5 Awesome Castles of Ukraine

03 December, 2015

Ancient castles in Ukraine keep the history of the country. Some of them are in good condition and some are in ruins. But still there are about 5000 castles all over the country.

The history of castles treasures a lot of legends and romantic stories, facts about the noble gentry and magnates, brave knights and Cossacks.
Kamenets-Podilsky Castle (Khmelnytsky region)

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In the middle ages it was considered as an impregnable fortress. There is a legend according to which in 1621 the Turkish Osman Sultan was astonished with the strength of those walls and towers and exclaimed "Who created this stone miracle?" and got the answer from his solders - "It was Allah". "So let Allah conquer it," - said the Ruler and ordered to retreat. Since those times the castle was destroyed and rebuilt a lot of times. There is Ukrainian history museum over there now. The castle is included in the "7 Wonders of Ukraine" list.
Akkerman Castle (Belgorod-Dnistrovsky, Odessa region)

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It is a historical and an architectural monument of the XIII-XV centuries. Ages ago Greek city of Tyre was located here. The castle was surrounded by a deep and wide moat. There are 24 towers for now out of 34 existing before. Throughout its history the castle suffered from attacks of the Tatar, Turkish, Russian and Cossack troops. The castle is included in the "7 Wonders of Ukraine" list.
Schönborn Castle (Chinadiyovo, Transcarpathian region)

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Fairy tale castle Schönborn is located in a picturesque park near the village of Chinadiyovo. It appeared thanks to family tradition of Schönborns to go for hunting during autumn. Instead of a small wooden house for hunters Mr. Schönborn decided to build a castle where he could host his friends from Vienna. Now this castle is a real pearl of Transcarpathian region.
Medzhybizhsky Castle (Khmelnytsky region)

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This fortress is located at the junction of Buzhok and Southern Buh rivers. Castle is one of the few Ukrainian Renaissance buildings that survived with almost no damage. It is decorated with three towers: the northern two-storey tower, the north-western Knight’s tower with loopholes and the southern big tower of compound structure. The castle church with a high roof decorates the courtyard.
Olessky Castle (Olesko, Lviv region)

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This Castle is a part of the "Golden Horseshoe of Lviv region" and one of the most famous castles of Ukraine. It is located on 50-meter hill above Olesko town. It was built in XIII-XIV centuries by Galicia-Volyn princes. In 1970s there was a branch of the Lviv Art Gallery in the Castle. On the slopes of the hill there is Italian park with ancient and modern sculptures.