Lida Castle

Lida castle was built in the 1320s under Grand Duke Gediminas as part of a line of strongholds against Teutonic incursions, a rectangular enclosure of fieldstone and brick with two corner towers, raised on an artificial mound between two rivers. It was besieged repeatedly and fell into ruin after the eighteenth century, with the towers collapsing and stone taken for building. Restoration from the 1980s onward rebuilt the walls and both towers, so what stands is largely modern work on medieval foundations. The interior holds a museum, workshops and event space, and knightly tournaments and festivals are staged in the courtyard through the summer.

What you actually see

• The rebuilt walls and towers - the restored enclosure and its corners.
• The courtyard - the interior used for events and displays.
• The museum - the exhibition on the castle and the region.
• Summer tournaments - the staged medieval events in season.

When to go

May to September, when the courtyard events run and the towers are open; winter hours are reduced. Festivals fill the castle on particular weekends. Weekday mornings are quiet.

Honest expectations

Most of what stands is modern reconstruction rather than medieval fabric. The museum is small. Event weekends change the character considerably. The castle sits in a modern town centre with no historic surroundings.

Nearby

Novogrudok lies northeast; Grodno is west.