There is a date carved into the gatehouse tower of Svirzh Castle: “1530.” It is not the year the castle was founded, nor the year …
Svirzh Castle — the fortress that gave Lviv its botanical garden and starred in “The Three Musketeers”
Novomalyn Castle — Four Styles in Six Centuries, and a Sculptor Among the Ruins
1392. Polish king Władysław Jagiełło granted the area to Grand Duke Švitrigaila. 1430. Švitrigaila granted the castle to his courtier, Jeło-Maliński. Then came the Maliński …
Berezhany Castle — Built on Oak Piles in a Marsh, Looted Twice by the NKVD
Most castles were built on hills or cliffs — wherever nature offered an advantage. Mikołaj Sieniawski, in 1534, chose a marsh. Thousands of oak piles …
Khust Castle — Withstood Everyone It Could for 676 Years, Then a Thunderstorm Came
On July 3, 1766, a storm swept over Khust. The first bolt of lightning set the roof ablaze. The garrison feared the fire would reach …
Ternopil Castle — the Castle That Founded a Town, and Lost All Its Towers to One Owner
On April 15, 1540, Polish king Sigismund I granted Grand Crown Hetman Jan Amor Tarnowski permission to found a town and build a castle in …
Pniv Castle — the Fortress That Named Nadvirna, and a Legendary 19-Mile Tunnel
The town of Nadvirna got its name from the castle. The Kuropatwa magnates lived in the fortress — and their “dvirnia” (servants) settled nearby. The …
Ostroh Castle — Where a Church Has Firing Slits, and a Town Is Named After a Fence
The town is called “Ostroh” — from the Old Rus’ word “ostrih”: a sharpened-stake fence, a palisade around a fortification. In other words, the town …
Kremenets Castle — Mount Bona, Named for a Queen Who Was Never Here
The mountain the castle stands on is called “Mount Bona” — after Queen Bona Sforza, wife of Polish king Sigismund I. Queen Bona never once …
Terebovlia Castle — the Fourth Fortress on the Same Site, and the Woman Who Refused to Surrender
1675. An Ottoman army under Ibrahim Shishman Pasha approached Terebovlia. The fortress commander, Jan Samuel Chrzanowski, decided to surrender. The castle was exhausted. The garrison …
Stare Selo Castle — the Largest in the Lviv Region, Under Concession Since 2010, Still Unrestored
In 2010, Stare Selo Castle was handed to a private investor under a 49-year concession. The terms: bring the monument out of its unsafe condition …
Zbarazh Castle — Built From a Book by an Architect Who Never Set Foot Here
Between 1602 and 1605, Krzysztof Zbaraski, while in Venice, commissioned architect Vincenzo Scamozzi to design a new castle. Scamozzi took the job. He published the …