Urban village world Belarus. What is worth seeing in Mir? Possession of the Ilinichs and Radziwills
Urban village Mir located in the Grodno region, 85 km southwest of Minsk. The main attraction of the World is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is known far beyond the borders of Belarus. There are several other ancient buildings in this small town, which we will get acquainted with while walking along the streets of Mira.
Details about the history of Mir Castle can be read in the article “History of Mir Castle”. A photo report on the architecture of the castle and its surroundings is given in the article “Review of Mir Castle”. Photos and descriptions of the recreated interiors of Mir Castle you. Here we will talk about history of the village of Mir. About, how to get to Mir and Mir Castle on your own from Minsk, .
History of the city of Mir
Today we will talk about history of the town of Mir in Belarus. This small urban village in the Grodno region has an extremely rich history.
Origin of the name and medieval period
A town (urban village) with a strange name World is located in Belarus, in the Grodno region, less than 100 km from Minsk. Name of the village Mir are explained differently: there is information that in the 14th century, a detachment of Tatar warriors led by the emir, invited by Grand Duke Vitovt, was stationed here, and then title "World" can be seen as a shortening of "emir". This version was proposed in 1995 by historian Valentin Kalnin.
In 2008, another version of the origin of the name of the settlement Mir was expressed. According to Alexander Rogalev, this name was originally associated with the Mira River, on which the Slavs who came from the south settled. Arriving on these banks, they saw something familiar and named the river after their first impression of meeting it. As evidence, the scientist refers to the fact that in the South Slavic area there are rivers called Mira and Mirna. The original meaning of the root of these words is defined as “quiet, calm,” and the ending -a, -ta, -na, -va means “water, river.” Today, from the full-flowing river through which one could get to the Neman by boat, only a trickle remains - the Miranka River.
Many Russian-speaking readers may have a hypothesis that the name comes from the word “mir” in the meaning of “rural community”, but in Belarus this term was not used in this meaning. There is an assumption that the name of the town may come from the ancient meaning of the word “peace”, which previously referred to a meeting of local residents to discuss important issues.
There is also this beautiful version: according to some researchers, the name of the settlement Mir comes from the Latin word “ mirum”, which translates as “miracle”, “wonder”.
And a century and a half ago (1823-1862), the famous Belarusian and Polish poet, local historian, historian and translator, expressed the opinion that the town of Mir was named in honor of the conclusion of some kind of peace treaty here. " The very name of the area, he wrote, speaks of some kind of peace or union, perhaps between Lithuania and Russia, for... not far from here there was a border that divided the two tribes. However, when, who and with whom entered into an alliance here? Who founded the place?.. The darkness of centuries hid all these details» .
And indeed, the circumstances of the foundation of the World are hidden in darkness. The settlement first appeared on the pages of chronicles only in 1395. This year, German crusaders unexpectedly appeared near the World under the leadership of Grand Master Konrad von Jungingen. What the knights of the Teutonic Order lost in this wilderness, no one knows for sure. Perhaps their arrival was connected precisely with the desire to destroy the Tatars of other faiths. One way or another, it has been established that after the arrival of the Germans, almost nothing remained of Mir: they burned and destroyed the settlement.
After Mir was attacked by German knights, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas transferred this possession to his brother Sigismund Keistutovich, and he in 1434, already being a Grand Duke, donated the secular court “together with the people” to his close boyar Senka (Semyon) Gedygoldovich. Since then, Mir has ceased to be a grand-ducal court and passed into the status of a private estate. At that time, the settlement was located on the territory of the modern village, and the owner’s yard was on the opposite bank of the river, exactly where it now stands. The courtyard buildings were quite rich and equipped, as they say, according to the latest European standards.
Possession of the Ilinichs and Radziwills
After the death of the childless Senka World with the adjacent lands passed to his adopted (probably illegitimate) daughter Anna Butrimovna, who never married and in 1476 transferred the vast estate to the widow Senka Milokhna, and after her death to her relative Yuri Ilyinich(d. 1526) from a noble family Ilyinich.
Agree, the phrase “become the owner of the World” sounds good.
Yuri Ivanovich Ilyinich held many high government positions (court marshal and governor of Lida, headman of Brest, Kovno, court marshal of Lithuania). By 1522, he owned 40 estates and received a decent income from the castles and elders subordinate to him. By the way, only in this year, 1522, Yuri achieved the rights to the Worldly possession (before that, legal disputes with another claimant had continued for more than twenty years).
During the time of the Ilinichs World was a small settlement with only four streets: Vilenskaya, Slonimskaya (Onichinskaya), Minskaya and Nesvizhskaya. There were 29 courtyards on Onichinskaya, and 25 courtyards on Vilenskaya. Vysokaya (or Vysotskaya) street was built up with 85 courtyards, and Minskaya included only 8 courtyards. In the 1520s Yuri Ilyinich began construction of a stone Mir Castle .
The last representative of the male line of the Ilyinich family was Yuri Ilyinich - Jr.(c. 1535 - c. 1569), son of Ilyinich Shchasny and Sophia Radziwill. Apparently, having lost his parents early, Yuri became his uncle’s pupil Nicholas Radziwill the Black(1515-1565) from the richest and most influential Radziwill family.
In 1547, this statesman was the first in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to receive the title of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire:
Yuri considered his guardian Nikolai Radziwill Cherny almost like a father. In 1553, Radziwill took the young Yuri with him to the Austrian court, where he, in turn, received the title of Count of the Roman Empire "on the World". Seal of Yuri Ilyinich Jr., “Count on the World”, 1566:
So in the middle of the 16th century, Mir became the center of the county of the same name. Ilyinich possessions on the ON map (shown by shading) (source):
After the death of Yuri Ilyinich Jr. in 1569, the Ilyinich family in the male line came to an end. According to Yuri's will, Mir and other possessions passed to his cousin (and the son of his guardian Nikolai Radziwill the Black) - Prince Nicholas Christopher Radziwill "The Orphan"(1549-1616), famous statesman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, “prince-builder” of Nesvizh and Mir.
In 1579 Mir town received from Sirotka privileges that introduced some rights of city government (incomplete Magdeburg law).
The townspeople of Mir elected a rada, which owned administrative and judicial power in the settlement. The rada was headed by an appointed voyt, and the work of the rada was controlled by the headman of the Mir County, whom the Radziwills appointed from among the noble burghers.
Mir is a multi-religious city. Crafts and Trade Center
As for ordinary residents of Mir, they have long been mainly engaged in agriculture and livestock breeding, but then crafts and trade began to develop in the town. At the turn of the 16th–17th centuries, the town began to grow significantly and new streets appeared. In addition, the above-mentioned privilege brought with it some tax benefits, which contributed to the revival of trade and crafts. Economic development was also favored by the favorable location of the World at the crossroads of roads leading to Minsk, Slutsk, Nesvizh, Novogrudok, and the proximity of the trading pier on the Neman River.
In 1705, a Basilian monastery was founded at the Trinity Church, which belonged to the Greek Catholic (Uniate) Church. The Basilians stayed here until 1824, and then the church was transferred to the Orthodox.
So, in the 17th–18th centuries, Mir became an important center of trade and crafts. Goods and merchants from all over the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Russia and Germany flocked to the bazaars held in Mir. The world traded with Leipzig and Königsberg, Memel (Klaipeda) and Libau (Liepaja). On fair days the taverns were full of visitors. The amazing color and atmosphere of the fairs was remembered by many famous people who visited the World. Thus, the famous Belarusian writer Yakub Kolas described the situation in a secular tavern in his poem “Symon-Music”, and while in Mir, he heard the story of a coachman-postman, which then formed the basis of his poem-ballad “The Postman” in Polish. This was the young poet's first published work (1844). Freely translated by Leonid Trefolev, it turned into the popular Russian song “When I served as a coachman at the post office.”
As of 1886, there were 2 churches, 7 synagogues, a mosque, a district school, a school, a postal station, an inn and 74 shops in Mir. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, 2 large fairs were held in the town a year, where peasants even came from the outskirts of Minsk. Jews from all over Poland and Lithuania also came to the fairs. They traded furs, livestock, spices, grain, fabrics, wine and tobacco in Myra.
The world changes owners
In 1655, during the thirteen-year war between Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1654-1667), Mir was captured by the army of the tsarist governor A. N. Trubetskoy and the Cossacks of Hetman Ivan Zolotenko. In 1706, during the Northern War (1700-1721), Mir was occupied for some time by the troops of the Swedish king Charles XII. and the place itself was then thoroughly destroyed. In 1794, it was stormed by tsarist troops during the uprising of Tadeusz Kościuszko.
Since 1795, the town of Mir became part of the Russian Empire. In 1812, a major battle with the Napoleonic army took place near Mir. The then owner of Mir Castle (1786-1813) fought on the side of Napoleon (the local nobility dreamed of former independence and therefore supported Bonaparte in the fight against Russia). After the battle, Mir was occupied by the French, but liberated by Russian troops that same year.
The next owner of the estate, Mikhail Svyatopolk-Mirsky (son of Nikolai), inherited the castle at the end of the 19th century, and in the 1920s he decided to settle here and organized repair work at the Mir Castle.
The town of Mir in the 20th century
Residents of Western Belarus and the World, among others, are accustomed to dividing the history of the 20th century into the following stages: “ for the king"(until 1917), " behind the Polish clock" (1920–1930s), " first advice"(1939-June 1941), " war" or " for the Germans" (1941–1944), " other tips"(post-war period).
In 1921-1939, the town was part of the Polish Republic, and in 1940-1941, during the period of the “first Soviets”, it became the center of the Mir district of the Baranovichi region. Communist agitation found fertile soil in the world, and thanks to it, representatives of the Soviet side were perceived as “our own.” Soviet troops entered the town as liberators, who were greeted with flowers and undisguised joy.
During the Second World War, the town was under German occupation. A small German garrison of 40 people and a recreation center for German pilots were located in Mira. During the war the place was bombed several times. Fires destroyed 80% of residential buildings. In the nearby forests, fighters from partisan detachments resisted the enemy.
In May 1942 in Mir Castle A Jewish ghetto and prisoner of war camp were created. On August 9, 1942, approximately 250 Jews managed to escape. Three days later, the people remaining in the ghetto (about 650 people) were shot by the Nazis in a forest near Mir. Ghetto in Mir Castle was liquidated in August 1942. Now the exhibition “Mir Ghetto” is open in the Mir Castle.
If before the war Jews made up more than half of the population, and in some streets - even up to 90%, now the Jewish community of the World was completely destroyed. Thus, after the war the town lost much of its traditional multinational character.
During the period of the “second Soviets,” Mir again became the center of the Mir district of the Baranovichi region. The re-entry of Soviet power, however, was perceived without such enthusiasm as it was in 1939. The post-war years remained in people's memory as a time of mobilization into the Red Army, collectivization, food shortages, dispossession, arrests and exile, in particular, for participation in religious life.
In the 1950s Mir town was considered the center of the Mir district of the Grodno region, and from 1956 to this day it is urban village of Korelichi district, Grodno region.
Currently population of the village of Mir is about 2.5 thousand people.
The village of Mir is known far beyond the borders of Belarus thanks to its main architectural attraction - the fabulous Mir Castle. Restoration of the castle began in the 1980s, and in 1993 the first exhibition in the southwestern tower was inaugurated. In 1989, the castle became a branch of the National Art Museum of Belarus, and in 2011 it received the status of an independent museum.
Mir Castle is one of the most important tourist attractions, an outstanding defensive structure of the 16th century, listed in.
History of Mir Castle
(Mir Castle)- an outstanding example of defensive architecture of the 16th century. It is located in the village of Mir in Grodno region of Belarus .
The earliest buildings were made in gothic style and date back to the 16th century. This Belarusian castle was founded at the beginning of the 16th century Prince Ilinich.
In 1568 the castle came into possession Nicholas Radziwill, who completed it in Renaissance style.
Along the eastern and northern walls of the castle was erected three-story palace. There are earthen ramparts built around it with bastions at the corners and a moat with water. Broken in the northern part Italian style garden. Artificial lake was created in the south.
During Napoleonic Wars The castle was seriously damaged and stood desolate for more than a century.
Still in the hands of the rich Radziwill family, it was restored at the beginning of the 19th century and sold Nikolai Svyatopolk-Mirsky in 1895. His son began the restoration of the castle, which took place under the guidance of the architect Theodora Bourchet.
After the war, those local residents whose houses were destroyed during the war lived in the castle. Then it was located here military garrison.
Mir Castle today
In 2000, UNESCO brought Mir Castle into List of World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
Successful combination architectural styles of Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance makes Mir Castle one of the most impressive castles in Europe.
In December 2010, after active restoration work Mir Castle was open to tourists.
However update castle complex "Mir" continues and currently. There are plans for the restoration of the Italian Renaissance garden, the English park and pond, and the restoration of the Svyatopolk-Mirsky Palace. IN 2013 was completed restoration architectural monument.
How to get to Mir Castle and where to stay
Mir Castle is located 90 km southwest of Minsk. From the exit from the M1 highway Minsk-Brest, the drive to Mir is only 15 minutes.
On on the bus along the route Minsk-Novogrudok the journey takes about two hours.
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Sights of the World
Holy Trinity Church
The Trinity Church in Mir was erected on the central square of the city of Mir in 1533-1550 on the initiative of Prince Nicholas Radziwill the Black. Initially it was Orthodox, and then Uniate, and in 1705 a Basilian monastery with a school was founded under it, which existed until 1824. Then the church was returned to Orthodox Christians, and of the 3,000 thousand Uniate parishioners, the majority decided to convert to the Orthodox faith, and only about 200 people remained Catholics.
In 1865, the church was destroyed by fire - only the walls survived, and part of the interior decoration - the iconostasis and liturgical utensils - was saved. After that, in 1873-1875, the church was thoroughly restored at the expense of the parishioners, rebuilt beyond recognition: instead of an early Baroque architectural monument, it turned out to be a temple in the pseudo-Russian style with five small domes and a belfry. A tented bell tower topped with a dome was erected above the vestibule, the upper two tiers of which were built of wood. Above the roof of the main volume are five blind onion domes. The light walls are surrounded by profiled cornices and cut through by round and rectangular windows with arched ends. Above the entrance there is a round opening with a mosaic panel on the theme of the Old Testament Trinity. The main iconostasis was replaced with a new one after the fire. In 1875, the temple was solemnly consecrated.
Before the First World War, the ancient revered Worldly Icon of the Mother of God was kept in the Trinity Church. Today, in its place is a list of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God.
Currently, the Trinity Church in the town of Mir fits into the street layout in a very original way. Despite its small height, its blue domes are visible from distant corners of the city of Mira.
Antique pharmacy
Opposite the entrance to the church on the square there is an old pharmacy built in the second half of the 19th century. The first pharmacy in the town of Mir was located in a castle and served the princely family. In the 19th century, a pharmacy appeared " pharmacy store» on Bazarnaya (trading) square in a house that belonged to the church. It is in this building that the pharmacy still operates today, remaining as in demand as before. Restorers claim that the house in which it is located, after reconstruction in 2001-2003, retained its original appearance.
Nicholas Church
On the southern side of the main square of the World there is a Catholic church - St. Nicholas Church of the early 17th century.
The original wooden church in Myra was erected at the beginning of the 16th century by the Ilyinichs. The new church, also wooden, appeared under Prince Radziwill the Orphan and was consecrated by his brother, Bishop of Vilnius Yuri Radziwill, in 1587 in honor of the prince’s heavenly patron, St. Nicholas.
In 1599-1604, the temple was dismantled and rebuilt in stone, re-consecrated in 1605.
The authorship of the project is attributed to the famous Italian architect G. M. Bernardoni, who built a lot in Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The architect worked in Nesvizh for more than ten years. There he created the famous Farn Church of the Jesuits. The church in Myra is noticeably stricter and simpler in architecture: it is a temple in the Renaissance style with elements of defensive architecture. Most likely, Bernardoni did not directly participate in the construction of the secular church, since by this time he had moved to Krakow. Prince Radziwill himself could have supervised the work.
Over the centuries, the appearance of the St. Nicholas Church did not change; only in 1710 were repairs carried out: the temple itself and outbuildings were restored, and a huge bell was commissioned in honor of the victory over the Swedes.
In 1879, the temple had two iconostases. The church contained furniture for the clergy, a silver liturgical set of dishes, and liturgical Gospels. There were six bells on the bell tower, the largest of which (the same one ordered in honor of the victory over the Swedes) was cast by order of the 8-year-old Prince Radziwill Rybonka in 1710 (his name was on the bell). During the First World War, the bell was sent for melting down by order of the tsarist authorities.
After the defeat of the Polish uprising, many Catholic churches on the territory of modern Belarus were closed by the tsarist government. The same fate befell the St. Nicholas Church in Myra. In 1865 it was handed over to the Orthodox, reconsecrated into the Church of St. Nicholas.
The upper two tiers of the main tower were lost when the church was converted into an Orthodox church in 1865 (according to other sources, after World War II). Previously, the tower was crowned with a sloping hipped tent of the “cap” type, characteristic of castle architecture. Now the tower is covered with a hipped tent in the style of the towers of the Mir Castle.
In 1921, when the village became part of Poland, the temple was returned to Catholics, and it operated until the 1940s. In the post-war period, the church was empty and destroyed. In 1990, the temple was returned to believers, and restoration work began in 2001.
The general appearance of the church is very harmonious; thanks to its expressive “castle” silhouette, strict defensive architecture, color and texture of materials, it fits well with the Mir Castle.
The decor of the church is minimal: the side facades are cut through with semicircular arched windows, and the main tower is divided into tiers by profiled cornices and decorated with deep niches. At one time, the dominant interior of the St. Nicholas Church was the altar of St. Anthony with magnificent carvings and gilding in the Baroque style. It has now been replaced by a more modest modern altar. The floor is paved with marble slabs.
The entrance to the temple is preceded by a gate covered with tiles and a fence (the year 1805 is indicated on the sign). Previously, the gate was crowned with three domes and iron crosses; on the gate there was one large bell and three smaller ones, and on the right side of the gate there was a wooden belfry with a large bell.
Parish school and hospital building
In 1609, a two-story priest's house was erected to the left of the entrance gate next to the church. Thanks to the care of Prince Sirotka, from the beginning of the 17th century, a parish school and a hospital-almshouse (“spital”) also operated at the church. A memorial plaque in honor of the philanthropist Radziwill with a Latin inscription, dating back to 1609, is embedded in the main facade of the house. The text, written in Latin, reads: “I am building a house for myself, but I also bequeath this gift to you, heir: if it is good, accept it with gratitude; if not, build yourself a new one.” It is possible that the authorship of a fragment of the text of the memorial plaque on the wall of the building belongs to Prince Nicholas Christopher Radziwill Sirotka himself.
The hospital was destroyed during hostilities in the mid-17th century, and the remaining buildings were badly damaged during the Northern War.
Chapel tomb of Svyatopolk-Mirsky
The chapel tomb of Svyatopolk-Mirsky is part of the architectural ensemble of the Mir Castle. It is a small church that smoothly turns into one slender belfry tower.
In 1898, after the death of Prince Nikolai Svyatopolk-Mirsky, his wife, Princess Cleopatra Mikhailovna, decided to build a chapel-tomb in the village for the entire Svyatopolk-Mirsky family.
The chapel was built according to the design of the famous St. Petersburg architect Robert Marfeld, who is known for his masterpieces in the Art Nouveau style. He tried to build a building that would fit organically into the existing Mir Castle complex.
The construction of the chapel began in 1904; its place was determined on a hillock under the eastern castle rampart on the shore of a beautiful lake. The chapel was built of red brick and gray rubble stone.
The main facade of the chapel is decorated with a magnificent golden mosaic with the face of the Savior Pantocrator. The sketch for it was made by N. Kharlamov in strict accordance with the Byzantine tradition. The mosaic, with its rich colors, radiant golden background and Christ's gaze, makes a powerful impression. The mysterious feature of this panel is that no matter from which side you look at it, the eyes of Jesus will always look at you.
The chapel was dedicated to St. Nicholas - the patron saint of the Svyatopolk-Mirsky family. Not far from the mosaic is the lead coat of arms of the Svyatopolk-Mirsky family. The internal space of the tomb consisted of a main hall, intended for family worship, and a crypt for 20 burials located under it.
It took six years to build the Svyatopolk-Mirsky chapel-tomb in Mir. The home church of the princes Svyatopolk-Mirsky began to operate in 1910, just in the year of the death of its customer, Princess Cleopatra Mikhailovna. She died in Myra on February 18 of the same year after completing all construction work, as if fulfilling her last duty to her husband and son, whose ashes were transferred here from different places.
During the wars and post-war devastation, the chapel-tomb of Svyatopolk-Mirsky was plundered and gradually fell into disrepair and collapsed. Only in 2004 did its reconstruction begin: a bell was cast and mosaic icons were installed. A year later, the first symbolic service was held in it in memory of the family of princes Svyatopolk-Mirsky. In 2008, restoration of the chapel's interiors was completed. The interior of the church was recreated from surviving documentary photographs. The design is dominated by calm terracotta and purple tones and strict geometric patterns. The tiled stoves were also restored.
The display cases display icons of the Russian school of the early twentieth century from the collections of the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus
Next to the chapel-tomb of Svyatopolk-Mirsky there is an entrance gate with a watchman's house. The watchman's house was built at the beginning of the 20th century in the same style as the tomb. It is a small, square building of red brick and stone with rubble inserts, with an adjacent entrance arch with a wrought iron gate.
The gate (gate) is formed by an arch spanned from the guard's house onto a square pillar.
In the first half of the 20th century, the road from the town of Mir to the princely tomb passed through these gates. The watchman's house was first mentioned in the 1930s.
After the arrival of the Red Army and the establishment of Soviet power in Mir, the princely watchman Stefan Karaban, who had also previously been a bell ringer in the church, continued to live in the house. Stefan's descendants lived in the gatehouse until 1990.
Synagogue courtyard
As is known from the history of the village of Mir, the local population has always been distinguished by a heterogeneous national composition: Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Muslims and Jews coexisted here. The wooden mosque has not reached our time. But the so-called synagogue courtyard has been preserved. In general, a record number of Jewish buildings, an entire quarter, have survived in Mir.
The complex of buildings of the synagogue courtyard of the World is located in the center of the town, northwest of the main square. Jews settled in Mir in the 17th century, and the formation of the unique architectural ensemble of the synagogue courtyard (formerly much more extensive) began in the 18th century and was completed by the beginning of the 20th century. Jews were governed by communities - kahals (translated from Hebrew as “assembly”), had their own elders, their own court and formed the basis of the trading class.
Now most of the buildings of the synagogue complex are equipped for various institutions. The Mir Yeshiva (Yeshiva) was of particular importance for Jewish culture. “Yeshiva” translated from Hebrew means “meeting.”
Yeshiva
Yeshiva (yeshibot) is a Jewish higher religious educational institution. The Mir Yeshiva was founded in 1815. The authority of the Mir Yeshiva in Belarus and other countries was extremely high. In the 1920s and 1930s, up to four hundred students from all over the world studied at this famous educational center for followers of Judaism. About a quarter came from Germany, England, Belgium, France, Ireland, Canada, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, South Africa, America and other countries. In terms of the number of students, it was the second yeshiva for training rabbis (after the Volozhin yeshiva). The educational institution was closed in 1940. The Yeshiva building in Mir has now been restored and is in excellent condition. Now it houses the post office.
Former main synagogue.
Former main synagogue of the World- a stately two-story building with columns, designed in the style of classicism, was built in 1896. It was used only during the main Jewish holidays.
The synagogue was a place of prayer meetings and the center of the spiritual and cultural life of Jews. According to some reports, the synagogue was cold, that is, unheated. Later there was a vocational school here.
Private Museum Mirsky Posad
Almost opposite the main and merchant synagogue there is a private museum “Mirsky Posad”
The museum was created by a local resident, an enthusiast who collects information and household items related to the history of the village of Mir. According to the owner, the museum is located in the building of the very tavern where Syrokomlya’s poem “The Postman” was written, which, translated into Russian, became the famous song “When I served as a coachman at the post office.”
The exhibition tells about the culture of the Jews of the World and the fate of the Mir Yeshiva, as well as about the life of representatives of other faiths. Visitors can learn about the history of the village and its legends, see medieval coins, ancient Jewish books and even original furniture from Mir Castle. In the museum you can take photographs, listen to an old gramophone and sit on a princely bed. You are allowed to pick up antique items.
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Coat of arms Mir (Belarus) |
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| A country | Belarus |
| Region | The Grodno region |
| Area | Korelichi district |
| Urban village with | 1956 |
| Population | about 4 thousand people (2010) |
| Postcode | 231444 |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 53°27′00″ N. w. 26°28′00″ E. d. / 53.45° n. w. 26.466667° E. d. (G) (O) (I)53°27′00″ n. w. 26°28′00″ E. d. / 53.45° n. w. 26.466667° E. d. (G) (O) (I) |
| Postal codes | +375 1596 |
| Timezone | UTC+2 |
| Vehicle code | 4 |
| First mention | 1345 |
Mir (Belarus. Mir) is an urban village, which until 1956 had the status of a city, in the Korelichi district of the Grodno region of Belarus. It got its name from the word “emir” (according to the rank of the head of the detachment of Tatar warriors stationed here) (Valentin Kalnin’s version) or from the direct meaning of the word “peace” (along the border of Rus' and Lithuania passing nearby, but about the conclusion of any peace treaty here unknown for certain) (according to Vladislav Syrokoml). Located 85 km southwest of Minsk. Population - 2.4 thousand people [specify] (2010).
Story
The first written mention of Myra dates back to 1395 - the time when the crusaders, who passed through Lida and Novogrudok, burned it. The reason for the barbaric campaign could well have been the destruction of a detachment of “infidel” Tatar warriors who were stationed in these places in the service of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas. In 1486 it became the possession of the Ilinichs. In 1569 the World passed to the Radziwills.
At the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries, the Mir courtyard was surrounded by earthen ramparts and turned into a fortress, which was accessible only through the gates, the names of which determined the directions of the main roads (Castle, Vilenskaya, Minsk, Slonim).
The multinational composition of the town is clearly visible thanks to the various religious buildings surrounding the Market Square - a wooden mosque (did not survive), a synagogue courtyard, a yeshiva, the Trinity Church, and the Church of St. Nicholas. Since the 18th century. Mir is an important spiritual center of Polish-Lithuanian Jewry.
Currently, the name of the small urban village of Mir is known outside of Belarus thanks to its main historical attraction - the castle, the oldest castle preserved on the territory of Belarus and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000. In honor of this significant event, on July 9, 2002, an international “coronation” of the castle took place, which was attended by UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura and representatives of the Government of Belarus.
Crafts and trade
For the most part, the inhabitants of the settlement have long been engaged in gardening, farming and animal husbandry. In ancient times, artisans and traders settled here. By the first half of the 18th century, the number of professions represented exceeded 60. Professional skills were mainly determined by nationality - the Tatars were engaged in gardening, tanning leather and making carts; Jews - trade and usury; gypsies - horse riding; and Belarusians preferred the work of artisans.
is a tourist mecca both for Belarusians themselves and for foreign travelers. But how long does it take to tour the castle, including a guided tour? Three or four hours, no more. And this is provided that you are seeing the castle for the first time. But what if you have a whole day allotted for Peace or if you have already been to the castle more than once? It's time to turn your attention to the sights of the city. The world, which often remains outside the classical excursion to Mir Castle.Let's not go far and start with the objects that are located on the territory of the Mir castle complex. Nestled comfortably against the eastern wall of the castle chapel-tomb of Svyatopolk-Mirsky- the last owners of Mir Castle. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century in the then fashionable Art Nouveau style. Pay attention to the mosaic image of Christ Pantocrator on the main façade. The “trick” of this image is that no matter what angle you look at it, the eyes of Christ will always be fixed on you. The tomb contains the burials of six members of the Svyatopolk-Mirsky family. The most beautiful is the burial of Sonechka Svyatopolk-Mirskaya, who drowned in the castle lake as a child. Her spirit supposedly still roams the castle grounds, periodically frightening museum employees and belated tourists.
The lake may have a sad history, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful. Therefore, we recommend taking a walk along it, especially since on your left hand there will be old park, broken here at the end of the 19th century. At the end of the walk, the road will lead you to the far corner of the park, where you will notice the remains of basements estate "Zamirye", built by Svyatopolk-Mirsky. From the estate complex, only these cellars have survived to this day, as well as the manager’s house (today a residential building) and the brewery.
It's time to leave the territory of the castle complex and move towards the town of Mir. The first thing that will attract your attention is a small chapel by the road. This Orthodox chapel of Zaslavsky, erected on this site in 1909. Franciszka Zaslavskaya built this roadside chapel for the repose of the soul of her untimely deceased son.
The first thing we will see is in the center of the city center. Mir is a church and a church, separated from each other by the main square of Mir. Church of St. Nicholas was built by Nicholas Christopher Radziwill the Orphan in honor of his heavenly patron Saint Nicholas in the 16th century. Over its long history, the temple suffered more than once during wars, and in the 19th century it was completely rebuilt into a church. It was closed in the 1940s and only reopened as a church in the 1990s. Restorers are still working to restore it to its former beauty.
On the other side of the square - Trinity Church, also built in the 16th century. For a long time it was a Uniate church, today it is an active Orthodox church. We recommend going inside the church. The ancient iconostasis and several rather rare icons deserve special attention.
If you look around, your attention will definitely be attracted by the neat small houses on both sides of the square. Ordinary buildings city center The world dates from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was here that merchant shops and Jewish shops were located.
By the way, about the Jews of the town of Mir. At the end of the 19th century they made up 60% of the village's population! They did not plow the land or plant grain, but they were the best shoemakers, jewelers, dentists, hairdressers, cooks and tailors. And they lived in peace with all the other nationalities of the town. In memory of those times in the city. There are many objects left in the world. True, most of them have been rebuilt beyond recognition, and only local historians can say exactly where everything was.
Let's start with the most interesting object. In g.p. There is a world Private Museum of Jewish Culture of the World. You won’t find so many unique objects even in Mir Castle! Most of them are dedicated to the history of the Jews, but there are also many things that were found both in the castle before its restoration, and during excavations in the village itself.
Opposite the Trinity Church there is a pharmacy. Today it’s hard to imagine, but it was in this building that it was once located yeshiva- a higher Jewish educational institution. Young Jews from all over Europe came to Mir with the dream of becoming a rabbi. With the outbreak of World War II, students of the Mir Yeshiva moved first to Vilna, and then to Japan and China. After the war, Mir yeshivas were opened in New York and Jerusalem.
At one time in the World there was a whole synagogue courtyard. The Main Synagogue, the merchant's room, the cheder and several other auxiliary premises have survived to this day. They are located opposite the museum, so you won’t miss it. Moreover, in the museum they will definitely tell you about them and show you the direction. Some buildings now stand in scaffolding as restoration work is underway.
After visiting the synagogues, returning to the center of the town, you will pass by a massive building that today houses a nursery-garden. And at the beginning of the 20th century it was bank, which, according to some sources, shared the area with the administration of the Jewish community.