The Castle in Lubcha

Location

Lubcha is a township, located in Novogrudok district, Grodno region. It is 26 km from Novogrudok and 180 km from Grodno.

Historical references

The first mention of Lubcha is associated with the Crusades and dates back to the beginning of the XV century. Since the XVI century, Lubcha belonged to the Novogrudok povet. In times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the village belonged to the Hrebtovich, Gashtold, Kishka dynasties. In 1606, the Radziwill dynasty became new owners of those lands. Lubcha obtained its own coat of arms when it was granted the Magdeburg rights in 1590. After the third division of the Rzech Pospolita, Lubcha was part of the Russian Empire, and part of Poland in 1921. It became part of the BSSR in 1939.

Population 

According to the latest data, 1021 inhabitants live in Lubcha.

Castle

The Lubcha castle was built in 1581 as the inscription on the weathervane says. The first owner of the castle, who initiated the construction, was a wealthy and powerful man in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Yan Kishka. At first, the castle was made of wood. Only one tower was stone and its function was to defend the entrance. There were earthen ramparts and moats. 0, 5 meters wide (20 inches) moats were 10 m deep (394 inches).

At the end of the XVI century, Nikolay Radziwill owned the castle. Three stone towers and inner buildings appeared. Later, the fortress belonged to Yanush Radziwill, the hetman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. However, the castle was taken by the troops of hetman Ivan Zolotorenko and burned. The medieval building experienced a hard time: there were many different owners, and the final demolition of the inner structures in the XIX century. Two towers were preserved. The local authority ordered to build a two-storey palace with English Neo-Gothic elements near those towers.

The castle stands on the Neman; its high bank defends the building from one side. During the construction of the building, a combination of brick and stone was used. The inner courtyard of the castle was formed by a tower, palace and fortress walls, which were almost 0, 5 meters thick.

In 1964, there was an educational institution. Later, there was a museum. That’s why some parts of the castle have been preserved.

Today, the castle in Lubcha is one of the most popular places that travel companies include in tours. It is quite understandable: the castle complex is well preserved. Beautiful landscapes, friendly Belarusians and medieval atmosphere will surprise anyone.