World Heritage Scanned Nomination File Name: 1196.pdf UNESCO Region: EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA __________________________________________________________________________________________________ SITE NAME: Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh DATE OF INSCRIPTION: 15th July 2005 STATE PARTY: BELARUS CRITERIA: C (ii)(iv)(vi) DECISION OF THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE: Excerpt from the Decisions of the 29th Session of the World Heritage Committee Criterion (ii): The architectural, residential and cultural complex of the Radziwill family at Nesvizh was the cradle for inoculation of new concepts based on the synthesis of the Western traditions, leading to the establishment of a new architectural school in Central Europe. Criterion (iv): The Radziwill complex represents an important stage in the development of building typology in the history of architecture of the Central Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. This concerned particularly the Corpus Christi Church with its typology related to cross-cupola basilica. Criterion (vi): The Radziwill family was particularly significant for being associated with the interpretation of the influences from Southern and Western Europe and the transmission of the ideas in the Central and Eastern Europe. BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS The Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh is located in central Belarus. The Radziwill dynasty, who built and kept the ensemble from the 16th century till 1939, gave birth to some of the most important personalities in European history and culture. Due to their efforts, the town of Nesvizh came to exercise great influence in the sciences, arts, crafts and architecture. The complex consists of the residence castle and the mausoleum church of Corpus Christi with their setting. The castle has ten interconnected buildings, which developed as one architectural whole around a six-sided courtyard. The palaces and Corpus Christi Church became important prototypes, which marked the development of architecture throughout central Europe and Russia. 1.b State, Province or Region: Minsk Province (Minskaya Voblasts') 1.d Exact location: N53 13 22.0 E26 41 29.0 2 Compiled by MINISTRY OF CULTURE OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS Minister: Leanid P. Gulyako NATIONAL COMMISION OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS FOR UNESCO Chairman: Uladzimir G. Shchasny in financial and scientific co-operation with UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE CENTRE Director: Francesco Bandarin POLISH NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR UNESCO Former Secretary General: Tomasz Orlowski Present Secretary General: Lidia Melka-Weczorkiewicz CHAIRMAN OF POLISH-BELARUSIAN COMMISSION FOR COMMON HERITAGE Andrzej Ciechanowiecki Supplemented text and photos based on the version prepared by Tadeusz Bernatowicz In co-operation with: Sergey A. Drushchits Vasyl Y. Ablamsky Igar Charniauski Valery A. Stolarchuk Zinaida L. Kuchar Photographs: Piotr Jamski Tadeusz Bernatowicz Sergey A. Drushchits Aliaxandr Aliakseyeu Aleh Lukashevich Institute of Polish Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences National Library in Warsaw Praektrestauracia Institute in Minsk Translated by: Paul Barford Iwona Duma Viachaslau Pliutau Yaraslau Aliakseyeu Technical support: Michal Jedrczak Bozena Lomza Praektrestauratsiya Institute Belkartagrfiya Institute Contents 3 1 IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROPERTY 1a Country .............................................................................................5 1b State, Province or Region .................................................................5 1c Name of the Property ........................................................................5 1d Geographical co-ordinates to the nearest second ............................5 1e Maps and plans showing boundary of area proposed for inscription and of any buffer zone ................................................5 1f Area of property proposed for inscription (ha) and proposed buffer zone (ha) ....................................................................... 5 2 JUSTIFICATION FOR INSCRIPTION 2a Statement of Significance ........................................................... 6 2b Comparative Analysis of Similar Sites ............................................ 19 2c Authenticity ..................................................................................... 26 2d Criteria under which inscription is proposed and justification for inscription ............................................................... 29 3 DESCRIPTION 3a Description of the Property ..............................................................34 3b History and Development ...............................................................38 3c Form and date of the most recent records of the property ..............45 3d Present State of Conservation ........................................................45 3e Policies and programs related to the presentation and promotion of the property ....................................................... .........................46 4 MANAGEMENT 4a Ownership .......................................................................................48 4b Legal Status ....................................................................................49 4c Protective measures and means of implementing them .................49 4d Agencies with management authority .............................................49 4e Level at which management is exercised .......................................49 4f Agreed plans relating to property .....................................................50 4g Sources and levels of finance .........................................................51 4h Sources of expertise and training in conservation and management techniques ..........................................................52 4i Visitor facilities and statistics ............................................................52 4j Property management plan ..............................................................53 4k Staffing levels ..................................................................................54 5 FACTORS AFFECTING THE PROPERTY 5a Development Pressures ..................................................................54 5b Environmental Pressures ................................................................55 5c Natural disasters and preparedness ...............................................55 5d Visitor/tourism pressures ................................................................56 5e Number of inhabitants within property ............................................56 6 MONITORING 6a Key indicators for measuring state of conservation ........................56 6b Administrative arrangements for monitoring the property ...............57 6c Results of previous reporting exercises ..........................................57 4 7 DOCUMENTATION 7a List of Illustrations.................. ............................................... .58 7b Copies of property management plans and extracts of other plans relevant to the property ..........................................................60 7c Bibliography .....................................................................................62 7d Addresses where inventory, records and archives are held ...........65 8 SIGNATURE ON BEHALF OF THE STATE PARTY APPENDIX 1 Law of the Republic of Belarus “On the Protection of the Historical and Cultural Heritage” .................................................... 66 APPENDIX 2 Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, "On Approval of the Provisions on the National Historical and Cultural Reserve-Museum “Nesvizh” ..........................................111 APPENDIX 3 The project of adaptation of the interiors of the castle in Niesvizh to a museum ....................................................................115 APPENDIX 4 Conception of Setting Up the Nesvizh-Mir Cultural Tourism Zone......116 5 CHAPTER 1 IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROPERTY 1A COUNTRY Republic of Belarus 1B STATE, PROVINCE OR REGION The Town of Nesvizh. Centre of the Nesvizh Rayon Minsk Oblast 1C NAME OF THE PROPERTY The Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh 1D GEOGRAPHICAL COORDINATES TO THE NEAREST SECOND 53 degrees 13 minutes 22 seconds latitude north 26 degrees 41 minutes 29 seconds longitude east 1E MAPS AND PLANS SHOWING BOUNDARY OF AREA PROPOSED FOR INSCRIPTION AND OF BUFFER ZONE Maps Map 1. Republic of Belarus (fig.1) Map 2. Minsk Oblast of Republic of Belarus (fig.2) Map 3. Location of World Heritage Site and Buffer Zone 1F AREA OF PROPERTY PROPOSED FOR INSCRIPTION (HA) AND PROPOSED BUFFER ZONE (HA) . The nomination consists of a Property Territory of 120 hectars and Buffer Zone of 292 hectars. 6 CHAPTER 2 JUSTIFICATION FOR INSCRIPTION 2A STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The architectural and cultural residential complex of the Radziwill family at Nesvizh is a complex of buildings unique in East-Central Europe in that for more than 400 years it was connected with one family. The deceased members of the family are interred in the crypt of the nearby church-mausoleum. For centuries the Radziwill family was one of the most influential and rich aristocratic families in East-Central Europe (at present – Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia and Germany) of the ancient coat of arms the Horns. The record of the Radziwills’ first known ancestor Syrpuc dates back to 1385. The Radziwill as a family name appeared in records in the 15th century. Members of that aristocratic