Navahrudak is one of the most ancient towns of Belarus. The first documentary mention of the town dates back to 1044 though according to some archeological researches the life began there at the end of the 10th century.
It is situated on picturesque hills in the center of the Navahrudak sublimity. The town has a special look and a very interesting history full of various events.
In the middle of the 13th century as a result of military and political events Navahrudak became the core of formation of a new European state - the great County of Lithuania, Russia and Zhemoitsk.
Famous Navahrudak castle being the main sight of the town witnessed most of those events. The first foundation stone of the castle was put on a partially mounded high hill (the castle mountain) surrounded by a ditch. Legends tell there existed some hills or grudkas (Belarusian for hills) in the site. First settlements were situated just on them. The very hill where later the main settlement was founded had a bad fame. The matter is that the houses initially built on the hill burnt down because of a stroke of lightning. However, step by step people settled on the hill while the word grudka (i.e. hill) according to one of hypotheses gave the name to the town.
In the middle of the 12th century in the castle there was built a stone tower. That square in plan building was called Central Tower or Shield Tower.
At the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th century as a result of active preparation of Belarus, Lithuania and Poland to ward off the attacks of the Teutonic Knights Order there were erected three more towers: The towers joined together by the walls were named Kostelnaya (Church Tower), Malaya Brama (Small Gate Tower) and Pasadskaya. Besides there was constructed Kolodzesnaya Tower (Well Tower) over a water-source at the west slope of the castle hill. That tower had a hidden entrance into the castle and a special passage to the water. It resisted multiple incursions of crusaders.
The next stage of the Navahrudak Castle reconstruction dates back to the end of the 15th - the beginning of the 16th century. The castle was fortificated against tartar raids. In the north-western part of the castle Dozornaya Tower (Patrol Tower) was built. A new wall connected it to Shield Tower. At the same time on the south-eastern slope there was additionally erected Meskaya Tower joined with Kolodeznaya Tower and Malaya Brama by the walls. As a result there appeared two multi-angled defensive zones one of which was situated on the top and the other on the hill slope. In the 16th century Navahrudak Castle had seven towers and was one of the most fortified citadels in Belarus.
During Russian-Polish war of 1654-1667 the castle suffered a considerable damage. Meskaya Tower, Kolodseznaya Tower, Malaya Brama and Posadskaya Tower were nearly destroyed. The final blow was made by the Swedes during North War. By the beginning of the 19th century there remained only three towers of the upper part of the castle: Dazornaya Power, Shield Tower and Kostelnaya Tower. Only in 1921 the ruins of the castle were taken under protection of the state and in 1922 -1930 partial conservation of the remained walls was made while the walls of Kostelnaya Tower were reconstructed anew.
The ruins of Navahrudak Castle represent one of the main historical memorials in Belarus