Neswizh: the radzivills' capital

One of the legends reads that an ancietit settlement was founded during the times of the water rout "from Varangians to Greeks", which ran from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. But for the first time Neswizh was mentioned as a town with strong fortifications in the chronicles of 1224. But its golden age came after it had become the Radzivills" estate in the 15^th cen­tury. The Radzivills' family was the greatest and most outstanding magnate family that lived on the lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania; The story of the mem­bers of the Radzivills' family occupies many pages in the modern encyclopedia of Belarus.

Neswizh and its renowned castle were built in a comparatively short period of time (1584-1616) with the help of some Italian architects and taking into ac­count all the latest means of protection. There were stone gates with towers called 'bramas' in different parts of the town. Bramas looked like fortresses which were intended to protect the town from different directions. Nowadays one can see Slutsk brama which used to be a part of the protection system. Next to the brama there was also a dam which made up a lake. On the ground floor of the brama there was a room for the guards and on the first floor there was a chapel.

In 1586, the town was granted the right to an autonomous municipal admi-nisfl-ation (the so-called Magdeburg right), which added a lot to the grandeur and power of Neswizh. But in a century Neswizh faced hard times connected with war campaigns of the Swedish King Karl XII (during the Swedish-Russian war). Only in 1726, did Prince Mikhail Radzivill begin to take pare of his estate and his land again. His wife, Franzishka Ursula, who was writing comedies and dramas, established a theatre in Neswizh. That was also the time of the restoration of book-printing in Neswizh.

A descendant of Mikhail and Franzishka — Karol Stanislav, whom history describes as 'Mister Dear' (he was fond of calling anyone he addressed as 'my dear'), filled life in the Neswizh castle with a new feeling. Under his rule, the castle rolled in luxury, and was decorated and equipped with all the possible con­temporary wonders of art and science. For instance, the castle had one of the rich­est libraries, with close to 10,000 volumes in Latin, French and Polish; a large art gallery with nearly 1,000 paintings; a collection of statuettes and statues; and various bronze and steel armours. The cutlery used in the castle was made of pure gold. Mister Dear enjoyed entertainment, and his castle often received numerous guests. The last Polish King Stanislaw August used to come to the Neswizh castle. The guests admired theatrical shows, feasts with hundred-year-old wines from Hungary; then they sleighed off on sugar white hills, riding in sledges harnessed by bears. Once, during one. of such visits, the king publicly announced that Mister Dear lived better than the king.

Nowadays the Radzivills' heritage consists of the palace, a church and a num­ber of parks. Historians have proved that it was Giovanni (Jan) Maria Bernardoni, an Italian architect who designed the Neswizh palace, the park ensemble and the Catholic Jesuit Church (which was erected in 1584-1593 following the pattern of the principle Jesuit Order Chdrch El Jesus in Rome). Researchers suppose that Bernardoni vrasfail apprentice of.Viniola, who, in his return, worked with Michel­angelo, and participated in the construction of the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome. Today, the Farny Cathedral is one of the remarkable sights of Neswizh. It is also a patrimonial tomb of the Radzivills.

A monument to Symon Budny, successor of the famous Belarusian printing pioneer Francisk Skorina and a famous educator and philosopher is located near the Cathedral. In 1562, Symon Budny published a book in Belarusian for the first time. This monument is modern; it was established in the 20 ^th century.

An old legend claims that Rembrandt visited Neswizh, when one of the rich­est art galleries was inaugurated. This version might have come into being due to the painting of the great artist. However, there is no other evidence of the Neswizh voyage of Rembrandt.

As for the parks, they make the unique blue-green heritage of Neswizh, along with the mysterious magic mirror-like ponds. And only a leisurely slow traveler or a native can appreciate their real, everlasting beauty. People say that the first . saplings of the park were grown from seeds brought from the gardens of the Berlin palace of the Radzivill Princes. Maria de Kastelyan de Taleiran, wife of Antony Radzivill, was the most dedicated amateur of parks. Now Neswizh Park (together with its aquatic part) occupies nearly 106 hectares, where the land takes 45 hec­tares. Certain parts of the park bear their original names, like Castle Park, Lake Park (Old Park), Park of Marysia.

Neswizh is a treasure of Belarus. It is one of the most beautiful regional cen­tres in Minsk region with its outstanding history, a marvelous castle (during Soviet times there was a recreation centre there), old parks and artificial ponds* It takes about an hour to get to Neswizh from Minsk. New buildings, musical festivals and industrial people of Neswizh write nowadays a specia} modern history of the town.