The Pusłowski Palace in Kossovo is a landmark of Belarus

Belarus is known for its beautiful places and many attractions, among which, undoubtedly, one of the pearls is the Pusłowski Palace in Kossovo. This romantic castle is sometimes called a "knightly dream". History was merciless to this beautiful structure, and after two wars of the 20th century, swept through the territory of the long-suffering Belarus, walls and legends remained of it. Now the Pusłowski Palace is being intensively restored. He should shine, as before, by 2018.

Family of Puslovsky

This family was known in the Commonwealth from the 40s of the XVII century. The first was Yakov Puslovsky. Pope Pius IX gave them the title of Count. In Russia, he was not recognized. The portrait, which is presented here, depicts a 19th-century figure Wojciech Pusłowski, who also began to build the Pusłowski Palace. He is depicted with the Order of St. Anna's first degree, which was supposed to be worn on the right side of the chest and with the tape across her left shoulder. The belt in the picture is not an accidental detail. It shows the nobleness and consistency of its owner. These belts were inherited. Wojciech Pusłowski himself was the leader of the nobility of Slonim uyezd.

Construction of the palace

Wojciech Puslovsky bought the estate back in 1821. A quiet place Kossovo with it revived. He set up a factory there to make carpets, and began building and rebuilding churches. The cultural and economic life has become energetic and active.

And in 1838 in the small town of Kossovo, on the initiative of Vandalin Puslovsky, a grandiose construction of the castle was begun, which now is called Kosovskiy Palace of Puslovsky. The construction was led by the Polish architect Francis Jaschold. Bricks were brought from abroad. Bird's eggs and blood were added to the solution that was supposed to bind them. They were built for centuries on a high burial mound, and the depression, from which they took the earth, was then turned into a round lake. So it was built an amazing structure, the central part of which combines two wings - right and left. It is often called a castle, because narrow lancet windows resemble loopholes, and also because the towers are crowned with battlements. But the castle is meant for military operations, and the Puslovsky Palace was needed for celebrations and festivities. Each of the twelve towers corresponded to one of the months of the year. The four central towers carried a special meaning: they meant the most productive months of the year from May to August. It is them that the Puslovsky Palace demonstrates (photo is in the article).

In addition to them, there were still three hundred and sixty-five small towers according to the number of days in the year. The Pusłowski Palace is built in the Neo-Gothic style. In the architecture of the castle there are elements of classicism.

Interior decoration

The whole interior was created by the Italian Marconi. In one wing there was an art gallery and a huge library, which had over 10,000 volumes. In the other part there were living rooms and halls, and there were, incidentally, more than one hundred and twenty. Each room was decorated in a special way, and they were different in color. In the blue room there was preparation for the ball, they played music and sang in pink. In the White Hall balls were held. And in the Parade Hall, as they say, the floor was made of double glass, and under it floated between seaweed exotic fish. Most likely, the floor was heated, but it is still being studied. Men in the black room, whose walls were lined with marble, played gambling, and women were not allowed to enter. In the mirror hall, which was a dining room, the walls and ceiling were decorated with mirrors that were brought from Italy. There were also silvery, and golden, and glass rooms. Each of them was illuminated by the sun 2,5 days a year - so the architect designed them so cleverly. According to legend, as soon as the sun entered the room, Puslovsky arranged a holiday in it, decorating the "birthday girl".

What was in the interior of the palace

Of course, in the center there was a winter garden. At night the hosts let loose the lion. This guard prevented theft: all the servants were sitting in their rooms and did not go anywhere.

Here in the central part was an unusual musical wall. Along it went a ladder without railings, and willy-nilly had to stick to the wall, and then she began to sound melodically. It turns out that pots were built into the wall, similar to what they do in churches to improve acoustics. It was in them that the stones were poured, which even with the touch of a lush skirt began to make sounds, welcoming the guest and warning the owners that someone is going up the stairs.

Legend of the underground passage

Of course, if there is a lock, then it simply must have an underground passage. And now the story that among the palace in Kossovo and Ruzhansky castle there is an underground passage through which the hosts went in carriages. Perhaps it's a myth, like the ghosts that English castles inhabited.

Palace Park

The palace was surrounded by a terraced park with fountains and a greenhouse in which over one hundred and fifty species of rare plants were planted. He descended to three artificially created lakes.

Change of ownership

After the death of Vandolin, the estate was inherited by his son Leonid. This is a sad period. The Kossovo castle was empty . The Palace of Puslovsky was lost in cards and became the property of the merchant Aleksandrov. Then the estate passed to Anna Trubetskoy. She also parted with him: gave princess Abamelek, and she, in turn, sold Prince Oldenburg. In 1914, during the war, the palace was completely ransacked, and the garden and greenhouse were destroyed. In 1921 these lands belonged to Poland. The castle is located local government, and then - beekeeping school. Particularly damaged the palace in the years of Nazi Germany's attack. And then the palace was completely deserted to such an extent that a young forest grew up around it, which completely concealed it.

How to get to the palace

In Kossovo from Minsk there is a bus. The journey takes 4 hours. You can take the train (to Ivantsevichi). On a private car, you should drive along the M1 / E30 highway, and in Ivantsevichi, take the P44 to Kossovo.

Current state

Since 2008, the palace is undergoing restoration. Its end is scheduled for 2018. Everyone is looking forward to the appearance of a new major tourist center in Belarus.