The Radziwills estate in the village of Gorodeya

The urban-type settlement of Gorodeya is located near Nesvizh in Minsk region. Two important architectural monuments remained here until nowadays - the Transfiguration Church and the ancient homestead of the Radziwills.

Gorodeya township becomes the Radziwills gentry property in the XVI century, who remained its owners until the late XVIIIth century. An interesting fact can be traced in the homestead development history. The famous and very odious Belarusian person Karol Stanislaw Radziwill Panie Kochanku loved to live high and was famous for his crazy adventures. As a result he got into debt very quickly and in order to repay all the loans, he sold the homestead to the Poles Mitarnovskies family. However, they were the homestead owners for a short time, and resold the house to the Brahotskies.

Anthony Brakhotsky inherited the house from his father and decided to do the capital restructuring and landscaping of the estate. In 1830, he ordered the construction of two-storied house, which was later drawn by the famous Belarusian painter Napoleon Orda. The ground floor was represented in a pedestal with the windows of square shape, and the additional storey above the central projection of the upper floors was elegantly decorated with pilasters - the ancient style embodiment. The second floor was fitted with wrought little balcony, set up on the consoles, from which the homestead owners used to welcome guests.

The landscape park was laid simultaneously with the homestead. Here you could walk in the shade of linden, maples, poplars, ashes, chestnuts and European larches. There was an artificial pond with a watermill. The park had a small alley that led to the home chapel. The entire homestead complex consisted of farms, the starch and sausage factories. We can say with confidence that the Brakhotskies were able to run the household.

Since Adam Brakhotsky had no heirs, after his death the homestead passed into the possession of Svyatopolk-Mirskies princes, who lived in the neighborhood. However, this family soon became poor, the estate was confiscated by the authorities. At the beginning of the XX century the Poles rebuilt the house into a school on the occupied territory. By the way, the educational building is still located here. That’s why this estate has preserved in a satisfactory condition.

Many homestead buildings though preserved almost intact, but at the end of XIX - early XX century virtually no one looked after them. The park is no longer well-groomed as well. Many Brakhotskies farms are now entirely neglected. A unique structure of its time is of a great interest for the historians and tourists - the chamber for linen drying. It is a cave in the ground at 4 meters depth, which walls are laid with several layers of stone and brick. Moreover, even the hooks, on which flax was hang and dried, preserved on the ceiling.

Despite this, the park and the homestead are considered the real decoration of Gorodeya village and present of great interest for the tourists.