Not only the castle: what to see and how to relax in Lida for 100 rubles

Knight fights and a famous festival are held here, legendary sneakers are produced here, which are worn by more than one generation of Belarusians. And it is in this city that there is a unique brovar museum. The project “Rest for 100” went to Lida.

The business card of Lida is a beautiful and ancient city. And there are a lot of interesting places here. Founded in the XIV century, it has preserved a rich historical heritage, combined with the atmosphere of provincial comfort. That is why there are always many tourists here. The city attracts the castle, temples and museums. Here you can try the old Belarusian cuisine. But everything in order.

You can get to Lida from Minsk in different ways - transport links are well developed due to the successful geographical location. The trip will cost an average of 40 rubles. We chose rail transport. The journey took three hours. And already by tradition, the travel time was spent with benefit - the recommendations of tourists and local residents were studied. At the time of arrival in the city was ready an impressive list of places that are definitely worth visiting. The first point is the business card of Lida – the castle. It is a 10-minute walk from the train station. It is rightly called a great legacy. After all, the castle was founded in 1323 by Grand Duke Gedimin, the ancestor of the legendary dynasty and the founder of the capital VKL Vilna. Lida Bastion is rightly considered unique, because it is the first stone castle of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania on the territory of Belarus. Today it is the center of attraction of tourists. Two towers of the castle contain historical museum expositions. Knights festivals and other events are held on the territory. You must visit it even if you have been there. The fact is that the expositions are constantly updated, unique exhibits and interesting activities appear. The entrance ticket cost us 15 rubles. For visitors there are several exhibitions where you can get acquainted with the history of the castle itself, trace the process of formation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, plunge into the life of the Middle Ages and even try on clothes of that time. By the way, here you can see the knight’s armor, which was used in the filming of the film “Night Watch”. We recommend that you carefully study each exhibit. And feel free. Tour guides will tell in detail about each. I was interested in the old furniture. And these are not lines, but originals. So I was lucky to study in detail the drawers, tables and chairs, which were used several centuries ago.

By the way, you have a unique opportunity to meet the dawn in the castle and feel the atmosphere of the Middle Ages with the timid morning rays of the sun. A new interactive tour was launched a few months ago, and it is very popular. The program takes an hour and a half. During this time, guests will be introduced to the history of the fortress, its legends and personalities whose names are associated with it. The new format includes a walk around the castle of Prince Gedimin and its towers at dawn hours, as well as an interactive performance of “The Wedding of Prince Jagiello and Sofia Golshanskaya”. In addition, master classes on medieval games and dances will be held for guests. The highlight of this excursion is that guests see how the castle wakes up and how the sun rises above it.

Few people know, but there is a unique cafe on the territory of the castle. More precisely, tavern. Its feature is a menu of recipes for great-grandmothers from local farm raw materials. Old Belarusian cuisine with a Polish accent will fit perfectly into the tourist route. But there is one "but." There are almost no free seats here. The reservation is scheduled for a few weeks in advance. Therefore, if you want to treat yourself to national dishes from local products, take care in advance. We did this long before the trip and can safely recommend the tart, which rumor goes. This is a soup made from three types of meat. A true delicacy cost us 11 rubles.

But not only the castle is famous Lida. There are many architectural monuments in the city. Near the castle on Grunwald Street stands the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross - the oldest temple of the city. Its architect was Johann Christoph Glaubitz, the founder of the Vilna Baroque. The most revered relic of the temple is the icon of the Mother of God with a child, which was brought to Lida in the XIV century by the first Franciscan missionaries.

Just a few minutes walk away is another iconic place of the city, where you should definitely go. This is St. Michael's Cathedral. The majestic temple is a monument of the classical era. Moreover, its peculiarity is that it is built in the form of a single-domed rotunda decorated with a portico with columns, referring to antiquity and the Pantheon in Rome.

Not far from the castle and the church there is another symbolic place that attracts the attention of tourists - a monument to the educator, writer and first printer Francis Skaryna. And on the street of Adam Mickiewicz you can see a bust of the famous poet and politician. By the way, Miscavige was born near Lida.

But there are unique sculptures in the city, next to which it is always crowded. Locals recommend rubbing the nose, leg or fish to the bather Vasa, so that the wish will come true. This sculpture is installed next to the city bath on Leninskaya Street. You also need to step on the Commander’s shoe to become richer. It can be found near the Lida Hotel. And judging by the shiny places on the sculptures, there are many wishes here. So did we. Let's say right away, the method works.

And more. The older generation is well aware that in Lida produce legendary sneakers with two stripes. You can buy the mentioned “leedskach” in the Cherevichki store. The taste of Lida is famous not only for its architecture. It is here that one of the oldest breweries in the country with rich traditions of making a hopsy drink, bread kvass and carbonated waters. In the 1870s, the beer factory was built by an enterprising citizen Nosel Pupko. To this day, the historical building of the brewery stands in the heart of OJSC "Lida Beer" on the shortest street of the city with the symbolic name Beer. And on the old factory pipe, brickwork reminds of the date of brewing the first batch of beer - 1876. Nearby there is a one-storey house of the owners and old bottling shops.

In 2022, a brewing museum was opened on the territory of the plant. It is housed in a historic brewery building. The expositions of the museum offer a large number of activities and various exhibits, including interactive ones. What is important, on the tour you can see rare photos, retro bottles, labels and packaging, valuable artifacts and documents about the life of the plant in different years. A visit to the museum cost us 40 rubles. The duration of the tour is 1 hour 40 minutes. And again, an important nuance. We recommend buying tickets in advance online, since the museum is located on the territory of the operating enterprise and all excursions are carried out exclusively accompanied by a guide on pre-purchased tickets. On what was spent 100 rubles in Lida:

Train tickets - 32 rubles 48 kopecks

Entrance ticket to Lida Castle - 15 rubles

Tertyuka, about which rumor goes – 11 rubles

Visit to the brewing museum - 40 rubles

Remainder - 1 ruble 52 kopecks