- Mir Castle in Belarus – Part 1
- Mir Castle in Belarus – Part 2
- Mir Castle in Belarus – Part 3
- Legends of Mir Castle in Belarus
Only in the 1730s Mir Castle resumed proper form with the new acquisitions: main hall, a dance hall, a portrait gallery. In 1785, the castle at Pan Kohanku was visited by King Stanislaw August, which struck down outright beauty and luxury decoration of the castle. However, after the death of Pan Kohanku and the elimination of the Rzeczpospolita the Mir castle fortress lost its importance. Soon after the death of the last heir Radziwill the castle passed to the genus Wittgenstein, but then pretty quick to Sviatopolk-Mirsky.
The new owner Nikolai Sviatopolk-Mirsky was very fond of acquired Mir castle and fully restored the ruined estate. As a result of his actions Mir Castle acquired new features:
- Italian garden was cut, and in its place appeared a pond;
- near the pond was located distillery;
- next to the castle, a new palace in two stories;
- family chapel-tomb was built:
it was designed by the famous St. Petersburg architect Robert Marfeld in Art Nouveau style, which was transmitted through the intricate structure of the asymmetric shape. It was located in a picturesque setting amidst trees in the nearby park.
This park had appeared at Prince Svyatopolk-Mirsky at the beginning of last century. It is divided into two parts: the upper and lower, and is located around the castle. The park is very beautiful and naturally goes around the pond. The park has collected various rare species of trees and plants.
In 1939, West Belarus moved into the Soviet Union and, accordingly, the Mir Castle became national property. For several decades the castle was empty and began to decline. Only in 1987 it became part of the State Art Museum of the BSSR, and then some time later a branch of the National Art Museum of Belarus.
To be continued…
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