Smilovichi. Monyushko Palace and Park Complex

Stanislav Monyushko is an outstanding Belarusian composer and conductor who became the founder of the national opera in Poland. He was born and raised in a family estate located in the urban settlement of Smilovichi, Minsk region. During the war, the house where the conductor lived was destroyed, and later the Monyushko Museum was opened in a nearby school.

In the XVII century, one of the representatives of the Oginsky family, Marcian, built a castle here. Unfortunately, no photographs of the first palace complex have been preserved. It is believed that this particular building became the image of a modern manor house, which is now located on the outskirts of Smilovichi Park. The exact date of the castle's construction – July 30, 1795 – is known due to the stone embedded in the walls of the building. In 2006, this stone was removed from the wall and used to prop up the doors to the basement, after which it disappeared.

The last owner of the estate, Levon Vankovich's son, also Levon, preserved his parental legacy. Nowadays, unfortunately, the ancient estate is overloaded with modern buildings, which blurs the impression of the entire palace and park ensemble. However, the Monyushko estate, together with the park, is of great interest to tourists.

Now the Monyushko estate is an architectural monument of the XVIII century, shrouded in peasant life and absorbed the history of Belarus for several centuries. In the early 1900s, a new building was added to the old building, made in the Neo-Gothic style with modern elements. This new building harmoniously complemented the old building, creating a single architectural ensemble. Neo-Gothic elements and Art Nouveau give the new building a distinctive and elegant look.

There is also information that after Stanislav received the rights to the castle from Mikhail Oginsky, Monyushko built a household building here – a house for servants. A little later, another utility building was erected – an alcohol warehouse, which was later converted into a workshop for storing furniture.

The composer had 10 children. After Monyushko's death, his paternal possessions went to one of his sons, Kazimir. Kazimir significantly modified the palace and park complex: he founded a school here, brought out new varieties of plants and planted them in the park, laid a nursery, and collected a huge personal library. In 1856, after Kazimir's death, the estate passed to Stanislav's youngest son, Alexander. Alexander planned to build another building next to the castle, but due to his imminent death, he could not put his plans into practice.