Svirzh Castle

Svirzh sits on a low hill above a lake with woods behind it, a castle built by the Świrski family in the fifteenth century and rebuilt in the seventeenth for Count Aleksander Cetner into a residence around two courtyards, with towers, a bridge over the moat and a small church of 1546. Restored in 1907 and gutted by fire in 1914, it has been in slow restoration under the architects' union ever since. Its silhouette above the water made it a location for the Three Musketeers films made in the Soviet Union.

What's there

• The lakeside setting - the castle on a rise above water with woods behind.
• The two courtyards - the residential plan of the seventeenth-century rebuilding.
• The bridge and gate - the approach over the moat into the main court.
• The chapel - the castle church beside the outer court.

When to go

April to October is the comfortable season and the setting is best in autumn. Interiors are usually closed and the visit is exterior. Weekdays are quiet.

Before you go

Restoration has dragged on for decades and interiors are rarely open; assume you will see the outside only. There is no ticket office and no interpretation. The village has no facilities.

Nearby

Lviv is northwest, and the Golden Horseshoe castles are northeast.

Key facts