Kreva Castle is a medieval citadel situated in the Kreva village in Belarus. Today little remains from the former magnificent citadel that once served as a frontier fortress for the Lithuanian kingdom.
Location: Kreva village Map
Constructed: 14th century
The castle was built in the XIV century (there is reason to believe
that construction began at the end of the XIII century) near the
confluence of the Kravlyanka and Shlyakhtyanka rivers. The main part
of the castle’s structures was located on a swampy float, half of
the defensive walls were erected on an artificially expanded sand
dune.
Krevsky castle was the witness and place of many
historical events. Soon after construction, it was bombarded with
stone cores (they were found during excavations near the western
wall), a battle gallery was burned. In 1382, on the orders of Grand
Duke ON, Jagiello was strangled by his uncle, Grand Duke Keistut, a
candidate for the Grand Duke’s throne. In 1385, the conditions of
the Krevsky Union of the 1385-union of the Grand Duchy of Poland and
Poland under the rule of Grand Duke Jagiello were worked out in the
castle. In 1433, the Grand Duke Svidrigailo seized the Krevsky
castle, claiming the throne of the prince. In 1503-1506, the castle
was repeatedly besieged and significantly damaged by the Perekop
Tatars, but it was soon rebuilt. In 1519, during a deep raid on
Belarus, Moscow governors captured Krevo. In the second half of the
XVI century. in Krevsky castle lived a fugitive Russian prince
Andrei Kurbsky. Gradually, the castle spent defensive significance.
Back in the XVIII century. Krevsky castle was in good condition.
Later, its destruction began, which was completed by the First World
War, when the front line passed through Krevo and positional battles
were fought for more than 3 years. The castle turned out to be in
the territory captured by the Germans, there were built storage
facilities and observation posts. During the shelling, the Princely
Tower and the walls in the southern part of the castle were
especially badly damaged. Only castle ruins have survived to this
day. The conservation of the remains of the castle walls was made in
1929 by Polish restorers. In 1970, the castle was investigated by an
expedition led by M. A. Tkachev. In 1985, headed by A. Trusov and M.
A. Tkachev. In 1988, under the guidance of and. M. Chernyavsky.
Preservation of the remains of the castle continued in 2004.
Then, student volunteers canned the entrance to the Keistut Tower.
Later, an emergency construction was installed on the castle wall to
protect this part of the wall from the effects of rainfall. In 2005,
the Krevsky Castle local charity foundation was created
(www.kreuskizamak.by), whose main goal is to help preserve the
Krevsky Castle. The Foundation annually holds camps and cultural
events in Krevo and other settlements. The castle is a monument of
architecture and history, a tourist attraction.
Current state
The castle is on the verge of destruction. Some locals and tourists
allow themselves to take out ancient stones and bricks from the
castle.
According to the resolution of the Council of
Ministers dated June 3, 2016 No. 437, Krevsky Castle was included in
the list of 27 objects, the cost of maintaining which (in terms of
capital expenses) can be financed from the republican budget.
Architecture
The castle in plan is an irregular quadrangle
surrounded by stone walls. The north wall is 85 m long, the east is
108.5 m, the south is 71.55 m, the west is 97.2 m. The wall
thickness is 2.5-3 m, the height is about 12-13 m. The walls are
forced from the gallery field stone, at a height of about 7 m from
the surface of the wall along the outer perimeter, are trimmed with
a belt of about 2 m of large bricks. The castle on the horns had 2
towers. The north, Princely Tower, almost square in plan (18.65 x 17
m), extends beyond the perimeter of the defensive walls. The tower
had at least 4 floors and a basement-prison below, the transitions
between them existed in the thickness of the walls. A small tower
measuring 11 x 10.65 m was built diagonally from the Princely Tower
from the inside to the walls of the walls. Walls up to a height of 3
m are made of stones, and above - of brick. The entrance gate was in
the southeast wall. On the castle courtyard there was a forge,
residential buildings, there was a pond.