This year, Nesvizh and Mir again topped the list of the most visited attractions in our country. And having decided to brazenly hype on their popularity, I also compiled my TOP castles and palaces of Belarus. Today I will tell you about 13 different places that are not widely known and often stay away from the usual tourist routes. Let’s see where else you can go, if you have already walked the length and breadth of Nesvizh and Mir Castle.
Castles and palaces of Grodno
Photo by Lizaveta Varano, @lizztoday
At first I wanted to write only about The Holy Palace, which was recently opened after restoration. But you can only get to this place by transit through Grodno, and there are also many castles and palaces there. Therefore, instead of telling about one particular place, I got a whole route for a weekend trip.
So…
You can get to Grodno by minibus or train. Check prices and schedules on the following websites:
- RW.BY
- and ATLASBUS.BY .
As a place to stay for the night, I recommend the boutique hotel “At the Pear”.
It is located in an old building right in the city center. There are wooden floors and rooms that look like art galleries. At the moment the cheapest room here costs 100 BYN.
Photos of the hotel and all the details can be viewed here.
As an alternative to a hotel, consider also this studio on Karl Marx Street. Its main feature is a stunning view of the Grodno Old Town. Just imagine what it would be like to drink coffee on such a balcony? Isn’t it beautiful?
As for the palaces and castles themselves, there are several of them in Grodno at once. These are:
- the Khreptovich Palace near the Choral Synagogue;
- the Walitsky Palace complex, where it is located today church and bishop’s house;
- As well as the little-known residence of King Stanislav Augustus, now standing among simple high-rise buildings on Timiryazev Street.
There is also a very amazing place in the city – the Chetvertinsky Palace, built back in the 18th century. I have lived in Grodno for six years, but I saw it for the first time only relatively recently (and this is despite the fact that the complex is located in the very center). The thing is that this palace seems to be hidden from everyone behind the ivy-covered buildings of the Grodno University.
The complex itself is now abandoned. But the old features are still discernible in him. Therefore, I recommend that you still find this place. Even if you can only look at the Chetvertinsky Palace now from behind the fence.
However, it is very difficult to miss the two main castles of Grodno. They stand in the center of the city – on high hills near the river.
The old castle has recently been put in order and now tourists are milling around in an endless stream… But The new castle still stands with the Soviet star on the spire. After the Second World War, it was heavily rebuilt, so today it looks more like a regional palace of culture than an 18th-century castle. I really hope that one day he will be restored to his former appearance.
I first saw the same Holy Palace when it had a tin roof and boarded-up windows. And now the complex has been put in order and a real beauty has turned out. You can get here in half an hour by commuter buses. Tickets cost 3 rubles. The flight schedule can be viewed on the website ticketbus.by .
Photo by Lizaveta Varano, @lizztoday
Svyatopolk-Chetvertinsky Palace
In general, there are a lot of different castles and palaces in the Grodno region. But if everyone has already heard about the complex in Lida, plus or minus everything, then the palace of Princes Svyatopolk-Chetvertinsky is usually located outside the traditional tourist routes.
Photo — https://elgatomarinero7.livejournal.com /
This old manor is located in the village of Stomach, about 20 kilometers from the city of Shchuchin. By car, this distance can be covered in 30-40 minutes. But with public transport, things are noticeably more complicated. There are no direct flights here, so all trips will, one way or another, be built through Shchuchin or Korelichi.
From Minsk you can go like this:
- Minibus to Shchuchin (27 BYN/3 hours drive/ATLASBUS.BY);
- Bus to the Stomach (3.5 – 4.5 BYN/50-60 minutes drive).
Yes, the road is not easy. But you will be rewarded with one of the most mysterious and atmospheric palaces in Belarus. In different years, the Swedish King Charles XII, hetman and subchancellor of the INCL Lev Sapieha, as well as Belarusian cinematographers from the Belarusfilm studio, who shot the “first domestic horror” called “Masakra” here.
Chapsky Palace in Priluki
If long journeys are not for you, then go to the small village of Priluki, located half an hour’s drive from Minsk. Here is the palace and park complex of the Chapsky family, built at the junction of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Next to the main building there is a small lake, an oak grove and many outbuildings. There is a distillery, and a brovar, and the former building of the carriage yard, and a grain barn built in 1871.
I agree – of course, the Priluksky Palace is far from the monumentality of Nesvizh. But it’s still worth a trip here. At least because you can get to this agro-town quickly and cheaply. Priluki today is actually one of the outlying districts of Minsk. From the Central bus Station, the village is served by minibus No. 1131. Another one, No. 1545, starts from the Petrovshchyna metro station. The schedule can be checked in advance on the websitemarshrutky.by . Or you don’t have to check, because there are a lot of flights. No matter when you arrive, you will still find the right transport.
Lyubchansky Castle
Lyubcha is a tiny village with a huge history that stretches back to the 15th century. Since then, many famous magnates have owned the local lands – the Holonevskys, the Khreptovichi, the Radziwills, etc. The village was famous for its hills above the Neman, and the main attraction of these places was the beautiful Lubchan Castle.
Photo;— dimon-porter.livejournal.com
The original building was wooden, but soon – in the time of the Radziwills – the complex was completely rebuilt. The castle has acquired 4 towers, various outbuildings and a princely palace on a high foundation.
In this form, the castle existed until 1655, but during the “Cossack” war, the complex was besieged and severely damaged. The castle was in disrepair until the 19th century, when the local lands came into the possession of the Baltic Falz-Fein family. Then the complex was restored, but the Renaissance was followed by destruction again. Two world wars have already turned the castle into ruins for the second time. And in Soviet times, they decided not to restore the complex (only the palace building was adapted for a school).
dimon-porter.livejournal.com
Probably, the castle would have been completely forgotten, but in 2003 a simple resident of Lyubchi named Ivan Pechinsky personally undertook the restoration of the old walls. In the same year, a charitable foundation was established and a team of volunteers was assembled. The work was very slow, but over time, Lyubcha still regained its former features. Over 20 years, more than 2,500 volunteers have worked at the facility. And for Belarus, this is an absolutely unique story of recovery.
How to get to Lyubchansky castle? Buses and minibuses run from Minsk to Lyubcha. You can buy tickets and see the schedule on the websitesatlasbus.by and ticketbus.by .
Kossovsky castle
The largest castle in the Brest region also has a long history of restoration. The restoration work lasted more than 15 years. And the final opening took place only in early 2023. A park was laid out around the complex, colorful stained glass windows were recreated, and a museum, restaurant and hotel (with rooms for 250 rubles per day) were opened in the princely halls that once belonged to the Puslovsky family.
Photos from social networks. The author is Denis Mordas.
Now the complex looks monumental. But getting here without a car is not so easy. First you need to take a train to the city of Ivatsevichi, and then transfer to a local bus to Kossov. I wrote more about this route here. But I must say right away – everything is quite confusing there. Therefore, as an alternative, you can consider another option with excursions to Kossovsky Castle. You will be picked up from Minsk by bus, given a tour of the Puslovsky Palace and the Kosciusko House Museum, and then taken further to the neighboring Ruzhansky Palace. Details and prices can be viewed in the window below.
Bulgakov Palace in the village of Zhilichi
It is believed that Ignatius Bulgak “spied” the design of this palace in France when he reached Paris with the troops of Alexander the Great. Perhaps that is why today the Zhilichsky Palace is often called the “Belarusian Versailles”.
Auto photo: Kasia Syramalot, @palasatka. Source — 34travel.me
Just imagine: all the ceilings are in elegant stucco, the floor is parquet made of noble woods, ornaments on the walls, “Ionic” columns around… It is not surprising, but a lot of this has been successfully preserved to this day. The palace has quietly survived two world wars – bombs have not fallen on it, there has never been a fire in the building. Even restoration work began very early – back in Soviet times, in 1973, a special commission was engaged in its restoration.
Auto photo: Kasia Syramalot, @palasatka. Source — 34travel.me
Today, the Bulgakov Palace in Zhilichi is one of the main attractions in the east of Belarus. There is a huge park around the complex. And most of the palace is open to the public. Restoration continues only in the old greenhouse and in the family church of the Bulgak family. There is only one disadvantage in all this – it is not so easy to get to Zhilichi. From Minsk, you must first get to Bobruisk or Rogachev. And already there to catch a bus or minibus going to Zhilichi.
A more interesting option: “embed” the Bulgakov Palace in the route of your trip to Mogilev.
Book a room at “the cheapest SPA hotel in Belarus”, take a walk along the Dnieper embankment, find the Church of St. Stanislaus, hidden among ordinary high-rise buildings… And the next day, go to see the palace in Zhilichi. I think it’s a great plan for a weekend trip.
Red Coast
If you have a car, then before going to Zhilichi you can look at another beautiful place – the Gatovsky Palace, located near the Krasny Bereg station. Formally, these two complexes are located in different regions (Gomel and Mogilev), but in fact, there are only 25 kilometers between them.
It is also quite possible to get to Krasny Bereg without a car. First, 2 hours by train to Zhlobin, then another 25 minutes by train to Krasny Bereg station. The Gatowski Palace is only 1.5 kilometers away from it – inside the “English” park, which was once worked on by the best gardeners in Warsaw.
I have seen reviews where this place was called “Belarusian Notre Dame”. But personally, it always reminded me more of a Bavarian castle. There are pointed towers topped with forged weathervanes; and bizarre gargoyles looking down from high walls…
Auto photo: Kasia Syramalot, @palasatka.
The palace itself is beautiful both outside and inside. Each of the 36 rooms is individually designed and decorated with rich stucco, English faience and Venetian crystal. There are works by Aivazovsky, Kondratenko and Semiradsky in the local collection of paintings (but to be honest, I do not know if these are copies or originals).
Anyway, it’s definitely worth coming here. There is something fabulous about the features of the palace. It was simply impossible not to mention him in such an article.
The cost of excursions to Krasny Bereg and Zhilichi can be viewed here.
PS. And which palaces and castles of Belarus can you recommend? Leave your answers in the comments. I’d love to read it.
