- Mir Castle Complex
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Mir Castle Complex * UNESCO World Heritage Site
Country Belarus Type Cultural Criteria ii, iv Reference 625 Region ** Europe and North America Inscription history Inscription 2000 (24th Session) * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List
** Region as classified by UNESCOCoordinates: 53°27′4.46″N 26°28′22.80″E / 53.4512389°N 26.473°E
The Mirsky Castle Complex (Belarusian: Мірскі замак), is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Belarus located in the town of Mir in the Karelichy District of the Hrodna voblast, at 53°27′4.46″N 26°28′22.80″E / 53.4512389°N 26.473°E, 29 km to the north-west from another World Heritage site, Nesvizh Castle.
The construction of the castle began at the end of the 15th century, in the Gothic architecture style. Building of the castle was completed by Duke Ilinich in the early 16th century near village Mir (formerly of Minsk guberniya). Around 1568 the Mir Castle passed into the hands of Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł, who finished building the castle in the Renaissance style. A three-storey palace was built along the eastern and northern walls of the castle. Plastered facades were decorated with limestone portals, plates, balconies and porches.
Drawing by Napoleon Orda, 1876
After being abandoned for nearly a century and suffering severe damage during the Napoleonic period, the castle was restored at the end of the 19th century. In 1813, after the death of Dominik Hieronim Radziwiłł, the castle passed into the hands of his daughter Stefania, who married Ludwig zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. The castle later fell into the hands of their daughter Maria, who married Prince Chlodwig Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst.
Their son, Maurice Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst sold the castle to Nikolai Sviatopolk-Mirski, of the Bialynia clan, in 1895. Nikolaj's son Michail began to rebuild the castle according to the plans of architect Teodor Bursze. The Sviatopolk-Mirski family owned the castle up to 1939. During WWII, it came under the dominion of the Nazi occupying force and served as a ghetto for the local Jewish population prior to their liquidation.
Related World Heritage Sites
External links
- Castle in Mir
- Castle in Mir
- Official UNESCO site
- The Mir Castle
- Photos on Radzima.org
- Photos on Globus.tut.by
World Heritage Sites in BelarusBelovezhskaya Pushcha National Park (with Poland) · Mir Castle Complex · Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwiłł Family at Nesvizh · Struve Geodetic Arc (with nine other countries)
Polish-Lithuanian Castles and Forts in the Kresy 
Black RutheniaSurvivingOld Grodno • New Grodno • Lida • Mir • Nieśwież • Dwór Stanisławów RuinedGieraniony • Holszany • Krewo • Lubcz • Nowogródek • Różana 
Volynia
GaliciaSurvivingRuined
PodoliaSurvivingKamieniec Podolski • Latyczów • Międzybuż • Satanów RuinedBusza • Czarnokozińce • Kudryńce • Okopy Świętej Trójcy • Sidorów • Zinków • Żwaniec Categories:- World Heritage Sites in Belarus
- Belarusian building and structure stubs
- Castles in Belarus
- Radziwiłł family
- Brick Gothic
- Gothic architecture in Belarus
- Hrodna Voblast
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