Palace of the Puslovskys "Kossovo Castle"

Kossovo Palace of the Puslovskys is in the final stages of restoration. Works on the arrangement of the park zone are now being completed.

History of construction

Kossovo belonged to many famous families: Khreptovich, Flemming, Sapieha. In 1821, these lands were bought by Vojtech Puslovsky, a major industrialist and art lover. Since that time, the flowering of Kossovo begins. The tycoon built a carpet factory in these parts and actively restored temples. However, the construction of the Kossovsky Palace was already started by the son of Voitekh - Vandalin Puslovsky.

The architect of the castle in Kossovo was Frantisek Jaszhold. Construction work began in 1838.

Subsequently, the Italian artist was engaged in interior decoration and decoration. Marconi. The palace in Kossovo consists of 12 towers - each for a certain month of the year. The four central towers symbolize the harvest months of the year - May, June, July and August.

The Kossovsky Palace of the Puslovskys is thought out so that each room, for about two days a year, is illuminated by sunlight. There is an attachment that the Puslovskys noted "room day": when it was filled with the sun, it was decorated and celebrated.

The architecture of the palace in Kossovo

The palace was built for a long time, about 10 years. The result can be safely called atypical for estate complexes of the 19th century. Instead of classicism, which has become traditional, preference is given to gothic and neo-gothic. Some historians believe that the choice of such a style is a specific protest against the ideology of Tsarist Russia of that time.

The palace complex is located on an area of ​​about 40 hectares. Before the palace was erected, an artificial hill was poured.

The Kossovo Palace has a regular geometric shape and is completely symmetrical, stretching for almost 120 meters. The building consists of 3 buildings. Central - two-story and 2 side - one-story. The towers are decorated with many narrow lancet windows. Wider arched stained-glass windows were provided in the living rooms.

The hallmark of the Puslovsky Palace is the jagged Gothic towers.

Kossovo Palace of the Puslovskys was famous for its halls. For example, the White Hall was intended for balls, the Pink Hall was for music lessons, and the Black Hall was for card games.

A large park was created around the palace, which included about 150 unusual plants. There was even a greenhouse for the rarest representatives of the flora.

The sad fate of the palace

After 1863, the Puslovsky estate was under threat. Probably after the defeat in the uprising, the palace was confiscated and handed over to the Russian merchant Alexandrov. According to another version, the castle was sold by Leonard Puslovsky because of huge gambling debts.

After that, the palace was resold several more times until it passed to the Prince of Oldenburg. During the First World War, this unique attraction of Belarus partially destroyed and plundered. When Kossovo was part of the Polish Republic, the palace was restored. The administration of the Kosovo district was located here.

In 1944, due to a fire set by partisans, the palace was badly damaged. As a result, almost nothing was preserved from the former luxury of the interior decoration.

At the end of the war, it was planned to place an orphanage in the palace. This idea did not come to fruition, the building required a major overhaul. But the local forestry actively launched activities, the result of which was the complete destruction of the rarest tree species. Until 2008, the Puslovsky Palace in Kossovo was in ruins, then a long reconstruction began.

Museum of Kossovo and the palace today

In November 2017, after 9 years of restoration, the palace in Kossovo opened its doors to visitors. On the first floor there is a museum, which consists of 5 rooms. The exposition of the halls is devoted to the history of the castle in different periods. Here you can see elements of interior and exterior decor, dishes, household items that were found during the reconstruction.

Particular attention is drawn to the unusually shaped windows. Some of them are decorated with stained-glass windows, which create a special atmosphere in the halls. But from the former interiors, unfortunately, nothing has been preserved. And whether they will be restored is not clear.

Entrance fee: 3 rubles. Nearby is Manor-Museum of Tadeusz Kosciuszko.

See others castles and palaces of Belarus. Worth a visit in Kossovo Trinity Church и Church of Saint Anthony. Another interesting attraction of the region is Sapieha Palace in Ruzhany.