Osveya. The ruins of the palace.

Since 1749, the territory was owned by representatives of the Gilzen family - voivode of Minsk Jan-August Gilzen and his son voivode Mstislavsky Jozef Gilzen. The construction of a huge classical-style palace, surrounded by a landscape park, was completed in 1782.

Jan-August was a very educated and spiritually rich man. He compiled the "Coat of Arms of the Infantile Gentry," built a famous palace and church in the city, laid out a romantic park, and invited the sisters of mercy here, who founded the monastery hospital. 

The building of the former monastery hospital has been preserved to this day and is one of the oldest architectural monuments of the district. The monument is also the Osveya Park, located in the eastern part of Osveya with the remains of the palace. The palace was shaped like a bird with outstretched wings and consisted of five buildings with four wide galleries.

The construction of the palace was symbolically linked to the calendar. The palace had exactly as many windows as there were days in a year, the number of halls was equal to the number of weeks, and the entrances to the palace were equal to the number of months. There were four main entrances: from all sides of the world. 

The palace was famous for its magnificent library, and in one of its wings there was a winter garden covering two floors, where magnolias, rhododendrons, palm trees, lemons, oranges grew. The creator of all this beauty, Jozef Gilsen, lived little in the palace. Before his death, he left a letter in which he bequeathed all his peasants to be freed from serfdom. In 1786, after the death of Jozef Gilsen, the property passed to Count Jozef Shadursky.

 The Shadurskys continued to decorate the Avenue. They were very careful about the park. Ponds, channels, and channels created the island's pattern. Between the main ponds there was a drawbridge and embankment slides, on which there were gazebos. The flower garden in the park was the size of a football field. Each tree was a composition. A sundial was installed in one of the clearings. They consisted of 12 larches planted in a circle. Wolves, bears, and wild boars roamed the enclosures. Underground passages led from the palace in different directions. Even today, you can find the entrances to these ancient dungeons.

An old pit is visible on the edge of the park. They call her "the devil.""Locals say that suicides were once buried here, as well as those who destroyed churches and palaces.

The majestic past of these places can be judged by the paintings of the famous artist Napoleon Orda, which depict the palace, the church and the elements of the park.

In 1917, the manor-palace was nationalized, and the estate was looted. During the Patriotic War, part of the palace was blown up, and the other part was used for the needs of the local administration in the post-war years. 

Only the ruins of its central part, the main building, have survived from the palace to the present day. A picturesque piece of the park has also been preserved. The park is a favorite vacation spot for locals. Tourists are very impressed by the surrounding nature of these places and they are happy to visit the territory. It's just a pity that no one has decided to restore the architectural monument of the 18th century - the Gilzen and Shadursky palace estate.