Lubart's Castle

Lutsk Castle
Lutsk,Ukraine
Lubart Tower – main gate of the Lutsk Castle
Lutsk Castle
Coordinates	50°44′20″N25°19′23″E
Type	Castle
Site history
Built	14th century
Built by	Liubartas

The castle tower on the reverse of 200 hryvnias banknote

Lutsk Castle(Ukrainian:Луцький замок,romanized:Lutskyi zamok;,Polish:Zamek w Łucku), also locally known asLiubart's Castle(Lithuanian:Liubarto pilis,Замок Любарта,Zamok Liubarta) orUpper Castle(Lithuanian:Lucko aukštutinė pilis,Верхній замок,Verkhnii zamok), began its life in the mid-14th century as the fortified seat ofGediminas' sonLiubartas(Lubart), the last ruler of unitedGalicia-Volhynia.It is the most prominent landmark ofLutsk,Ukraineand as such appears on the200 hryvniabill. (Another city castle, calledLower Castle,built by theCzartoryskifamily since the 14th century, is now a ruin).

History

TheKievan Rus'town ofLucheskhad a wooden wall as early as 1075, whenBoleslaus the Boldlaid siege to it for six months.Yury Dolgorukyfailed to take Lutsk after a six-weeks siege in 1149. In 1255, the walls of Lutsk were stormed by KhanJochi's grandsonKuremsa.

The current castle, towering over theStyr River,was built mostly in the 1340s, although some parts of the earlier walls were used. It repelled sieges by numerous potentates, includingCasimir the Great(1349),Jogaila(1431), andSigismund Kęstutaitis(1436). It was there that theLutsk Conferenceof 1429 took place, attended byEmperor Sigismund,Vasily II of Moscow,Jogaila,Vytautas the Great,and the voivode ofWallachia.

During the long reign of Vytautas, Lutsk Castle was further fortified to guard againstartilleryand gunfire. The principal entrance, now bricked in, was from the west and adjoined abridgeover outermoat.Three main towers, now named "Lubart", "Švitrigaila"(both afterLithuanianprinces) and the "Bishop", were built up in the course of the 16th and 17th centuries.

The walls of the castle formerly enclosed St. John's Cathedral, a palace of thegrand dukes,and an episcopal palace. Of these buildings, only theNeoclassicalpalace of the bishops still stands.

On 2 July 1941 1,160 Jews were murdered within the walls of the castle.There is no monument or marker for this tragedy in the castle.

References

• Памятники градостроительства и архитектуры Украинской ССР. Киев: Будивельник, 1983—1986. Том 2, с. 48.

External links

• Walk around Lutsk Castle (video)
• Media related toLutsk castleat Wikimedia Commons