Lubcha Castle of Kishek and Radziwills

Lubcha Castle located on the banks of the Neman River in the Grodno region. According to the original plan, the buildings were made of wood, and a moat was built around the perimeter on 3 sides. The only stone building at that time was a tower, the foundation of which was almost 4 meters. Construction history castle in Lubcha began in the 16th century, some sources have the exact date - 1581 year.

History and architecture of the castle in Lubcha

The construction of the castle complex is associated with the name Yana Kishki, who was a major magnate and a prominent figure in the GDL. He owned a huge fortune and a lot of land, so the decision to build a large family estate is quite logical. It was thanks to him that the history of the Lubcha Castle began. A little bit later Krzysztof Radziwill, having received the estate as a dowry, continued the construction of the castle.

Under the Radziwills, wooden buildings were replaced with stone ones. next owner, Janusz Radziwill, expands the living quarters of his castle. A temple with a belfry appears on the territory of the complex.

В 1655 year The Lyubcha castle is destroyed by the Cossack detachment of Ivan Zolotarenko in revenge against Janusz Radziwill (he participated in the war with the Cossacks of Bogdan Khmelnitsky).

The successors of Radziwill partially restore the castle, but it is far from its former glory. For many years, no one was interested in the fate of the castle. There were frequent changes of ownership, and Lyubcha looked more like a place to collect taxes.

The architecture of the castle in the period of the 16th century, the 18th century and now has changed significantly. The territory remained common - it is about 0,7 hectares. The architectural style is a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance.

New bloom and new decline

The situation with the Lubcha castle changed in the second half of the 19th century. Long decay and stagnation gave way to flourishing. This happened when the Baltic family Falz-Feinov decides to turn the fortress into his summer residence. It is at this time that it appears spectacular palace of white stone, built in the style neogothic.

The loophole towers were also reconstructed. A covered gallery led from the front tower to the guest pavilion. In the 16th century, the same tower housed a vault and a prison.

During the First and Second World War Lubcha castle of Kishek and Radziwills badly hurt. The once beautiful palace appears in ruins. It is believed that the local school was assembled from the bricks of the castle.

Today, enthusiasts are trying to reconstruct the castle in Lyubcha. There are enough negative and positive reviews about their work on the Internet. In fact, everything that we see in the photo is their merit. Until 2003, the castle was abandoned and in ruins.

The castle is located in the urban village of Lyubcha, Grodno region, Novogrudok district. It won't be difficult to find him. On the way, you can see another attraction - Church of the Prophet Elijah.

Read about others castles of Belarusand also for your trips attractions map.