Orša Castle

Orša Castle was a fortified complex set on a lime-based foundation approximately one meter thick, composed of medium-sized stones. Its walls featured a distinctive “striped masonry” technique, alternating layers of rough stone with rows of large bricks arranged in a Baltic pattern—two bricks laid lengthwise and one laid widthwise—dating the initial construction to the late 14th or early 15th century.

The fortress’s defensive perimeter was anchored by five towers. The main entrance faced west, crossed by a bridge over a moat supplied by the nearby Orshytsa river. The final section of this bridge was a drawbridge operated by chains, providing controlled access. The gatehouse stood as a two-story wooden building on a foundation of brick, equipped with a complex lock system. Defensive armaments included a large bronze cannon stationed on the lower level and a smaller iron cannon on the upper floor, emphasizing layered defense.

Adjoining the gate was a two-story tower composed partly of brick and wood, which housed a small cannon for close defense. Another tower combined a stone ground floor with a wooden upper story and served as an armory, known as a zeikhgauz, where military supplies were stored. Inventory records show the armory contained 33 hand cannons called hakovnytsas, 20 arquebuses (early firearms), three small iron cannons, along with cannonballs, lead, gunpowder, and other fighting necessities.

One tower stood on the bank of the Dnieper River, also equipped with a cannon and accompanied nearby by a wooden water storage structure designed to supply fresh river water. The fifth tower completed the circuit of walls encircling the interior.

Along the walls was a battlement gallery known locally as an oblanok, supported on projecting wooden beams. This gallery allowed defenders to position cannons for protection. Near the entrance hung a large alarm bell with a clapper, used historically to warn of approaching danger.

Inside the stone walls lay a wooden enclosure composed of 101 plots called gorodnya. These served as temporary shelters and safe storage for residents, including townsfolk, nobility, and peasants from the castle district, especially during wartime.

Wall heights varied according to their exposure, reaching up to eight meters on the more exposed northern and western sides and approximately 5.3 meters where shielded by the river. Walls were roughly two meters thick, creating a substantial barrier around the fortress’s 354-meter perimeter.

By the late 16th century, many wooden elements remained integral, with local inhabitants responsible for upkeep. They repaired wooden battlements and structures, maintained the bridge and moat, and managed firearm production and gunpowder preparation, reflecting an ongoing communal role in the castle’s defense.

During the mid-17th century wars, the castle sustained damage to its battlements and towers, with contemporary reports indicating the loss of gates and parts of the defensive walls, leading eventually to the fortress’s decline and ruination. Archaeological investigation in 2003 uncovered the castle’s foundational lime base mixed with clay, sand, and broken bricks, confirming descriptions from historical accounts and underscoring the enduring remnants of this once vital stronghold.