Zhemyslavl

The village of Zhemyslavl is located on the bank of the river Gavya, 4 km north of Subotniki in the Ivye district of Grodno region and 22 km of the town Ivye. A small-scale hydropower was built on the river near Zhemyslavl. According to the 2009 census, 456 inhabitants live in the village. The border with Lithuania is located 3 km of Zhemyslavl, so the village is located in the border area.

In 1807, the village belonged to the Polish magnates Umestovskies. The new owner Jakub Umestovsky decided to rebuild the estate. His son Casimir continued father’s work. He added two two-storey brick wings in the classical style to a single-storey wooden house in the Baroque style. His wife took participation in constructing new buildings and offered new ideas: stables, barns, riding arena, and orangery in the Tuscan style. After Casimir’s death, she invited the famous Polish-Italian architect Marconi. Casimir’s wife ordered to build a replica of the Lazenkovsky palace in Warsaw.

A lovely two-storey symmetrical building with a large terrace on a flat roof was built. The facades of the palace were built in Classicism: rectangular windows alternated with pilasters, the second-floor windows were decorated with openwork balconies.

Then Casimir’s son continued the construction of the estate in 1877. The interior was exactly the same as in the Lazenkovsky palace in Warsaw. Stoves and beautiful fireplaces made of marble in the "Parisian style" were a wonderful way for heating the palace rooms. The magnificent floor was paved with parquet. Walls were decorated with tiles made of oak and frescoes.

In 1885, a distillery was built on the territory of the palace. A French gardener worked on the project for a new park, similar to the park in Warsaw. A wide alley of linden trees led to the palace, a chestnut alley was located perpendicular to the linden alley. From the other side, the park led to the artificial pond, which size was about 60 hectares. A wonderful boat station was organized for guests of the estate. A huge arched bridge led to it.   

It is worth mentioning that the last owner of the estate Vladislav Umestovsky gave it to the Vilnius University. 

Nowadays, almost all of the main buildings of the Umestovsky estate are preserved in the village Zhemyslavl. Many small details are lost or require restoration, but the general atmosphere and ambiance of past centuries in the estate remain unchanged. It is hard to find words to describe this place. You should definitely come and see it.