The "Mirsky Posad" Museum by Viktor Sakel.

The museum is small and consists of only two rooms, but at first glance it is fascinating, because all the objects here literally breathe antiquity. The owner, Viktor Sakel, is always happy to take a tour of his museum – to the accompaniment of his stories, visitors enter the fascinating world of the past, setting off on a journey through the centuries. Here is a treasure trove of coins that he personally found during the renovation of an old house (Victor shows the trail of a shovel on a broken pot). Here are old books found in the attic, antique dishes, photographs, maps, archaeological finds, and much more. Many of the exhibits were personally assembled by the creator of the museum on the territory of the urban settlement, something Victor bought from the locals.

A significant part of the exhibits is related to the Mir Castle: fragments of personal tableware by Mikhail Kazimir "Rybonka" Radziwill, as well as furniture and personal items from the library of the last owner of the castle, Mikhail Svyatopolk-Mirsky. An authentic antique wardrobe, the prince's bed, on which the guide strongly suggests sitting: "girls acquire beauty, and men acquire masculine strength" (as a real guide, Victor abundantly flavours his story with various tales and beliefs). The pearl of the collection is an authentic diamond necklace of the last mistress of the Mir Castle. Whether jokingly or seriously, Victor talks about the fact that even the Mir Castle Museum envies his collection. However, Victor willingly shares his findings, having presented hundreds of unique artifacts to the castle.

Part of the museum's exposition consists of antique collections. This is a collection of antique bottles (found during excavations of the basement of a former tavern), antique irons (the work and device of which the owner immediately demonstrates), and a hundred-year-old cuckoo clock, which is very shy, but still comes out to greet the guests. To the sound of a gramophone, you will listen to the history of the village, the amazing stories of the people who lived here.

A separate place of the exhibition is occupied by a visual story about the multiculturalism of the village. People of different faiths – Catholics, Orthodox, Jews and Tatars - lived peacefully here. Here is the school diary of a Tatar girl at the beginning of the 20th century – she scored A five in all subjects (there is a clear dash in the Law of God column). Here are fragments of a handmade Torah from the 19th century. Here are the kitabs — books written in Belarusian, but in Arabic script.

All this and much more must be seen with your own eyes. If you have come to the Mir to see a UNESCO World Heritage Site castle, be sure to visit Viktor Yanovich, because his museum is just a couple of minutes away from the castle. And there is still a lot to see in Mir, so if you want to stay here for the night, you can rent cozy rooms with all the amenities in the house next to the museum. The queue at the museum is not as long as at the Mir Castle, however, it is advisable to call the owner in advance (+375 29 929-42-68) to book a tour or accommodation.

At the exit from the museum, the guests are escorted by a huge glass jar filled to the brim with banknotes. There is a belief that if you put money in this jar (and the visitors' money for the tour is already carefully stacked at the very top) and cover it with your hand, the giver's capital will increase tenfold. Is this true or not? You won't know until you check it out :).