Architectural Monuments
of Mir And Nesvizh Castles

	Duration:	5-6 hours (without lunch) +1 hour lunch if needed
	Distance:	270 km
	Price per person:	1 pax - 110 EUR 2 pax - 60 EUR 3 pax - 47 EUR 4 pax - 40 EUR 5 pax - 35 EUR 6 pax - 30 EUR 7 pax - 28 EUR

Price includes: Transportation (car with a driver), English-speaking guide.
Entrance tickets are extra paid - about 5 EUR per person for both castles

It's worth to see both castles as they are in the same direction and are not far from each other (34 km), and 109 km far from Minsk. Mir Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Belarus located in the town of Mir. It was erected at the end of 15th - early 16th century by duke Ilinich. The Nesvizh town - former residence of Radzivills is located 34 km far from Mir castle. The city was first mentioned in historical chronicles in 1446. In 1513 the city of Nesvizh became the official residence of the Radzivills - the biggest and the most powerful kin in Belarus. For to design and construct their castle the Radzivilles invited the best European architects, artists, woodcarvers, gardeners, jewelers. . A one-day tour "Mir - Nesvizh" is most popular and is in high demand all year round.

Mir Castle
Mir Castle is unique monument of Belarusian architecture. It is included into the UNESCO List of World Heritage. It was erected at the end of 15th - early 16th century by duke Ilinich. The castle was built in the Gothic style. Approximately in the middle of the 16th century Mir Castle became the property of duke, Radziwill who finished the construction of the castle.

The Castle is a square building with the towers at its corners. One of Mir's towers was a go-through and had a drawbridge and iron lattice that could stop a sudden attack easily. The castle represented an unassailable fortification - its walls were protected by two rows of loop-holes and towers were adjusted to shooting from heavy guns. All towers of Mir Castle have the same shape, yet they are decorated differently, which add to the beauty of the castle. Later the Radzivilles built a three-storey palace in the Renaissance style along eastern and northern walls of the castle. Then the Italian garden was laid out to the north of the castle and on the southern side an artificial lake appeared.

There is a legend that somewhere in the Radzivilles' castle innumerable treasures are hidden and until now people have been trying to find them. The Mir's underground system of communication is so large that some of its parts have not been investigated yet. According to one of the legends, a faithful servant of the lord hid the treasures in one of the numerous underpasses of the castle and exploded the entrance. And now people believe that there is a ghost in the castle that guards the treasures and frighten the visitors of Mir Castle. Another legend reads that in the 17th century Radziville made a big underpass between Mir and Nesvizh Castles, in which two coaches were able to pass one another. Probably, this is where the treasures are. Thus every visitor has a chance to find them.

Nesvizh
Nesvizh is one of the oldest and most mysterious cities in Belarus. It is located 100 kilometers south of Minsk. At the end of the end of the 15th - early 16th century the Radzivilles began the construction of a new castle on the place of the previous one made of wood. A famous Italian architecture Giovanni Bernadone was invited for this project (he was also the one who built the Radzivilles burial-vault). The beauty and splendor of decoration of the new residence could have left far behind many royal courts: parquet flooring made of the most valuable sorts of wood, stucco ceiling and gold-plated or painted walls. Nesvizh Castle also has its ghost - the Black Dame strolling along dark corridors of the palace during moonless nights.