Excursion to Nesvizh and Mir

Our interesting and informative excursion to the Belarusian Middle Ages took place not long ago, on March 21, 2013, that’s why pleasant memories about the trip are still alive in our minds. The trip was presented to us as a prize for active participation in the Foreign Students’ Fest. The BrSU students from different countries (Turkmenistan, China, Korea, Slovakia) went on an excursion, as well as some University lecturers accompanying them (O.B.Perehod, T.A.Vdovina, O.A.Korabo).

During the excursion we got acquainted with some landmarks of Belarus included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Throughout the entire trip we were assisted by the guide who in fact familiarized us with various aspects of medieval sights. The whole day we were taking pictures of historic places while listening to the guide with great interest.

At first, we visited Nesvizh which is one of the oldest and most mysterious towns in Belarus. We got impressed by the Radziwill Castle, Church of Jesuits, City Hall and other places of interest.

We learnt also that Nesvizh was first mentioned in the chronicles in 1223, however it began flourishing only in 1511 when the town became the residence of the Radziwill magnate family which at that time was one of the richest and most powerful families in Europe.

Having left Nesvizh, we headed for the Mir Castle – another unique monument of the Belarusian architecture built at the turn of XV–XVI centuries.

What particularly amazed us was the fact that the castle is built in the form of a square with towers jutting out at its corners. All the castle towers have identical shape but different decoration patterns which fills the castle with an inimitable ornamental wealth and beauty.

With the help of this excursion we managed to get a deeper insight into the Belarusian history and get more closely acquainted with the sights of the country which belong to the world heritage; and all these without any doubt have gone deep into our souls. We learnt much more about the national colour of Belarus. Seeing all the historical sights with our own eyes benefited a lot to our expectations and knowledge about the Belarusian history and geography. Belarusian nature evoked so much admiration on our part that we enjoyed the scenery all the way.

Despite minor fatigue and cold weather we had no time to get bored. We’ve got so many positive emotions that we will hardly ever forget such a trip! Not only have we acquired a desire to visit more suchlike places in Belarus, but also our confidence in this decision has been strengthened.

Eldar Ramasanov,
3^rd year student of the Faculty of Law