Lida Castle History
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.