Mikołaj Krzysztof the Orphan Radziwiłł is the founder of the castle

At first, the Nesvizh castle was made of wood. In 1583, its owner Nikolai Christopher Radziwill Sirotka decided to build a stone princely residence. The construction of the fortress, which meets all the requirements of fortification and clearly demonstrates to the world the greatness of the Radziwill family, took 17 years. Surrounded by a 20-meter stone rampart and a deep moat with water, Nesvizh Castle became one of the most powerful and impregnable fortresses of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

In the 17th - early 18th centuries, enemy troops tried to take the castle seven times, but it survived. Only once, during the Northern War in 1706, did the Swedes manage to capture it. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1812, who was supported by the Radziwills, the family fled to Poland, and the restoration of the heavily damaged castle began only 60 years later.

Over the centuries of existence, the fortress was rebuilt more than once. Therefore, the castle in its architecture combines the techniques of medieval architecture, coupled with the styles of the late Renaissance, Baroque, Art Nouveau and Classicism. Here you can also see the echoes of the original art of local masters.

And only in 2001 the National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve "Nesvizh" was formed. In 2004-2011, at the expense of the republican budget and the Fund of the President of the Republic of Belarus for the support of culture and art, a large-scale restoration was carried out here. And since August 2012, the palace began to receive visitors from all over the world. The complex is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble that illustrates a significant period in human history."

Nesvizh is a mysterious city with a rich history, located a hundred kilometers away from Minsk. On June 22-24, The Evenings of the Bolshoi Theater in the Castle of the Radziwills will take place there. It is an excellent opportunity to relax and immerse yourself in an amazing theatrical atmosphere in the palace, which belonged to the most wealthy and influential family of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Today, Nesvizh Castle is a real visiting card of Belarus, perhaps one of the most recognizable historical and architectural monuments of the country, which holds the palm in terms of tourist attendance. But it wasn't always like this...