Kossovo

The modern town of Kossovo is known since the X-XII centuries when it was just a settlement. According to written sources, it was first mentioned in 1494 - the Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander Yagellonchik gave Kossovo to Marshal Hreptovich.

After the third division of Rzeczpospolita, the territory of Kossovo belonged to the Russian Empire. By the end of the XIX century, there were more than 3 thousand inhabitants; 4 steam mills functioned, where 13 villagers were engaged. A pharmacy and emergency room appeared.

During World War I, Kossovo was occupied by German troops and then Polish troops in 1919-1920. It became part of Poland in 1921. Later it became part of the BSSR in 1939.

The Palace of the Puslovsky Family in Kossovo

This XIX-century architectural monument is also called the Kossovo Castle. The building looks majestic, however, only walls preserved to present days.

The history of the palace in Kossovo dates back to 1838. The architect fr om Warsaw František Jaschold guided the construction of the Gothic castle. The Italian artist Marconi designed the interior of the castle. There was a huge park near the castle.

The castle has 12 towers, which symbolize 12 months of the year. Corridors and rooms are arranged so that daylight rays light all corners of the huge palace. There is a legend that every year Puslovskies held an unusual holiday - the so-called Room’s Day. Due to the unique design of the castle, the sun lit up one of the rooms for two and a half days. During these days, the room was decorated and people spent a lot of time there.

The number of all the rooms exceeded a hundred. Historians say that there was a glass floor that covered a large aquarium with fish in one of the rooms. The library, wh ere more than 10,000 books kept, was famous as well.

There is another legend. There were rumors that a lion lived in the palace; the animal was allowed to wander around the castle at night, so the property of the owners remained intact.

Kazimir Puslovsky was the first owner and initiator of the construction of the palace. His successor Vandalin owned the castle after him. Then, the castle belonged to his son, Leon, who was a gambler and lost the family castle. Then the owners of the castle often changed, gradually it was emptied and lost its importance and luxury. In 1914, it was completely desolated. During the Second World War, the fate of the castle was tragic - it burned down. The guerrillas feared that the German invaders could have set an ambush in the territory of the old estate, and therefore they set fire to it.

Nowadays, restoration works take place which are planned to be completed by the end of 2018. Meanwhile, tourists come to Kossovo to visit the house-museum of Tadeusz Kosciuszko, the politician of the Rzeczpospolita, national hero of Belarus, Poland, Lithuania and the United States.