NESVIZH CASTLE

NESVIZH CASTLE

Nesvizh is an ancient family-home of the powerful magnates Radzivills, whose wealth¹ was mentioned in numerous legends. It is well-known that even nowadays some treasures lie hidden somewhere on the territory of Nesvizh Castle, and they remain still unfound.

Old Nesvizh itself is the real treasure of Belarus, mainly due to the fact that for many centuries it used to be the residence of the world-famous princely clan² of the Radzivills. Their fame³ in Europe was growing constantly year after year because of their wealth, valour⁴ and political talent. In the XVI century the Radzivills were granted⁵ the title of the Counts of the Holy Roman Empire⁶ by the German Emperor Charles V⁷. This event served as one more proof of a high respect that the Radzivills had won abroad.

Until the middle of the XVI century most of the Castle’s fortifications⁸ had been wooden. But at the end of the century Nikolai Radzivill the “Orphan”⁹ became the owner of the Castle. It was he who created the look of the historic Nesvizh, or rather he who gave his money for it. Nikolai Radzivill invited a famous architect Giovanni Bernardoni, who projected the Castle that has preserved most of its original appearance until now.

The Radzivills could be compared to Spanish kings in their riches that where collected in Nesvizh. The greatest number of precious things in the Castle was observed at the end of the XVIII century. Some of those things were truly priceless. Such was, for example, the State Archives of the Great Duchy of Lithuania¹⁰ written in Belarusian, many native and foreign chronicles, the items of antique weapon from Europe, Asia and Africa, tones of silver and gold.

But the main treasure of the Radzivills was the collection of twelve golden statues brought from Constantinople that represented the Twelve Apostles. It is said that the apostles were made of gold and silver and were as tall as a man. There has never been any doubt about their existence, because many contemporaries¹¹ saw them. No one of the Radzivills is known to sell or pawn¹² the golden apostles, because the statues were considered to be the clan’s mascot¹³ that brought wealth and success in war and politics. But at the beginning of the XIX century the twelve golden apostles mysteriously disappeared.

The last representative of the Radzivills’ line who owned the golden apostles was Dominick Radzivill. During the Napoleonic Wars he took the side of the French Emperor Napoleon. After Napoleon’s defeat Dominick Radzivill had to leave for Vilna. He ordered his steward¹⁴ to evacuate the Castle’s goods, but the steward had no time to do it, because the Russian troops¹⁵ stormed into Nesvizh. The city and the Castle were plundered¹⁶ all over, many men were killed, many women were raped. Nevertheless, the prince’s steward managed to hide the main part of the Castle’s treasures. Soon afterwards the steward was hanged. The only person except the steward who knew the system of the Castle’s cellars and subterranean passages was Dominick Radzivill himself. But he was badly wounded in a clash with the Russian troops on his way to France and died taking the secret of the twelve golden apostles to his grave.

There are some grounds for supposition that the main part of the Radzivills’ treasures (and the golden apostles as well) is hidden in one of the numerous subterranean passages¹⁷ of the Castle. Many attempts have been made to find the treasure, but all of them were fruitless. Nowadays the attempts of searching the treasure are made from time to time only by adventurous one-aloners¹⁸ and children.

1. wealth – богатство

2. princely clan – княжеский род

3. fame – слава

4. valour – отвага

5. to grant the title – пожаловать титул

6. the Counts of the Holy Roman Empire – графы Священной Римской Империи

7. Charles V – Карл V

8. fortifications – укрепления

9. Nikolai Radzivill the “Orphan” – Николай Радзивилл «Сиротка»

10. the State Archives of the Great Duchy of Lithuania – государственный архив Великого Княжества Литовского

11. contemporaries – современники

12. to pawn – заложить (в ломбарде)

13. mascot – талисман, оберег

14. steward – эконом

15. troops – войска

16. to plunder – разорять, грабить

17. subterranean passages – подземные ходы

18. adventurous one-aloners – отважные одиночки