Ahinski Manor in Zaliessie, Neoclassical palace complex in Zaliessie, Belarus.
Ahinski Manor in Zaliessie is a neoclassical palace complex near Minsk, Belarus, built around a two-story white main building with symmetrical wings and a columned entrance portico. The complex sits within a landscaped park featuring old trees, ponds, and winding paths that frame the residence on all sides.
The Ogiński family owned Zaliessie from the first half of the 18th century. After the Kościuszko Uprising, Michał Kleofas Ogiński returned in 1802 and began a stone palace, built from 1802 to 1822 to a design by Michał Szulc, with Józef Poussier supervising. He lived here until 1810 and periodically until 1823. The estate later passed to Ireneusz Kleofas Ogiński and then to the Załuski and Skórzewski families; Maria Żebrowska, the last owner, ran a summer resort in the palace.
The estate carries the name of the Ogiński family, who owned Zaliessie from the first half of the 18th century; Michał Kleofas Ogiński held musical and literary evenings in the manor, where his own works were performed. Since the restoration, a museum and cultural centre occupies the palace, and the estate is associated with the project "Return of the Northern Athens".
The estate lies 1 km west of Zaliessie's centre, on the bank of a pond on the Draya River, a tributary of the Viliya. The restored palace, chapel, mill and park are best reached by car from Minsk; the site is managed by the Smarhon district authorities. The park paths and surviving pavilions are uneven, so allow time to walk between the buildings.
The palace's main wing measured 50 m and the side wing with the orangery 160 m, joined at a right angle. The roof of the central segment formed a three-step pyramid topped by an obelisk with a clock, giving it the look of a temple rather than a house. A boulder in the park bears the inscription "To the shades of Kościuszko", carved at Ogiński's order.
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