Description of the attraction
Lida Castle of Prince Gediminas - a defensive structure XIV-XV. Lida, a border town built on the border of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, was constantly raided by warlike neighbors. In those turbulent times, the people needed fortress walls to survive the war and return to a peaceful life again.
In 1323, Prince Gediminas ordered to build a stone fortress in order to stop the ruinous invasions of the country by the knights of the crusaders. In 1325 the castle of Gediminas was ready. He stood on a sandy mound, raised 5-6 meters above the level of the surrounding marshy lowland. High impregnable walls were built of stone and brick. Their thickness at the base reached two meters. On one side, the castle was surrounded by a deep moat, on the other - an artificial lake formed from behind a dam on the Lideya River.
After Gediminas, the castle was inherited by Olgerd, and after him - Jagailo. The inheritance, as usual, was not divided and an internecine war began in the country. In 1838 Lida Castle was besieged and taken.
The castle survived many wars and battles and was destroyed by the Swedes in 1700-1721 during the Great Northern War. The ruins of the ruined castle survived another last battle in 1794 between the rebels of the detachment of Tadeusz Kosciuszko and Russian troops.
In 1891, a severe fire broke out in Lida, as a result of which the entire city burned out. To restore the buildings, they began to dismantle what was left of the Lida Castle.
The restoration of the castle began after 2000. The fortress walls and towers were rebuilt anew, and while the internal residential and utility buildings were being erected, an excellent knightly lists were organized within the walls of the castle. In 2005, the annual International Festival of Medieval Culture "Gediminas Castle" began to be held here, which has gained unprecedented popularity in recent years. Historical events are being reconstructed within the walls of the castle, tournaments and lists are held in the fortress, festivals of ethnic and medieval music are held near the walls of the castle, on the picturesque shores of an artificial lake.
