Mir Castle. Belarusian Architectural Monuments. The Castle of Mir is a monument of Belarusian civil architecture of the 14th–18th centuries. It was built in the vicinity of Mir settlement, Korelichi district, Grodno region by magnate Yury Ilyinich in the early 16th century. Throughout its centuries–long history, the Castle of Mir was owned by various people and witnessed many historic events. For three centuries it was a formidable fortification. Originally, the crenellated walls were 13 meters high and 3 meters thick at the base. A sightseeing attraction of the castle are its towers nearly 25 meters high, whose top walls were made of bricks by artist masters. They are richly decorated by whitened bays and ornamental bands which, in combination with red brick walls, imparted artistic expressiveness to the architectural complex – a technique characteristic of Belarusian architecture in the 15th–16th centuries. As a result of 1655, 1706, 1794, and 1812 sieges, the monument suffered major damage. In the 1870s and 1920s through 1970s work was undertaken to preserve it. Since 1969, the Castle has been under restoration. In 1994, UNESCO placed the Castle of Mir in the top category of the world culture monuments. On November 29, 2000 the UNESCO included the Castle of Mir in the list of the World's legacy. By this day, this list counts 690 the most significant monuments of cultural and natural legacy.