Kreva Castle revealed its main secret: the entrance to the dungeon where Kęstutis was strangled was found
Large-scale restoration work at Kreva Castle has been ongoing for several years. The publication Times.by looked at the discoveries made by scientists this season.
The first stone castle in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was most likely built here, in Kreva.
It was in Kreva Castle, on August 14, 1385, that the famous Union of Kreva was signed — an alliance treaty that changed the course of political history in Eastern Europe.
Now Kreva is a small town in western Belarus with enormous tourist potential. It's no wonder that after Mir and Nesvizh, which became popular travel destinations, Belarus also began the reconstruction of Kreva Castle.
Research work is in full swing in the medieval stronghold. Archaeologists are studying the defensive moat in front of the castle and continuing work in the Princely Tower.
Historians are exploring the inner perimeter of the keep, where a tunnel with stairs can be seen running inside the castle wall. In its deepest part, a Gothic arch is visible, and behind it, the entrance to the lowest tier of the tower.
Kęstutis Tower
The concept of conserving the castle walls envisions a full reconstruction, meaning the restoration of the keep.
"The keep is the main tower of Kreva Castle. There was no entrance at the bottom. Movement only occurred through internal galleries within the walls," says Oleg Dzernovich, leading researcher at the Department of History of Belarus IX-XVIII Centuries and Archaeography of the Institute of History.
The extended name of Kreva's keep is the Princely Tower, but many call it Kęstutis Tower. The fact is, according to chronicle tradition, a dramatic event in our history occurred precisely in Kreva Castle — the Grand Duke of Lithuania Kęstutis died.
To understand the historical narrative that developed around the figures of Kęstutis and his son — the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas — Oleg Dzernovich provided several facts.
In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, during its early period, there was a rather archaic political system, he explained. In our region, there were two options for the transfer of power — Roman and barbaric. In the first case, power passed from father to son, while in the second, it was distributed among brothers.
"This explains why the political system of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was so unstable. Therefore, when the Grand Duke of Lithuania Algirdas died, his brother Kęstutis was first among the princes. But in the new realities, power had to pass to Algirdas's son — Prince Jogaila," the historian continues.
As a result, the clash between traditions and new rules of succession led to a conflict between Kęstutis and Jogaila. Jogaila was first captured on his way to Vilnius, but he managed to escape. After this, he managed to capture his uncle Kęstutis and cousin Vytautas, whom he imprisoned in Kreva Castle.
The chronicles state that Kęstutis was imprisoned in the tower, and Vytautas — in the chambers.
"We can interpret this information, knowing the topography of Kreva Castle. This is, of course, a version, but it is based on certain argumentation," the specialist believes.
Vytautas was held in one of the upper tiers because it is known that he managed to escape — likely by descending through the battle gallery. Kęstutis was kept under stricter conditions, as he was considered the contender for power.
"Most likely, Kęstutis was imprisoned on this basement tier, the entrance to which we now see. For us, this room has memorial significance, because, if the chronicles are to be believed, this is precisely the place where he was strangled," says Oleg Dzernovich.
According to the historian, the castle garrison's weapons were stored on the basement floor of the tower.
During previous excavations in 2012, an archaeological test pit — a trial deep excavation — was laid in the Princely Tower.
During the research, a pile of burnt crossbow bolts was found. The arrowheads lay in one spot very compactly.
Frescoes of Kreva Castle are to be restored with AI
The rubble in the Princely Tower still needs to be cleared. According to available information, there were vaults adorned with frescoes here, and these finds are very important for history.
After the Mongol invasion in the east of Rus', frescoes ceased to be painted — cultural regression occurred. The tradition survived only in Novgorod and Pskov. And Kreva Castle is a vivid example of wall painting with frescoes in the 14th century.
Oleg Dzernovich reminded that Algirdas's second wife was Uliana of Tver. A whole artel of masters could have come to the castle with her, who then painted the Gothic castle with Byzantine frescoes, giving us a surprising synthesis of cultures.
After the castle was severely damaged by the attack of Prince Švitrigaila in 1433, the frescoed vaults collapsed inside the tower. Now, to restore them, all fragments found during excavations will need to be scanned. Perhaps they can be restored using artificial intelligence, which will be able to assemble them like puzzles.
Two thousand fragments of frescoes are currently stored in the collections of the Grodno Museum of the History of Religion. The National Academy of Sciences also holds about two thousand fragments of the painting. Now, several thousand more such plaster elements will need to be retrieved from under the rubble.
After the castle was stormed by the troops of Prince Švitrigaila, the Princely Tower was restored, but the rubble from several tiers was no longer cleared, and the basement floor ended up buried beneath it.
Princely Residence and Moat of Kreva Castle
Further confirmation that Kreva Castle was continuously inhabited as a Grand Ducal residence comes from the discovery of tiles. The spread of tiled stoves in the 14th century in our territory made living in stone rooms possible, Oleg Dzernovich explains.
This season, other important discoveries were made during archaeological excavations near the castle walls.
Designers and restorers aimed to find traces of the ancient defensive moat, as the restoration project envisages restoring the water system on the northern and western sides of the fortress.
During the research, it was found that the castle wall stands on an artificial sand dune, so the foundation in front of the moat is shallow and there are no cellars here. In some parts of the castle, the foundation reaches 4.5 m, while near the Princely Tower it goes to a depth of only 1 m.
"The first mini-discovery made was: we realized that the dune is artificial. In the upper layers of this yellow sand, a broken 14th-century pot was found, which belonged to the builders of Kreva Castle," the historian continues.
During the moat excavations, archaeologists reached an ancient construction horizon of fortifications. A large number of broken bricks and 14th-century Gothic roof tiles were found.
It was found that the moat receded 2 m from the wall, but its width is still unclear. The moat created a large waterlogged area in front of the castle. Therefore, in front of the main gates, there was a drawbridge, which will be restored during the renovation.
Last season, the third gate of Kreva Castle was found. The main gates were located high above ground level and had bridges.
"It was here, through a low gate, that Švitrigaila broke into the fortress. It was the end of November 1433, and most likely, the water and ground were already frozen," Oleg Dzernovich suggests.
During the wall conservation work, it was revealed that there was no infill in this section. A semicircular protrusion of the foundation, extending beyond the wall perimeter, was found. A similar structure was found in Lida Castle.
"In this place, the water reached the wall itself, so the gatehouse was moved to the inner perimeter. Here we also found a small niche for the castle grates, which were lowered behind the gate," the historian points out.
Foundation of the castle bridge found
This year, several trenches and excavations were laid on the castle grounds. An important discovery was made in the inner courtyard near the second gate. Archaeologists found the foundations of the castle bridge.
"The small gate of Kreva Castle is located quite high above ground level. This means there was an outer and an inner bridge here, which spanned the castle pond," says Oleg Dzernovich.
The inner castle pond collected excess water, draining other areas within the perimeter of the defensive walls. Part of the bridge over the pond was likely a drawbridge. The bridge itself was wooden, as holes for piles were found in the foundation.
The latest discoveries completely change scientists' understanding of Kreva Castle. Previously, it was believed that it could have been a "Volksburg," meaning a fortress where local inhabitants would hide with their property in case of attack.
Now, the prevailing idea is that Kreva housed a princely residence, which is confirmed by elements of elite palace culture present here, such as frescoes. Virtually the entire space along the walls was built up with structures on stone foundations. Barracks, where the garrison lived, were also located here.
"Today we are experiencing one of the most active stages of restoration and study of Kreva Castle, which began in 2017. During this time, the Princely Tower and all four walls have been conserved," the specialist emphasizes.
According to him, the next important stage in the reconstruction will be the creation of a museum in Kęstutis Tower. All work at Kreva Castle is financed from the state budget.
"It's hard to say about the exact dates, but I hope, with proper funding, perhaps in 5-7 years, I will invite you here. And we will descend to the basement level and see the place where Kęstutis was imprisoned, now in the restored keep," concludes the historian.
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