I remember, I look at the majestic walls of this palace, I walk across the vast territory enclosed between its walls, and I think what a television picture would look cool if I could hold a tennis tournament on its territory, placing the courts in the very center, and spectator stands along the walls of the palace:
"Why in this particular palace?" - you ask. Everything is very simple: I was born only 40 kilometers from the Belarusian Versailles, as the Ruzhansky Palace is often called. And I still have a strong warmth to these places.
I thought, I dreamed of such a development of events, but I was sure that in our conservative society no one would support such a symbiosis of antiquities and spectacular sports events. That is why no one voiced his thoughts.
But apparently there were more courageous guys in the department of mass football of the Football Federation of Belarus. And they came up with the idea of holding the project "Football at the City Halls" ("Football at historical sites").
And you won’t believe whether our tastes coincided with them, or if there were enthusiasts in Ruzhany, but in this city village the first tournament will be held within the framework of this project.
Already on April 14, 2019 at 11:30 Belarusian time, an action will begin at the entrance gate to the palace, which will crown the football tournament “Kubak of the Chancellor Lev Sapegy” in the palace itself.
In the tournament will take part:
1. "Karali Cements" (Ruzhany)
2. "Vayar" (Slonim)
3. "Krechat" (Birch)
4. "Rastok" (Zhabinka)
Yes, the tournament is amateur. But as far as I know, the same “Rastok” plays in the championship of the Brest region, and this, by the way, is division 4 of the championship of Belarus. Slonim and Birch are football cities altogether ... So we will wait not only for beautiful photos against the background of the palace, but also for a stubborn fight in football matches.
The tournament was called "Kubak Chancellor Lev Sapegy". There is nothing surprising. After all, it was Lev Sapega who built this palace.
Lev Sapega himself for Belarus is a very significant person. Remembering it, the first thing that comes to mind is the 1588 Statute.
The law code called "Statute" Lev Sapega published in 1588 in the Belarusian language. The statute was considered for many years the model of legislation in Europe.
And finally, a little historical background:
It was Lev Sapega who in 1598 acquired the estates of Ružany and Lososin from Bartas Brukhanská. At the beginning of the 17th century, a two-storey stone palace with three towers was erected on the site of a wooden castle, in which Lev Sapega received the King of the Commonwealth, Vladislav IV, as early as 1617. In 1642, Casimir Lev Sapieha received a Jesuit visitor from Rome to the factory of Ramphus at the Ruzhan residence.
The wars with Russia and Sweden badly damaged the palace, but the rich heirs for several decades of the 18th century renewed the palace. In 1784, Alexander Sapega, Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, already received King Stanislav August Poniatowski, who had arrived at the Grodno Sejm, in it.
The palace complex was burned down in 1914, partially restored in 1930, in 1944 completely destroyed. Only remnants of the main buildings (main and eastern buildings), arcades, entrance arch and wings on its sides are preserved.
In the summer of 2008, excavations and restoration were begun on the territory of the palace complex. The restoration of the palace ensemble began with the gates and side wings adjacent to it. Now there is a museum in this part of the palace.
Previously, a country-style football field was located not far from the palace, they began to use a parking lot, a zoo and even a circus tent. I already wrote about this in one of my articles.
I hope that the upcoming tournament “Kubak of the Chancellor Lev Sapieha” will give a new impetus to the development of football in Ruzhany and now we will not see such a depressing spectacle:
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