Lubart Castle has long been a hallmark of ancient Lutsk. Its walls constantly remind of itself both to residents of the city, and to the tourists who visited this amazing land. Often it is called Lutsk castle. The image of this architectural masterpiece can be found at every step - from funny magnets with the inscription "Lutsk" to the emblems of various organizations and commercial enterprises.
From three princes born
Lutsk castle, or the castle of Lubart, a description of which is found in all guides of Volyn, has a long origin. For the first time the name of the castle appeared in the chronicles of the late XIX century. Then, still old people remembered the ancient name of the building - Vitoldov Castle. Its construction was associated with the surname of the legendary Vitolds, who more than once held in their hands the management of the Lithuanian lands.
Originally, this structure was made of wood. Already in our time, archaeologists have found traces of wooden buildings, the oldest of which date back to the beginning of the XII century. Unfortunately, it was not possible to find out the exact year of foundation of the Lutsk castle, but already in 1100 it was known and mentioned in ancient medieval notes by merchants and travelers. The names of architects and builders of the fortified building disappeared in the abyss of time and remained unknown to future researchers. In many ways, the Lutsk castle reminds of Western Europe castles of that time in style: for example, the castle in Czersk, which is located in the Masovian Voivodeship, can be considered the brother of the Lutsk fortification. The appearance of these buildings has quite a lot in common, and it is quite possible that both structures were built according to the same project.
Entrance tower
Due to the unreliability of the tree, the castle often burned, and as a result, it was decided to strengthen it with brick walls. In the middle of the XIV century, a part of the tower, which now bears the name of Entrance, and most of the fortress wall, were already built. The ruler of the Galician-Volyn principality Lyubart Gediminovich took part in the construction of this fortification. Interestingly, the Entrance Tower of Lutsk Castle bears traces of completion. After the construction was completed, the prince decided that the height of the main tower was not enough to observe the surroundings or conduct military operations. He ordered the completion of the tower a few meters higher. Well, the height of the old structure can be easily determined by the teeth. They surround the walls of the Entrance Tower of the Lutsk Castle of Prince Lubart (xv c). In addition to the Entrance, the castle has two more towers - Styrovaya and Svidrigailova.
The construction of the castle continued after the death of Lubart. Vytautas, the new prince of Galicia and Volhynia, made Lutsk the beautiful southern capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was during his reign that the city flourished with full life, and Lutsk Castle acquired its modern outlines. In the aftermath of Vitovt's death, his brother Svidrigailo came to power, who completed the reconstruction. And the castle became like the one we see now. Thanks to these three princes, the Lutsk stronghold has survived to this day.
Church of St. John the Evangelist
Lutsk castle was the heart of Volhynia, its administrative, religious and political center. Few people know that the front platform of the castle was used as a place for sentencing, and a court worked in the walls of the ancient building. There, for a long time, the Orthodox Cathedral Church of them. John the Evangelist, the remains of which can be seen when visiting the dungeons of the Lutsk castle. This is the first Christian church in Volhynia and the most ancient stone building in Lutsk, which, unfortunately, has been preserved only partially. The walls of the Temple were made of plinth - the so-called flat and wide slabs of rocky material, which was often used for the construction of churches and temples in Kievan Rus and Byzantium.
Forgotten for many centuries, the dungeons of Lutsk Castle keep many secrets. For the first time, researchers penetrated their depths at the end of the 19th century. Conventionally, they can be divided into two parts - the churchyard of the Church of I. Bogoslov and a complex of wide corridors. Perhaps it is on this graveyard that the tomb of the legendary Lubart, the founder of the castle, is located. Tourists are allowed to inspect some corridors with exhibits. The rest of the church is closed to visitors.
Interesting Facts
The independent Galician-Volyn principality existed until 1452. After the death of Svidrigailo, the keys to the Lutsk castle, and from the entire principality as a whole, were transferred to the head of the city, Pan Nemyra. From that moment, the principality loses its independence, and its rulers become vassals of the kings of Lithuania, Poland, and then Russia.
In the XVI century, the Lutsk fortress stood in the way of numerous Tatar raids. Already in 1508, the fortified castle of Lubart was able to successfully stop the Tatars - the high walls of the fortress were protected by infantrymen of the captain Lukas Moravets.
By the middle of the XVI century, the castle lost the status of a princely residence, but retained its importance in the administrative hierarchy. The main building of the serf yard was the house of the lord, in which representatives of the church lived. The cellars of the towers were used as prisons, and those sentenced to death were waiting for retribution at the Market or Castle squares of the city.
Destruction and rebirth
In 1795, Lutsk became part of the Russian Empire. Lutsk castle lost its administrative significance and gradually began to collapse. In the XIX century, the city authorities even issued a special decree allowing them to take the stone for their own needs. The fact that the fortress was not completely destroyed once again testifies to the conscientiousness of the builders of Lyubert - the masonry was so strong that it was almost impossible to disassemble the walls. In 1885, the opinion of the old castle changed, and it even began to be called a historical heritage. Having survived two wars, the Lutsk castle began to be gradually restored, and serious restoration work was carried out already in the second half of the twentieth century.
Castle today
Currently, Lutsk Castle is a large museum complex, covering the period from the XIII century to the present. It regularly hosts masquerades, conferences and jousting tournaments. The main attraction of the city of Lutsk is open for tourists and visitors. Various entertaining and educational programs are provided for visitors, from which you can learn interesting facts about the life of the castle for several hundred years. A visit to this attraction will be interesting for people of all ages and nationalities.