Vitebsk castle and other castles of Vitebsk region

Vitebsk Castle is a famous complex of historical buildings. Despite the fact that to this day has reached the little that has survived after the numerous destruction of buildings, they are of great scientific and cultural value. The most famous castles are considered to be Lower and Upper, which appeared during the reign of Olgerd.

Castles of Vitebsk region: find

For a long period of time, scientists could not find evidence that the castle existed until a simple accident happened to help them. In the 1980s, archaeological excavations were carried out in Vitebsk. Scientists argued for a long time about where to lay pits: some offered one plot, and others - another. In the end, everything was done in different places, but to no avail. Shurf did not show anything. In frustration, the scientists fell asleep, and in the morning they were pleasantly surprised. Due to heavy rain, the ground in the place of the pit hit, and it became clear what was left of the castle walls.

It is worth noting that in ancient times the city was called "the keys of the Principality of Lithuania". This was due to the fact that Olgerd built not one Vitebsk Castle to protect the road to the capital of the state.

Castles of Olgerd

So, in the last century, after a thorough study of the historic center of the city, several defensive structures known as the Vitebsk Castle were discovered. Vitebsk is an old city, its foundation date back to the reign of Yaroslav the Wise when defensive fortresses were built on the lands of the principality of Polotsk , among which there was a settlement that later grew into a large shopping center. The greatest heyday he received under the reign of Prince Olgerd, during the time of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. No wonder he built a monument on the main square of the city, after all this ingenious ruler not only turned Vitebsk into a trade center on which the whole of Eastern Europe was leveled, but also organized a worthy defense of the city. By the end of the first quarter of the fourteenth century, the construction of the two main fortifications, the Upper and Lower Castles, had ended.

Top lock

The main building in the whole system of medieval fortifications of the city is the Upper Vitebsk Castle. Vitebsk in ancient times was located on one of the banks of the Western Dvina, but it was important to keep the defenses on both sides of the river. For this, in fact, and was built Upper Castle - it was located on the left bank. In order to achieve a more advantageous strategic advantage, it was built at the mouth of the Vitba River, which flowed into the Western Dvina. At first the castle itself was protected from enemies only by earthen ramparts, built, according to archaeologists, in the middle of the twelfth century. At the same time its height reached ten meters, and width - forty. These earthworks strengthened the layers of clay and stockade of coniferous wood, so that these walls looked like full-value fortress walls. Over time, the trees replaced full-fledged wooden walls, and in the sixteenth century quadrangular towers appeared. The location of the three towers is known - Vestovoy, Tankovoi and Khrapovitskaya. Between them there were also gates of large dimensions, intended for entry into the city. These structures were also strengthened by brick walls. In the same sixteenth century, two octagonal towers were built. Here, according to the drawings of contemporaries and archaeological remnants, there were dome platforms and full-fledged arsenals.

Lower Castle in Vitebsk

The line of defense of the Lower Castle was almost twice as long as that of the Upper Castle. Nevertheless, he almost closely adjoined to it, closing the circle of fortifications. In total, on the defense line of this castle, and it reached 1,250 meters, there were eight large towers built in the seventeenth century. Three of them were adjacent to the gate.

Memory of fortifications

With the destruction of the Commonwealth, many of the old castles disappeared from the appearance of the city's landscapes . Vitebsk lost his own after Peter the First reached the city. The destruction of fortresses was a punishment for relations between residents and Charles XII, to which the local population paid a ransom. That's how the Vitebsk Castle ceased to exist. The address of the museum, where you can find out more about the old castles and their features, is on Frunze Avenue, 13.