Krevo Castle

The castle was built in the 14^th century as a residence of the Duke and as a fortress. It was a part of chain fortresses that formed the defensive line against the Crusaders. In Lida, Grodno, Novogrudok, Krevo, Medniki, Vilno and Troki new types of structures were being built. They were small stone castles: one or two towers built on dam in marsh areas. Krevo castle takes the shape of an irregular quadrangle. The length of its sides varies from 71 meters to 108 meters. The thikness of walls is 2.5-3 meters, height: 13 meters. The main building material used was boulders. Two towers, the Duke’s and the Small, are placed diagonally. Another place in Belarus where this type of castle adopted from the Crusaders is Lida.

Krevo Castle was unfortunate. At the beginning of the 15^th century it was captured several times by Crimean Tatars and Moscow troops. Despite this and because of the strategic position of the township, in 1563 Krevo was chosen as a gathering place for the Great Lithuanian Principality’s militia. After the castle’s destruction in the middle of the 17^th century there was virtually no information on the township. Only in the 18^th century did it re-emerge as a trade town.