Ruzhany Palace Ruins, Ruzany, Belarus

Ruzhany Palace is a ruined palace which was between the 16th and 19th centuries the main seat of the senior line of the Sapieha noble family. Ruzhany began its life in the late 16th century as the site of Lew Sapieha's castle, the palace being completed in 1602. The Sapieha residence was destroyed in the course of the internecine strife in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania when it was attacked by Michał Serwacy Wiśniowiecki's forces in 1700.

Ruzhany Palace was rebuilt as a grand Neoclassical residence in the 1770s by Aleksander Michał Sapieha, employing the services of the architect Jan Samuel Becker of Saxony, who set the palace in an English park landscape. Aside from the palace, there was a theatre (1784–88), an orangery and several other outbuildings. Becker also designed the local church (rebuilt in the 1850s).

By the time of King Stanisław II's visit in 1784, work on the palace had been suspended. The Sapieha estates were nationalised in the aftermath of the November Uprising (1831). Three years later, the palace compound was sold to be used as a textile mill and weaving factory.

In 1914 the palace was accidentally set on fire by factory workers. The First World War and subsequent financial hardships prevented the building's restoration until 1930, however the partially restored palace became a ruin again within fifteen years, a casualty of the Second World War. The ornate palace gate survives and has recently been restored.

References:

Wikipedia

Miscellaneous historic sites in Belarus

Address

P44, Ruzany, Belarus

See all sites in Ruzany

Details

Founded: 1602
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Belarus

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.belarus.by
www.360cities.net

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Synkavichy Fortified Church (34 km)
Kosava Palace (18,5 km)
Biaroza Monastery Ruins (36,8 km)

User Reviews

Alex Algorasa (4 years ago)
Nice place to visit with historical background

Igor Izhik (5 years ago)
I hope it will look as great as it once was. Amazing historical landmark.

Karolis Navickas (5 years ago)
Outstanding palace. In construction still, however must visit place in Belarus 100%. There is an option to stay at castle hotel as well.

Gleb Doro (6 years ago)
Amazing place! Very rustic and so much of it is original. I feel like I am transported back to early times. I love this palace. When I was a young boy, we drove by this palace and stopped by every time to walk and see it. This year I saw it for the first time in 15 years. It’s still just as beautiful. No need for restoration, leave it as is, it’s amazing.

David Y (7 years ago)
Ruin of a 16th century Palace. A good place to think about the transience of life. A moving experience

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

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Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

Ruzhany Palace Ruins