World Heritage Sites (K) and World Natural Heritage (N)
- Bialowiezer Heide National Park (N; 1992)
- Mir palace complex (K; 2000)
- Palace complex and church in Neswisch (K; 2005)
- Measuring points of the Struve arch (K; 2005)
Mir Castle (World Heritage)
The four-winged castle, strongly fortified by mighty walls and five towers, is an impressive testimony to the eventful history of the region. Its owners included leading Belorussian, Russian and Western European noble houses. It originated from the end of the 15th century and harmoniously combines elements of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. During the Second World War, Schloss Mir was abused by German troops as a Jewish ghetto.
Schloss Mir: facts
| Official title: | Castle me |
| Cultural monument: | Castle with park in the area of Grodno, Belarus, near the settlement of the same name, built as a fortress at the end of the 15th century, continuous expansion and renovation until the 19th century; four-wing, strongly fortified fortified castle in the Gothic style, four corner towers and one central gate tower, each designed differently according to Baroque and Renaissance models; three-story palace with representative interior; Moat, parks, artificial lake |
| Continent: | Europe |
| Country: | Belarus |
| Location: | Grodno, southwest of Minsk |
| Appointment: | 2000 |
| Meaning: | Impressive monument and testimony to the eventful history of the region |
Schloss Mir: history
| 1345 | First written mention of the city of Mir |
| Early 15th century | Construction of a fortified castle on the site of an estate by Prince Yuri Ilyinich |
| 1568 | Completion, castle owned by the Radziwill family (until 1812) |
| End of the 16th century | Construction of a three-story palace within the complex, renaissance garden |
| 1655/1706/1794 | Multiple sieges of the city and the castle, extensive damage in each case |
| 1812 | The city is conquered by Napoleonic troops and large parts of the castle are destroyed |
| 1891 | Reconstruction of the uninhabited castle, creation of parks and an artificial lake |
| 1942 | Conquest of Mir by German troops, the castle becomes a prison for Jews during the war |
| since 1978 | Extensive restorations |
Legacy of the Radziwill family (World Heritage)
According to handbagpicks.com, the royal family Radziwill shaped the political and cultural life of Belarus like no other. Its architectural and cultural heritage in Nesvish includes the castle ensemble, which was owned by the family for around 500 years until 1939, and the Corpus Christi Church.
Legacy of the Radziwill family: facts
| Official title: | Architectural and cultural heritage of the Radziwill family in Neswisch |
| Cultural monument: | Nesvish rose to a cultural, scientific and artistic center during the Radziwill dynasty (from the 16th century to 1939); outstanding building ensemble of the Polish-Lithuanian aristocratic family, including residential palace (with ten other buildings) and Corpus Christi Church with paintings |
| Continent: | Europe |
| Country: | Belarus |
| Location: | Nesvish, in the Minsk region on the Usha |
| Appointment: | 2005 |
| Meaning: | Testimony to the influence of Radziwill architecture on building methods in Central Europe and Russia |
Struve Arch (World Heritage)
The Struve Arch is an elongated network of geodetic surveying points named after Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve (1793 to 1864), who measured the over 2820 km long meridian arc between Norway and the Ukraine between 1816 and 1855 to determine the exact size and size Determine the shape of the earth. Of the 258 main triangles in the triangulation chain, 34 were selected, including three in Estonia, and placed on the list as cross-border world heritage.
Struve Arch: Facts
| Official title: | Struve arch |
| Cultural monument: | A total of 34 (of a total of 256) stations of latitude measurement to determine the size and shape of the earth’s body between Hammerfest (Norway) and the mouth of the Danube (Ismail, today Ukraine); Carried out from 1816 to 1855 by the astronomer Friedrich Wilhelm von Struve in international cooperation; measured triangulation chain with 265 triangle points over a total length of 2,820 km through today’s countries Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova |
| Continent: | Europe |
| Country: | Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine |
| Location: | Various places in Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine |
| Appointment: | 2005 |
| Meaning: | Testimony to a major step in the history of geosciences; exceptional and early example of international scientific collaboration |
