Lida castle
Lida Castle, in the Grodno region, is one of the oldest of all Belarus castles
History of Lida Castle
Medieval Lida castle, a fine archeological monument that is officially protected by the state, lies 112km north-east of Grodno in the Grodno region of Belarus.
Lida Castle (Lidskiy zamok) was built in the early 14th century by Grand Duke Gediminas of Lithuania.
Famously built on sand, Lida Castle has withstood 7 centuries of battles and occupations of the surrounding land.
Lida Castle is similar in layout to another famous place in Belarus, Mir Castle. Boulder walls constructed in the early 14th century were later faced with red brick.
The castle dominates the town of Lida, which was badly damaged in a fire in 1891.Stones from the south-western tower and parts of the western wall of the castle were used to repair fire-damaged houses.
In the 1920s work began to restore some of the castle walls. On January 22, 1940 the Castle of Lida was awarded the status of an archeological monument and in 1953 the castle was taken under state protection.
Lida Castle today
Lida castle today is an all-season tourist attraction, drawing thousands of visitors every year.
During the summer, knights’ tournaments are regularly held in this Belarus castle. In the winter time the inner yard of the castle, an area 80m by 80m, is converted into an ice-skating rink.
The
ghosts of the warriors
The ghosts of the warriors, of course, chose Lida Castle, built by the Grand Prince Gedymin, to defend against the crusaders.
The events of the legend that gave life to the Lida ghost took place in December 1392. The frosts helped the crusaders - along the ice-bound grip of their enemies, they managed to get as close as possible to the impregnable walls. Prince Dmitry Koribut was in Lida Castle at that time. Having a prepared squad, a sufficient number of weapons and supplies, the prince, however, decides to leave the castle. The night has come. Taking advantage of the underground passage, the prince, with most of the squad, goes towards Novogrudok. In the castle Dmitry Koribut leaves several warriors. They courageously fulfilled the will of the owner and met the inevitable death, defending the castle. And now, for seven centuries, the warriors have not left their post, continuing to keep their defense, inadvertently scaring the modern visitors of Leeds Castle. The ghosts of the Lidan warriors repeatedly became the subject of controversy among scholars and historians, and one of the ghosts even got on a snapshot of a local photographer. Fans of mystical stories contribute to the Lida Castle wish list of their travels.