Nesvizh Castle - World cultural heritage in Belarus

The United Nations Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization has recognized Nesvizh Castle of Belarus as a World Cultural Heritage in 2005.

Nesvizh Castle is the residence of the Radziwill family . The castle is located in the city of Niasvizh in Belarus. It can be said that Nesvizh castle is the cradle of architectural style combining Western tradition and new Central European architecture. Therefore the castle is a demonstration of an important stage in the development of this type of combined construction.

Nesvizh Castle is the property of the Radziwill family, a powerful family in Belarus. Earlier this was the property of the Kiszka family , after the Kiszka family was great, the castle was handed over to the Radziwill brothers Mikolaj Radziwill, and Jan Radziwill. The reason for returning this property to the Radziwill family is that this family is one of the richest families in Lithuania (at that time some areas of Belarus still belong to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania). In 1551, Lithuania's archives were also moved to this castle. In 1582, Lithuania's marshal built an additional square castle with 3 majestic floors next to the castle. Although this building was built on the old medieval fortress, it contributed to the overall architecture of Nesvizh castle to become a Baroque architecture . The construction was completed in 1604 and was subsequently repaired and supplemented with details, decorative parts and several other constructions.

In 1706, the army of Charles XII and Sweden robbed and destroyed fortresses in the compound of the castle complex. A few dozen years later, the Radziwill family invited a few famous German and Italian architects to renovate this project. Through many repairs and additional construction, the original structure of 3 separate buildings of the castle surrounding the garden area was connected together into a homogeneous block.

In the Neszivh castle complex, there are many small works with high artistic value. The work must first mention the church . The church is connected to the castle by a horizontal line, in the church of the 72 members of the Radziwill family . This church was designed and built by Italian architect Gian Maria Bernardoni from 1541 to 1605. This church is the first architectural building in Eastern Europe designed in the style of inner dome and face. in addition to baroque style. Not only has the unique architecture with monumental decorations, flowers, the church also has countless baroque style artworks, most notably the Cross made by Venetian sculptor in 1583.

The lake right outside the castle makes this structure more perfect and is a work of art with high artistic value.

In 1770, Neszivh castle was captured by Russian troops and expelled by the Radziwill family. Soon Lithuania's archives were transferred to Saint Petersburg. Most of the buildings and valuable properties in the castle were robbed and divided by the Russian nobility.

Shortly after being robbed and taking all of the precious artifacts, the Russian army neglected and Neszivh castle gradually fell into oblivion with rapid degradation.

In 1881, the Russian government returned Neszivh castle to the Radziwill family. In 1886, Prince Anton Radziwill and his wife Marie de Castelleane restored the interior of the castle. The Prince and his wife also designed an English garden on an area of ​​more than 1 km2 in the castle complex, making Neszvish Castle regain its monumental beauty, its golden age. The English garden in the Neszvish castle is one of the few largest ornamental gardens in Europe.

By 1939, the Radziwill family was once again expelled from the castle by the Soviet Red Army. The castle has since been used as a resting place for the Soviet Red Army.

In 1994, Neszivh castle was selected by the Government, recognized as a national cultural and historical preservation area .

In 2005, Unesco officially recognized the castle as a World Cultural Heritage under the criteria (ii); (iv); (vi).

Criterion (ii): The architectural complex of Neszivh castle of the Radziwill family is the cradle of the architectural movement combining Western tradition and new Central European architecture.

Criterion (iv): Neszivh castle architecture complex is an important proof for the development of an architectural style in Central Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Criterion (vi): The Radziwill family was a large family influencing society at the time, this family had merit in combining cultures to create a characteristic culture for the region.