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The Castle in Niasvizh: Restored or Gradually Demolished?

In an interview with Nasha Niva, architect Uladzimir Papruha, the former chief state inspector of architectural monuments, expressed his shock and dismay at the direction of restoration activities now carried out in the historical castle in Niasvizh.

In his words, authentic architectural features of the castle and the Radzivil palace are either being demolished or replaced by cheap imitation mock-ups.

The so-called restoration process led to tearing down the castle’s main passage gallery, one of its unique features. A 300-years old wall was recently torn down, actually taken apart brick by brick, allegedly due to its poor condition.

Specialists in the field of monument protection are warning that these events will eventually lead to the deletion of the Niasvizh castle from the UNESCO World Heritage list.

President Lukashenka who recently visited the castle, criticized the sluggish pace of the restoration, and was particularly displeased by the fact that the castle remains closed to tourists. ”If there is nothing left to restore, let us fence in the ruins and use them for sight-seeing purposes,” said the president.

Source: Nasha Niva, May 15, 2008

This article appeared in
Belarusian Review, Vol. 20, No.2
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