Ruins of Novogrudok Castle

Novogrudok was the first capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The first stone tower-donjon was built on the Castle Hill where the wooden stronghold was located in the 13th century during the reign of Mindouh. Called as the Shield Tower, it defended the town from the enemy many times, was destroyed and revived again. But still for a long time it remained the only stone fortification. It was not until the late 14th century that large-scale construction began here. On the hill there emerged walls and three-tiered stone towers with loopholes on each floor, Well Tower next to water springs, a stone temple and a two-story palace. A large Watchtower was built in the early 16th century. A thick stone wall connected the Watchtower with the Shield Tower thus making the fortress a ring-fort. The seven-tower castle became a key stronghold and one of the most formidable fortresses in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Remains of only two towers – the Shield Tower and the Church Tower – have survived through the centuries.