Description of the attraction
The Lyubchansky castle was built on the high bank of the Neman River in 1581. Lyubcha is an ancient city, the chronicle mentions of which date back to 1241. In those early days, it was a thriving, wealthy city that needed protection. The idea of building the fortress belonged to the Brest voivode Jan Kishka.
The first castle was built of wood. Only the entrance tower with a gate was made of wood. The castle was surrounded by high earthen ramparts and deep ditches were dug.
The new owner of the castle, Nikolai Radziwill, decided to rebuild his fortress, adding three more stone towers, as well as stone outbuildings, so that the supplies stored in them could not be destroyed by fire.
In the middle of the 17th century, the Lyubchansky castle was subjected to raids by the Cossacks under the leadership of Bohdan Khmelnitsky and needed reliable protection. During these years, the defense of the castle was commanded by the Lithuanian hetman Janusz Radziwill. In 1655, the Cossack troops led by Ivan Zolotarenko destroyed the Lyubchansky castle. It has lost its defensive significance and changed owners many times. The Cossacks plundered not only material treasures, but also spiritual treasures. The Lyubchanskaya printing house was destroyed, and priceless books perished in the fire.
In the 1860s, the castle passed into the hands of the successive owners of the Falz-Feins. Representatives of this respected noble Baltic family built a snow-white house on the ruins of a medieval fortress in the neo-Gothic style that was fashionable in those years. Years and wars have reacted favorably to this beautiful house, while now little remains of the former fortress.
Recently, attempts have been made to reconstruct the ancient fortress. We have already managed to restore one of the defensive towers and clear the territory of the castle from debris and windbreak.
