On the territory of the Republic of Belarus there are a large number of ancient castles of historical and cultural value. Only in the Grodno region can be counted 9 such structures. The article will talk about the castles of Grodno, located on the territory of the city itself. You will learn how they are remarkable when you can visit these sights of the city, how much the tour to the castles costs.
Castles of Grodno in Belarus
Grodno is an ancient Belarusian city with a long history. On Castle Hill in the 11th century, fortification was built on the site of the ruins of the old defensive structures of the settlement. However, over a long period of existence under different rulers, the building underwent many changes. It was reconstructed, destroyed as a result of wars, the structure experienced several effects of fire during fires. The old castle, probably, therefore does not have a specific architectural style. This is an ancient image of an entire historical era.
Over time, the building fell into disrepair and the royal people no longer wanted to be there. Near it, around the 18th century, a new castle was built, connected to the former bridge. Both buildings have historical and cultural value, now reconstruction of buildings is underway. Excursions are organized to these castles of Grodno (address: 22 Zamkovaya St.). The State Historical and Archaeological Museum is open there.
Castle background
Since ancient times, on the right bank of the Neman River there has been a natural site, which people have chosen for the barrage of fortifications. Judging by historical excavations, in the 11th century there was a rampart and a dense picket fence. This place was of great strategic importance, as it was located on the border of the Slavic tribes on the one hand and the Baltic on the other. Historians claim that in the 12th century, the fortification completely burned out as a result of a strong fire.
However, the tribe quickly restored such protective structures necessary for the village. The remains after the conflagration were sprinkled with earth, and a new, better-equipped fortification was built. The shaft was significantly reinforced with oak logs inside and huge stones outside. The lined walls had battle galleries, and towers were located in the corners. If the first settlement of people was inside the fortification, then after perestroika, residents built houses outside it, namely, where the New Castle is now rebuilt.
Historical information
The castle on Mount Zamkova has a long history, begun in the 11th century. The settlement, rebuilt after the conflagration, already in 1116 became the central place of the principality. At that time it belonged to Kievan Rus. The rebuilt castle was the place where important people of that time stayed. So Prince Vsevolod, a relative of Vladimir Monomakh , stayed at the residence of the Old Castle.
The Lower Orthodox Church was rebuilt in the 12th century. After its destruction, a new one was built, erected higher on a hill in the 14th century. Grodno Castle was repeatedly attacked by Lithuanian princes and Polovtsians. Since 1241, the Mongol-Tatar troops took possession of it. As a result, the castle was again burned to the ground, and Prince Yuri Glebovich, who was desperately defending his city, was mercilessly killed. This was the last representative of the dynasty of princes Vsevolodovich.
Stone castle
After these events, the castle is once again rebuilt by order of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas. However, instead of a wooden building, the stone castle of Grodno is being built, which has 5 towers. It is this building option that tourists can contemplate to this day. The structure had an original specificity. Together with bricks, huge boulders were built into the outer walls, which the builders split in half. This greatly strengthened the walls and foundation of the castle.
Many interesting events survived the structure. The castle walls saw how the Lithuanian prince Casimir IV Jagiellonchik met the Polish ambassador in 1445, who offered him a crown. And Stefan Batory, who was the king of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania, often stopped here and even made Grodno the capital of his principality.
On his initiative, this castle of Grodno was rebuilt in the Renaissance style. The Italian architect Scotto from the city of Parma was called for work. However, already at the beginning of the 18th century during the Northern War with the Swedes, the castle was once again burned to the ground. After that, no one had the desire to restore it, and it never had the same significance as before.
The architecture of the former castle
The structure of the stone defensive structure had the shape of a triangle. Construction work was completed in 1400. The walls were striking in their size: 3 meters in thickness and from 6 to 8 meters in height. The largest length of the fence was from the side of the river, had 120 meters. The remaining walls are 90, 46 and 24 meters. From the side of the city, one wall consisted of two small parts. Three towers were square 12x12 meters, one round. The last fifth tower served as an entrance gate and below it was a prison. On the second floors there were battle galleries, and the roofs were covered with green tiles. This castle of Grodno was encircled by a deep moat (50 meters), and it was possible to get into the fence only via a drawbridge.
Inside was a two-story palace of Vytautas, which was connected to the entrance tower on the second level. Thus, the prince was the first to know from the defenders about the approach of enemy troops. To this day, the building has not been preserved, since it was destroyed during the construction of the palace already for another Prince Stephen Batory.
In the 14th century, the castle no longer played the role of a defensive structure, but simply was the residence of the kings. The new building was beautifully decorated with decorative details. The gable roof was already covered with red tiles, and the facade of the building was decorated with bay windows. There were 10 rooms on the ground floor. There was an archive, an office, a room for the guards, a separate room for storing treasures, a pantry. The doors of the first floor were both wooden and iron. The wall thickness of the lower part of the palace is more than 2 meters.
The royal chambers were located on the second floor. There were already 14 rooms: a canopy, a king’s bedroom, a dining room, a room where his bodyguards were placed, etc. The walls were much thinner - 1.6 m. Each floor had its own separate exit. It was impossible to get from the first floor to the second. There was also a third level, however, what was there, historians could not determine. The king’s favorite resting place in the castle is the so-called “alabaster hall”.
Castle today
Over time, all the constructions of the Old Castle were launched, and the palace fell into decay. Capital reconstruction was required. Until now, only partially defensive walls, fragments of two churches, parts of the castle and the royal chambers have been preserved.
Historians could not agree on how reconstruction of the castle should go. It was decided to stay on the building, which was built under Stefan Batory. The engraving of those times, where the king’s palace was depicted in detail, facilitated the task of the architects. Restoration of the Old Castle in Grodno began in 2012.
Now in this area is the historical and archaeological museum of Grodno. Tourists and residents can visit the exhibition of relics found during excavations. These are medieval weapons of warriors, armor of knights, household items and clothing of that time.
Judging by the reviews, the opening hours of the Grodno castles are from 10 am to 6 pm. Guided tours are organized to tell visitors interesting historical information about this place.
Castle opposite
On the opposite hill on the right bank of the Neman is another, the so-called New Grodno Castle. Construction began on the orders of the King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania Augustus II. He was conceived as a summer residence of royal persons. However, the project, created by a German architect from Dresden by the name of Karl Friedrich Peppelmann, began to be implemented only with the next king - Augustus III.
The new castle was built from 1734 to 1751. A year later, a chapel was built. The structure was in the shape of the letter "P". There was a check-in through the gates that have survived to our times. On the stone columns of the entrance gate you can see the lying sphinxes.
This gate still remembers how the carriages of senators, kings, and ambassadors of foreign states passed through them. Seimas, meetings were often held in the palace building, global issues were resolved, secular feasts and funny balls were held.
Interior decoration
All guests who visited the New Castle noted a striking difference between the external simplicity of the structure and the beauty of the interior. The building itself was made in the rococo style. The front part is decorated with pilasters and stucco moldings of various shapes. Entering the main entrance of the palace, visitors ended up in a large hall where the guard was located. Next was the king’s reception room - the Oval Hall. The senatorial and ambassadorial halls were further arranged. All rooms were decorated with rocailles and stucco molding from cartouches. On the walls, frescoes imitated various architectural details.
All the apartments of the royal persons were located in the right wing, and on the left there were office premises for servants, security guards and courtiers of the king.
The front courtyard of the castle was closed by two buildings on one floor. This is, on the one hand, a guard guard, and on the other, a bakery.
Historical events
The castle palace remembers significant historical events. It was in these walls that the first and last Diet of the Commonwealth passed. At the end of October 1794, a meeting was held between the leaders of the rebel forces during the liberation movement. The process was led by Tadeusz Kosciuszko.
The last king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Stanislav Augustus Poniatowski, abdicated the throne in this castle. The treaty, signed in 1795, divided the state between Russia, Austria and Prussia.
Castle reconstruction
During the battles for the city during the Great Patriotic War of 1944, the New Castle was defeated. The royal palace suffered significantly in the fire from the bombing. The reconstruction of the castle was led by architect V. Varaksin. After restoration, the building was transferred to the use of an administrative institution.
Now the historical value has been returned to the Ministry of Culture, a museum has been opened in the castle. Since 1991, visitors can view the interior of the palace, an exhibition of weapons, art and even the nature of this beautiful region.
An extraordinary event took place on April 22, 2017. On this day, a real costume spring ball was organized in the New Castle of Grodno (on the premises of the Senatorial Hall). Ladies and gentlemen dressed up in costumes of ancient times, danced ancient waltzes, quadrille and, of course, polka. Guests from all over Belarus arrived.
Come to Grodno, be sure to visit the castles. Museums are open daily except Monday. The cost of adult tickets is 4.20 rubles, students pass, like pensioners, for 3.20 rubles, and students pay 2.80 rubles. (for reference: 1 bel. ruble is a little more than 30 Russian rubles). Small children, people with disabilities, the military and orphans are free.