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Коммуникативная задача:
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THE ARCHITECTURE OF CASTLES AND PALACES IN BELARUS
1a. What castles and palaces in Belarus do you know?
1b. Read the article about the architecture of Belarusian castles and palaces. Fill in
the missing parts.
The castle (fortress) architecture of Belarus has undergone a complex
development. In Belarus the word castle had several meanings. It was often used to
describe a fortified place, which in early times served to protect the town against
enemies. (1)
The fortified architecture of Belarus is divided into stone and wooden
architecture, according to the type of materials used in their construction. (2)
The castles are divided into two groups, depending on their location. The first
group includes those built on hills. These are older fortifications, which had appeared
before the 15th century. The strength and impregnability of this type of castle was
achieved both by its construction and as a result of the height & steepness of the hill on
which it was built. (3) Many castles of the 14th, 15th & 16th centuries have Gothic
features in their architecture.
The combination of a strong fortification system (earth ramparts with bastions
[ˈb?stiənz], deep moats, fortress walls and towers) with an inner palace became typical
of the castle architecture of Belarus of the 16th & 17th centuries. (4)
By the 18th & the first half of the 19th centuries, Belarusian architecture had
reached a high standard. (5)
A. Stone and wood often supplemented each other within one structure. The wooden
fortifications have not survived.
B. The palaces and manors of that time & a great number built in the second half of
the 19th century, exemplify some of the most interesting pages in the architectural
heritage of Belarus.
C. The second group includes the castles of a later period dating back from the 16th
century. They were the feudal castles located on low-lying land and surrounded by
fortified walls topped with towers.
D. When we talk about the fortified architecture of Belarus, the term castle refers
mainly to the fortified residences of the feudal [ˈfjuːdəl] lords of the 16th & 17th
centuries, which often were both palace & castle complexes.
E. The palace-&-castle complexes of the 16th & 17th centuries demonstrate a great
variety of architectural compositions.
1c. Match the words in bold with their translations. Then, make up true sentences
with them.
1. undergo
2. fortified [ˈfɔːtɪfaɪd]
3. impregnability [ɪmˈpreɡnəˈbɪlətɪ]
4. steepness
5. rampart [ˈr?mpɑːt]
6. moat [məʊt]
A. крепостной вал
B. феодальное поместье
C. неприступность
D. переносить, подвергаться
E. ров с водой
F. крутизна, обрывистость
G. укрепленный
7. manor [ˈm?nə]
1c. What castles in Belarus and other countries have you visited? What impressed
you most of all?
2a. Read about some castles and palaces of Belarus. Which of the castles and
palaces …
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
… was (were) besieged by the Crusaders?
… used to have wooden constructions?
… belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania?
… was (were) destroyed by fire?
… is (are) home to a museum now?
The oldest stone castles in Belarus are to be found at Lida, Krevo, Novogrudok,
and Grodno. The Castle at Lida, Grodno Region was founded in 1323 by the Grand
Duke Gedimin of Lithuania in order to defend his lands from the Crusaders
[kruːˈseɪdəz]. During numerous sieges and assaults the inner wooden structure of the
castle was completely destroyed & the walls were severely damaged. The two towers at
the diagonal corners of the castle were completely destroyed.
The Castle at Novogrudok, Grodno Region is the one of the oldest in Belarus. As
early as the 11th to the mid-13th centuries, the wooden walls of the castle were
repeatedly stormed by enemy troops and were frequently restored. The later stone walls
of the polygonal form had several towers. In the 16th century, the castle had seven
towers and was one of the strongest of its time. The castle was badly damaged during
the war of Russia with Rzeczpospolita (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) in 16541667. At the time of the Northern war in 1706, it was burned down by the Swedes.
The Old Castle at Grodno was erected on the site of an 11th century settlement,
on the high, steep bank of the Neman River, at the confluence with the Gorodnichanka
River. From the late 13th century, for the next one hundred years, the wooden castle
was besieged many times by the Crusaders. In 1398 the castle was destroyed by fire. A
new stone castle appeared in its place. In the '80s of the 16th century under the Polish
King and Grand Duke of Lithuania Stefan Batoria, the Old Castle was extensively
rebuilt. It was redesigned as a palace-&-castle complex. The core of the complex was
formed by a new royal palace designed in Renaissance style by the Italian architect
Scotto. Later, the Old Castle underwent numerous alterations.
The outstanding work of Belarusian architecture is the
Castle at Mir, Grodno Region. The castle is situated in open
ground and in a low-lying area. It was surrounded by moats and
earth walls, with bastions on three sides; on the forth (Southern)
side it was covered by an artificial lake. The construction was
carried out in several stages. The fortress walls and the towers
were built first. Later, in the early 17th century, a three-storeyed
palace built by Grand Duke Nickolai Radziwill Sirotka was added. The castle walls
originally were 13 m high and 3 m thick in their foundation. Of especial interest are the
castle towers. They have a rich diverse decor in the form of niches [niʃɪz] and
ornamental tile belts. Only the entrance and SW towers have kept the original Gothic
elements. The other towers and the palace itself assumed their present form and decor in
Renaissance [rɪˈneɪsəns] style. In the 17th & 18th centuries, Mir Castle was an
imposing palace-and-castle complex, which successfully combined the elements of a
military fortification with the splendour and luxury of a palace. Despite numerous
disasters (the worst being the war of 1812) Mir Castle has survived until the present,
and is now being successfully restored.
The masterpiece of Belarusian architecture is the
Palace-and-Castle Complex at Nesvizh, Minsk Region. The
castle demonstrates a mixture of various styles & displays the
distinctive features and achievements of the architectural and
artistic trends of various historical epochs [ˈiːpɒks]. The stone
castle was erected on the site of a wooden one in 1583 at the
orders of Grand Duke Nickolai Radziwill Sirotka. The
construction was initially carried out under the supervision of
the Italian architect Giovanni Maria Bernardoni. The castle was situated on a hill some
distance from the town. It was only possible to enter it by a wooden drawbridge. The
rampart 20 m high, moats and other fortifications made the castle an impregnable
fortress. In 1706, the castle was blown up by the Swedes.
After 1726, the damaged castle was restored and rebuilt in
Baroque style by the architect Kazimir Zhdanovich.
Throughout the 18th century the castle was frequently rebuilt
and extended. The Nesvizh Castle, the residence of the
Radziwill family, was an important centre of medieval
art, culture and literature. It housed a valuable library of 20,
000 volumes, including rare manuscripts, first & early
editions, a portrait and picture gallery totalling over a thousand
works, a rich collection of ancient European, Arab, Japanese
and Chinese weapons, as well as the famous Slutsk belts, Korelichi & Nesvizh
wallpaper, a big collection of coins & medals, a collection of furniture, etc. From 1945,
the castle was used as a sanatorium. Attempts are now underway to restore it to its
former splendour.
The massive palace complex at
Ruzhany, Brest Region is of great interest.
Its construction took many years. Begun in the heyday of the Baroque, the palace was
considerably altered during the Classical period. This alteration took place in 1788 and
is connected with the name of Jan Becker, the court architect for the wealthy magnate
[ˈm?ɡneɪt], Sapiega. The palace was located on a hill above the town. It had a main
building, two auxiliary buildings, an impressive arcade and monumental entrance gates
used to represent a triumphal arch [traɪˈʌmfəl ˈɑːtʃ].
A notable phenomenon in Belarusian castle architecture is the Palace at Grodno,
built in Classical style. The castle was built for the famous Russian commander P.
Rumiantsev. The construction was carried out in several stages. In 1785-1793, the main
building was erected. In 1794-1805, two wings and a colonnade [‚kɒləˈneɪd] were
added. In 1837-1851, the palace was reconstructed and extended following its sale to
Field Marshal-General I. Paskevich. The riverside park is impressive. The castle was
severely damaged during the Second World War & only the walls survived. Now it has
been completely restored and houses a regional museum.
The Palace at Snov, Minsk Region was erected in
1827 by the architect B. Tychetski. The palace is very
impressive in its size and originally had one hundred
rooms and halls. Later, the inner design was considerably
altered. Picturesquely situated over the small twisting river
Snovka, the palace-manor is about 140m long. The main entrance has a fine portico
supported on four Ionic columns. The palace-manor is remarkable for its special
composition, clear and distinctive design, severe architectural forms and simple
construction. Classical elements are clearly vivid here.
2b. Read again and name architectural styles which are (were) present in
Belarusian castles and palaces. Give examples.
2c. Choose the correct translation of the words in bold.
sieges [siːdʒɪz] and assaults [əˈsɔːlts]
a) осады и нападения
b) ограды и памятники
medieval [‚mediˈiːvəl]
a) промежуточный
b) средневековый
alterations [‚ɔltəˈreɪʃənz]
a) изменения
b) разрушения
heyday [ˈheɪdeɪ]
a) расцвет
b) закат
distinctive
a) далекий
b) характерный
drawbridge
a) разводной мост
b) чертежная доска
extend
a) увлажнять
b) расширять
vivid [ˈvɪvɪd]
a) шумный
b) отчетливый
2d. Choose one of the castles and speak about it. Follow the plan.
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Location
Date
Owners/Architects
Architectural peculiarities
Historical facts
NEVER FORGOTTEN
1. What Great Patriotic memorials and monuments in Belarus do you know? Which of them
have you visited?
2. Read about one of the war memorials and be ready to speak about it as a guide. Give a short
summary.
KHATYN MEMORIAL
Khatyn memorial, in the Minsk region of Belarus, remains one of the most haunting memorials of
World War 2 in all Europe
History of Khatyn
Khatyn memorial is a tribute to almost three million Belarusians who died during the Great Patriotic
War (World War 2). It stands 54km north-east of Minsk in the Minsk region of Belarus.
Until 1943, Khatyn was a usual Belarusian village to the north east of
Minsk. But on March 22, 1943, after a skirmish nearby in which a
German officer was killed, the occupying German forces encircled the
village.
All the inhabitants were rounded up and taken to a barn, which was
then set on fire. Some 149 people, including 75 children, died. Only
one adult, 56-year-old Joseph Kaminsky, survived the attack. He found
his injured son but was unable to save him.
Khatyn’s story is not unique. In the Great Patriotic War (World War 2) the inhabitants of 628 Belarus
villages were burned alive by the Nazis. 186 of these villages have never rebuilt.
After the war, a memorial to all those who died across Belarus was
built on the site of the former village. A handful of soil from each of the
185 burned and never rebuilt was brought to Khatyn to create
a symbolic graveyard. Khatyn became the 186th village, the site of this symbolic graveyard.
As a haunting reminder of the horrors of war, it has become one of the most important places in
Belarus.
Khatyn today
At the centre of the complex stands an astonishing 6m bronze statue
called “The Unconquered Man” – a tribute to Joseph Kaminsky and his
son.
On the place of the barn where Khatyn people were burned there is a
black plate resembling the roof. Nearby is a common grave with a
symbolic wreath of memory with the words from the dead to the living.
The memorial has 26 chimneys with bells – one for each of the houses
in the village – which ring out every hour. Each chimney has a plaque
remembering the family members who died.
Two vast granite slabs mark the place where the barn was raised to the
ground. Further into the memorial is a cemetery for the villagers, and
another burial ground for all the other lost Belarus villages.
The symbolic cemetery of villages behind the houses-monuments has the
soil brought from 185 burnt villages that never revived after the war.
The Wall of Sorrow near the cemetery
represents the memorial slabs with the names
of 66 largest death camps and places of massive loss of life.
The Square of Memory features three birch trees symbolizing life
and Eternal Flameinstead of a fourth tree commemorating the
Belarusians killed during the war. Nearby is theTree of Life with the list
of 433 villages that were burned by the Nazis and were restored after the
war.
In recent years a small museum and photo display have been added to the memorial.
BREST FORTRESS
Brest Fortress, one of the most important places in Belarus, dates back to the 19th century and became
a key symbol of Soviet resistance in World War 2.
HISTORY OF BREST FORTRESS
Brest Fortress was built in the 1830s-early 1840s at the meeting-point
of the rivers Bug and Mukhavyets.
During construction, the entire town was relocated to a new position
2km away.
St Nicolas Church was built in 1851-1876. Much of it was severely damaged during World War 2.
The site occupies more than four square km, although many of the outer defences were damaged or
destroyed during the wars of the 20th century.
There is a citadel at the centre of the fortress, linked to three artificial island fortifications by
bridgeheads:
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Kobrin fortification (north-eastern side)
Terespol fortification (western island)
Volyn fortification (south-eastern island)
The fortress was captured by the German army in 1915 and after World War 1remained within Polish
territory. In 1930 it became infamous as a prison in Poland in the aftermath of the Brest Elections.
In 1939 Brest Fortress was assigned to the Soviet Union. It earned the
title of Hero Fortress for the courage demonstrated by Soviet soldiers
when they fought against the German army in 1941. Whilst the Nazis
took the town of Brest – 90% of which was destroyed in the fighting –
the two regiments garrisoned inside the fortress held out.
For the people of Belarus, Brest Fortress remains a famous symbol of
the Soviet resistance during World war 2.
Brest Fortress today
Brest Fortress is one of the most important places to see in Belarus and
by far the largest tourist attraction in Brest.
The fortress was not rebuilt at the end of the war, but instead became
a shrine to the terrible and heroic events that took place there.
The entry of the fortress represents a huge star cut into a concrete
block. The radio announcer informs about the invasion of the German
army.
As you walk up to the centre of the fortress you see "Thirst", a large
monument depicting an injured soldier trying to get some water from the river. The monument reflects
the bravery of the last remaining soldiers who defended the Fortress for many days without food or
water.
The main part of the memorial is the Square of Ceremonies, leading to the Museum of the Defence of
Brest fortress and the ruins of theWhite Palace.
The Bayonet Obelisk, 100m high, can be seen from any part of the fortress,
and is linked to the main Courage monument by 3 rows of tombstones.
Only 216 of the 850 defenders who died here are known.
The Courage monument stands 33.5m high and tells the story of the heroic
defence of the fortress through a series of carvings. There is an eternal
flame which is guarded by 4 teenagers from the Pioneers Corps.
There is an Eternal Fire in front of the remnants of the former engineering
department. Further in to the Fortress you will find the iconic Kholmsky
Gate, with its bullet-riddled walls.
MEMORIALS AT FORMER DEATH CAMPS AND GHETTOS
TROSTENETS MEMORIAL
Trostenets was the largest Nazi extermination camp
on the territory of the Soviet Union and the fourth
largest in Europe following the infamous
Auschwitz, Majdanek, and Treblinka. According to
the official data, around 206,500 people were killed in the"death factory" in the neighborhood of
Minsk. There is also evidence that the actual number of victims is much higher. Trostenets comprised
several places of mass killings: the labor camp near the village of Maly Trostenets, Blagovshchina
urochishche where mass executions were carried out, and Shashkovka urochishche where bodies were
burnt in a huge pit oven… The foundation of a large memorial complex, the symbol of the memory of
the victims of the Nazi atrocities was laid on the site of the former concentration camp in anticipation
of the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory.
The Nazi death camp was used for killing civilians and prisoners of war, prisoners of theMinsk ghetto,
members of the underground and partisan movements, and Jews brought from Poland, Austria,
Germany, Czechoslovakia, and other European countries…
PIT MEMORIAL TO HOLOCAUST VICTIMS
The Pit, a memorial located in Minsk,
is a painful reminder of the Nazi
inhumanity and a symbol of the
eternal sorrow for the genocide
victims. One of the largest European
ghettos for the Jews was established
in the occupied Belarusian capital
during theGreat Patriotic War. Over
100,000 people were murdered there
by late October 1943. The atrocity of
2 March 1942 when the Nazi executed more than 5,000 Jews including 200 orphans from a boarding
school together with their teachers and medical staff was one of the multitude of atrocities that took
place there. Thousands of corpses of those who were killed in the Minsk ghetto were dumped into the
pit that today is marked with an impressive memorial. In the center of the memorial there is a black
marble obeliskerected in 1947. The stairs lead to the deep pit form the Last Journey sculpture that
features 27 bronze figures moving down the stairs like faceless ghosts…
The Alley of the Righteous Among Nations near the Pit commemorates the Belarusian people who
saved Jews while jeopardizing their own lives. All in all, on the territory of Belarus there were over
100 ghettos for the Jews from Germany, Poland, Austria, and other countries…
GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR MUSEUM IN MINSK
The Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War was the world’s first museum
to tell the story of the bloodiest war of the 20th century, and the only one in Belarus created during the
years of Nazi occupation.
Today it is one of the most important and biggest war museums in the world, along with the wellstocked museums in Moscow, Kiev, and New Orleans.
…In those terrible years Belarus lost every third resident. More than 3 million people died,
including about 50,000 partisans and underground fighters. Throughout the country there
were 250 death camps, including the infamous Trostenets, one of the largest after Auschwitz,
Majdanek and Treblinka...
History of the Museum
The collection of the world's first museum
of the Great Patriotic War was founded
inJune 1942 when no one could predict
how long the war would last...
The museum, the guardian of the memory
about the courage and tragedy of the
Belarusian people, was pened to the public
on 22 October 1944.
The first expositions about the weapons of the partisans and military print media grew bigger with new
rarities. Already in 1944 the museum workers explored the place of theTrostenets death camp. In 1949,
they participated in the first excavations in the heroic Brest Fortress...
In 1966, the museum moved to a building specially built for it in the central square of Minsk
(now Oktyabrskaya Square). A unique open-air exposition of military equipment and weapons was
opened in 1977 next to the museum.
New Museum Building
Over decades of research into the Great Patriotic War the museum’s collection has grown many times:
even now it gains 700—800 priceless rarities every year.
The renewed museum was solemnly opened on 2 July 2014 on the eve ofIndependence Day and was
kind of a tribute to the 70th anniversary of Belarus’ liberation from the Nazi invaders.
The magnificent building with the total area of 15,600m2 was erected in a significant place of the
Belarusian capital – in the Heroes Square next to the stela Minsk - Hero City and the museum and park
complex Pobeda. Military parades and festive marches took place nearby – along the Pobeditelei
Avenue.
The current premises of the museum are impressive not only due to their scale but also symbolism that
reflects major milestones of the history of 1941-1945. The composition represents four main blocks to
match the number of years of the war and the army fronts that took part in Belarus’ liberation.
The front facade looks like a
festive salute: 11 sparkling rays
made of stainless steel to symbolize
the Great Victory and at the same
time 1,100 tragic days and nights of
Minsk’s occupation.
The serious sheen of the metal used
for the decoration "speaks" of the
war while the golden sparkle of
the glass signifies the victory and the greatest treasure that is peace.
The design of the new museum premises gently combines stupendous features and modern
technologies. Glass niches are complemented with wide plasma screens. Thanks to laser lights “the
rays of the salute” seem to penetrate the night sky underscoring the overall outline of the entire
museum premises.
Directly above is a 45-meter stela Minsk – Hero City. It was opened in 1985 for the 40th anniversary
of the Great Victory. The sculpture Mother Motherland is located nearby.
The Heroes Square is embellished by a fountain of 170 jets to match the number of Belarusian
populated localities that were liberated by the Soviet army during the war.
Exposition
The museum has dedicated over 3,000m2 to over
8,000 exhibits that tell the story of the Great Patriotic
War. There are about 145,000 rarities in the
museum’s storage. They were collected during
military operations in Eastern Europe and Germany
and were presented by embassies of various countries
in time of peace.
The exhibits are divided into 28 collections and showcased in ten themed halls:
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World and the war;
World before and in the first years of World War II;
Road of the war;
Beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Defense in Belarus in summer 1941. The battle of
Smolensk. The battle of Moscow of 1941-1942;
Turning point of the war. The Soviet home front;
Nazi occupation regime on the territory of Belarus in 1941-1944;
Partisan movement and anti-fascist underground resistance in Belarus. Participation of Soviet
people in European resistance movements of 1941-1945;
Liberation of Belarus. The defeat of the Nazi Germany, its allies, and the militarist Japan;
Belarus after the liberation. The years 1944-1950. Memory of the war;
Heirs of the Great Victory.
The most interesting exhibits include:
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Collection of 27,000 documents (combat reports, orders, diaries, journals of military
operations, soldiers’ performance evaluation reports, and others);
Collection of drawings (over 3,000 sketches, cartoons, and mini posters) and paintings (around
500 watercolor and pastel paintings);
Flags of military units and partisan detachments;
Military uniforms and civilian clothing of the USSR, Germany, Italy, the USA,
Czechoslovakia, and France;
Personal belongings of famous people born in Belarus (Marshals of the Soviet Union Ivan
Yakubovsky, Vasily Sokolovsky, Stepan Krasovsky…);
Exposition of military vehicles and weapons.
The
items
museum showcases personal
special-service
agent Yelena
Mazanik who participated in
the
operation of Minsk partisans
and
underground resistance units to
kill
Commissioner General of the
occupied Belarus Wilhelm Kube. Several years after the operation, the story was screened as one of
the most famous Soviet movies “The Clock Stopped at Midnight”…
of
The multimedia technologies used in the design of expositions include a spherical screen, holographic
3D installations, and a fog screen imitating flame.
Nowadays the museum is crowned by the Belarusian National Flag; inside the transparent dome is
decorated with a stained-glass panel depicting a stork which is a symbol of Belarus. It offers
a breathtaking view of the city, the Svisloch River and the Victory Park.
3. Discuss in small groups. Why are war memorials important?
Материалы подготовлены автором учебных пособий «Английский язык» для учреждений
общего среднего образования, Севрюковой Т.Ю., учителем английского языка
квалификационной категории «учитель-методист» государственного учреждения образования
«Средняя школа №6 г. Жодино» Коледой С.М.