Mir castle

When on a working week in Minsk we read up on Belorussian history and visited Mir castle, 90 km southwest of Minsk. We took our information from Bradt's Belarus travel guide by Nigel Roberts, which provides detailed knowledge in an entertaining way.

 

Mir is one of four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Belarus, a powerful building "overlooking a serene lake and built largely of stone and red brick."

 

Walls and towers "first appeared in the 1520s, followed by the construction of the Renaissance palace itself in the late 16th and early 17th centuries".

 

Extensive renovation of the castle after WW2 brought an impressive result. Even the adjacent town of Mir itself is worth a visit and is praised as an example of cosmopolitan living and religious tolerance.

 

This trip can easily be combined with sightseeing at nearby Nesvish (also spelled Nasvish). Alternatively one could start with Nesvish, see Mir Castle and proceed westward to Grodno via Novogrudok. We need to come back!