# Old and New Castles, Grodno > Grodno's (Hrodna's) Old and New Castles are two royal palaces facing each other on Castle Hill above the Neman, a five-minute walk apart. Both house the city's history and archaeology museum, open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:00, closed Mondays. Tickets are separate — about 12 BYN for the Old Castle and 10 BYN for the New. Allow around two hours for both. Web page: https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-castles - City: [Grodno](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno), Belarus - YesGo score: 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 2 h - Entry: 10–12 BYN per castle, separate tickets - With kids: Fine with kids - Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–18:00, ticket office until 17:30 - Closed: Mondays — both castles - Old Castle: 12 BYN adults, 10 students and pensioners, 8 schoolchildren - New Castle: 10 BYN adults, 9 students and pensioners, 8 schoolchildren - Children: Under 7 free - Foreign visitors: No separate foreigner rate on the museum price list - Paying: BYN only; foreign cards may fail — carry some cash - Addresses: Old Castle — Zamkovaya St 22; New Castle — Zamkovaya St 20 - From Sovetskaya Square: 7–10 minutes on foot along Zamkovaya Street - Coordinates: 53.67680, 23.82410 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **1793** — the last Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth met in the New Castle and approved the Second Partition (source: Grodno State Museum of History and Archaeology (Museums of Belarus portal); Russian Wikipedia) - **1795** — the last king, Stanisław August Poniatowski, signed his abdication in the New Castle (source: Grodno State Museum of History and Archaeology (Museums of Belarus portal); Russian Wikipedia) - **1586** — King Stefan Batory, who rebuilt the Old Castle as a Renaissance palace, died in Grodno (source: Grodno State Museum of History and Archaeology (Museums of Belarus portal); English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1737–1742** — the New Castle was built for Augustus III to a design by Dresden architect Carl Friedrich Pöppelmann (source: Grodno State Museum of History and Archaeology; Russian Wikipedia (English Wikipedia gives 1734–1751)) - **6 Nov 2021** — the Old Castle museum reopened after a major reconstruction (source: Grodno State Museum of History and Archaeology; Russian Wikipedia) - **12th century** — ruins of the Lower Church on Castle Hill, built in the local Grodno school of architecture (source: Grodno State Museum of History and Archaeology (Museums of Belarus portal); Russian Wikipedia) - **1678, 1688, 1699** — general Sejms of the Commonwealth held in the Old Castle (source: Grodno State Museum of History and Archaeology (Museums of Belarus portal); English Wikipedia) - **1944** — the New Castle burned in the fighting and was rebuilt after the war by architect V. Varaksin (source: Grodno State Museum of History and Archaeology (Museums of Belarus portal); Russian Wikipedia) - **30 Oct 1794** — Tadeusz Kościuszko held a council of war with insurgent commanders in the New Castle (source: Grodno State Museum of History and Archaeology (Museums of Belarus portal); English Wikipedia) - **1920** — the museum was founded; it opened to visitors in 1922 (source: Grodno State Museum of History and Archaeology (Museums of Belarus portal); Russian Wikipedia) ## Grodno castles tickets and opening hours Both castles open **Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:00**; the ticket office closes at 17:30. They are two separate exhibitions of the same museum, so you buy two tickets — we found no combined ticket on the price list. The museum's price list gives the **Old Castle** at 12 BYN for adults, 10 for students and pensioners and 8 for schoolchildren; the **New Castle** at 10, 9 and 8 BYN. Under-7s go free, and there is no separate rate for foreigners. Treat these as unofficial: the museum's website would not load for us, so we could only check its price pages through search results. Guided tours are booked with the museum and priced per group. The museum does not say which languages it offers, so if you want English, a private guide for the whole old town is the safer bet. > **Both castles are closed on Mondays** The Old and New Castles share the same day off. The ticket office shuts at 17:30, half an hour before closing, and each castle takes about an hour — to do both, arrive by 15:00 at the latest. > **Bring Belarusian rubles** Tickets are priced and paid in Belarusian rubles (BYN). Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards work only with banks that are not under sanctions, so terminals can refuse them — this is unofficial. Withdraw some BYN at an ATM; euros and dollars are exchanged at banks, not accepted at the till. ## How to get to the castles 1. Start at Sovetskaya Square by the [Farny Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-farny-cathedral). From the railway or bus station it is about 20 minutes on foot along Ozheshko and Sovetskaya streets, or 5–10 minutes by taxi. 2. From the square walk west along **Zamkovaya Street** (Castle Street) towards the river. 3. After 7–10 minutes, about 500 metres, you reach the New Castle at Zamkovaya 20 — look for the gate with sphinxes. 4. Opposite, a bridge over the old moat leads to the Old Castle at Zamkovaya 22. 5. Do the Old Castle first — it has the bigger exhibition — then cross back to the New Castle. ## Are the Grodno castles worth visiting? Yes, if you have half a day in Grodno — the Old Castle is the single best introduction to the city. The white tower above the Neman is Grodno's postcard view, and the museum inside covers the city from its 11th-century beginnings. The New Castle is plainer outside, but this is where the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth effectively ended, which matters if you know the region's history. Short on time? Choose the Old Castle and see the New one from the street. The museum does not say whether labels are in English, so a translation app on your phone or an English-speaking guide is a sensible backup. ## A short history of the two castles The **Old Castle** sits on the site of Grodno's first fortified settlement. Grand Duke Vytautas rebuilt it in stone with towers, and in the 1580s a Renaissance palace was raised on the walls for King **Stefan Batory**, who died in Grodno in 1586. Later it hosted Sejms of the Commonwealth, served the Russian army for about 120 years, and passed to the museum in 1924. The **New Castle** went up opposite in 1737–1742 as the palace of Augustus III, designed by the Dresden court architect Pöppelmann. The last Sejm of the Commonwealth met here in 1793, and in 1795 King Stanisław August Poniatowski signed his abdication. The palace burned in 1944 and was rebuilt in a simpler style after the war. The Old Castle's recent reconstruction is controversial — historians questioned how much of it is guesswork — but it reopened as a museum on 6 November 2021, with 16th-century rooms added in 2023. ## What to see in the Old Castle - The reconstructed rooms of Batory's palace, including a chapel and the royal bath. - Archaeology of Castle Hill — finds from the early settlement and medieval Grodno. - The ruins of the **12th-century Lower Church**, preserved under a protective pavilion. - Arms from old arsenals, among them a two-handed sword. - The view over the Neman to the [Kalozha Church](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/kalozha-church) from the edge of the hill. ## What to see in the New Castle - “New Castle: Events and Fate” — the Sejms, the abdication and the palace itself. - “Weapons of Past Centuries” — armour and arms through the ages. - Sacred art and “Saved Treasures” — icons, sculpture and church objects from the region. - “The Amazing World of Nature” — dioramas and stuffed animals, the kids’ favourite. - The courtyard gate with sphinxes and putti, surviving from the 18th century. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] It is not Monday - [ ] I'll reach the ticket office before 17:30 - [ ] Allowed about two hours for both castles - [ ] Some BYN cash as well as a card - [ ] Student card, if I have one - [ ] Translation app for the labels ## Old Castle or New Castle: which one if you only have time for one | | Old Castle | New Castle | | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Vytautas’s fortress and Batory’s palace | Augustus III’s 18th-century palace | | From outside | White, with a tower — Grodno’s classic view | Plain, rebuilt after 1944 | | Inside | Archaeology, local history, 16th-century rooms | Sejms, weapons, sacred art, nature | | Adult ticket | ≈ 12 BYN (verifying) | ≈ 10 BYN (verifying) | | Time needed | ≈ 1 h | 40–60 min | | For kids | The bridge, the view, the ruins | Nature dioramas and armour | One castle only? Pick the Old Castle — it is older, more photogenic and tells Grodno's story from the start. The New Castle is worth an extra hour for history buffs or families with children. ## Grodno's historic sights compared Every historic sight in Grodno rated by YesGo. - [Kalozha Church](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/kalozha-church) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Farny Cathedral (St Francis Xavier Cathedral)](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-farny-cathedral) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free - [Sovetskaya Street](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-sovetskaya-street) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free, open 24/7 - [Fire Lookout Tower](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-fire-tower) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free outside; museum by appointment - [Bernardine Church](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-bernardine-church) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Lutheran Church of St John](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-lutheran-church) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free; concerts are ticketed - [Holy Intercession Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-intercession-cathedral) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 25 min · Free - [Gilibert Park](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-gilibert-park) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free; rides cost extra - [Jesuit Pharmacy Museum](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-pharmacy-museum) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free or token fee (unofficial) - [Old and New Castles](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-castles) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · 10–12 BYN per castle, separate tickets ## Old Grodno in half a day A 12th-century church above the Neman, both castles and the old centre around the Farny Cathedral — all on foot. 1. [Kalozha Church](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/kalozha-church) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free 2. [Old and New Castles](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-castles) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · 10–12 BYN per castle, separate tickets 3. [Farny Cathedral (St Francis Xavier Cathedral)](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-farny-cathedral) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free 4. [Jesuit Pharmacy Museum](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-pharmacy-museum) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free or token fee (unofficial) 5. [Sovetskaya Street](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-sovetskaya-street) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free, open 24/7 > **The best view is from the river** The white Old Castle and its tower look best from below, on the Neman embankment or the road bridge. Walk from the castles to the Kalozha Church and you'll get the classic shot of the hill on the way. ## Good to know You will also see the city spelled Hrodna (Belarusian) and the castles as Stary Zamak and Novy Zamak. The “Grodno Fortress” is something else — a ring of 1912–1915 forts on the outskirts. And Grodno Castle in Poland’s Sudetes mountains is a different place altogether. ## Tips - Start with the Kalozha Church, 10 minutes away along the Neman, then walk up to the castles. - If you only have time for one, go inside the Old Castle and see the New Castle's sphinx gate from the street. - For the postcard photo of the Old Castle, go down to the Neman — from below you see the whole hill with the white palace. - Bring a student card — the museum's price list has discounts. - Have lunch afterwards on [Sovetskaya Street](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-sovetskaya-street), 10 minutes back along Zamkovaya. ## Questions ### How much are tickets to the Old and New Castles in Grodno? Tickets are separate. The museum's price list gives 12 BYN for adults at the Old Castle and 10 BYN at the New Castle, with discounts for students, pensioners and schoolchildren; under-7s are free. Prices are marked as verifying. ### What are the castles' opening hours? Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:00, with the ticket office open until 17:30. Both castles are closed on Mondays. ### Is there a combined ticket for both castles? We found no combined ticket on the museum's price list — buy one at each castle's ticket office. ### How long do you need for the Grodno castles? About an hour for the Old Castle and 40–60 minutes for the New Castle — roughly two hours for both. ### How do I get to the castles from the centre? From Sovetskaya Square by the Farny Cathedral, walk west along Zamkovaya Street for 7–10 minutes. The two castles face each other at its end. ### Are the Grodno castles worth visiting? Yes — the Old Castle is the best introduction to the city, and the New Castle is where the Commonwealth's last Sejm met. Short on time, choose the Old Castle. ### Can I pay by card at the castles? Prices are in BYN. Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards work only with some banks and can be refused, so bring Belarusian rubles from an ATM. ### Are there tours in English? The museum does not list its tour languages. Ask about English when you book with the museum, or hire a private English-speaking guide for the old town. ### Is the Grodno Fortress the same as the castles? No. The fortress is a ring of early-20th-century forts on the outskirts. The Old and New Castles are royal palaces on Castle Hill in the centre. ## How we checked Hours, the closing day, addresses and exhibitions come from the museum's own branch pages on the state Museums of Belarus portal. The museum's website would not load on the day we checked, from our computer or our server, so the fares come only from its price-list pages as shown in search results and are marked “verifying”; an older 2024 price announcement in the same results shows lower figures. Historical facts are checked against at least two sources. Dates for the New Castle differ — the museum says 1737–1742, English Wikipedia 1734–1751 — so we give the museum's dates and mention the other. Who designed Batory's palace is disputed (Santi Gucci, Scotto of Parma or Josef Roiten), so we name no architect. Card acceptance is marked unofficial. ## Sources - Museums of Belarus portal (museum.by): Old Castle and New Castle branches of the Grodno State Museum of History and Archaeology — history, addresses, hours, exhibitions, 30.10.2026 - Grodno State Museum of History and Archaeology (grodno-museum.by): Old Castle and New Castle price lists, seen through search results, 30.10.2026; announcement of the Old Castle reopening on 6 November 2021 - English Wikipedia: Old Grodno Castle, New Grodno Castle; Wikidata Q2659535 - Russian Wikipedia: Old Castle (Grodno), New Castle (Grodno), Grodno State Museum of History and Archaeology - Aviasales and ATM Fee Saver — using foreign cards and cash in Belarus --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.