Halshany Castle

Halshany castle was built in the early seventeenth century by Pavel Stefan Sapieha as a palace-residence rather than a fortress, a quadrangle of brick with corner towers, arcaded courtyard and decorated interiors, and it was one of the more elaborate houses of the Grand Duchy. It was damaged in war, then quarried for brick in the twentieth century, and what remains is fragments of wall and tower standing in grass, with restoration work under way on parts. The village around it has a Franciscan monastery and church of 1618 with a baroque interior, and Halshany carries a body of local ghost stories that Uladzimir Karatkievich used in his novel about the castle.

What you actually see

• The castle ruins - the brick fragments of the Sapieha palace.
• The Franciscan church - the 1618 monastery church and its interior.
• The village - Halshany's old street and buildings.
• Restoration work - the sections being rebuilt on the castle.

When to go

May to September for the approach and the church. The castle site is open at any time. The Halshany festival in summer brings events to the village. Autumn light suits the brickwork.

Honest expectations

The castle is a fragmentary ruin with restoration in progress and parts fenced. The church keeps service hours. Facilities in the village are minimal. It takes about two hours including the church.

Nearby

Kreva lies north; Ivyanets is east.