Back   Home   List   Renamed   Disappeared   History   Messages   Forum   Pictures   Links   Guestbook   End

Belaya Vezha

Also known as Kamenets Tower, Kamenets Stolp, White Tower.

Within half an hour ride from the national park of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, in the town of Kamenets, there is an old tower of the 13th century. The tower named Belaya Vezha was erected by architect Alex (Oleksa) in 1271-1289 and now is protected by the state as a memorial site. Initially the tower was supposed to serve as a frontier post on the western border of ancient Russia. The tower was restored in 1903 according to the project of Russian architect V. Suslov.

Five-storied building with height of 29.4 m (96.5 ft) possesses outer diameter of 13.6 m (44.6 ft) and walls with width of 2.5 m (8.2 ft). Total area of floors equals to 300 sq.meters (3230 sq.ft). In the walls of the tower built of hardened bricks there are vaulted windows serving as loop-holes. On the top of the tower there is a special fighting post circled with 14 merlons with narrow view slits. At first glance Belaya Vezha is quite simple however due to its good position on the hill, very compact forms and laconic architectural details it is highly impressive. The branch of Brest ethnography museum has been housed in the tower since 1960.

Back   Home   List   Renamed   Disappeared   History   Messages   Forum   Pictures   Links   Guestbook   up