family chapel-tomb of the Svyatopolk-Mirsky family. The chapel was consecrated in honor of the revered Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Above its entrance there was a family coat of arms-cartouche and a large mosaic panel depicting Christ Pantocrator.

The chapel consisted of a vestibule, the chapel hall itself, an apse and high tower- bell towers.

The building has two levels - a hall where services are held, below it is a crypt where six members of the Svyatopolk-Mirsky clan are buried. The chapel is part of Mirsky Park. And the mosaic panel decorating it, separately, is itself included in the List of State Historical and Cultural Property of the Republic of Belarus.

Nowadays a wooden iconostasis is installed in the chapel,

Ancient ceramic kilns were reconstructed. The massive entrance doors that have been preserved here from past centuries are very impressive.

From the temple building there is a beautiful view of the castle lake and a small island located in the center of the reservoir.

Legends of Mir Castle

The Legend of the Blooming Garden

Of course, such a powerful structure as the Mir Castle with its thick walls, numerous rooms, underground passages and centuries-old history is simply shrouded in a trail of fantastic legends, unsolvable mysteries and terrible ghost stories.

One of these legends is associated with another indication of the new owner. He ordered workers to completely cut down a beautiful blooming apple orchard so that a pond could then be dug in its place.

But the local residents did not want to do this for any money, since, according to legend, cutting down a flowering tree is the same as ruining someone’s life. But the prince insisted, and for clarity, he cut down several trees himself, and then hired outside people for this.

Not far from this place lived a witch. Seeing what had been done, she angrily cursed the lake and said that now as many people would die in it as the number of flowering trees were destroyed.

This prediction began to come true: during the construction of the lake, various dark incidents happened to the workers and residents of the castle: every day there was some kind of tragedy.

The first to drown in the new lake was Sonechka, the 12-year-old daughter of the owner of the castle. And in 1898, the prince himself was found dead on the shore of the lake that he so wanted to create. Father and daughter are buried in the family tomb.

Even today, people, most often men, drown in the lake. They say that the spirits of the ruined garden take the form of girls who attract men with their beauty, lure them into the water and drag them to the bottom.

Even I noticed the strangeness of this place. On a warm April day, under the bright rays of the spring sun, a paper warning about the dangers of walking on ice looked somehow strange. 🙂

The spirit of Sonechka - a girl in a white fluffy dress - is sometimes seen in one of the high castle towers. People say that her tomb was often disturbed by the Radziwill treasure seekers, and the girl’s disturbed spirit cannot yet find peace.

Locals They tell a scary story about a woman who walked near the castle walls late at night. She saw a male figure in a long black cloak, holding a cane in his hand. It was the ghost of Dominik Radziwill. He turned to face the woman, and in the moonlight the eerie eyes of a ghost became visible. She died instantly from chilling horror.

Ram's head as a symbol of indestructible eternity

The most famous legend is directly about the castle itself. On the southern side of the castle wall you can see a stone that clearly resembles a ram’s head in its outline. Once upon a time, there was a golden cross on its horns. Where he is now, of course, is unknown.

According to legend, if this head is taken out of the wall or it falls on its own, the castle will immediately collapse. And then no one will be able to restore it.

It is now impossible to explain the meaning of this mysterious symbol. Perhaps this is an image of the Holy Lamb. According to Christian legend, this is Abel’s favorite lamb, which he humbly sacrificed to God. And for this, the heavenly Light sanctified the sacrifice. It may well be that this is a secret sign of paganism.

Again, according to a legend from the distant past, at the beginning of the construction of a castle-fortress, a sorcerer took precise measurements from the animal’s head. According to these standards, he carved it out of stone and firmly embedded it in the wall of the building under construction.

After some time, the poor animal lost its shadow. It died, but became a ghost that relentlessly wandered around the building and protected it from all sorts of enemies.

Metro Radziwillov

There is another legend that has been living among the people for many centuries. They say that two great castles: in Nesvizh and Mir were previously connected underground passage. The approximate distance between objects is about 30 km.

They also say that it was not just a tunnel, but, one might say, a medieval metro, since a carriage drawn by three horses could freely pass through it.

Peace in our time

But let's return to the history of our beautiful old architectural monument. For a long time nothing disturbed the quiet life of the castle. But in 1939 it was nationalized, and a production team began working there.

In 1941, during the Great Patriotic War, the Nazis set up a prison camp and a Jewish ghetto within the medieval walls.

One little-known fact: it is known that Belarus was completely liberated from the fascist occupiers during the military operation “Bagration”. This name is directly related to the history of Mir Castle. After all, it was here, in these places, that the battles of the Russian troops, commanded by Prince Bagration, with the French troops of Napoleon took place.

After liberation, the castle was inhabited by ordinary people whose houses were destroyed during the war. Since 1947, the palace began to be protected by the state, and since 1983, restoration work began here.

Of course, the photographs of the devastation that reigned in the castle before they began to restore it are very impressive.

All that remains is to admire the work of the restorers, who recreated an almost new palace from the ruins of the castle.

A small digression...

Being impressed by yesterday's visit to the ruins, I want to believe that these remains will eventually be restored and also by their own appearance will delight curious travelers.

In 2000, Mir Castle was included in the list of monuments belonging to world heritage UNESCO. And on April 1, 2011, the object received the status of an independent museum and now receives guests every day.

What can you see in the castle today? Let's walk through the fortress walls and palace halls of the complex.

Courtyard

The first person who greeted me at the entrance was a dove, sitting importantly and calmly on the castle gate.

By the way, these birds will often meet me today and accompany me on walks along the palace walls. 🙂

Having passed through the brick arch of the gate, you find yourself in a courtyard paved with paving stones. There is a well in the center of the yard.

And the buildings around also form a stone well, only with a much larger diameter.

The tiled roofs have weathervanes and funny spiral chimneys.

Probably not every owner of a medieval house could boast that smoke came out of his chimney not in the usual column, but, for example, in rings or a screw. 😆

There is a wooden balcony near the living rooms, and directly below it is the entrance to the building.

The museum's ticket office and restaurant are located here. We'll talk more about prices and menus at the end of this article. The only thing I would like to note here is that I highly recommend booking a tour, or taking an audio guide. This way you will learn much more valuable information about this castle and its inhabitants.

Exhibition halls of the museum

It is interesting to wander around the museum when stone labyrinths and ancient spiral staircases appear around you from time to time.

Winged Knights

And here in front of you is ancient armor. Yes, unusual, but with real wings on their backs! Have you ever seen such a flying knight? 🙂

And the audio guide told me that this is a reconstruction of the armor of a hussar of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the mid-17th century. In addition to the usual parts of the uniform: helmet, cuirass, necklace, elbow pads and leg guards, special wings were attached to the cuirass.

They had a wooden base and feathers. Initially, they were not so large and were attached to the shield or at the saddle. This was done so that while moving they would create noise and frighten the enemy’s horses. And by the middle of the 17th century, the wings were increased in size.

They were attached to the back of a piece of the knight's armor and hung over his head. It is believed that this option was used not only for the purpose of sound intimidation of enemy horses, but also protected the rider from the lasso loop. They also softened the blow when a knight fell and protected him from head injuries.

Models of ancient buildings

And here is the room where models of other castles of Belarus, which were important in its history at one time, are presented. It is very interesting to look at these reduced copies: after all, real objects cannot always be examined and studied from all sides so well and in detail.

Here the Mir Castle is presented to us in all its glory.

I was already able to see the real building from the outside, so it’s interesting now to compare it with the model.

But here is Lida Castle, which I can only study in toy form so far: on a scale of 1:300 (there was no route there for this trip).

This palace was founded by Grand Duke Gedemin at the beginning of the 14th century.

And here is a model of the old castle in Grodno from the last quarter of the 16th century. It amazes with its beauty and sophistication.

It was erected on the steep bank of the Neman. Due to the natural topography of the area, the palace had such a complex layout.

Stefan Batory planned to move the capital of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from Krakow to Grodno, as he loved this city very much. But these plans could not be realized due to the sudden death of the king. Warsaw then became the capital.

Here are two unusual fortified temples. I was able to visit one of them - Archangel Michael in Synkovichi - yesterday. Read detailed story about . And the second model is the Komai Church.

Interiors

huge dining rooms where meals were held for the hosts and feasts were held for important guests.

A very unusual bright decorative ceiling, which is made of stacked modules with gilded details.

Lighting in those days was candlelight using special metal reflectors. And for warmth, stoves were installed at different ends of the rooms.

Well, where would we be without ballrooms decorated with stucco and gold.

Majestic portraits adorn the walls, covered in patterned silk fabric.

An important part of the interior is the marble fireplace, which symbolizes the ancient idea of ​​mastering fire as a symbol of power. And due to mirrors, the space of the room visually expands.

Ancient costumes of that time are also presented here.

Mir Castle was not a ceremonial residence, so its premises were decorated rather modestly.

In the stone labyrinths

Well, after visiting the restored museum exhibition, inquisitive tourist, to which I fully consider myself, can experience a bit of extreme sports by climbing the stone stairs to the different towers of the castle, as well as going down into its cellars.

The action, I’ll tell you, is for physically healthy and relatively slim people. Spiral staircases have very narrow openings

and incredibly high levels. So you are guaranteed to recharge! 🙂

Don't forget about safety measures: watch your heads (there are very low ceilings in some places) and your knees (there are some sharp turns).

Unfortunately, I couldn’t save the last ones, and I went downstairs already limping and with a huge bruise. 🙄

There are also a lot of pigeons living here. Several times they scared me quite a lot when they suddenly and abruptly began to take off. Although, I think that I frightened them no less with my appearance. 😆

Walking along the stone balconies gave me great pleasure!

The view from here to the courtyard and towers is completely different.

Very few rooms have now been restored inside the fortress walls. But there is a special interest in this too. So, a walk through the stone labyrinths of the palace: from climbing to the very top of the tower to descending into the dark dungeon basement and wine cellar left me with the most favorable impressions!

Modern rarities

But that’s not all: the collection of museum exhibits continues to be replenished with new exhibits. So, in March 2015, another priceless artifact was found. One local resident was digging up his garden and accidentally saw some interesting, unusual thing. He donated it to the museum. A special study showed that this is a genuine seal of Yuri Ilyinich, the first owner of the castle.

The Ilinich coat of arms “Korchak” is clearly visible on the seal. This word meant that men of this kind proved themselves to be true heroes on the battlefield and were always faithful to their ruler. What a unique find!

Recently, museum visitors will be able to admire another rare treasure. This is a collection of several tapestries that were made near Korelichi in the 18th century by order of the Radziwill princes themselves. These tapestries have one thing in common common topic"The History of Our House."

On one of them, Great Hetman Janusz is embroidered with gold thread. Another tapestry, not even complete - only two-thirds of the embroidered picture, is a gift from the Belarusian customs. The tapestry is called "The History of Scipio", a textile from the 17th century.

Another one shows a fragment of the Indian campaign of Alexander the Great: a hand-embroidered Alexander the Great sits on a horse embroidered with wool. The exhibition display of the dining hut is decorated with the carpet-tapestry “Hunting the Aurochs” from the late 16th century.

Where to eat

The Mir castle complex includes a restaurant where you will certainly be treated to a variety of delicious national dishes according to ancient recipes.

It is located in the basement, which is decorated in a very unusual way and therefore fits very harmoniously into the style of the entire complex.

In convenient niches under the vaults of the dungeon you can also find echoes of museum exhibits. Here, for example, is the winged armor of medieval knights.

Here you can have a full lunch or order a light dessert.

And it’s great that I could calmly taste various Belarusian delicacies, without rushing anywhere. After all, I decided to devote my entire day to visiting the Mir Castle. Ahead of me was only the way back to Minsk.

There is also a cafe outside the castle, not far from the entrance. But I didn’t look there, so I only saw the sign. The map of the complex, as usual, will be slightly lower.

The world is on the verge of discovery

Restoration work in palace complex continue, and the castle’s collections are replenished and expanded.

A unique collection of portraits and rare items of decorative and applied art has been found in Bavaria, which once belonged to the female descendants of the Radziwill princes. These rare items once belonged to the daughter of Prince Dominic, Princess Stephanie. Pushkin and Kozlov dedicated their poems to her. But at the age of 22, Stefania died of consumption, and her son Peter, and then his sister, became the owner of the collection.

The collection includes a large number of portraits of members of the Radziwill family, about whom little was previously known. Perhaps in the near future the current owner of the unique collection will agree to bring it to the World and show it to guests of the castle complex.

Mir Castle is a legend castle! In 2015, about 300 thousand tourists visited it. Visit the Belarusian Mir Castle and you will learn the history of not only the stone fortress, but also the Radziwill and Ilinich clans.

Here you can touch the history of our common distant ancestors, who, just like us, loved and laughed, missed and cried. And this touch will remain in your memory for a long time!

Also at Mir Castle you can buy original, skillfully made Belarusian souvenirs in order to bring home some elegant and colorful little thing as a souvenir.

Opening hours and prices

Operating mode Mir Castle Museum from 10.00 to 18.00. The cash desks stop working 40 minutes before the end of this time.

Please note that on the last Wednesday of every month there is a sanitary “hour”, which lasts 2 hours: from 9.00 to 11.00. The museum is not accepting visitors at this time.

Prices for tickets in April 2016:

  • 80,000 Belarusian rubles (270 rubles or $4.1) - entrance to the museum on weekdays;
  • 100,000 Belarusian rubles (338 rubles or $5.15) - entrance to the museum on weekends and holidays;
  • 50,000 Belarusian rubles (170 rubles or $2.6) - for schoolchildren and students;
  • 20,000 Belarusian rubles (68 rubles or $1) - rental of an audio guide.

But every last Tuesday of the month, entry to Mir Castle is free for all categories of citizens.

An audio guide is issued only on the security of a document with a photo identification.

Minsk - Mir Castle: how to get there

Mir Castle is located in the urban village of Mir, Grodno region of Belarus, in the southwest of the capital: Minsk.

You can get here with a tour, of which there are a huge number organized from almost every city in the republic. I came here on my own in a rented car. True, my route came from Brest. But then I returned to Minsk.

Distance to Minsk was 105 km, time 1 hour 10 minutes.

Getting to Mir Castle is easy: from Minsk we take the M1 highway leading to Brest. After about 70 km there will be a sign to the right, a turn to Mir, and there will also be tourist signs (on a brown background) to Mir Castle. Driving along the road past the pond, you will definitely notice the palace walls. 🙂

Address Mir Castle: Grodno region, Korelichi district, town. Mir, st. Krasnoarmeyskaya, house 2

Coordinates: 53.45113, 26.47289.

There is an official parking lot nearby, but I left the car along the road: it was closer to the castle from here.

Here is a map of the Mir complex, which shows all the attractions that are worth seeing.

My trip to Mir Castle took place on April 15, 2016. A walk through its museum exhibition, territory and towers, rest in a cafe took 3.5 hours.

While still in the city a few days ago, I was very glad that I decided not to explore both of these castles at once. But this is exactly how, as a rule, numerous sightseeing tours. In this case, you get a very rushed review and a huge amount of information that will be very difficult to “digest.”

Of course, you need to be in each of these places, quietly be present, in order to feel the historical atmosphere of each attraction. It’s so good that I can plan my time on my own and create any excursion program for myself!

I stopped by Mir Castle on the way back, having visited Brest the previous days.

Address: Republic of Belarus, Mir
Estimated construction date: 1522 - 1526
Coordinates: 53°27"03.8"N 26°28"22.8"E

In the Belarusian village of Mir, on the right bank of the Miryanka River stands the majestic Mir Castle. The settlement of Mir was first mentioned in the chronicles of 1395 in connection with the raid of the crusading knights.

General view of the castle

The purpose of the campaign was to destroy the heterodox detachments of Tatar warriors who were in the service of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas. After the attack, Vitovt transferred the worldly lands to his brother Sigismund Keistutovich, and he granted Peace to his comrade-in-arms boyar Senka Gedygoldovich.

In 1490, the World passed to the family of princes Ilyinich. Marshal of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Yuri Ilyinich, famous for his successes in the diplomatic and military fields, founded a castle in his worldly possessions.

View of the Northwestern, Entrance, Southwestern towers (from left to right)

From 1522 to 1526, a residence-fortress in the late Gothic style was erected above the plain near the town of Mir. The presence of thick walls with loopholes and battle galleries testified to the good defense capability of the palace. However, at that time the village of Mir was a relatively calm place, and Yuri Ilyinich built the castle solely for reasons of prestige, intending to receive the title of Count of the Holy Roman Empire.

Bird's eye view of the castle

The Ilinich owners were never able to complete the castle - after Yuri’s death, his sons died one after another, leaving no heirs. And only Ilyinich’s youngest son, Felix, managed to become related to the rich Radziwills, marrying the sister of Nicholas “Black” Radziwill, the future chancellor of the great Lithuanian. In the Radziwill era, many kings could envy the wealth of the Mir Castle; they surrounded the castle with an earthen rampart, at the corners of which they placed defensive bastions.

View of the eastern building, southeastern tower (center)

An Italian garden was laid out around the palace, surrounded by the greenery of citrus, boxwood and cypress trees. As befitted the aristocrats of those times, the Radziwills spent their lives in luxury and idleness, amusing themselves with hunting, cannon shooting, dancing, balls and masquerades.

Near the Mir Castle, a menagerie was landscaped, in which wild animals were kept and hunted. One of the Radziwills, nicknamed “Pane Kokhanku” (“My Dear”), was remembered by his contemporaries for his extravagant antics.

View of the southwest side of the castle

So, one day in the midst summer holiday Pan Kokhanku arranged a sleigh ride. To do this, he filled the park around the palace and the 400-meter road leading from the Nesvizh residence to the church with salt. Peasants and not so wealthy nobles picked up salt near the castle for a long time, since in those days it was worth its weight in gold. It is worth noting that since 1586 Mir Castle had the status of a primordial estate, according to which Mir and Nesvizh (30 km from Mir) became a single, indivisible estate. The estate could not be divided between the heirs and after the death of the tycoon passed to his eldest son as inalienable property.

View of the castle from the west

Mir Castle - museum complex of Belarus

The walls of the castle in Myra remember the Northern War, the division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Napoleon's invasion in 1812. The secular residence was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. The castle found its rebirth in 1891, when the retired hero of the Russian-Turkish war, Prince Nikolai Svyatopolk-Mirsky, moved to Mir with his wife Cleopatra and 5 sons. Not far from the castle, the general erected a two-story palace and a distillery, dug a pond, along the banks of which he planted pine and spruce trees.

View of the main entrance to the castle in the Entrance Tower (center)

After the death of her husband, Princess Cleopatra ordered the construction of a chapel-tomb. Today, very little remains of the former luxury of Mir Castle. The combination of red brick walls and white plastered niches with arched openings gives the structure a majestic appearance. The tomb chapel and towers, within the walls of which there are exhibitions dedicated to the former owners of the castle, are open to tourists. In the basement of the Eastern building of the castle there is a restaurant serving old Belarusian cuisine. The Mir Castle Hotel offers luxury and economy rooms for guests..

View of the northern building with the bridge

Legends of Mir Castle

To this day, enthusiasts search in vain for the Radziwill treasures, lost during the Napoleonic Wars. According to legend, Mir and Nesvizh castles are connected by an underground passage 30 km long, along which two carriages could pass freely. It was here that gold bars and figures of the 12 apostles, cast in human height from gold and silver, were hidden. Another popular legend is associated with the name of Nikolai Svyatopolk-Mirsky. When the prince cut down the apple orchard and dug Lake Mirskoe in its place, a stranger appeared to Nicholas and cursed the princely family with these words: “Let as many people drown in this pond as there were trees cut down.”

Castle courtyard

The first to drown in the lake was the little princess Sonechka at the age of 12, and in 1898 Nicholas himself fell victim to the curse. Mir Castle also has its own ghosts - the ghost of Radziwill guards the treasure, and at night the spirit of Sophia Svyatopolk-Mirskaya wanders through the dark corridors. In the spring, the prince's tomb is flooded with meltwater, so Sofia's soul cannot find eternal peace.

There is a castle in the town of Mir, Grodno region. It dates back to the 16th century and was built in the Gothic style. The history of the Mir castle is connected with all the wars that took place in Belarus. The fortifications suffered especially badly during the Russian-Polish wars and the Russian-French war. But after each battle the castle was restored.


At the end of the 80s, a branch of the National art museum Belarus. In the 2000s, reconstruction began, which is still ongoing. The history of the Mir castle began with construction, which was started by the Ilinich family. After this family was interrupted, Mir Castle became the property of the Radziwill magnates.


With the decline in the importance of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the role of the castle also decreased. By the end of the 19th century it found itself in desolation and ruin. In the 20th century, the castle was restored, and with the advent of Soviet power in Western Belarus, it was transferred to state ownership. At the end of the 80s, Mir Castle became one of the branches of the State Art Museum of the Republic. Reconstruction took a long time, and as a result an important tourist site was created.

Now Mir Castle annually welcomes thousands of guests from around the world. They come to admire the structure, take part in knightly festivals, buy souvenirs, attend concerts and exhibitions. Visitors can get acquainted with the history and architecture of Mir Castle, its past and present. It is worth taking a stroll through the defensive tiers and battle galleries. A visit to the basement will help you understand the plight of medieval prisoners.


Conducted with stories of legends and lost treasures. There are also excursions to other attractions of the city of Mir and theatrical performances. There is a hotel where you can relax in castle luxury at low prices.

There is a restaurant serving traditional Belarusian cuisine. It is open in the Gothic basement of the castle and has two halls - White and Red. Not far from the castle there is an English-style park. Its paths lead to an early 20th century church.

Prices

Price entrance ticket to the castle 10 rubles(~5$, 350 RUB), for schoolchildren and students 5 rubles.

If you are visiting the museum on your own, you can use an audio guide in different languages. Its cost - 2 rubles.

Where to stay

  • The Mir Castle Hotel is the most popular option among city guests, located directly in the castle. Luxurious interiors and modern comfort.
  • Hotel Mirsky Posad - 36 rooms with varying levels of comfort. The hotel's interior is designed with medieval elements. Friendly staff and good service.
  • The Castle Suburb estate is a cozy hotel overlooking Mir Castle. Parking, free wifi, bathhouse, billiards.
There are agricultural estates nearby!
Look at all our accommodation options, cottages and recreation centers. Nature, hospitality and national cuisine!

Photo

The easiest way to get to the city of Mir is by bus or car from Minsk. Distance from the capital of Belarus: about 90 kilometers. GPS: 53°27’04.3″N 26°28’22.6″E

On public transport You can get to the castle from the bus stations “Vostochny”, “Central” in Minsk, direction to Korelichi, Novogrudok, Dyatlovo, Lida (via Novogrudok).

Mir Castle address:

Grodno region, Korelichi district, urban settlement Mir, st. Krasnoarmeyskaya, 2

In Belarus there is an amazing medieval Mir Castle, majestic monument antiquity, which is distinguished not only by the beauty of its execution, but also by the many legends enveloping this fundamental structure.

Mir Castle is located in the Grodno region, in the village of Mir.

Legends undoubtedly fuel interest in this structure among tourists and travelers. Everyone wants to see memorial place and get in touch with the way of life medieval castle at all times of its existence.

Presumably, the castle was built in the 16th century and belonged to several owners, however, the first owners were the Ilinichs, who built it. Early on, according to historians, there was an estate on the site of the castle, and Mir Castle was built, most likely, for the sake of prestige, and not for defensive purposes.

Having studied historical documents, experts claim that the construction of the castle was carried out in a peaceful and calm time. Although, judging by the shape of the structure, the presence of loopholes, a single gate, a ditch in front of them, the quality and width of the walls, Mir Castle could well repel real enemy attacks.


Panoramic walk through Tzipori Park

Thanks to the legends, a unique atmosphere of mystery of the castle building is created. There is a belief about the curse of the family of one of the owners of the castle.

The last owner, Prince Nikolai Svyatopolk-Mirsky, received the castle in a very poor condition and plunged headlong into the reconstruction of the premises and redevelopment of the surrounding areas. For his reasons, the acquired properties lacked a reservoir. Having looked around, he found perfect place for the lake, but it was planted with fruit trees.

At the height of flowering, the garden was completely cut down, although popular beliefs assured that such actions were sinful. He who cuts down young flowering trees destroys a young life and for this he and his entire family may be cursed.

Panoramic walk around Mir Castle

The peasants warned the prince and flatly refused to participate in cutting down the garden, but this fact only angered the owner. He took an ax and cut down several flowering trees himself, and the rest were cut down by people he brought and hired for a lot of money.

After the destruction of the garden, the inhabitants of Mir Castle were haunted by all sorts of troubles and misfortunes. Local residents were confident that the prince himself signed the death warrant for many people and, of course, himself first of all.

A pond was built on the site of the garden. During the work on its creation, some ridiculous situations and accidents occurred. People died both in the reservoir itself and near it. One day, the son of a local witch died in a pond and she allegedly cursed the prince, saying: “Let as many people drown in the lake as the number of flowering trees that were cut down.”

The curse began to come true. The first, at the age of twelve, was the prince’s daughter, Sonechka, who drowned, and some time later the prince himself was found dead, moreover, on the shore of that same reservoir.

Mir Castle on the map

Nowadays people, usually males, regularly drown in the lake. Another legend explains this fact. The spirits of blossoming apple trees turn into the images of beautiful young women, and then lure lonely men into the water, after which, carrying them away deep places, with a force that is impossible to resist, they are pulled to the bottom.

Is there a connection between people regularly drowning in the pond near Mir Castle and the curse described in the legend? Or perhaps there are other reasons completely unrelated to the cutting down of flowering trees?

We can only say that they definitely add mystery to the castle building.