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Main - - Culture - Architectural monuments - Grodno region Novogrudski Castle
Novogrudski Castle is a monument of defense architecture of the 11-16th centuries. It is erected in the center of Novogrudok as a Great Prince residence, on the hill with a height nearly 20 meters. The first fortifications in the form of rampart with wooden walls were erected in the 11th century. In the 13th century on the top of the hill was built stone square in the planning 5-stepped tower, destroyed in 1394 by crusaders, which attacked the castle a lot of times. On its basis a new prismatic tower was built (Central or Schitovka), with the height nearly 25 meters. At the end of the 14th –beginning of the 15th similar towers were also erected: Kostelnaya, Malaya and Posadskaya, connected by walls with the thickness of 2,5 meters. On the eastern bent under the source one more tower with a secret passage was constructed, it served for provision of the castle with water (Kolodezhnaya). At the end of the 15th –beginning of the 16th centuries for the raid protection of the Crimean Tatars in the south-western part towers of new types were built:Dozornaya (Dozortsa) and Gorodskaya (Meskaya), connected with old spins of the stone walls, at the result of which two closed polygonal defence belt, extra circled with strong rampart and deep ditch. All the towers and walls are raised in the technique of three-layered brickwork and crushed stone. On the territory of the castle an ancient church of the 13th century , dwelling and household buildings were situated, in the 17th century a palace with a chapel was built. In the year of 1706 the castle was blasted by the Swedes and later was gradually destroyed. Some fragments of Central and Kostelnaya towers remained (in the 21st century their conservation was realized. It is a historical and cultural value of republican significance.
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© National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 2011
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