New Castle in Grodno

Some argue that the very place to build a royal residence was badly chosen. Here, where the so-called Middle Ages was located The lower castle was a betrayal, which resulted in hiding in the castle were destroyed by the Crusaders locust. According to legend, before his agonizing death tribal leader cursed the traitor, and along with the very place where he found for himself eternal rest.

Not the best time was chosen for the construction of the castle. The country experienced a deep crisis due to the War of Polish Succession. But this did not prevent ascended the throne in 1734 Augustus III, a well-known passion for luxury and art, to give the order to build his summer residence. By the way, the monarch was spending huge sums on the purchase of paintings by famous museums, what brought the country to a deep economic crisis. Just over four years for these needs has been spent 88,000 thaler. The very same construction dragged on for 17 years, during which the project changed three times, the king.

When at last the royal palace was built, bad luck has not ceased to persecute the people associated with it. The author of the main project Peppelman M. died at the beginning of construction. I saw his creation in its final form and his son Charles, who guided the construction. I. Yauh, replaced him in office, he died a few years after the completion of New Castle.

 Historians say that the King August III did not like to come to Grodno, Warsaw, even thought the province. Therefore, the palace was empty for a long time, gradually falling into disrepair.

It is associated with the New Castle, another tragic page in the history of the country - the last Sejm of the Commonwealth. The palace on the night of 23 to 24 September 1793 passed the so-called "Silent meeting" the Sejm, after a silence which had agreed to a second partition of the country. Perturbed occurring headed Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Ironically, the leadership of the uprising in the ON is in session in New Castle, it is October 9, 1794 Tadeusz Kosciuszko falls under Maciejowice, where he was severely wounded and fell into Russian captivity.

Rarely visited our city and the last monarch of Stanislaw Poniatowski. It is in New Castle November 25, 1795, he signed an act of abdication, which put an end to the history of the Commonwealth. After that, the former king has long lived in the castle under the watchful eye until it went under the decree of Paul I in St. Petersburg, where he died a year later. It is known that during the uprising of 1831 in some areas of the palace kept prisoners before their exile in Siberia.

During the First World War in New Castle housed a hospital. Not a hundred soldiers came under its arches. As a military hospital in the castle continued to be used in the interwar years.

Apparently, as a warning to the architects installed at the entrance gate sculptures of mythical creatures. By the way, later on these gates have been installed in the palace in Bialystok. The well-known local historian and archaeologist Josef Yadkovsky thought this sculpture of women lyudoedok that night turned into a lioness and ate their children. Only one boy, sitting on the shoulders of predator was able to escape from death.