The history of the Republic of Belarus is very complicated. A people with a single language, culture, economy, territory and self-consciousness began to form in the VIII-IX centuries from the Dregovichi, Krivoche, and Radimichi. According to another version, the Old Russian nationality became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Commonwealth. By this time, cities had already arisen. Lithuanian and Polish magnates built fortresses and castles of Belarus. According to the inventory, the republic has 115 castles in varying degrees of preservation. Some have not survived, others are in ruins. The castles of Belarus are wonderful, but most require huge financial investments for restoration. Many of them are engaged in volunteers and philanthropists.
Tourist Castles
- Grodno New Castle (Royal Palace, summer residence).
- Kossovsky, or the Puslowski Palace. This romantic building is currently undergoing intensive restoration, which will be completed by 2018.
- Lida It is actively being restored, colorful knightly tournaments are held.
- Mirsky. It is declared a UNESCO heritage. Now it houses an art museum. Many interesting legends are associated with it, which tourists are eagerly told about.
- Nesvizh. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He is visited by a huge number of tourists. According to one legend, between it and Mir Castle there is a wide underground passage designed for movement on carriages.
These buildings were often a combination of a defensive structure and a palace. They were built both on the hills and on the plains, both from stones and bricks, and from wood. They were often surrounded by parks. In some, a combination of Gothic and Renaissance prevails, in others, later - Baroque.
Lubchansky castle will certainly rise from the ashes and will stand proudly, as this "island of history" stood from 1581.
As the name Lyubcha appeared
According to legend, the great Lithuanian prince Mindovg was crossing the Neman here. He met the beautiful Martha. And soon they were married. So, from the love that arose, a new place got its name. Another legend says that the pagan prince Mindovg was baptized right here in Lyubcha, at the request of his beloved.
Lyubcha (Grodno region)
This small village today appeared at the very beginning of the 15th century. The tourist route “Castle Road” runs through Lubcha. In addition to the castle, which is restored upon receipt of money, in the village of Lubche there is another interesting place - the Church of St. Elijah.
She is very beautiful and is in excellent condition. Lyubcha herself is good. It is located on the banks of the Neman. At this point, the river flows calmly and smoothly. It is surrounded by gentle shores overgrown with shrubs.
Settlement history
Lyubcha periodically passed from one owner to another. At first it was owned by Khrebtovich, then Gastoldi, then Guts (it was with them that they began to build the Lyubchansky castle) and, finally, Radziwills. The last owner is committed to the economic prosperity of the town and its expansion. Therefore, he moves here philistines and artisans. Craft workshops appear, a printing house is set up. It prints books with verses on medicine, history, astronomy in Polish and Latin.
Lyubcha begins to be built according to plan. Direct streets clearly divide it into quarters. The square is located in the center so that it is on the same axis with the castle. Lubchansky castle is located on a hill and dominates the village below. All streets are either perpendicular to the river and end with arches, or parallel to it and also end with gates. There were one hundred and fifty houses in the six blocks of Lubci. But this ensemble has not survived. What a pity: it was unique to small settlements.
History of the castle
Jan Kishka on the hill began to erect a fortified castle in the XVI century. He later gave it as a dowry to Krzyszitof Radziwill. He continued the construction. The castle was surrounded by a moat on three sides, and the fourth wall was protected by the Neman. The structure was wooden. Only the entrance tower was massive, stone. Its base went underground 4 meters. She served as a prison and defensive fortification at the same time. In the tower were loopholes that looked at the four cardinal points. This allowed the shelling of enemies who broke into the territory. Behind the walls were barracks, an ammunition depot and a home for the owners.
The sovereign ruler puts stone walls instead of wooden ones. Their width becomes more than a meter. Then he expands the master's house and sets up a temple with a belfry. After his death, the Lubczansky castle becomes the inheritance of his son Jan, hetman Vilno and the governor. In 1655, Lyubcha was taken in an attack, residents who did not have time to escape were killed, and the castle was partially blown up. Soon, the assassins took Jan's life. The castle passes to Bohuslav Radziwill. He restores the castle. Then the owners begin to change.
Only in the middle of the 19th century did the new owners from the Baltics, Falz Fein, decide to build their suburban residence here. They demolished the old house and erected a neo-Gothic palace. The towers underwent reconstruction. Large windows were inserted on the lower floors. In addition, a guest house was built. It connected to the entrance tower by a covered gallery. The walls surrounding the castle were gone. Flower beds were broken on the shafts. In 1945, there were ruins, the remains of two of the four towers and a two-story palace. So the Lubchansky castle was built and collapsed. His story is dramatic.
Enthusiasts
The first to speak about the need to restore the castle were students of the Lyubchansk school Nikolai Skrebets and Ivan Pechinsky. It was not possible to "push" business from a place. It took at least twenty years for the minimal work to begin.
Ivan Pechinsky, a metropolitan entrepreneur, made every effort to ensure that the Department for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Heritage drew attention to the need to preserve the monument. Lubchansky Castle is very different from other fortresses. Belarus no longer has anything like it. Two surviving towers - an example of buildings of the XVI century. There are no more analogues.
The beginning of the restoration
The two oldest towers began to give their former grandeur. They were covered with scaffolding and erected roofs.
Especially unusual was the color scheme. On the white plastered walls was painted with a plaster of a different, black color. Such patterned painting is restored where it was applied - at windows and loopholes. In addition, supporting external structures consisting of dark beams located at different angles were restored.
Ivan Pechinsky
The entrepreneur created a charity fund. He is helped by a friendly team of local residents from old to young, as well as visiting students. All these people are not indifferent to the history of their native places.
What is done
Already a lot. Every year young people come, mainly students from Belarusian universities, as well as tourists and journalists. All carry stones and bricks, lay walls, are engaged in their whitewashing. Restored south tower.
The development of the concept of further restoration under the leadership of the Academy of Sciences is in full swing. Historical findings are being studied. The most active part is Priorbank. Without his finances, all the work would have risen. The bank has been providing this material assistance since 2008. Its chairman, Sergei Kostyuchenko, came to Lubchu to see personally the progress of work. He was satisfied with the results. The bank will continue to provide assistance. But besides Lyubcha, he also has other charitable objects.
How to get to Lyubchi
The village is located in the Novogrudok district. From Novogrudsk to Lyubchi, the journey takes about 35 minutes. by car. And to the capital, the length of the route along the E30 highway is 150 km (1 hour 55 minutes).
The beauty and pride of the Republic of Belarus will soon be Lyubchansky Castle. Restoration will turn it into an object of international tourism.