Nesvizh was first documented in 1223, later becoming a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In the 15th century, while still a minor town, it passed to the Radziwi?? princely family, and remained the family's home until 1813. The first Belarusian language book printed in the Latin alphabet, a catechism by Symon Budny, was published in Nesvizh in 1562. Nesvizh Castle was founded in 1583, and between 1584 and 1598 two monasteries and a collegium, all belonging to different religious orders, were built. On the initiative of Miko?aj "the Orphan" Radziwi?? the city was granted Magdeburg rights in 1586. Two epidemics that occurred in the city in the 17th century led to an establishment of a pharmacy in 1627.
During the Great Northern War of 1700-1721, the city was significantly damaged by the Swedish troops. It was rebuilt in the 1720s by Micha? "Rybe?ko" Radziwi??. In the aftermath of the war, in 1740s and 1750s he founded a silk belt factory (which was later moved to Sluck), a cadet corps military school, several textile manufacturers and restored the Corpus Christi Church and a printing factory. Micha?'s wife, Franciszka Urszula Radziwi??owa, founded the Nesvizh Radzivi?? Theater, which included a choir and a ballet school.
In 1764 and 1768 the city was occupied by Russian troops, and in 1772 the library, which included approximately 10,000 volumes, along with paintings and other objects of art, was transferred to St. Petersburg. Books from the library were granted to the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Hegemony
Nesvizh was part of:
� Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth between 1569-1793
� Russian Empire (except short occupation by France in 1812) between 1793-1915
� German Empire (1915-1918)
� Belarusian People's Republic (1918-1919)
� Lithuanian-Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (as part of USSR) in
