The destroyed Svyatopolk-Mirsky Palace to be rebuilt near Mir Castle. It will house a hotel

The development of the territory around Mir Castle is divided into four stages. These plans were announced by museum director Alexander Loiko, as reported by the Telegram channel of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

The first stage was the restoration of the castle building itself. The second stage is the restoration of the Italian garden, covering an area of 5.7 hectares. As we previously wrote, this project is financed by the museum's extra-budgetary funds (about 8 million rubles) and was developed based on the 1746 inventory. The main work in the garden has been completed, and it will open to visitors this month. During the restoration of the park structure, the need to preserve the burial site of Holocaust victims, shot here during World War II, was taken into account.

The third stage of reconstruction will begin in 2027 and will cover the English landscape park, covering an area of 16 hectares. The main front of work in this area is the construction of a new reinforced concrete bridge over the stream instead of the lost wooden one. This will allow for a circular walking route around the artificial lake. No extensive felling of existing trees is planned, as the main new plantings were carried out earlier. The fourth stage of the complex's development is the restoration of the Svyatopolk-Mirsky Palace.

Павялічыць

The two-story brick manor house was erected in the forms of Neoclassicism at the end of the 19th century at the behest of Nikolai Svyatopolk-Mirsky. He acquired the Mir estates in 1891 and built a residence on the eastern side of the old castle. In 1914 (according to other sources - in 1917), the palace burned down. The founder's son, Mikhail Svyatopolk-Mirsky, did not rebuild the structure and focused on the restoration of the old castle, settling in the surviving outbuilding. The remnants of the burnt palace were finally dismantled in the mid-20th century.

Since 2016, archaeological research has been conducted at the site of the former residence, with the participation of specialists from the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

The palace foundations are open for viewing and included in the excursion program. The internal layout of the rooms is known thanks to the memories of the former owners' family: the dining room, living room, and library-billiard room were on the first floor, and a large living room, bedrooms, and the prince's study were on the second floor.

Павялічыць

According to the museum director's words, the restored building is planned to be used as a hotel, styled "interwar period" (which is very strange, considering that the palace burned down during the First World War and was never rebuilt). The need for a new hotel is dictated by the acute shortage of accommodation for tourists: the existing hotel in Mir Castle has only 16 rooms, and bookings are made six months in advance.

The large-scale infrastructure development is timed to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Mir Castle. The date is based on the first written mention of the object in a property division document dated April 8, 1527. The main celebratory events are planned for June 4-6, 2027. As part of the preparations for the anniversary, a scientific conference "Defensive Architecture of Belarus: To the 500th Anniversary of Mir Castle" is taking place in Mir and Minsk on September 10-11, 2026, with the participation of over 80 researchers. In November 2026, a tower clock should appear on the Entrance Tower from the inner courtyard side.

Павялічыць

To solve transport problems (currently, the castle can only be reached by cars or buses), the complex's management announced in the summer its intention to restore the 12-kilometer narrow-gauge railway from Horadzieja station to Mir, which existed during World War I.

This project is still at the idea stage and requires attracting investors and appropriate decisions from the Belarusian Railway. This year, the museum is preparing to reach a record figure of half a million visitors.

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