As my first world heritage site of 2018 I settled on Mir Castle. Belarus had been on my to visit list for a while, ever since they dropped the visa requirement for visitors of less than five days flying in via Minsk airport. And thanks to a good offer by Lufthansa I boarded the plane Friday evening and ventured to Minsk... In February.

Now this may not come as a surprise and my picture of Mir castle already strongly hints at it: February in Belarus is still winter. The weekend I came was particularly cold with degrees falling to as little as -15 degree Celsius. Hiking around Mir Castle trying to take pictures was quite the challenge as my hands strongly objected to taking off the gloves. But the snow covered landscape gave the excursion a nice feel.

Of itself, Mir Castle is nothing spectacular. It's a castle reminiscent of Malbork or nearby Trakai, but in worse state of preservation. Over the centuries it has undergone multiple refurbishments and reconstructions.

Getting There
There are regular direct busses from Minsk running to Mir Castle. Alternatively, you can try to travel by train to Stoubcy and take a cab from there. However, if you plan to visit nearby Nesvizh (you should), are short on time or not fluent in Russian, I would recommend getting a private driver or join a tour. I paid 100€ for the round trip by private car. I did not haggle, so you should be able to pay less if you have time.

While You Are There
A visit to nearby Nesvizh is a must. I would also recommend visiting Minsk. Rebuilt after World War 2 in Stalinist style it's a very interesting site and would make a worthy addition to the list.