What is the largest building built by Lubart in Lutsk. Lutsk Castle or Lubart's Castle. Photos and impressions. State of the roundabout castle
castle tower
Lutsk Castle is a symbol of the city of Lutsk, its main attraction and pride. Built in the 14th century by the Lithuanian prince Vitovt Lubart, who married the local princess Bush and converted to the Orthodox faith (taking the name Dmitry at baptism), it was chosen as the princely residence.
Today, the castle has three names: Lutsk (the most common), Upper (because there is also the Lower Castle, dilapidated) and Lubart's Castle (Prince Lutsk c. 1323-1324 and 1340-1383).
Lubart's Castle is one (if not the only) of the few surviving architectural monuments of Ukraine from the era of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
In the annals it was first mentioned in 1085, when it was already a fortified point that withstood a 6-month siege by Boleslav the Brave.
Despite the fact that the history of the castle in Lutsk is usually traced back to 1340, it began its existence much earlier.
Back in the 11th century, a wooden fortification was built on the castle hill - the first castle that lasted two centuries and which was then replaced with a more durable stone one.
Lutsk Castle was built for more than forty years.
castle walls
First, the towers were built: Vyezdnaya, Styrovaya (above the Styr River), Vladychiya, then the walls were completed.
In the castle, on the foundations of the prince's palace, which adjoined the Entrance Tower, the last headman of Lutsk, Yu. Now it houses the art museum department of the Volyn Museum of Local Lore.
For many centuries, the regional government and the cathedral choir of the Lutsk-Ostroh bishopric acted here, the Seimas and class courts of the Volyn gentry gathered here. The famous castle office created and preserved one and a half million documents in the so-called city books. A galaxy of outstanding public and state figures passed through this school of administrative management, among whom was
Hetman of Ukraine Ivan Vyhovsky. The basement of the tower served as a prison for those condemned to death. The poet and public figure of the 17th - early 18th centuries spent the last days of his life in it. Daniel Bratkovskiy.
In plan, the castle has an irregular, close to a triangle, shape, which was due to the terrain.
The perimeter of the defensive walls, with towers at the corners, went along the edge of the hill. On the western side was the entrance to the castle, passing through the drawbridge and the gate tower. The height of the tower, originally three-tiered, was increased by two more tiers in the 16th century, and at the beginning of the 17th century, its top was crowned with an attic.
On the main facade of the Entrance Tower there are wide and narrow immured arches above the modern opening: these are the old entrance and entrance (wicket) to the castle, which were equipped with drawbridges.
The southeastern corner tower, square in plan, located above the river Styr (Ukr. Styr), and therefore bearing the name Styrovaya, originally also had three tiers. In the 16th century, another tier was added to it, and at the beginning of the 17th century, a crowning attic. The height of the Lord's Tower, located on the northern corner of the fortress, has also been increased by one tier.
Behind the county treasury is the Lord's Tower, which was held in ancient times at the expense of the lord, from which it received
the corresponding title. In it, in addition to the exposition of the castle arsenal, you can visit the only museum of bells in Ukraine.
The defensive walls of the castle in the XV century are modernized and adapted to the use of firearms. In some areas, the height of the walls was increased, and the crenelage openings were walled up. They were replaced by two or three rows of loopholes, accessed through wooden covered galleries. The entire castle complex was built of brick.
At the beginning of the 19th century, an episcopal palace in the classicist style was built in the northern part of the castle.
The roundabout castle had an area of about 6 hectares and was partially enclosed
a brick wall, and partly a wooden one, built from log cabins (there were 69 in total). The wall of the roundabout castle started from the Styrovaya Tower of the Upper Castle and ended at the Gate Tower of the Upper Castle, it had eight towers: four wooden and four stone (today only one stone tower and wall fragments have survived).
The house with columns - the county treasury of the military department - put on the site of the lord's court in 1807 and is now adapted for exhibitions of private collections.
Under the wall that joins the Vladychia and Styrovaya towers, there is a rather large basement in which food supplies were stored in case of a siege of the castle.
In the middle of the castle courtyard from ancient Russian times there was a cathedral church of Ivan the Theologian.
Lutsk princes and bishops are buried in it, among them the builder of the castle Dmitry-Lyubart.
Now, over the walls of the ancient shrine, which was the spiritual capital of eastern Volhynia for 600 years, uncovered by archaeologists, a pavilion has been built, in which it is planned to create a museum.
Coat of arms of the city of Lutsk. Ukraine.
Ukraine, Lutsk, Old Lutsk, Lutsk castle (Lubart's castle), St. Peter and Paul and other sights of Lutsk
The first fox trip to Ukraine took place in the ancient city Lutsk. We will definitely check out the main sights of Lutsk - Lutsk castle or, as it is also called, Lubart's castle. Why does one castle have so many names? Lutsk castle by city name Lutsk, Lubart's castle- named after its founder. So, Lutsk castle- one of the main attractions in Lutsk, every day widely opens its gates to visitors, inviting them to touch its history.
Red, yellow, small lime and sweeping maple paws. Leaves fell off their habitual branches and circled over the city in the middle of autumn, that beautiful time that smiling romantics often call golden autumn. Lutsk basking in the sun like a contented cat, screwing up his eyes in the bright sun and clutching his main treasure in his paw - Lutsk castle or, as it is also called, Lubart's castle. Treasure in Lutsk, there must be a lot, but the main thing is the quiet charm of the streets, in early October, the city pampers with the Indian summer, throwing a scattering of golden, orange, scarlet leaves under your feet. Everything shone around like a field of rye under the bright rays of the sun. The branches of the trees leaning towards the ground rustled with golden foliage; fields dressed in gold, seen on the highway in front of the city, no, no, and they will flash before your eyes with a sparkling picture that brings peace and a light smile illuminated by inner light.
Ukraine,Old Lutsk.
Old Lutsk
Old Lutsk. How I want to wander around your streets longer, spy on the workers that on a quiet autumn afternoon they are renovating old buildings, how I want to sit in a street cafe, ordering lunch from a young Ukrainian waitress with a light and slightly thoughtful smile from the understanding that there is so much in common in Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian. Someone does not understand this playful, like a rushing stream of speech, and the Little Fox will not starve in a beautiful old city Lutsk.
Ukraine,Lutsk, Lubart's Castle (Lutsk Castle), engraving by Napoleon Orda XIX century.
If you sit down on a bench in a quiet square and squint slightly, it seems that a horse-drawn carriage is about to pass along the cobblestone pavement towards the castle, somewhere in the distance, as in our time, the city market is filled with noise and loud greetings. He must have been close to the castle walls, just like now. And here, in the old part of the city, is a pharmacy. Perhaps she was here long before our days, another 100, or maybe 300 years ago? Somewhere the townspeople are in a hurry and always nimble, disheveled, like little sparrows - children are scurrying everywhere. A loud cry suddenly returns to our days, the steady noise of the city ceases to be the main party in the dinner lullaby, and takes its usual place - an accompaniment to the life of an ancient city, whose beauty is inseparable from the amazing, proud and majestic castle. We will go to the castle to admire the city from the height of the castle walls and just walk along its ancient land in search of something interesting - something that we did not know before.
Ukraine,view of the city from the castle walls.
Lutsk castle or Lubart's castle
Story Lutsk castle started a long time ago. Back in the 11th century, the castle, though still wooden at that time, was mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years. The wooden fortification was erected on a natural hill, which was surrounded by a water barrier on 4 sides. Despite this, history Lutsk taken to lead from 1340. Around the same time, a castle was built, the walls and towers of which were entirely made of brick. Of course, the castle did not immediately acquire its current form, and it was built a little more than four decades. First, the towers were built, later the walls were completed, even later the height of the towers increased, the walls were converted for firearms. By the way, if you hear about Lubart's castle or Upper castle, do not rush to be surprised, all this Lutsk castle. Lubart's castle was named after the prince who started its construction, the Upper Castle, because there was another castle - Okolny. By the way, it often happens when the population of the city increases and the old castle becomes insufficient to protect the entire population, a new fortification is built on the former walls. However, the Roundabout castle was built simultaneously with the Upper one. Lutsk castle, by the way, in the Middle Ages it was the second capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Nowadays, in Ukraine, this is perhaps the only surviving castle of those distant times.
Ukraine,Lutsk, Lubart's castle (Lutsk castle),castle courtyard.
If we recall the Belarusian castles built around the same time, we will find one similarity in them - they had rather clear lines in plan - whether it was a square, a rectangle, but Lutsk castle special - its perimeter is closest to the triangle, only the walls go around something rounded. All this is because they repeat the shape of the natural hill on which the castle is built. 16th to 17th century Lutsk castle withstands 26 attacks of the Tatars, the castle did not let down the natural barriers that protected it for centuries, thanks to which we have the opportunity to admire these ancient walls, towers, galleries.
Ukraine,Lutsk, Lubart's castle (Lutsk castle),wooden gallery along the walls.
Nowadays Lutsk castle invites you to walk along the wooden galleries along the castle walls, in an old building there is a museum of ancient books, with a guide you can look at the foundation of the ancient church of St. John the Evangelist of the XI century. In the dungeon of the church, you can look at an exhibition of ceramics: tiles, tiles, old bricks. Various museums are arranged in the towers of the castle, exhibitions and expositions are deployed: Exit tower - expositions of "Old Residents" and "Castle Gatehouse". In the Vladychiya tower - the only museum of bells in Ukraine, the exposition "Arsenal" in the Vyaznitskaya tower. It should be noted that in the building of the current art museum on the territory of the castle there used to be a court of nobility.
Ukraine,Lutsk, Lubart's castle (Lutsk castle),exposition "Arsenal".
Arriving at Lutsk in early October, you can have time to look at the festival " Lubart's castle", which is held in the castle itself in autumn. The program of the festival has a lot of interesting things. Here you can attend master classes in dance, embroidery and some folk crafts, learn more about medieval entertainment and board games, outdoor games and puppet theater, visit the craftsmen's fair and, finally, you will see a jousting tournament.The castle is elegantly decorated before the festival, adding colors to these last days of the outgoing Indian summer and creating a festive atmosphere.After climbing the gallery, which allows you to walk along the castle wall and see the city from a bird's eye view, you will not want nowhere to hurry, but you just want to go to the loophole, stand, look around and bask in the sun.Beautiful from above and the castle courtyard - here they are the towers - are visible at a glance, here it is a museum of an ancient book, here they are huge chess at the exit tower. in chess itself, the matter is, right around them, the foundation of the princely palace built in the 14th century was excavated, which adjoined the tower.
Ukraine,Lutsk, Lubart's castle (Lutsk castle),castle courtyard, entrance tower, chess.
Dungeons of Lutsk. Church of St. Peter and Paul in Lutsk
And here is the solemn moment! What is an ancient city or castle without dungeons? Of course, in Lutsk were, are and will be dungeons, which you can visit, which lead excursions. I will only note that getting on the tour is not very easy. They are held only on condition that a group of 20 +/-5 people is recruited. It is better to approach and ask about the tour in advance. And the entrance to the dungeon is under the church of St. Peter and Paul. They say that dungeons were under lock and key, and even connected the latter with neighboring settlements. What secrets do our dungeons hold? Let's go and get acquainted? We go down to the whole floor, to a good such floor - about three meters. The guide closes the door behind us, and we get to the place where every child dreamed of visiting while reading their favorite adventure books. Previously, noble citizens were buried here, some cells, underground passages, several halls, a deep well and, finally, a hall of skeletons have been preserved. Going out into the bright sun with joy, your eyes again touch the church, you involuntarily notice a chipped piece from a wooden statue and you see how many layers of paint have fallen on these small statues and you are only amazed.
Ukraine,Lutsk. Cathedral Church of St. apostles Peter and Paul, wooden sculptures.
The church itself was built not so long ago compared to the castle, in 1646, it was completely rebuilt in 1730 after a fire. It is not so easy to photograph it - a narrow street and a large, tall church. Even having crossed to the other side, it is not so easy to capture the entire church in the frame - you need good photographic equipment or a good visual memory :).
It seemed that the sun was entangled in the branches of trees that hung almost to the very ground, tangled, moving from branch to branch and did not want to move further west, making its prescribed circle. Following the sun, you feel complete peace, somewhere in the depths of your soul, filled with the calmness of a well-fed cat, there is a complete reluctance to leave the city, as if you won back quite a bit from the outgoing summer, just a few hours of warmth and light, joy. The feeling of a quiet flight does not leave, not at all high, as if you are looking at everything from above, like a bird and you just don’t want to let go of this unexpected happiness, just a minute, a second, a little more ...
Driving directions, sights of Lutsk.
Plan of Lubart's Castle (Lutsk Castle)
1. entrance tower. Expositions - "Castle Gatehouse", "Old Residents" (a selection of antiques will help you see the evolution of household items, as well as artifacts, some of which are no longer used).
2. Lord's tower. Exposition - "Arsenal", "Vyaznitsa" and the only museum of bells in Ukraine. "Arsenal" - one of the functions of the Lord's tower - arsenal, so the exposition shows the weapons of the past. "Vyaznitsa" - on the first floor of the tower, a prisoner is sitting behind bars, the ascetic surroundings of the room will help you see the conditions of detention of commoners in the old days.
3. Styrovaya tower(named after the nearby river).
4. Archaeological excavation of the Church of John the Theologian XII in, exposition - "Plitnitsa". "Plitnitsa" - various ceramics are presented here: tiles, tiles, bricks of the 12th-17th centuries. In the middle of the castle courtyard since ancient Russian times there was a cathedral church of St. John the Theologian. Lutsk princes and bishops are buried in it, among them the builder of the castle Lubart.
5. Belfry.
6. The building of the district treasury of the 19th century, the museum of the book. The house with columns - the county (district) treasury of the military department - was placed on the site of the lord's court in 1807 and is now adapted for exhibitions of private collections.
7. Crypt 18th century(in medieval Western European architecture, one or more underground vaulted rooms located under the altar and choral parts of the temple and serving for the burial and display of the relics of saints and martyrs.)
8. Cellar 19th century. Under the wall that joins the Vladych and Styrov towers, there is a rather large cellar, in which food supplies were stored in case of a siege of the castle.
9. The structure of the county office XVIII century, art museum. In the castle, on the foundations of the princely palace, which adjoined the Entrance Tower, the last headman of Lutsk, Yu. Now it houses the art museum department of the Volyn Museum of Local Lore.
10. Foundation of the princely palace XIV century.
11. Well.
12. Remains of the walls of the Roundabout Castle.
1. Lubart's castle. st. Cathedral, 1a.
2. roundabout castle, tower of princes. st. Cathedral, 6.
3. Sharitok Monastery. st. Cathedral, 19.
4. Brigid Monastery. st. Cathedral, 16.
5. Jesuit monastery. st. Cathedral, 6.
6. Dominican monastery. st. Drahomanov, 26.
7. Basilian monastery. st. Kondzelevich, 5.
8. Synagogue. st. D. Galitsky, 33.
9. kirkha. st. Karaimskaya, 16.
10. Intercession Church. st. D. Galitsky, 12.
11. Holy Cross Church. st. D. Galitsky, 2.
12. House-Museum of Kosachiv. st. Drahomanov, 23.
13. Art workshop of a sculptor. "House with Chimeras". st. Lutheran, 9.
14. Memorial sign of the 2000th anniversary of Christ.
15. Pharmacy Museum. st. Drahomanov, 11. Mon-Fri 8.00-21.00 Sat-Sun 9.00-21.00
Museums of Lutsk.
The Ukrainian Museum of Bells has existed for more than 20 years. His collection contains one of the oldest bells in Ukraine. It was made in Volhynia during the beginning of the national liberation movement, which was headed by Bogdan Khmelnitsky. In those days, all the metal went into service. The bells were made by the only workshop in Volhynia.
The book museum is located in the building that stands in the castle courtyard, which was originally the county treasury. The oldest book - an exhibit 366 years old - is a gospel published in Lviv in 1644. Now, when a paper book is no longer a single way of transmitting information, on the basis of pictorial material and real models in the book museum, one can trace the entire technological process of printing in the Middle Ages.
The one-story building in the castle courtyard attracts attention primarily with its sloping roof covered with planks.
The trading floor recreates the interior of a former old pharmacy. A prominent place is occupied by a massive prescription counter. On it is a unique cash register of 1902, in the drawers of which are money from the time the pharmacy was built. The second exhibition hall was the pharmacy owner's office. The table, armchairs, cabinets, book shelves reproduce the interior of an office space of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. There is an old abacus and a typewriter on the table. On the shelves - a library of now rare books from the pharmacy trade. The herbarium of medicinal plants, dated 1942, is also preserved here. Today this pharmacy is a museum of pharmaceutical business in Lutsk.
In the 16th-18th centuries, underground labyrinths were created in the area of Cathedral, Daniil Galitsky and some other streets. The study began back in 1970. It revealed more than 50 underground rooms, where many household items and tools were found.
The presentation of the museum took place in September 1999. Today, the museum's funds include about 1000 exhibits representing aviation and armored vehicles, artillery and anti-aircraft missile weapons, small arms, equipment and equipment of the signal troops, as well as various materials of military history that are of museum importance: combat banners, uniforms and army life , documents and photographs, works of art, war trophies and other materials. The museum hosts themed exhibitions.
Lutsk Castle (Castle of Prince Lubart) or Upper Castle is one of the largest and oldest castles in Ukraine, which has been preserved for us almost in its original form.
History of Lubart Castle
In 1320, Lutsk (Luchesk), founded in 1000 by Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, became part of the Lithuanian principality. Lubart, the son of the Lithuanian prince Gediminas, who captured Volhynia and Galicia, married the daughter of the prince of Galicia and Vladimir-Volynsk Lev Yuryevich, adopted the Orthodox faith and inherited Eastern Volhynia.
Lubart began to build a castle in Luchesk (then called Upper) in 1340, and although the construction was completed forty years later and under other rulers, it went down in history under the name of the castle of Prince Lubart. The lengthy construction also explains the fact that the original Gothic project turned out to be diluted with Renaissance lines.
Lutsk castle at the end of construction had three towers. They were called:
- Over the gate (Entrance), western - at the central entrance. Its height was 20 meters, and its dimensions in terms of 11.5 x 11.5 m.
- Styrovaya, southeast - on the rampart from the side of the river, also 20 meters high, but slightly smaller in size - 9 x 9 m. The tower has a Gothic portal made of white stone.
- Vladychiya - 16 meters high and 7.5 x 7.5 m in size.
All the towers are three-tiered, and just like the walls of the castle, they were completed with merlon battlements. The castle itself is irregular in plan and has dimensions of 120 x 80 x 70.
Over the past centuries, the castle has changed its original appearance quite a bit. At the end of the 15th century, the merlons were laid, and the walls and towers were completed. And in the 16th century, high atiks, decorated with figured battlements, were added to the architectural appearance of the towers, and the Gate Tower became 10 meters higher, and the Styrovaya Tower, 8 meters higher.
And now on the facade of the Entrance Tower above the modern opening you can see wide and narrow walled arches. It was in this place that the entrance and entrance to the castle used to be, and they were equipped with high drawbridges across the moat around the defensive walls.
At one time (1429) Lutsk Castle hosted the Roman Emperor Sigismund and famous princes and kings in history at the 7-week congress of European monarchs.
Lubart's castle, or as it is also called Lutsk castle (derived from the name of the city), is undoubtedly considered an unsurpassed architectural monument. One of the important reasons to consider the building unique is that the castle has been preserved, having existed for 7 centuries. At first, the castle served as the residence of the last Galician-Volyn prince Lubart Gediminovich, as well as reliable protection from enemies, but now it is the hallmark of Lutsk. Which, together with other ancient buildings, is part of the state reserve "Old Lutsk". In 2011 Lubart's Castle was recognized as the best in Ukraine.
There were many owners in the castle. But the fortress bears the name of Lubart, who came to our lands from the Lithuanian principality. Having married the daughter of Lutsk Prince Andrei Agrippina, Lubart converted to Orthodoxy, baptized by the name of Dmitry. From Prince Andrey, he inherited the Lutsk lands and began the construction of the castle. This was facilitated by the transfer of the capital from the destroyed Vladimir to Lutsk. The followers of Lubert-Dmitry only improved the building, gradually replacing wood with stone and brick. Back in the 11th century, when the fortification was wooden, after the conquest of the city by the Mongol-Tatars, Prince Vasilko Romanovich, at the request of the Khan's governor Burundai, dismantled the fortifications of the city.
Architecture of Lubart's castle
The founder of the castle, Prince Lubart, chose not only a picturesque, but also a safe place for the future fortress - it appeared to replace the large ancient settlement of Luchesk (later Lutsk) over the Styr River. A little later, next to the main Upper Castle (the original name of Lubart's castle), the construction of the Okolny (Lower Castle) began. Lubart's successor, Prince Vitovt, was left with a half-wooden, half-stone fortress, so there was a lot of trouble with strengthening the walls. Only one building survived from the Roundabout castle - the tower of the princes Czartoryski. The upper castle with its three towers: Entrance, Styrova and Vladychia has been well preserved to our time.
According to legend, these three towers were supposed to symbolize Faith, Hope and Love. Who was the author of the castle project and whose hands it was built is unknown. However, the style of Gothic architecture corresponds to many castles in Eastern Europe of that time. The Lutsk fortress is similar to the castle in Czersk, in the Masovian Voivodeship of Poland.
Upper castle
The upper castle gave shelter to the legislative and executive authorities of the Volyn principality, the courts. Also in the center of the fortress yard, from the time of Ancient Rus', there was the main religious shrine - the cathedral church of Ivan the Theologian. So with its construction began the formation and establishment of the spiritual center of the country. In the main shrine of the then Lutsk lands, the prince found eternal rest, after whom the castle is named. Unfortunately, the Church of St. John the Evangelist could not withstand the devastating fire, as a result of the attack of enemies.
entrance tower
The entrance to the fortress, equipped with a hanging bridge and a gate tower, is located on the western side of the building. Currently, the tower attracts with the opportunity to view the incredibly picturesque city of Lutsk from a bird's eye view. The tower now exhibits copies of ancient paintings, engravings with a view of the castle. The oldest of them is a copy of an icon from the first half of the 18th century. Ancient maps of Volhynia also hang here, an exhibition of keys, locks, bottles, and toys will please the eye.
Immediately behind the entrance is the princely palace. Two floors, four rooms each (not preserved to our time).
Today, the Entrance Tower attracts visitors with an exhibition of building ceramics.
Styrovaya tower
The Styrova Tower is located in the southeastern part of the castle, above the Styr River, from where its name comes from. The Stirovaya tower was three stories high: the treasury was on the first floor, the prison was on the second, and the library was on the third. During the reign of Svidrigailo, the tower was significantly strengthened, changed and since then it has been called Svidrigailov.
Lord's tower
The Lord's Tower was maintained at the expense of the Lord, hence the name. Today it houses a unique and only exhibition of bells - "The Bells of Volyn, History and Modernity". It was opened in 1985. Researchers of the State Historical and Cultural Reserve, with great patience, collected a collection drop by drop from the XVII - early. 20th century It contains a collection of bells, between which the biggest difference is 345 years. The bell of 1647 is considered a real gem of the collection, because most of the bells were cast into cannons during the Cossack wars of 1648-1654. That is, he still remembers the most majestic Hetman Bogdan Khmelnitsky. And the real value of the bell is that it was cast not in a factory way, but by a sole master with his apprentices, using a technology known only to them. Also, various service bells, bells, bells are presented to the attention of visitors, which can now be seen if not in a museum, then perhaps in a film. There are also bells for the fire department, railway station, post office, a small school bell and a bell from the river pier.
Also in the Lord's tower is a collection of ancient weapons. That will not leave indifferent any of the representatives of the stronger sex. For lovers of spiritual treasures, there is also a place dear to the heart - the book museum, which since 2005 has been located in the building of the former treasury, in the center of the castle courtyard. The unique book collection is a gift from Bishop Bartholomew, Archbishop of Rivne and Ostroh UOC. The edition from Kyiv, Lvov, Chernigov, Vilnius, Moscow, Pochaev, Poznan, Nuremberg is placed here. Based on the material seen and real models in the museum, one can trace the entire technological process of the former printing. As a clear evidence to the attention of visitors - the current model - the reconstruction of the machine of the XV century, the time of the first printers in Europe. The oldest exhibit of the museum is 366 years old.
It is also worth visiting the Art Museum, located since 1973 in the premises of the former gentry court and county office on the castle grounds. Not only artists from many European countries: Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, France are presented to the attention of visitors, but also modern Ukrainian ones.
During the reign of Lubart-Dmitry, the Volyn principality was at war with the Polish king Casimir III the Great, and only after his death was Lubart able to continue building the fortress. This is how the completely wooden Lower Castle (Okolny Castle) arose.
Okolny (Lower) castle
The roundabout castle with its towers performed a defensive function. Its inner territory was inhabited by the nobility and the higher clergy. At the beginning, the defensive towers had three tiers, which ended with merlons (teeth). The reflection of these teeth is still preserved on the walls. Over time and with the development of military affairs, and in particular with the use of firearms, the walls changed their original shape. New loopholes were completed, which significantly increased the height of the walls, which has since reached twelve meters. As already mentioned, the only tower that has survived to this day is named after the princes Czartoryski. They owned Lutsk in the XV-XVI centuries. The tower adjacent to the Jesuit monastery can only be viewed from Drahomanov Street.
Legends of Lubart's Castle
And not only the material heritage is interesting for tourists, for the seven hundred years of its existence, Lubart's castle has acquired incredible, extremely mysterious, inexplicable and romantic legends. This is exactly the most popular of the legends of the fortress. She tells about the eternal love of Prince Lubart for Princess Bush - the daughter of Prince Leo II, the last of the family of Daniel of Galicia. The life of the beauty ended too early, she did not live to see the completion of the construction of the castle. The saddened prince found the strength to live on, subsequently married and had children. But he did not forget the first and only love of his life. Until his last day, Lubart brought fresh flowers to the grave of his beloved. This made it possible to find peace for the soul of the princess, and that is why her ghosts do not wander around the walls of the building. Therefore, the castle has become a place of pilgrimage for local newlyweds who climb the tower to pray together. After all, they believe that this ritual will keep love in their hearts forever. Evidence of this is that a pair of falcons have settled in the Entrance Tower and have been living there for several years.
There are also quite creepy legends, according to which the ghosts of two girls live in the castle. To see the first of them, with the onset of night it is worth going down into the dungeon of the castle, they say that this is part of the labyrinth, extending under the whole city. It is worth listening to the most interesting and creepy stories about the soul of girls lost among the walls. It is worth feeling in your own skin, it cannot be expressed in words.
The castle of Lubart is the main symbol of the city of Lutsk, symbolizing the power of the Volyn region. This is one of the oldest and largest, which is in first place in the ranking of "7 Wonders of Ukraine". It is famous for its interesting history, amazing architecture, amazing resilience, a huge collection of old bells, and much more. And the fortress was honored to be depicted on the 200-hryvnia banknote.
Today it has three names: Lutsk (the most common), Upper (since there is another half-destroyed one in Lutsk - Lower), and Lubarta.
The castle was founded by Rurik in the 11th century. It was first mentioned in the annals in 1075, when the fortress withstood the siege of the soldiers of Boleslav the Brave, which lasted 6 months. Initially, it was a relatively small wooden fortification. It was located on an island surrounded by swamps. Such an advantageous position gave the owners an advantage in battles with the invaders. In the period from 1340 to 1350, when Lubart Gediminovich (son-in-law of the Galicia-Volyn prince Andrei II Yuryevich) ruled in the Volyn region, the fortress was completely rebuilt into a brick one. New walls were erected around the old ones, which increased the area of \u200b\u200bthe building. In addition, the water level around the castle was increased by building a special dam. And for the passage through the moat, a special drawbridge was made.
At the end of the XIV century, Prince Vitovt came to power, who made Lutsk the southern capital of the Lithuanian principality. Under him, the city flourished and became a powerful political, religious and administrative center of Volyn, and Lubart's castle received the shape that it has to this day. It was in the princely palace of the castle that the congress of European monarchs took place in 1429. It resolved the issue of protecting Europe from the Ottoman invaders and other international issues. When Vytautas died, his brother Svidrigailo became prince, during whose time perestroika was fully completed. That is why the Lutsk fortress is often called the castle of the three princes.
Siege resistance
Surprisingly, Lubart's castle in Lutsk is still in good condition, despite the fact that it has withstood many sieges over its centuries-old history. After Boleslav the Brave, the wooden citadel in 1149 tried to capture the Rostov-Suzdal and Kiev princes, and literally a year later, the Galician prince Vladimir Vladimirovich intended to besiege the fortress. Five years later, his brother, Yaroslav Vladimirovich, came up with the same goal. After 100 years, in 1255, the Golden Horde governor Kurems attacked the Lutsk castle of Lubert. He was not the last one who tried to destroy the wooden citadel.
After the castle was rebuilt, Polish kings tried to conquer its stone walls: Casimir in 1349 and Jagiello in 1431, as well as the Lithuanian prince Sigismund in 1436.
The legend about the defense of the castle from King Jagiello
When he tried to capture Volhynia and besiege Lubart's castle after fierce battles, the fortress was still able to withstand the onslaught and defend the independence of the region. According to legend, not only the reliability of the fortress helped the defenders to win, but also their personal ingenuity. After a long and exhausting siege, when the ammunition was already running out, the locals decided to catapult the decaying animal corpses to the Poles. Under the shelling of dead animals, the Poles nevertheless retreated.
Later use of the fortress
Lubart and his defenders were able to resist even the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars. In 1569, when the Union of Ljubljana was concluded and the Commonwealth was formed, the castle became a royal residence. By the 17th century, the fortress began to lose its defensive capabilities. By this time, the castle housed: courts, the residence of the bishop, the office, and outbuildings. On the territories of the Upper and Lower castles there were Latin and Orthodox departments, which made it possible for the gentry of both faiths to gather. And the Lutsk Tribunal had power not only over Volyn, but also over a number of other provinces.
From the middle of the 19th century, the complex began to fall into decay altogether. And in 1863, officials decided to dismantle it and sell it as a building material. The exit tower and the adjacent wall "went under the hammer" for 373 rubles. Fortunately, they did not manage to sell the fortress, because in 1864 the Kiev commission forbade the demolition of the complex. But the Lower Castle was waiting for a sadder fate.
In 1870, a fire brigade settled in the castle, building a booth over the Lord's Tower, from which control over the city was carried out. In 1918, a summer theater with a wooden pavilion and foyer was built on the territory of the Castle. Here they showed the so-called "living pictures", which at that time were considered the rage. And so one of the first cinemas in Lutsk appeared.
Today Lubart's Castle, or Lutsk Castle, is a historical museum and national monument.
towers
The fortification of the fortress has the shape of an irregular triangle, in each corner of which there are towers: Vyezdnaya, Vladychya, Styrovaya. From the west, there is the Exit Tower, which is climbed to view the city from a bird's eye view. The elements of the tower reflect various historical facts. For example, on the main facade above the main entrance there are two arches. Previously, they had passages that could be accessed from a drawbridge located above the moat. Today, the arches are walled up, and instead of a bridge, a regular entrance has been built.
Inside the tower are two spiral staircases. The tower has several floors, each of which houses an exposition of ancient engravings and paintings dedicated to this castle, as well as old maps of the Volyn region. On the top floor there is an exhibition of old toys, keys, bottles and other items. The Lord's Tower also contains expositions dedicated to the city and the stronghold.
Place of execution
In front of the Visiting Tower, in the courtyard, there are weapons used both for siege and for defense, as well as various devices that have been preserved since the Middle Ages. In the 16th century, there was a place of execution on this site, where people were executed, as a rule, by cutting off their heads.
Other buildings
On the territory of the fortress there are: dungeons, the prince's palace, the county treasury and the house of the gentry courts. The Cathedral of St. John the Theologian, which was the first Christian church in Lutsk, has also been partially preserved. It is said that it was here that Prince Lubart was buried.
Near the remains of the temple there is an exposition of old tiles and bricks. Here you can see a brick of different sizes and times. Some copies even have ancient inscriptions. Even in the courtyard you can see the remains of wooden buildings and old metal objects.
The castle of Lubart is also famous for its large collection of ancient bells (the only one in Ukraine), the museum of printing and a collection of weapons.
Graffiti on the walls
Throughout the existence of the fortress, people left many inscriptions on its outer side. In fact, all the walls between the towers are covered with various words. Basically, these are the names of people and dates. The oldest writing on the wall dates back to 1444. The inscriptions are characterized by a variety of fonts, scratching methods and calligraphy. Among them there are records of famous people, for example, Lesya Ukrainka's sister, Olga Kosach, dated 1891.
Conclusion
So we got acquainted with such a colorful and fascinating attraction of Western Ukraine as Lubart's castle. Lutsk welcomes its guests with many more interesting places, among which, by the way, are the remains of the Lower Castle. Well, Lubart's castle is waiting for tourists every day from 10:00 to 18:00. The entrance fee is only 10 UAH (about 25 Russian rubles) for an adult and 2 UAH (about 5 rubles) for a child. Well, those who wish to visit the tower and listen to the tour will have to pay 50 UAH (within 130 rubles). Come to Lutsk and touch the centuries-old history with your own hands!
