Bykhov Castle

Адрес	Bykhov, Mogilev region

The castle was built in 1610-1619 years by remarkable military commander Jan Karol Chodkiewicz as a country residence in the east of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was surrounded by mounds, moat with water and was fortified with faceted defensive towers. From the north courtyard was separated by a fortified wall.

In 1628 it was given to the nobleman Lev Sapieha, who started the reconstruction of Bykhov Residence. In the castle, oriented to the Dnieper, there were state rooms and living rooms, the arcade gallery led to the entrances into the rooms. In the XVII and XVIII centuries fortified palace complex served as the main residence of Sapieha clan, including Jan Kazimierz and his son Peter.

In 1654-1657 Bykhov withstood many months of siege by Moscow troops. The castle was destroyed during the Great Northern War by Russian troops because Sapieha family helped the Swedish king. After hostilities it was rebuilt. After the November Uprising it was confiscated from the owners and was empty for a long time. In 1870 it was converted into barracks.

In the XX century Bykhov Castle continued to deteriorate and it lost structural elements. Before the fire in 2004 a woodworking workshop was in the building. Preserved structural frame of an architectural monument is abandoned and empty.