Businessman restores Radziwill manor and opened a bath complex nearby
15 km from Minsk, they offer a steam bath experience like in the 16th century.
For some time, this estate 15 km from Minsk belonged to the Radziwills, then passed to the noble Yelsky dynasty. Under them, life in Ignatichi was in full swing: agriculture and animal husbandry developed, and even a large court flower farm was established.
To this day, rare tree species for Belarus have been preserved here. For example, a larch tree, almost 200 years old, reports STB.
But at the beginning of the 20th century, the estate became ownerless and gradually fell into disrepair. Businessman Oleg Skrobov recalls how more than 10 years ago he came here looking for premises for a car service. But, seeing a truly historical gem, he decided to restore the manor.
"It was in a dilapidated state. There was knee-deep water in the basement. It was clear that the building was simply neglected. I really felt sorry for it. I really wanted to engage in its restoration, to save it."
Shabby walls, broken windows and doors, a leaky roof, chimneys clogged with debris… It took two years just to drain the flooded basement and carry out emergency work.
As Oleg admits, hundreds of thousands of rubles have been spent on the restoration over these years. Mostly, he does everything himself. Together with workers, they repaired the floors, replaced windows, manually cleaned wooden frames and doors. They tried to recreate the picture of how everything was arranged inside the manor many years ago.
"When cleaning debris from the floor, an old foundation was discovered. It was clear that it was a fireplace. We found an old stove-maker who restored it for us approximately as it was," — says Skrobov.
To at least somehow recoup the huge investments, the owner of the manor restored the bathhouse, which was located on the territory of Ignatichi, turning it into a spacious bath complex and guest house.
Here you can stay and try dishes prepared according to ancient recipes. The complex offers an introduction to 16th-century bathing methods.
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