Music festivals, princely dishes, Italian garden: how Mir Castle develops tourist potential

Music festivals, quests, dishes in princely style... The Museum "Peace Castle Complex" is the hallmark of our country. Every year it receives a huge number of tourists, thus having a positive impact on the national economy. To increase the momentum, the museum is actively working on new projects.

Interest is growing – Back in 2019, a record number of visitors, which the museum received for the year, was about 330 thousand people, said Olga Novitskaya, deputy director for scientific and educational work of the institution. Then the pandemic made adjustments, but the castle complex did not stop working: during this period, express excursions lasting no more than 30 minutes were organized.

In 2020, the museum was visited by about 120 thousand people, in 2021 - a little more than 185 thousand. Gradually, there were more and more tourists, and in 2025 a new record was set: 450 thousand people. As of the end of August 2026, the number of visitors was 365,000.

As you know, in 2018 Mir Castle received 2 million visitors. And this is not the limit for such an iconic place. At the end of 2027, the museum plans to meet the 5 millionth tourist.

The castle complex "Mir" is popular not only among Belarusian, but also among foreign travelers. Among them, Russians predominate. So, there are tours from Yaroslavl, Smolensk, Kazan. The museum receives tourists from Poland and the Baltic States.

- A portrait of a typical visitor: a person who is interested in history. Therefore, the entrance ticket for him is not just admission to the territory, but the key to studying the past, says Olga Vasilievna. Such a guest does not run through the halls for a selfie, and stays for a long time at the showcases with exhibits, studies the annotations to them, as well as the family tree. For this tourist, the castle is a tangible story, and he goes to the World to feel the steepness of the steps of the defensive towers, see the original trellises with his own eyes, touch the authentic brickwork of the XVI century.

- It has become the most popular service precisely because it turns a passive contemplative into an active researcher. The castle leaves the main thing for the guest - the right to decide for himself whether this day will be a lesson in medieval architecture, immersion in the nobility culture or just a quiet reboot on the shore of the lake near the castle.

Subsequently, some visitors purchase an audio guide or guide, while others purchase a variety of programs. The most popular among guests are excursions called "Owners of the Mir Castle", "History of the Mir Castle". Each of them is unique in its own way. So, the excursion “Owners of Mir Castle” passes along the second floor of the Northern building of the palace part. The program lasts 45 minutes. A sightseeing tour "History of Mir Castle" covers the entire Northern building. Its duration is 70 minutes.

In order to get acquainted with the historical object, thematic lectures are organized here.

- One of them is devoted to the art of tapestry. We also hold a lecture, thanks to which tourists will be able to get acquainted with the pride of our castle - portraits, - Olga Novitskaya gives examples. The museum acquired these artifacts in 2016 in Germany from a descendant of the owners of the Mir Castle Prince Constantine Hohenloe-Schillingsfürst.

The museum also offers activities for students. Children can go to museum and pedagogical classes and, for example, get acquainted with the construction of the facility, the process of cooking dishes according to the princely recipe, the army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

To plunge into the history of help and entertainment programs from researchers of the museum. They created the quests The Secret of Two Chests and The White Elephant.

Mir Castle organizes not only historical events, but also music festivals. For example, this year joint concerts with the Belarusian State Academic Musical Theatre were held, as well as performances with the participation of the National Academic Orchestra of Symphony and Pop Music of the Republic of Belarus named after M. Y. Finberg.

However, not only the services of the museum are limited to various activities. It is noteworthy that tourists can feel like princes, staying in the hotel of the castle complex. By the way, the organization provides visitors with pleasant bonuses.

“The load is about 60 percent, the least we have occupancy in February, when the New Year holidays end,” says Deputy Director for General Affairs Sergey Berezovsky. Tourists may be interested in booking for the New Year in February. It is worth noting that our guests are given a discount on the entrance ticket to the museum.

One of them is the restored Italian garden of the XVIII century. Work on it was carried out for extrabudgetary revenues of the museum. Subcontractors were actively involved, attracted by construction trust No. 25 from Baranovichi. The initiative was launched as part of a large-scale state program to revive the historical and cultural heritage of Belarus.

- For travelers, this is not just a new object for excursions, but also an opportunity to get acquainted with the beauty of Italian gardens, which in the past were not exclusively decorative. The famous Radziwill family needed a space that would serve as a place not only for solitude and walks, but also for growing vegetables, fruits, medicinal herbs.

- Thematic excursions will be held here, during which the guides will tell about the appearance of the object in the World, introduce the flora that was grown in greenhouses under Radziwills, the deputy director for scientific and educational work emphasizes. Now, having studied the interiors of the castle, a tourist can immerse himself in history under the open sky.

Today, employees of green construction are engaged in weeding, caring for plants. There are some small points that are removed. Representatives of the castle complex do not exclude that in the near future documents on the acceptance of the object into operation will be signed.

Tours of the Italian garden are planned to be organized in the spring of next year. After all, at this time cherry trees, pears, apple trees, medicinal plants and visitors will be able to enjoy picturesque nature.

Attention will be paid to the Svyatopolk-Mirsky Palace, the ruins of which can be seen near the Mir Castle.

- We have plans to restore the facility, the design is expected, Chief Engineer Anna Sosnovskaya emphasizes. It will take a lot of time, because you need to examine the old foundations, develop a concept, provide a balanced task. In addition, we have an outbuilding that needs major repairs.

In the palace of Svyatopolk-Mirsky are going to place a hotel, and the wing will serve as a place for leisure. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2028.

The countdown to the round date began 500 days before the 500th anniversary of the first mention of Mir Castle. Back in 2025, in the exposition hall dedicated to its first owners, the Ilyinichs, carved tablets with figures were installed, which change every day, bringing the architectural monument closer to the anniversary.

The main events entitled “Mir Castle – the embodiment of Belarusian history” will be held in the summer of 2027. Visitors are waiting for a rich program, for example, performances of historical reconstruction clubs, work of craft shopping arcades, fireworks.

And in order to create comfortable conditions for tourists, museum staff pay special attention to infrastructure. Next year, the reconstruction of the village will be carried out, during which it is planned to expand parking spaces near the castle complex.

In addition, the museum actively attracts young people to the position of tour guide, engineer. The organization makes every effort to make them qualified personnel responsible for the development of tourism.