Castle Hill is a platform on a high and very steep bank of the Sozh River. Ancient Slavgorod, then it was called Propoisk, was formed here. Already in the XII century, a castle appeared on a place protected from all sides. At first it was part of the Smolensk principality, then it was included in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. From the 16th century it was the core of the Propoi volost and during its long history it has been the center of many more administrative units.
At the end of the 18th century, the Slavgorod lands went to Prince Golitsyn. He saw Propoisk as a poor and ruined place. The castle in the city still existed, although it was no longer in the best condition. To meet Catherine II, Golitsyn very quickly completed a two-story wooden palace near the castle, where in 1787 the empress and her retinue arrived. A little later, the prince began to redevelop the Castle Hill and destroyed some of the defensive ramparts and the remains of the ancient castle. The manor house stood for some time on the highest place in the city. After 1917, it housed a commune, and by the 1930s the building was so dilapidated that it was decided to demolish the estate. Now there are almost no ancient buildings on Castle Hill, but a beautiful old park has been preserved; from here you have an excellent view of the confluence of the rivers, where the spirit of centuries-old history hovers.
Translated by Google •
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