Mir Castle - Belarus

Mir Castle is the most famous castle in Belarus and one of the country's UNESCO WHS. Castles and UNESCO sites are 2 of my favorite kind of cards, so is no surprise that I already got a few Mir Castle cards, some of them twice. 

BY-16035, sent by Olga.

I think most of the postcrossers are familar with the beautiful Mir Castle as it looks nowadays but a few years ago it didn't look that beautiful. This is how the castle looked in 1979 before the modern restoration.

The construction of this castle began at the end of the 15th century, in Gothic style. It was subsequently extended and reconstructed, first in the Renaissance and then in the Baroque style. After being abandoned for nearly a century and suffering severe damage during the Napoleonic period, the castle was restored at the end of the 19th century, with the addition of a number of other elements and the landscaping of the surrounding area as a park. Its present form is graphic testimony to its often turbulent history. 

BY-1314441, sent by Marina. This card was also sent by Natalia. 

Mir Castle is an exceptional example of a central European castle, reflecting in its design and layout successive cultural influences (Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance) that blend harmoniously to create an impressive monument to the history of this region.

The region in which Mir Castle stands has a long history of political and cultural confrontation and coalescence, which is graphically represented in the form and appearance of the ensemble. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/625

Lena and "MaryBy" have both sent me this card.