Old Grodno Castle

Coordinates: 53°40′37″N 23°49′23″E / 53.677°N 23.823°E / 53.677; 23.823
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Bathory's Castle in Grodno, Belarus.

The Old Grodno Castle (

Kiev
.

History

Construction

The first wooden castle was built in the 11th century at the confluence of the Neman and the Gorodnichanka rivers.[1]

The 13th-century

Polish Crown was offered to him, and it was there that he died in 1492.[2]

The next notable tenant of the castle was

Stephen Báthory who envisaged Grodno as the capital of his vast empire in Eastern Europe. He engaged Scotto of Parma to replace the Vytautas Castle with his own residence in the advanced Renaissance taste of Northern Italy. After Bathory's death in Grodno in 1586, his pet project was abandoned. The citadel was devastated by the Russians during the Russo-Polish War in 1655.[3]

Reconstruction

The castle's revival took place in 1673–1678 due to

After the

interwar Poland
restored the chamber of the ambassadors and the Sejm Hall.

Recent history

At present the castle serves as a historical and archaeological museum with a collection of more than 200,000 artifacts, one of the largest in Belarus.[5]

The newest reconstruction began in 2017.[6] The restoration of the Old Grodno Castle was criticized due to the lacking of historical authenticity.[7][8] For instance, the contemporary viewpoint was added near the central gates.[9] Some specialists disputed the restoration project, they found significant mistakes in documentation that appeared because the constructor couldn’t read historical inventory descriptions written in Polish and German. For example, the shape of the dome above the central tower, added levels between towers and galleries. Some authentic 16th century walls were demolished.[10][11]

References

  1. ^ "The architecture of castles and palaces in Belarus". Archives of Belarus. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  2. ^ Szulakowska 2018, p. 315.
  3. ^ Szulakowska 2018, p. 316.
  4. ^ Szulakowska 2018, p. 318.
  5. ^ "A reconstruction of the Old Castle is taking place in Grodno". Regional Newspaper. 2021-07-06. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  6. ^ "Reconstruction of Old Castle in Grodno". Belta. 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  7. ^ "10 Treasures of Polish-Belarusian Architectural Heritage". Culture.pl. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  8. ^ Szulakowska 2018, p. 319.
  9. ^ Lebed, E. (2021-11-03). "Король возвращается в Гродно — после реконструкции для посетителей открывается Старый замок. Что внутри" [The King Comes Back to Grodno] (in Russian). Vecherniy Grodno. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  10. ^ "Реконструкция или уничтожение? В Гродно открыли Старый замок" (in Russian). Belsat. 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  11. ^ "В Гродно после реконструкции открывается Старый Замок. Его уже можно будет посетить". Onliner.by. 2021-11-01. Retrieved 2021-12-10.

Literature

External links

53°40′37″N 23°49′23″E / 53.677°N 23.823°E / 53.677; 23.823