Zbarazh Castle

Zbarazh was built between 1626 and 1631 for the Zbaraski princes to a design in the new Dutch manner: a square of earth ramparts with corner bastions enclosing a two-storey palace, defence and residence combined. It withstood a long siege in 1649 that Sienkiewicz later made famous in With Fire and Sword. Restored from ruin in the late twentieth century, the palace now holds museums of regional history, icons and decorative art, and the casemates under the ramparts are open as part of the route.

Background

The castle crowns the Zamkova Hills beside the town's central square, an area once surrounded by marshland. An older Ruthenian fortress of 1211 stood some way off, where the village of Staryi Zbarazh is today. The masonry castle came in the early 17th century, planned with guidance from Western European architects: earth banks up to 12 metres high, a terrace 23 metres wide, an outer ditch in places 40 metres across, four bastions and a moat around a two-storey Renaissance palace. Dubois, an architect from Lorraine, reworked the design in 1649. After Dmitry Wiśniowiecki died in 1682 the castle passed to the Potocki family, who held it until the middle of the 19th century.

Source: Wikipedia, "Zbarazh Castle"

Highlights

• The bastion square - earth ramparts with corner bastions round the whole complex.
• The palace - the two-storey residence inside the defences, restored with museums.
• The casemates - vaulted chambers under the ramparts.
• The icon collection - Podillia and Galician icons in the museum ranges.

When to go

April to October is the comfortable season. The museums keep set hours and close on Mondays. Summer weekends bring events in the courtyard.

Practical notes

The restoration is thorough to the point of feeling new. Museum labelling is in Ukrainian. The town around has little else.

Nearby

Vyshnivets is northeast, and Ternopil is southwest.

Key facts