Building castle in Lida started in 1323 year by decree of Prince Gedymin of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The structure became part of the Troka defensive line — Coppersmiths — Krevo — Novogrudokdesigned to protect against the Crusaders. To improve the defensive qualities of the fortress, a swampy area was initially chosen at the confluence of two rivers - Kamenki and Lida. The castle was built on an artificially created island and had a total area of about 0,6 hectares. Since it is primarily a defensive structure, the walls in Lida Castle were about two meters thick and about twelve meters high. Two towers had many rooms, a prison was located in the cellars, and a court and an archive were located on the lower floors.
Castle in Lida can rightly be considered one of the significant sights of Belarus. Despite a very controversial reconstruction, causing controversy and controversy, the place is visited and worthy of attention. The castle has the shape of an irregular quadrangle and was built of rubble stone. The length of the northern wall is 93,5 meters, the southern wall is 80 meters, the western wall is 84 meters, and the eastern wall is 83,5 meters long.
How to get to Lida Castle from Minsk?
The distance to the city of Lida from Minsk is 173 kilometers. By car, the journey will take about 2 hours. Along the way it will be interesting to look into Rakov и Dudywhen driving on the M6 highway. Take a look at the P11 highway to Novogrudok and Turkish.
Lida Gediminas Castle not once was attacked by enemies. Its walls have witnessed many historical events.
Almost every war since the 14th century has left its devastating mark. During the Northern War, the Swedes blew up the towers of the fortress, which plunged the once great castle of Gediminas into ruins.
At the end of the 19th century, another sad event happened in the history of the castle and Lida - the city burned down, the historical center was especially damaged. To restore the city, the authorities decided to dismantle the fortress walls and fortifications.
In the 20s, the 20th century, the walls of the castle were partially reconstructed by the Poles. Wooden gates were installed, and city events began to be held on the castle square. In 53, the Lida Castle was recognized as an architectural monument, which, however, did not stop its destruction.
In Soviet times, within the walls of the former GDL fortress, there was a small stadium. In 1983, it was decided to conserve the monument and begin restoration. The restoration work will drag on for several decades, and the result will leave many questions.
Legend of Lida Castle
Among the locals there is one legend about pine trees growing near the walls of the castle. Many years ago, nine Franciscan friarswho preached Christianity. However, the people of Lid did not want to accept this religion, and decided to kill the monks and bury their bodies near the fortress. After a while, pine trees sprouted in this place. By the time the trees had already grown, the people of Lid had converted to Catholicism and did not dare to cut down the trees. But somehow one local resident cut off a branch from a pine tree, and blood appeared at the place of the cut. The inhabitants of Lida took this as a warning and did not touch these pines again.
The fortress is located in the center of the city of Lida, on Zamkovaya Street.
