Palace and Park Complex of the Tishkevich Family in Volozhin

Palace and Park Complex of the Tishkevich Family in Volozhin

A prominent building was constructed in small ancient Volozhin in Minsk region, in the early XIXth century, in 1806. It included three harmonious buildings. The modern town of Volozhin is known fr om the XIVth century. It belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and then it was part of the Russian Empire.  Not surprisingly, on the site of the complex, there was a medieval castle. The palace and parks were built for 3 years according to the project of architect A. Kossakovsky. Count Joseph Tishkevich was an initiator of the construction. He made a huge contribution to the development of the town Volozhin. He immediately began to build his residence – the palace and park complex. Tishkevich also initiated the construction of St. Joseph Catholic church with five altars. Joseph Tishkevich was a mayor of Vilnius, colonel of the national cavalry, knight of the Order of St. Stanislaus, Order of the White Eagle. Tishkevich is a family of the Great Duchy of Lithuania; they owned many territories in modern Belarus and Lithuania. Almost all of their buildings, including the Church of St. Joseph in Volozhin, designed in the classical style. The Tishkevich family owned these lands until 1939. Some of their residences are preserved and charm many tourists and historians.

Joseph Tishkevich built his residence near the market place, in the center of the town of Volozhin, but its inner courtyard was completely isolated from the outside world. There was a beautiful two-storey greenhouse, wh ere palm trees, orange trees, and other exotic trees, as well as tropical plants, were growing. The best gardeners of the town worked there. All the buildings of this ancient monument of architecture are two-storey and made in the classical style; many details indicate it. The central part of the palace and park complex is larger and decorated with columns and stucco works. Two other buildings are located opposite each other and have the same design. Thus, the palace and park complex is U-shaped. Behind the palace, there was a beautiful park with splendid flora, which had access to the river.

Since 1806 and nowadays, the palace and park complex of the Tishkevich family decorates the ancient town of Volozhin. There are also other historical places - the entire southern part of the central square has its original appearance since the first half of the 19th century. Now the main part of the complex is occupied by the military unit, while others are occupied by administrative establishments. This monument of architecture, as well as other attractions of this small town with a long history, is worth being seen because sometimes we do not wonder what interesting and historically important secrets old buildings keep.