Locals in Ozarynivtsi show visitors their fortress and call it “the Turkish fortress.” But the Ottomans never built it here. They only destroyed it. The …
Ozarynetske Castle — the “Turkish Fortress” Built by Cossacks, Where They Once Stored Bread
Castles and fortresses
Kryvche Castle — Tatars and Ottomans Couldn’t Take It, But a Private Owner Tore It Down
The castle at Kryvche withstood the Ottoman invasion of 1672. It survived the Cossack raids of 1648. The Tatars tried to take it several times …
The Defensive Tower in Starokostiantyniv — Two-Tier Renaissance Architecture With Firing Slits, at the Meeting of Two Rivers
In Starokostiantyniv, most eyes go to the Ostrozky castle. But it’s worth looking closer: of the whole castle ensemble, the defensive tower has survived best …
Skala-Podilska Castle — a Fortress Above the Zbruch, Struck Down by Lightning
Skala-Podilska stands at the edge of a plateau, where Podillia breaks toward the Dniester canyon. The town sits above the Zbruch — protected on three …
Kamianets-Podilskyi Fortress — Where Geography Became a Weapon
Kamianets wasn’t built around a fortress. The fortress was carved out of the town itself. The rock, the Smotrych canyon, the narrow isthmus — everything …
Uzhhorod Castle — Where Hungary Got Its Name, and a 700-Year-Old Coat of Arms Still Hangs Over the Gate
Above the arch of the main entrance to Uzhhorod Castle hangs a coat of arms with four thrushes. It belongs to the Drugeth family, who …
Olyka Castle — the Radziwiłł Residence With 365 Rooms and a Silver Portrait of Its Owner
In the small town of Olyka stands a castle whose scale has nothing to do with the size of the settlement around it. But once …