Belarus is a country with a rich historical heritage. And as in any Slavic country, there are a number of large architectural monuments in Belarus that definitely deserve your attention. Mir Castle is the most well-preserved and qualitatively restored to date. It is rightfully considered the hallmark of the country. You will learn a lot of useful information about Mir Castle, how to get there, ticket prices, what else to do in Mir and much more in this article.

Table of contents:

• Mir Castle: general information
• Ticket prices, where and how to buy them
• How to get to Mir Castle on your own
• Tours to Mir Castle with transfer from Minsk
• Brief history of the castle
• Museum in Mir Castle
• Hotel, restaurant and other things to do in Mir Castle
• Tips and tricks for tourists

Mir Castle: general information

• Website: mirzamak.by
• Coordinates: 53.45127, 26.47257
• Address: Mir, st. Krasnoarmeyskaya, 2
• Working hours:
  • Museum and castle entrance: Monday-Sunday: 10.00-18.00
  • Museum ticket office: Monday-Sunday: 10.00-17.20

Ticket price and how to purchase it

Ticket prices vary depending on the day of the week and the castle’s exhibitions. General points:

• If you come to Mir Castle on weekdays, then a ticket for one person will cost 20 BYN ($ 8), students get discounts.
• If you come on a weekend or holiday, the ticket will be a little more expensive — 22 BYN ($ 9).
• Also you can pay for an audioguide available in English (3 BYN — $ 1.2).
• In addition, in the castle you will be offered guided tours of various topics and duration for a company of up to 25 people — from 14 BYN ($ 5.6) per group (entrance tickets are paid separately).

How to buy?

• The easiest option: at the ticket office of the castle.

There are never queues for entry. However, if you wish to take a guided tour without booking it in advance, all guides may be busy. And you will have to wait. Read on to find out how to solve this issue.

• Booking and buying tickets online is a convenient way if you are a school teacher or travel agent and you require  strict document reporting. Otherwise, the payment process on the site is inconvenient and long.

There is another cool and convenient option to get to the Mir Castle (and not only) on a tour. Read more about it in our article.

• Everything about the Belarusian ruble, what money to take with you, where to exchange it, read in the article: Currency in Belarus

How to get to the Mir Castle on your own

The town of Mir is located very close to the main Belarusian highway — the M1 highway (Moscow-Brest): just 90 km from Minsk and 8.5 km from the turn from the M1 highway to Mir.

• The fastest way to get here from Minsk is by car. Add the castle coordinates to the navigator app and let’s go.
• Parking in Mir Castle is large and free. Three dozen souvenir shops are located next to the parking lot so that you definitely do not leave empty-handed.
• by bus: buses depart from the Central bus station in the direction of the cities: Korelichi, Novogrudok, Dyatlovo, Lida (via Novogrudok).
  • All these buses stop in the city of Mir. The bus stop is in front of the castle. The cost of a one-way bus ticket is from 12 BYN ($ 4.8), depending on the route.
  • It is better to buy tickets in advance as this direction is quite popular. You can buy online, link at the end of the article.

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Tours to Mir Castle with transfer from Minsk

Since the city of Mir is located not far from another famous Belarusian castle complex — the Nesvizh Castle, most travelers prefer to combine trips to both cities in one day.

• Distance between Mir and Nesvizh castles — 30 km
• It is easy to visit both castles in one day by car or if you booked a tour with a transfer from Minsk.
• If you travel on your own by bus, you will not have time to see both castles in one day. It will take a long time for the bus rides.
• Great overview of the city of Nesvizh and the Nesvizh castle

If you have your own car or a rental car and plenty of free time that you can spend preparing for the trip and exploring the castle and the surrounding area, then this is very good. But if you want to book a ready-made tour, then we recommend you:

• private tour (cool tour inside) with a personal guide, a comfortable transfer from Minsk to both cities (Mir and Nesvizh) and back. Additionally, as a rule, you need to pay for entrance tickets and lunch in a restaurant, if you wish.
• And this link contains all possible tours to the Mir Castle and by bus and with a personal guide and so on.

A Brief History of the Mir Castle

We have sorted out the organizational issues, now let’s go through what awaits you in the Mir Castle. And we’ll start with a very brief history of the castle.

The settlement of Mir was first mentioned in 1434. Then the town belonged to the family of Lithuanian noblemen — Gedigoldoviches. A few decades later, their relatives, the Ilinichi, began to own the city. And now this family begins to build a castle in 1520 on the one hand to protect against enemy raids. On the other hand, to receive the title of count of the Holy Roman Empire, since the count must have a castle.

n the second half of the 16th century, the lands around, including Mir, passed to the Radziwills. And for several centuries the castle was destroyed as a result of raids and wars, and then restored again by the Radziwills.

The general of the Russian Empire, the nobleman Svyatopolk-Mirsky, bought the castle with lands at the end of the 19th century. He significantly expanded the castle, built a nearby palace and a factory, laid out an English park.

During the 2nd World War, the castle was occupied by German troops, then came under the control of the Soviet Red Army. After the war, the townspeople of Mir, who were left without their homes, lived in the castle. And restoration work began only in the 80s.

• In 2000 Mir Castle was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Museums and exhibitions in Mir Castle

Today the museum is located on several floors of the Northern building of the castle and in two towers:

• North building:
  • Second floor: visitors will get acquainted and learn the history of the former owners of the castle: the Ilyinichs, the Radziwills, the Svyatopolk-Mirskys.
  • Third floor: portrait hall. As well as exhibitions dedicated to medieval life and way of life.
  • Basement: «kitchen», «beer cellar», storage rooms.
• Southwest tower: armory, and in general the tower is dedicated to the military theme.
• North-East tower: there is an exposition dedicated to what happened in the city of Mir during the wars, as well as tell about the ghetto and the tragedy of the Jewish people during the Holocaust.

There is also something to see outside the castle:

• the English Park.
• Church-tomb of the princes Svyatopolk-Mirsky — the last owners of the castle.

Hotel, restaurant and other things to do in Mir Castle

Of course, not the entire castle is a museum. A separate part is occupied by the hotel. This is an interesting experience if you want to spend the night in a real castle for little money. The cost of the simplest double room starts from 150 BYN ($60). The hotel offers discounted entry to the museum.

If you get hungry, then the castle has its own restaurant. Prices are certainly higher than in cafes and restaurants in the town of Mir itself. But here you will find yourself in a cozy medieval atmosphere. Restaurant «Prince’s Court» offers dishes of national cuisine. Prices are not high.

After resting and having lunch, rent a bike to ride in good weather around the castle area and the town of Mir. Bicycle rental — only 12 BYN for 2 hours ($ 4.8).

Tips and trick for tourists

The first and most important advice: if you are limited in time, combine a trip to Mir with a trip to Nesvizh. And the most convenient way to do this is to book a tour with a transfer from Minsk and a personal guide.

• Sights of Minsk: top 25 attractions in Minsk 

Conclusion:

Belarus, of course, cannot be compared, for example, with the Czech Republic in terms of the number of architectural monuments, but our country also has something to be proud of and something to show to tourists.

Is it worth going to Mir Castle? My personal opinion: Yes. If you are in Belarus for the first time, then it is definitely worth it. If you don’t like museum exhibitions, then you don’t have to go inside. Walk in the park, take cool photos. Be sure to eat at the local tavern, the food here is very tasty.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: below are the links that will be needed in organizing an unforgettable trip to Belarus:

• Air tickets: Aviasales — the largest airline ticket metasearch engine in the CIS.
• Apartments, hotels, farmsteads:
  • Hotellook — perhaps one of the most popular services in the country after the closure of the Booking com service in the country.
  • Ostrovok — main competitor. Search everywhere, book where it’s cheaper.
  • Sutochno — great discounts and promotions.
• Excursions and tours:
  • GYG — the largest selection of excursions in English in Belarus.
  • Sputnik8 — the largest selection of author’s excursions in Minsk, castles and the whole country. Possibly also in English.
• Rent a Car: Discovery — aggregator of car rental companies in Belarus. All cars without mileage limit.
• Transfer from airport: KiwiTaxi -the cheapest carrier from the airport to the center of Minsk. Cheaper — only by bus.