Tower of Kamianiec History

Designed by the architect Oleksa and built during 1271-1289, the Tower of Kamyanyets remains the main landmark of Kamianiec today. It stands atop a raised bank overlooking the Liasnaja River. Regarded as a national historic site, the tower houses a branch of the Brest regional museum.

The great round tower is a part of the motte-and-bailey castle and actually served as a donjon (fortified main tower or a keep) with service and residential rooms on five levels. It is made entirely of red bricks and has big, pointed lancet windows and niches on the upper floor with glass windows, representing early Gothic architecture.

The upper part of the tower has battlements and dogtooth courses running below it.

Tower of Kamyanyets Location

The Tower of Kamyanyets is located in Kamianiec, Brest Province, Belarus. Get help with directions using the map provided below!

Tower of Kamyanyets Map

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Navahrudak Castle History

As early as the 11th and 12th centuries the walls of the castle were repeatedly stormed by enemy troops. In the second half of the 13th century, the first tower was erected.

This tower played a major role in the fact that the Navahrudak castle was never captured by opponent troops until the war of Russia with the Polish Kingdom (1654 – 1667). Then, after a long siege, the castle was captured and destroyed.

This unique castle was declared a state monument in 1921.

Navahrudak Location

Navahrudak Castle is located near Navahrudak city (Novogrudok), Hrodna Province, Belarus. The map provided below will be useful to reach Navahudrak Castle.

Navahrudak Castle Map

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The Mirsky Castle Complex is located in the town of Mir, Belarus. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

Mir Castle History

Founded by Duke Ilinich at the end of the 15th century, the castle is a unique monument of Belarusian architecture and has incorporated several architectural styles (Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance) over a period during which it was destroyed and restored repeatedly.

The three-storied castle is decorated with limestone portals, balconies, and porches. The square building has five tall towers at the corners, with a drawbridge and grille to prevent an ambush.

Built as a fortress, the castle was designed to defend itself in an armed attack, and its walls have loopholes for heavy cannon firing.

During World War II, the Mir Castle was used as a ghetto for the Jewish population.

Mir Castle Map

Get help with directions to reach the Mir Castle Complex using the map provided below.

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The Grand Duke of the Great Lithuanian Principality Gedymin ordered 1323 the foundations of a stone castle in Lida (Grodno region) to strengthen the defense of his lands from the crusaders’ assaults.

The construction works continued for five years, the north-western tower of the castle was built at the same time together with the stone walls. The other tower, the south-eastern one, was erected for the defense of its stone walls and the town of Lida, sometime during the 14th or 15th centuries.

In its plan, the walls of the Lida castle look like a trapezium. In the second half of the 14th century, the castle walls repeatedly occurred in the center of the fights between Yagaibo and Vitovt for the Grand Duke’s throne.

The crusaders took advantage of those fights, and in 1392, Vitovt brought detachments of crusaders with Commanders Ian Rumpenheim and Conrad of Liechtenstein in charge of the Lida castle walls. They plundered the town and besieged the castle which was surrounded by Duke Dmitri Karybut without a fight.

When in 1394 crusader detachments assaulted again, the people of Lida set the town on fire and hid in the castle, and from there they defended it. It was captured only during the war of Russia between 1654-1667.

The Lida Castle was destroyed in 1659 but now it was restored and it is available to visit.

Lida Castle Location

Get help with directions to the Castle of Lida, Lida, Hrodna Province, Belarus, using the map provided below.

Lida Castle Map

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The Krevo Castle is located in the Grodno region of Belarus. It is mainly famous for the fact that on the 14th of August 1385, the Krevo Union was signed in this castle.

That document became the beginning of the creation of the Great Lithuanian Principality and the Polish Crown. The stones of the castle were built in the 1330’s.

The castle is irregular in shape but reminds of a trapeze. The Krevo Castle had two towers situated diagonally. Its north-western tower extended above the perimeter of the castle stones which made it look different from all the other castles and fortifications in Belarus.

It was once called the Duke’s tower, as the Duke used to live on the first floor of it. The basement of the tower housed a prison.

During 1503 and 1506, Krevo castle suffered greatly from the raids of the Crimean tatars. Gradually, Krevo Castle lost its military importance and became a ruin.

Krevo Castle Location

Krevo Castle is located in the small village of Krevo, near the Smorgon’ city (Smarhoń), Hrodna Province, Belarus.
Get help with directions to Smorgon’s city (Smarhoń) using the map provided below.

Krevo Castle Map

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The ruins of the Halshany Castle can fascinate any visitor with their picturesque look. The castle was built by P Sapega between the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

Similar to the Mir Castle Complex, the Halshany castle had high towers at its corners and along the wall perimeter, there were dwelling houses that created a closed square court. Under the castle, there were vaulted basements.

During the Northern war (1700 – 1721) the castle was destroyed by the Swedes. Nowadays only the ruins of the castle are in place.

Halshany Castle Map

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The fortress was located at a strategic point of the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union, being one of the most western fortresses. In the 19th century, the only bridge that linked the Russian empire with Poland was located in Brest, so all the commercial and military traffic was done through Brest.

Brest Fortress History

Although the Brest fortress is not very old, it had a central role in many important battles in both world wars. In 1915 Germany occupied the fortress after the Russians withdrew, and three years later the Brest-Litovsk treaty was signed here. After the Soviet-Polish war, the Brest fortress was taken over by Poland. In 1939 it was occupied by Soviet forces after the USSR attacked Poland and thus became a Soviet fortress.

During the first days of Operation Barbarossa, the fortress was defended by Soviet forces against the German army, and thus it played a crucial role in WWII.

Brest fortress Today

The Brest fortress is one of the most important Soviet World War II war monuments. The fortress is a masterpiece of military engineering as well as an outstanding work of art, and several forts have been added to the original fortress, which consists of two stories with two-kilometer-long barracks in a circular form.

The 500 casemates could hold 12,000 people, ammunition, and food. The gun ports in the recesses of the barracks walls were used for gun and rifle firing. Churches, monasteries, and cathedrals also exist within the grounds of the fortress.

The fortress was heavily damaged during WWII and some parts of it were never restored. At present, the site of the Brest fortress hosts a big monument of the unknown Soviet soldier, and the main entrance is made through a huge red star symbolizing the USSR. The fortress is free to visit.

Brest Fortress Location

Brest Fortress is located at the Belarusian border with Poland, in the city of Brest.

Brest Fortress Map

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