Why is it dangerous to walk near the Mir Castle at night, what apples here men pay with their lives and whose head can destroy a historical monument
From the very beginning of its existence, the Mir Castle is surrounded by legends and secrets - the date of its construction is still not even known for certain. The purpose of its appearance is also not clear. There is an opinion that the castle was erected only for reasons of prestige. The explanation for this is simple: The world was a fairly calm place. At the same time, the thickness of the walls in the complex, in the lower part of which loopholes are carved, reaches three meters. Both the northern and western walls had battle galleries. And this already speaks of the good defensive ability of the fortress in the event of hostilities … Many legends surround the Mir Castle to this day. Maybe that's why more than 300 thousand tourists visit it every year.
Legends of the cursed garden
At the end of the 19th century, the last owner of the castle, Nikolai Svyatopolk-Mirsky, ordered to cut down the flowering garden, which was located on the right side of the palace. At this point, he decided to dig a lake. These events took place in the spring, during the flowering period of apple trees. Local residents warned that it is a great sin to cut down flowering young trees. It was believed that whoever cut down a flowering tree would ruin a young life. Therefore, such a person will be cursed, and his family will begin to pursue misfortunes. Because of this, the laity flatly refused to destroy the young garden.
But Svyatopolk-Mirsky firmly insisted on his own, and even personally cut down several apple trees. Then he hired workers who completely destroyed the trees. Thus, he signed a death warrant for himself and many others. After all, it was after this, as the ancient legend of Mir Castle says, that troubles followed the inhabitants and servants of the complex one by one.
About the local witch
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When the work on the arrangement of the lake began in the castle, unpredictable and completely ridiculous misfortunes occurred almost every day. The result is a lot of victims. Among them, according to legend, was the only son of a local witch, who cursed the lake in anger: "Let as many people drown in it as young flowering trees were destroyed."
And the curse began to come true … The first drowned woman was the young princess Sonechka, who lost her life at the age of twelve. Prince Nikolai himself was found dead on the shores of the damned lake in 1898. They were both buried in the tomb, which is located next to the castle.
Even today, almost every year people, mostly men, drown in the lake. It is believed that the spirits of the apple orchard take the images of beautiful girls who lure lonely men passing by the lake into the water and drag them to the bottom with superhuman strength. At least, this can explain the reason why mainly representatives of the strong half drown in the lake …
Only one question remains unanswered: how much more does the damned lake of human souls need to fully replenish the number of felled flowering apple trees?
About the underground tunnel
There is a story that says that between the Mir and Nesvizh castles, at the time when they belonged to the Radziwills, an underground passage was dug for more than 30 kilometers. Allegedly, a carriage, which, in addition, was harnessed by three horses, could travel along it.
Even research has been conducted on this matter. But the study of the area with the help of special equipment did not give positive results.
About warriors
During the restoration of the castle, carried out under Mikhail Svyatopolk-Mirsky, during the opening of the floors, two skeletons were found, later buried by order of the owner in an Orthodox cemetery. According to legend, on New Year's Eve, you can hear the clang of swords, and then a prolonged groan. It is believed that the rest of the time these warriors guard the castle.
About ghosts
Some argue that even today, in one of the towers of the castle, they saw a girl in a white fluffy robe. There is an opinion that this is the disturbed spirit of Sonechka (Sophia Svyatopolk-Mirskaya). After her death, at the end of the twentieth century, she was buried in the family tomb of the castle … It is believed that since the tomb of the princess was constantly disturbed by the so-called treasure hunters of the Radziwills, as well as melted spring waters, her spirit still wanders around the castle and cannot find peace.
There is another story about the ghost of the former owner of the Mir Castle - Dominik Radziwill. They say he was so formidable that one could die from just one look. This is the case now. The version about the secret death of one of the local residents is widespread. Late at night, on the full moon, she returned home past the dilapidated castle walls. But suddenly on one of the galleries of the castle I saw a black silhouette of a man. He was wearing a long cloak and a cane in his hands. The mysterious stranger slowly turned to face the unfortunate woman, and in the moonlight she saw his eyes. On that terrible night, an eerie, heartbreaking female scream awakened the inhabitants of nearby houses, and the dogs howled shrilly all night, as if they sensed the presence of death.
In the morning, the lifeless body of a woman was found near the castle. Doctors ascertained a ruptured heart and saw nothing mysterious in her death. However, superstitious local residents talked about what frightened the unfortunate woman so much. She saw the eyes of a terrible inhabitant of the Mir castle - the ghosts of Radziwill. Since then, the surrounding people have been trying to bypass the castle at night.
About the head of a bull
A stone bull's head is immured into the southern wall of the castle. According to old-timers, earlier her horns were decorated with a golden cross, the fate of which is unknown today. It is assumed that the head served as a talisman against enemy attacks on the fortress. There is a belief that if you take your head out of the wall, then Mir Castle will completely collapse and no one will ever be able to restore it.
About the treasure of the Radziwills
From documentary evidence, information was taken that the Mir castle was visited by the Polish king Augustus on an official visit. In honor of this event, a sumptuous dinner was arranged, at the end of which a surprise awaited the guest of honor …
Radziwill invited the king to visit the family treasury, which was located in the dungeons of the castle. When the guests entered the "belongings", the king for a while was speechless. The underground crypt was simply filled with jewels. There were also the twelve apostles, cast in gold and silver. And in size they were human-sized. The owner of the castle, in honor of his respect and loyalty, presented the king with a golden cross, densely covered with huge diamonds. August was very moved by the gorgeous gift.
However, no one else saw these treasures. During the Second World War, the passage to the treasury was blown up by the servants of the castle, and the fate of everything that was kept there was covered with darkness. Many years have passed since then, but for a long time the treasures of the Mir Castle haunted the "black treasure hunters", which caused considerable damage to the palace and castle complex.
Natalia BORISOVETS
