Fortress at the mouth of the Smorkovka River on the left bank of the Dnieper. The site (60×80 m) is reinforced around the perimeter by an earthen embankment up to 8 m high. The southwest side from the Dnieper is paved with boulders.

The fortress was built on the order of Tsar Peter I during the Great Northern War in the spring of 1707 to protect against the troops of Charles XII. In November 1812, Field Marshal Kutuzov crossed the Dnieper here, pursuing Napoleon's army.

The ruins of the castle are located in the village of Smoliany on the left bank of the Dernovka stream. It was built in the 20s of the 17th century by order of Prince Semyon Andreevich Sangushko.

The only castle in Belarus that has its own name – White Kovel.