Ruzhany Castle (Ruzhany, Belarus): history and legends

There are a lot of sights in Belarus, and not only in cities such as Minsk, Mogilev, Vitebsk and others. Here you can see the Brest Fortress, Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Mir Castle, the Hill of Glory and Ruzhansky Castle, which is located in the village of Ruzhany, which is 140 km from Brest. In the south-west of Belarus, the city of Brest is located, which is an administrative center.

Ruzhany (Belarus): description

Ruzhany was founded in 1552 and thanks to its main sights could become famous throughout the world. Thousands of tourists come here to see the former residence.

The village itself was first mentioned in 1490, but only when this place became part of the Tyszkiewicz, it was mentioned in documents, so it is not known when the settlement was founded. A little later this place was transferred to the family of Bruchalski, and then it was sold to the Chancellor of the Principality of Lithuania Sapieha, why the castle bears the name "Sapeg's former residence".

History

Ruzhany Palace - the main decoration of the village, its construction began in the XVI century. Later it was rebuilt a couple of times and played a significant role not only for the Lithuanian state, but also for neighboring countries. Once here ambassadors were received, several kings came, the treasury of the principality was stored and puppets were prepared for the Moscow throne.

During the war with the Swedes, the castle was badly damaged, although at the time it was built as a defensive one, but lost its importance by that time. However, in the XVIII century rich owners Ruzhan tried to restore the palace. But at the end of this century it began to be used as a cloth factory.

In 1914 there was a big fire, and Ruzhany Castle suffered. It was partially restored in the 30s of the last century, and in 1944 it was destroyed during the hostilities. Unfortunately, only ruins have been preserved, as well as arcades, exit gates and wings that have been restored.

Initially, the castle (or palace) was defensive in nature. There in the central part were the main hall and the lobby with double-sided staircases, in the side parts there were living rooms, a study and a library.

Under the building were spacious cellars, which used to store documents, archives, products. But in the XVIII century, the palace was defeated by the architect Samuel Becker, and in the lowlands in front of the palace was installed a church, a monastery, a cemetery chapel and an inn.

On the style of the palace still argue: some mistakenly believe that this is an Empire style, the other is a French style, but in fact, it has blended two styles and eras - baroque and classicism, there are also elements of rococo.

After the restructuring, two towers of three disappeared, which complemented the palace, and another tower became part of the new building, which became symmetrical. To the first-order rooms were added a ballroom, an entrance hall and a main hall. Since the main rooms now are on the second floor, they divided the whole building into floors: the basement, the front and the upper floor.

The Museum

Ruzhany Palace in 2011 opened the museum, and it is estimated that it is visited annually by about 15 thousand tourists. Today there are four exposition halls and one exhibition hall.

Interesting archaeological finds are stove tiles, part of kitchen utensils. A special exhibit is a copy of the slab built in honor of the arrival of King Vladislav IV. Also managed to save several books from the Sapieha library.

Since the palace is destroyed and only a part of it can be seen, the mock-up of the Ruzhansky Castle is presented in the museum, which clearly demonstrates how it was in previous years.

One of the rooms is a story about the descendant of Lev Sapieha, Alexandra, who at one time and rebuilt the building into the palace, because he loved the idle life: theaters, balls, performances.

In one of the halls you can see on the wall the coat of arms, which was made of larch. For a long time he was in the warehouse, but was subsequently restored. There were two such arms, one hung on the south side, the other on the north side.

The Legend of the Underground Road

The Ruzhany Castle has an ancient and interesting history. Stories and legends can begin with the fact that it runs ghosts, and end with the most unusual stories.

For example, the legend of the underground path is not just an underground passage, when one can move from one part of the castle to another, but a whole 25 km long road leading to the town of Kosovo. It was possible not only to go by it, but to ride a carriage drawn by six horses.

However, researchers can not confirm or deny this information, but someone still believes that they will be able to find this road.

Interesting Facts

There are many interesting stories and legends about this place, some of them are supported by facts, others - still remains legends:

• It is believed that the cellars that are in the palace were filled up during the hostilities, and that they went to the depth of four floors.
• Lev Sapieha was one of the richest people, he loved books, paintings and fishing. In his library at that time there were more than 3 thousand books, which was considered an incalculable wealth.
• When Alexander Sapega decided to restore the residence in Ruzhany, he did it for a reason, and because of his wife Magdalena, who was the favorite of August Poniatowski, it is believed that it was the king who financed the restoration.
• The theater in Ruzhansky Castle was also created for the sake of the couple, 60 actors and 40 musicians were invited there.
• Lev Sapieha was once an ordinary clerk, but rose to the rank of King Stephen Batory, and later became one of the richest people.
• Thanks to Leo, one of the best codes of laws in Europe was created, which was called the Statute of GPL from 1588.
• Another of the descendants of the genus Sapere, Paul, bequeathed after his death all the cannons from the Ruzhansky castle to the bells for the church of St. Casimir, who was in Vilna.

Ruzhany today

Ruzhany Castle (Belarus) today can be seen by everyone. Though little has been preserved in the original state, fragments of the palace ensemble create an impression of grandeur and power, towering above the village.

In 2008, they started the rehabilitation program, they were able to recreate the main gate and the wing. In the future, in 2012, the eastern corps began to be restored, and restoration of the main building of the palace is planned.

Ruzhany Castle: time of work and how to get there

As mentioned above, the castle is located in the village of Ruzhany, 140 km from Brest, from which you can reach by car or bus. The fare can be about 60 thousand rubles of local currency in one direction.

Ruzhany Castle (Ruzhany, Belarus) in the Brest region is located at 15 Urbanovich Street.

Since 2011 the museum has been opened, where two wings and entrance gates have been restored, there is also one exhibition hall and exposition rooms. The entrance to the museum is paid, and for adults the ticket costs 10 thousand rubles, and for schoolchildren and students - 6 thousand, separately you can order an excursion - both group and individual.

The museum works on all days, except Monday and Tuesday, from 9.00 to 18.00.