The radzivills

b) was the Queen of Poland and Duchess of Lithuania;

c) issued orders to burn books.

 

6. Nickolay Radzivill Chorny

a) filled high and responsible posts in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania;

b) collected old books and jewelry;

c) was the head of the Radzivill family.

 

7.  Throughout his entire political career he

a) tried to strengthen the sovereignty of the Polish state;

b) tried to weaken the sovereignty of the Belarusian state;

c) tried to strengthen the sovereignty of the Belarusian state.

 

8. As chancellor, Nickolay Radzivill wisely defined new priorities for our state's foreign policy

a) in the 18^th century that led to a closer integration with the countries of Asia and Africa;

b)  in the 16 ^th  century that led to a closer integration with.the countries of Western and Northern Europe;

c)  in the 17 ^th century that led to a closer integration with the countries of Eastern and Northern Europe.

 

9.  The efforts of Nickolay Radzivill led to

a) the creation of a new theatre troupe in Belarus;

b) the development of higher education;

c) the establishment of large publishing centres.

 

10.  Duke Nickolay Radzivill knew

a) the Belarusian, Polish and other European languages;

b) the Belarusian, English and German languages;

c) many European languages.

 

11. Nickolay Kristof Radzivill Sirotka headed

a) the struggle against the Swedish King Karl XII;

b) the fight against Calvinism;

c) the movement against burning books published by Calvinist printing houses.

 

12. Nickolay Kristof Radzivill Sirotka made great effort

a) to build a new family palace in Grodno;

b) to update the architecture of the Radzivill palace in Neswizh;

c) to build a new palace for his wife in Neswizh.

 

13. Nickolay KristofRadzivillSirotka was famous as                    

a) the architect of his family palace in Neswizh;                         

b) the author of many plays in the Belarusian language;

c) the author describing his journey to different countries.

 

14.  Under the Magdeburg right the citizens of Neswizh

a) suffered from the exploitation by foreign invaders;

b) lived in a time of peace;

c) were in state of war with Poland.

 

15.  The Swedish King Karl XII

a) ruined Neswizh completely;

b) bought a castle in Neswizh;

c) was a great friend of the Radzivills.

 

16. For about two decades the Radzivills

a) were in state of war with the Swedish King Karl XII;

b) were interested in politics and lived in other cities;

c) lived in Russia.

 

17. Prince Mikhail Kazimir Radzivill Rybonka

a) rained some Swedish towns;

b) was the governor of Vilno;

c) rebuilt Neswizh and the castle.

 

18. Franciska Ursula Radzivill was famous as

a) a writer of comedies and drama;

b) a great actress of a local theatre;

c) the most beautiful woman of her time.

 

19.  The founders of the first Slavic secular theatre were

a) Franciska Ursula Radzivill and her husband Nickolay Kristof Radzivill Sirotka;

b) Duke Nickolay Radzivill and his son Nickolay Kristof Radzivill Sirotka;

c)  Franciska Ursula Radzivill  and her husband Mikhail Kazimir Radzivill Rybonka.

 

20.  The suite of the Polish King was astonished by

a) the golden bars they had seen in the Radzivill castle;                

b) the beauty and richness of the Radzivill castle;

c) the amount of the books and rare things they had seen in the Radzivill's castle.

 

21. Everybody thinks that the treasures are

a) taken by the heirs of the Radzivills;

b) hidden in the Neswizh caches;

c) found the special search parties; which were send by the Nazis.

 

NESWIZH: THE RADZIVILLS' CAPITAL

 

1. Pay attention to the following words. Pick out sentences with these words from the text and read them out:

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania — Великое княжество Литовское;

the Magdeburg right — магдебургское право;  

the Church El Jesus — храм Иль Джезу в Риме;

the Farny Cathedral — Фарный (бывший иезуитский) костел в Иесвиже.

 

2. Practice saying the following proper names:

Varangian	[vjTraericrjian]	варяг
Greeks	[Яп'-Щ	греческий
Slutsk brama	[slutskч Ьгзэтэ]	Слуцкая брама
Franzishka Ursula	[fren'tsifka '3:sjuls]	Франсиска Урсула
Karol Stanislaw	[fkasral sta'nislav]	Кароль Станислав
Hungary	[Ьлодэп]	Венгрия
Giovanni Maria                Bernardoni	[^оЧзеш       тэ'пэ [Ьзтэ'ёши]	Джованни Мария Бернардони
Michelangelo	[ишкэГагпбзэЬи]	Микеланджело
SymonBudny	[sf тип "budni]	Сымон Будный
Rembrandt	[f'rembraentj	Рембрандт
Maria de Kastelyan de     Taleiran	[гпэ'пэёэ   kasstsljan datalefrEen]	Мария де Кастелян де Талейран

 

3. Read the international words and try to guess their meaning:

Legend, magnate, administration, autonomous, campaign, politics, centre, comedy, drama, history, collection, bronze, statuette, visit, park, architect, design, Catholic; construction, pioneer, philosopher, regional, musical.

 

4. Read out the following words and memorize them:

grandeur (n)	["дгагпёзэг]	величие, великолепие
drastically (adv)	[pdrasstiksli]	решительно, круто
rampart (n)	[4rsempa:t]	крепостной вал
estate (n)	[rsteit]	поместье, имение
parcel of land (n)	[fpa:sl av laend]	участок земли
descendant (n)	[df sendsnt]	потомок
contemporary (adj)	[кэпЧетргэп]	современный
armour (n)	[ча:тэ(г)]	доспехи
sledge (v)	[sleds]	кататься на санках
harness (n)	[fhcunis]	упряжь
apprentice (n)	[a'prentis]	ученик, подмастерье
claim (v)	[kleim]	утверждать
inaugurate (v)	[fno:gjureit]	открывать

 

5. Read out these expressions several times till you remember them:

to be granted the right                      — предоставлять право

to take an oath of faithfulness to sb     — присягать на верность к.-л.

to be preoccupied with sth                  — быть занятым ч.-л,

to be equipped with sth                       — быть оснащенным ч.-л.

 

 

6. Match the English words and their Russian equivalents:

1. restoration                          2. outstanding                         3. to establish                         4. cutlery                                10. dedicated                            6. to erect                               7. heritage                              8. sights                                 9. a native                               5. a feast

а. возводить b. самозабвенный, беззаветный с. наследие d. достопримечательности е. местный житель f. учреждать, создавать g. столовые приборы h. выдающийся i. восстановление, возобновление  j. празднество

 

 

 

7. Combine the words with the help of the preposition of:

1. the times                            2. the members                        3. an oath                                4. the parcels                           5. the restoration                     6. the wonders                         7. the Cathedral                       8. the collection                       9. the architect                        10. the successor

a. St. Peter b. art and science с book printing d. the Radzivills' family e. the water rout f. faithfulness g. land h. the castle i. statuettes j. the pioneer

 

8. Give the comparative and superlative of the following adjectives:

Big, high, powerful, new, large, pure, remarkable, famous, great, slow, beautiful, old.

 

9. Give the three forms of the following verbs:

To come, to become, to see, to occupy, to grow, to say, to burn, to rebuild, to establish, to equip, to admire, to announce, to visit, to bring, to bear, to take.

 

10. Give the plural of:

Right, campaign, comedy, drama, statuette, statue.

 

11. Write the derivatives, of the following words:

To settle, gold, to suffer, power, to print, to entertain, a theatre, public, to construct, to travel, an industry.

 

12. These words can be used both as verbs and nouns. Make up your own sentences to show the difference in their usage:

Address, wonder, ruin, grant, roll.

13. Read these expressions and find their English equivalents in the text:

Во времена водного  пути "из варяг в греки"; автономная муниципальная администрация; присягать на верность королю; быть озабоченным большой политикой; купаться в роскоши; современные чудеса искусства и науки; родовая усыпальница;  преемник известного первопечатника;  подобные зеркалу водоемы; изумительный замок.

14. Read the text and get ready to speak about Neswizh:

 

NESWIZH: THE RADZIVILLS' CAPITAL

One of the legends reads that an ancietit settlement was founded during the times of the water rout "from Varangians to Greeks", which ran from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. But for the first time Neswizh was mentioned as a town with strong fortifications in the chronicles of 1224.  But its golden age came after it had become the Radzivills" estate in the 15^th century. The Radzivills' family was the greatest and most outstanding magnate family that lived on the lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania; The story of the members of the Radzivills' family occupies many pages in the modern encyclopedia of Belarus.

Neswizh and its renowned castle were built in a comparatively short period of time (1584-1616) with the help of some Italian architects and taking into account all the latest means of protection. There were stone gates with towers called 'bramas' in different parts of the town. Bramas looked like fortresses which were intended to protect the town from different directions. Nowadays one can see Slutsk brama which used to be a part of the protection system. Next to the brama there was also a dam which made up a lake. On the ground floor of the brama there was a room for the guards and on the first floor there was a chapel.

In 1586, the town was granted the right to an autonomous municipal admi-nisfl-ation (the so-called Magdeburg right), which added a lot to the grandeur and power of Neswizh. But in a century Neswizh faced hard times connected with war campaigns of the Swedish King Karl XII (during the Swedish-Russian war). Only in 1726, did Prince Mikhail Radzivill begin to take pare of his estate and his land again. His wife, Franzishka Ursula, who was writing comedies and dramas, established a theatre in Neswizh. That was also the time of the restoration of book-printing in Neswizh.                  

A descendant of Mikhail and Franzishka — Karol Stanislav, whom history describes as 'Mister Dear' (he was fond of calling anyone he addressed as 'my dear'), filled life in the Neswizh castle with a new feeling. Under his rule, the castle rolled in luxury, and was decorated and equipped with all the possible contemporary wonders of art and science. For instance, the castle had one of the richest libraries, with close to 10,000 volumes in Latin, French and Polish; a large art gallery with nearly 1,000 paintings; a collection of statuettes and statues; and various bronze and steel armours. The cutlery used in the castle was made of pure gold. Mister Dear enjoyed entertainment, and his castle often received numerous guests. The last Polish King Stanislaw August used to come to the Neswizh castle. The guests admired theatrical shows, feasts with hundred-year-old wines from Hungary; then they sleighed off on sugar white hills, riding in sledges harnessed by bears. Once, during one. of such visits, the king publicly announced that Mister Dear lived better than the king.

Nowadays the Radzivills' heritage consists of the palace, a church and a number of parks. Historians have proved that it was Giovanni (Jan) Maria Bernardoni, an Italian architect who designed the Neswizh palace, the park ensemble and the Catholic Jesuit Church (which was erected in 1584-1593 following the pattern of the principle Jesuit Order Chdrch El Jesus in Rome). Researchers suppose that Bernardoni vrasfail apprentice of.Viniola, who, in his return, worked with Michelangelo, and participated in the construction of the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome. Today, the Farny Cathedral is one of the remarkable sights of Neswizh. It is also a patrimonial tomb of the Radzivills. 

A monument to Symon Budny, successor of the famous Belarusian printing pioneer Francisk Skorina and a famous educator and philosopher is located near the Cathedral. In 1562, Symon Budny published a book in Belarusian for the first time. This monument is modern; it was established in the 20 ^th century.

An old legend claims that Rembrandt visited Neswizh, when one of the richest art galleries was inaugurated. This version might have come into being due to the painting of the great artist. However, there is no other evidence of the Neswizh voyage of Rembrandt.

As for the parks, they make the unique blue-green heritage of Neswizh, along with the mysterious magic mirror-like ponds. And only a leisurely slow traveler or a native can appreciate their real, everlasting beauty. People say that the first . saplings of the park were grown from seeds brought from the gardens of the Berlin palace of the Radzivill Princes. Maria de Kastelyan de Taleiran, wife of Antony Radzivill, was the most dedicated amateur of parks. Now Neswizh Park (together with its aquatic part) occupies nearly 106 hectares, where the land takes 45 hectares. Certain parts of the park bear their original names, like Castle Park, Lake Park (Old Park), Park of Marysia.

Neswizh is a treasure of Belarus. It is one of the most beautiful regional centres in Minsk region with its outstanding history, a marvelous castle (during Soviet times there was a recreation centre there), old parks and artificial ponds* It takes about an hour to get to Neswizh from Minsk. New buildings, musical festivals and industrial people of Neswizh write nowadays a specia} modern history of the town.

 

15. Answer the following questions:

1. When was Neswizh mentioned in the chronicles for the first time? 2. Is it the time of its foundation? 3. When did Neswizh have its golden age? 4. When did it become the Radzivills' estate? 5. When was the Radzivills' palace built?-6. What buildings were used to protect the town and the castle? 7. What other elements of the protection system were there in Neswizh? 8. When did Neswizh get the Magdeburg right? 9. Who started to take care of the estate and the land after the Swedish-Russian war? 10. Who established a theatre in Neswizh? 11. What way of life was characteristic of the Neswizh castle during the times of Karol Stanislaw? 12. What wonders of art and science did the Neswizh castle have at that time? 13. Whatrthings does the Radzivills' heritage consist of nowadays? 14. Who is supposed to have, built the Catholic Jesuit Church in Neswizh? 15. What legends of Neswizh do you know? 16. Where were the first saplings of Neswizh Park brought from? 17. What is the territory of Neswizh Park? 18. What was the Neswizh castle during Soviet times?