On memorable places of the Slizen family.

The Slizen family is one of the ancient gentry families of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which has left a significant mark in the history of Belarus. Its representatives owned numerous estates, and their legacy is still preserved in different parts of the country.

According to genealogical research, the roots of the family go back to Transilvania, and its first representatives appeared on the lands of The Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the XV century.

One of the first known ancestors was Andrei "Ratsza" Slizen, who lived around 1436. His descendants eventually took possession of a number of estates, including Knyaginin, Motyki, and Uzla in the Oshmyany district.

The genus achieved a special influence in the XVII-XVIII centuries.

The key figure of that time was Alexander Kazimir Slizen (c. 1610-1684)— the royal secretary, Oshmyany stolnik and ambassador to Muscovy.

His son, Stefan Jan Slizen, served as Marshal of the Lithuanian General Tribunal. Another notable personality was Rafal Slizen (c. 1750-1817), the main Lithuanian instigator and knight of the Order of the White Eagle, who owned the estates of Devyatkovichi, Kostyki and Dedilovichi.

The heyday of the family is associated with their estates, such as Novodevyatkovichi, where a magnificent three-story palace was built in the 19th century.

Unfortunately, many buildings, including this palace, did not survive the military upheavals of the 20th century. However, tomb chapels, fragments of parks, outbuildings and churches founded by Slizens have survived to this day.

Their family was interrupted in the male line in the first half of the 20th century: the last owners of the estates, Henrik and Stanislav Slizen, became victims of tragic historical events.

Nevertheless, the memory of the family lives on in the preserved architectural monuments and the active research work carried out by modern historians and descendants of the family.