Belarus is not called the country of castles for nothing: on its territory at different times there were 150 palaces, fortresses and other fortified objects. Many of them have survived to this day. Let’s talk about five impressive castles that are worth including on your itinerary.
How to get there
Minsk is the capital and starting point for travel. There are direct flights there from Moscow; round trip ticket prices start from 9,400 rubles*. Travel time 1.5 hours.
It is convenient to get from Moscow to Minsk by high-speed Lastochka. You will spend 7 hours on the road, a one-way ticket costs from 2,200 rubles*.
Buses from Moscow to Minsk depart from the Salaryevo bus station and the Novoyasenevskaya bus station. Travel time is 10–11 hours. Tickets cost from 1,500 rubles* one way.
Many travelers prefer to get to Belarus by personal or rented car. The distance from Moscow to Minsk is 720 km, without traffic jams you can get there in 8–9 hours. From St. Petersburg the road is 100 km longer and 1–2 hours longer.
Mir Castle
The most famous castle in the country is surrounded by secrets. It is still not even known when exactly it was built. Historians believe that it was erected by order of the Lithuanian tycoon Yuri Ilyinich at the beginning of the 16th century.
Why did Ilyinich need the castle? There is a version that he wanted to receive the title of Count of the Holy Roman Empire. A prerequisite for this was the possession of a stone fortress. There is also a more rational explanation for the construction: the Grand Duchy of Lithuania needed to defend its possessions from frequent attacks by the Crimean Tatars.
The architecture of the main Belarusian castle combines Gothic with Renaissance and Rococo. It has powerful walls 3.5 m thick. The secret of the strength of the mortar that connected the stones has not yet been revealed. Researchers suggest that one of the ingredients was burnt animal bones.
In 2000, Mir Castle was recognized as a UNESCO architectural site – by the way, the first on the territory of the Republic of Belarus. After ten years of restoration, a museum was opened here. 39 rooms are available to visitors: you can look at portraits of the owners, tapestries, weapons, antique furniture and dishes.
If you take a tour, they will definitely tell you a couple of scary stories. One of the darkest legends says that Prince Nikolai Svyatopolk-Mirsky, who bought the castle at the end of the 19th century, ordered the garden next to the castle to be cut down and a pond to be dug. It was spring, and according to local folk wisdom, cutting down flowering trees is bad luck. During construction, many workers died, among them was the son of a local resident, who was considered a witch. The woman “cursed” the pond, saying that as many people would drown there as there were trees in the garden. The prophecy came true, the prince himself died – he drowned in the castle ditch, which he ordered to dig.
An independent visit to the castle costs 14 Belarusian rubles (382 Russian rubles*) on a weekday and 16 Belarusian rubles (436 Russian rubles*) on weekends. The attraction is open every day. From Sunday to Thursday it is open from 10:00 to 18:00, on Fridays and Saturdays – from 10:00 to 18:30.
How to get there
Mir Castle is located 90 km from Minsk. You can get here by public transport (buses to the village of Mir depart from the Central Bus Station) or by your own car: follow the M1 highway (E30), and then turn onto the P64 road “Stolbtsy – Mir”.
Where to stay
In the Minsk hotel “BonHotel” (rating 9.0) with a stylish modern design. The cost per room starts from 4,400 rubles* per day.
At the Villa Sarra hotel (rating 9.6) in the city of Baranovichi. This is the closest major city to the village of Mir. The room can be booked from 5,300 rubles* per day.
In the Minsk three-star hotel “Victoria Hotel na Zamkovoy” (rating 8.9) with huge rooms, a five-minute walk from the Nemiga metro station. A room for one night costs from 8,400 rubles* per day.
Nesvizh Castle
The history of Nesvizh Castle is inextricably linked with the Polish-Lithuanian family of the Radziwills. They owned the castle from 1513 to 1939 – during this time 19 generations of the family changed.
Initially the fortress was wooden, and the stone one was built in 1583. Over the years since then, it has been rebuilt several times, so now it shows features of different architectural styles – late Renaissance, Baroque and Classicism.
The most noticeable changes in the appearance of the castle occurred in the 18th century, when the bastions were destroyed during the Northern War. After this, the Radziwills restored the family residence, but not as a defensive fortification, but as a palace for living.
In 1939, the territories where the fortress was located moved from Poland to the USSR. The castle was nationalized. After World War II, a sanatorium appeared there. Thanks to this, the building has been preserved in fairly good condition.
In 1993, a museum was opened in the castle. Today the halls have been restored as they existed in the 19th century.
Not far from Nesvizh Castle there is the Church of the Corpus Christi with the Radziwill family crypt. This is the third largest family tomb in Europe.
The Radziwill Crypt is a place with dark legends. For example, there is a “humpbacked” coffin. Local residents said that a young girl was buried in it, who ran away with her lover, but froze to death on the way. It later turned out that the remains of a 74-year-old princess were buried inside, and the unusual appearance of the coffin was explained by the vase installed inside it.
The castle is open seven days a week. From May 1 to September 30 – from 10:00 to 19:00, from October 1 to April 30 – from 9:00 to 18:00. Ticket costs 14 Belarusian rubles (382 Russian rubles*) for adults and 8.40 rubles (229 Russian rubles*) for children.
How to get there
The castle is located 110 km from Minsk. Buses to the city of Nesvizh depart from the capital’s bus station; the journey time is 1.5 hours. Or you can take the train to the Gorodeya station, and then change to a bus to Nesvizh.
By car you should travel from Minsk along the P1 highway to Dzerzhinsk, then along the M1 highway to Baranovichi with a turn onto the P11 highway to Gorodeya and Nesvizh.
Where to stay
In the largest hostel in Belarus “Urban” (rating 9.2). It is located in an old house where Nobel Prize winner in physics Zhores Alferov lived. The cost of the night is from 3,100 rubles*.
In the atmospheric hotel “Monastyrski” (rating 8.9) in the historical center, which is stylized as a monastery. You can book a room from 5,400 rubles* per day.
At the Gubernsky Hotel (rating 8.9) with spacious rooms in a restrained classic style. The cost of accommodation starts from 6,000 rubles* per night.
Lida Castle
It was built in 1323 under the Grand Duke Gediminas, when it was necessary to protect Lithuanian and Belarusian territories from the crusaders. The fortress was built exclusively for defense, which is why there are such powerful walls 2 m thick.
Over the centuries of its existence, Lida Castle more than once repelled the attacks of enemies – the Crusaders, the Crimean Tatars, the army of the Moscow Principality, and then the Swedes. Many famous historical figures found refuge behind its walls: the disgraced khan of the Golden Horde Tokhtamysh and the founder of the Crimean Khanate Hadji Giray.
There were various terrible rumors about Lida Castle, as well as about its “brothers” from Mir and Nesvizh. According to one of them, in 1394 the fortress was besieged by the crusaders. The defense was commanded by the appanage prince Koribut Olgerdovich. He ordered the warriors to defend the fortress, and he himself escaped through the dungeon. All the warriors died, and since then it is believed that their ghosts wander through the ancient galleries.
You will learn more dark stories on the excursion. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 19:00. The entrance ticket for adults costs 9 Belarusian rubles (245 Russian rubles*), for children – 5 Belarusian rubles (136 Russian rubles*). The cost of excursions is from 30 Belarusian rubles (819 Russian rubles*).
How to get there
You can get from Minsk to Lida by car, minibus, bus and train. The journey by bus takes on average 2.5–3 hours. High-speed trains also depart to Lida.
Where to stay
At the “IT Time Hotel” (rating 8.4) in Minsk. The hotel has a cafe with inexpensive lunches. Price per night – from 1,800 rubles*.
In the Minsk cozy hotel “Sport Time” (rating 8.4) with spacious rooms and free breakfast. The cost of accommodation starts from 2,000 rubles* per day.
At the chain hotel “Hampton by Hilton Minsk” (rating 8.9). It is located five minutes from the Minsk railway station, from which it is convenient to get to the city of Lida. Prices start from 6,000 rubles* per day.
Castles of Grodno
Grodno is the most European city in Belarus. It is worth a visit for many reasons: stroll through the residential areas of the 17th–18th centuries, visit the ancient Orthodox churches and majestic Catholic churches, and admire the tiled roofs.
In the old days, Grodno had the status of one of the capitals of the Polish-Lithuanian state. As befits a royal city, there are castles here. They stand next to each other on a hill near the Neman River.
The first castle on this site was built back in the 11th century. Like most fortresses of that time, it was wooden. In the 14th century, Prince Vytautas ordered it to be rebuilt in the Gothic style. However, that one has not survived to this day.
The second building is called the Old Castle, now a museum is opened here. In one of the halls you can see a large metal key to the city of the 15th century – a symbol of its independence and independence.
There is a second royal residence nearby. It is called the New Castle. This palace complex was built in the 18th century under King Augustus III. It was here that one of the sections of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was approved in 1793, and in 1795 the last king of Poland abdicated the throne.
A ticket to the Old Castle for adults will cost 9 Belarusian rubles (245 Russian rubles*), for children – 5 rubles (136 Russian rubles*). The cost of excursions starts from 20 Belarusian rubles (546 Russian rubles*). Entrance to the New Castle for adults costs 6 Belarusian rubles (163 Russian rubles*), for children – 4 Belarusian rubles (109 Russian rubles*). The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, closed on Monday.
How to get there
Minibuses go to Grodno from Minsk every hour from 4:20 to 22:00. Travel time is 3.5 hours. An alternative option is the train, the journey takes from 4 to 7.5 hours. The fastest one starts from Minsk at 15:15, at 19:10 you will already be in Grodno.
Where to stay
The Neman Hotel (rating 8.5) has a large selection of rooms from standard to luxury. Price – from 7,400 rubles* per night.
At the Semashko apart-hotel in a 19th-century building near the central square of Grodno. Accommodation rates start from 8,900 rubles* per night.
At the Cronon Park Hotel (rating 9.7), which looks like a country house of the 18th century French aristocracy. You can book a room from 13,100 rubles* per day.
Kossovo Castle
The Puslovsky Palace is located in one of the smallest cities in the country, Kossovo, where only 2,000 people live.
It was built in the 19th century by the heir to a wealthy family, Count Vandalin Puslovsky. He wanted to make the residence look like a medieval castle-fortress.
Tour guides often tell the story of Puslovsky’s incredible extravagance. For example, his wife loved sledding. To please her, the count bought table salt – they covered the slopes of the hill with it for rolling. But at that time, salt was worth its weight in gold.
The grandiose castle could not help but acquire legends. One of them said that a lion supposedly lived in the garden of the palace, and at night he was let loose from his leash. Another fantastic story is connected with an underground passage 25 km long. The dungeon supposedly led to the village of Ruzhany.
For many years the palace stood in disrepair. Restoration began only in 2008 and is still ongoing. But travelers can already visit the museum.
A ticket for an adult visitor to the palace (and at the same time to the estate of Tadeusz Kosciuszko next door) costs 15 Belarusian rubles (409 Russian rubles*), for children 8 Belarusian rubles (218 Russian rubles*). Excursions – 20 Belarusian rubles (546 Russian rubles*).
How to get there
The distance between Minsk and Kossovo is about 230 km. If you have your own car, you need to follow the M1 highway to the exit for Ivatsevichi and further along P44 to Kossovo.
By bus or train from Minsk and Brest you can get to the city of Ivatsevichi. From there, buses run from the bus station twice a day (at 8:30 and 11:30) to Kossovo Castle.
Where to stay
At the Intourist Hotel (rating 7.9) in Brest. Rates start from 2,300 rubles* per night.
In the only four-star hotel in Brest “Hermitage” (rating 9.4) with beautiful rooms in a retro style. Prices per night start from 7,800 rubles*.
In the guest house “Brestinlove: Villa Lake” (rating 9.9) in the city of Brest on the shore of Lake Vychulki. You can book a room from 8,000 rubles* per day.
*Prices are current at the time of publication.
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