Ruins of Bykhov castle

Byhov castel - a monument dvortsovo-zamkovoj architecture of Byhov. It is constructed in XVI century on the right coast of Dnepr and entered into system of strengthenings of a city. Unique in Belarus the saved fortified city of the sample of a XVII-th century.

The stone palace and office cases entered into a complex. In the lock smart halls and rooms the input in which conducted through gallery took place. The basic halls and premises of the owner were on the second floor. The middle of the main case from an external facade has been noted by a high patrol tower. The internal palace facade was represented by a two-story arcade. Except palace construction the complex included barracks and the cut defensive towers acting in three corners. Since 1621 was the property Sapega . From a city has been separated by a ditch and a drawbridge.

On the century the lock has endured many sieges and storms. In Byhov castel constantly there was a considerable military garrison which submitted to the local manager (”governor”). And for city protection employed in Hungary and Germany professional soldiers. In Byhov the workshop in which cast guns of various calibres and types also operated, here made kernels, pomegranates. As a result Byhov the lock became an ideal fortress, as has been confirmed during Rech Pospolitayf war and Moscow 1654-1667 in which course, by estimates of historians, in territory of modern Belarus 53 % of the population were lost. Many cities, for example Mstislavl, have been destroyed together with inhabitants, and some and at all have for ever disappeared from the face of the earth. Since August, 29th, 1654 till spring of 1657 Byhov the lock was besieged by many thousands armies of the Ukrainian Cossacks, the Moscow armies under A.M.Trubetsky and I.A.Khovansky”s leadership. However townsmen heroically defended the lock even then when almost all territory of Grand duchy Lithuanian has been grasped by the enemy, and the capital – Vilnja – has fallen. During this war the city and the lock have very strongly suffered, besides in the lock the arsenal has blown up. In days of Northern war in the beginning of a XVIII-th century owners of Byhova have acted on the party of Swedish king Charles XII therefore Peter I Russian armies besieged a city twice. Eventually the Byhov fortress has fallen, and in a city throughout seven with superfluous years the Russian garrison managed. At deviation of armies have been blown up брамы and lock bastions. After a while the lock has been restored. After occurrence of the Belorussian earths in structure of the Russian empire the border has been shifted far to the west, and Byhov has lost strategic value of a frontier city. And after revolt 1830-1831 the lock has been confiscated from Sapega and has passed in the Russian treasury. After these events the lock many long years was in desolation, but already in 70th years of XIX century it have repaired and have placed here barracks. In the XX-th century during those or other works on improvement of a city the lock gradually collapsed: have been disassembled entrance brama, at building of an embankment for the bridge the angular southern bastion has been completely destroyed, and the western bastion has been razed during a lining of modern street of Lenin.

In the escaped buildings of the lock in days of the Second World War the German staff took place, here tortured and killed Jews. Legends go that in numerous cellars and lock subways till now there are tombless remains. In 90th years of the XX-th century in the escaped buildings the shop on a woodworking took place, but after a fire in August, 2004 the lock has appeared again thrown. For today the rests of earthen bastions with ditches and a building of a palace of Sapega were saved.