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Mir Castle Complex

Mir Castle Complex of XVI–XX centuries in a small town Mir is a historical and cultural value of national importance and UNESCO World Heritage.

For the first time Мir was mentioned in 1434 when it becomes a private estate of Senko Gedygoldovich. According to his will in 1451 Mir passes to Anna Butrimovna, his foster daughter. In 1476 Anna gives Mir as possession for life to Senko’s wife Milokhna, and after her death – to her cousin Yury Ilinich, who started building the castle.

At the end of the 16th century the bastion fortifications lost their importance. The reasons why Mikolaj Krzysztof Radziwill decided to stop further modernization of Mir Castle are still unknown. After the construction of a mighty castle in Nesvizh at the end of the 16th – beginning of the 17th centuries the princely residence moved there. Mir Castle became something like a country seat. The walls of the palace and towers were plastered and painted pink. The window and door portals were made from grey sandstone imported from Galicia. The basement and the ground floor of the palace incorporated housekeeping facilities and storerooms; the administration of Mir County, a municipal court and a clerical office were located on the first floor, the second floor was intended for the owners whose living accommodation was situated there.

At the beginning of the 17th century an Italian garden was laid out near the castle.

In 1891 Mir estate and the castle were purchased by a Cossack chieftain of the Don Troops, Prince Nikolay Svyatopolk-Mirsky. Apparently, the prince was attracted by the name of the estate. When he came to Mir he immediately got down to work with great enthusiasm. An alcohol plant and a two-storey palace, which became the main composition center of the palatial and park complex, were built opposite the castle. A water reservoir with islands was made in front of the new palace instead of five ponds and a cut down garden.

In 1922 Nikolay’s son Mikhail started to restore Mir Castle. The works had lasted for 16 years. During this period a part of the Eastern palace and two southern towers were restored.

Mikhail Svyatopolk-Mirsky lived in the castle till 1938.

During the Great Patriotic War from May to August 1942 the castle served as a ghetto where Hitler’s forces imprisoned around 800 local Jews. In summer the prisoners organized a resistance group. On August 9, 1942 over 250 Jews managed to escape. Three days later those who stayed in ghetto were shot by fascists in the forest not far from Mir.

After the liberation of Belarus in July 1944 dwellers of Mir whose houses had been ruined found refuge in the castle. The last family moved out from the castle in 1962. The restoration works in Mir Castle began only in 1983.

In 2000 it was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. On December 16, 2010 an official opening of Mir Castle took place.

03.12.2018
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