Olesko Castle

The Olesko Castle (українська. Олеський замок) is currently located within the borders of present-day Ukraine. The first historical records of the castle are in a document dated 1390, when Pope Boniface IX gave Halych, a Catholic bishop, this castle as a gift. It is located about seventy-five kilometers from Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine.

Location

The Olesko Castle, oval in shape, stands on top of a small hill, about fifty meters in height. A moat and a wall surrounds it, which serves as a defence for the castle. The castle is also surrounded by a dense swamp. The land that the castle sat on changed ownership many times. It was originally on the border of land of Volhynia and land of Lviv.

The castle was, at different times, owned by Poland, Lithuania, and Hungary. It became a political landmark in the 14th century when movable borders between the three aforementioned countries ran through its territory. Battles for ownership of the castle were constant. A deep well in the basement of the castle was used as an escape route for besieged prisoners.

Inhabitants

In the 15th century, the castle was changed from being a defense point, to simply a getaway for aristocracy.

In 1605, the castle was bought by Ivan Danylovych (in Pol. Jan Daniłowicz h. Sas), a rich local landowner, Voivode of the Ruthenian Voivodeship. It was then sold to the family of Koniecpolski. The new owners, whose main residence was in Zolkiew, treated the castle poorly, and only in 1682 the castle was renovated by Jan III Sobieski, who bought the complex from Stanislaw Koniecpolski for 400 000 zlotys. In early 18th century, Olesko was bought by the family of Rzewuski, and its collection of antiques was moved to another castle the Rzewuscy owned, the Pidhirtsi Castle.

The castle is perhaps most famous for being the birthplace of the Polish king Jan III Sobieski, the hero of the Battle of Vienna. He often lived there, and collected many of the artworks currently displayed in the present-day museum. Another Polish king, King Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, was also born here.

Restorations

The castle was restored in the late 16th to the early 17th Centuries. Paintings and mosaics were brought in to decorate the different rooms of the castle. The castle was remodeled in the Italian Renaissance style, which was popular at that time.

In 1838, an earthquake rocked the castle, partly destroying some areas. In 1882, the castle, regarded as a Polish national monument was bought by the Committee of Preservation of the Olesko Castle, which led to a restoration in 1892. Both World War I and World War II affected the castle negatively, undoing previous restoration work. In 1956, the castle was struck by lightning.

The castle was restored again, beginning in 1961 and lasting until 1985. Today, it is a museum, displaying the collections of antique furnishings and art dating from the 16th-17th Centuries. It also features sculptures, paintings, still lives, applied arts, tapestries, period weapons, and objects used in everyday life at the time. Its collection is regarded as one of the richest treasury of Polish art outside borders of Poland.

The castle is a part of the "Golden Horseshoe", a ring of three castles nearby each other: the Olesko, the Pidhirtsi, and the Zolochiv Castles.

See also

  • List of castles in Ukraine
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Maria Pliakova
8 January 2016
Real medieval castle with interesting history.
Nataliya Shapron
18 October 2015
Душа болит. Увидеть хотела давно, и не знаю когда ещё увижу- билеты должны быть дороже, а не 20 грн- тогда можно и реставрацией заниматься. Люди, которые там работают- героически преданны этому месту!
Nataliia Pustova
14 July 2013
Ресторанчик отпад. Обслуживание на высоте! Приятно, а главное - очень вкусно! Грибная юшка, кулиш с мясом, домашние колбаски, кортошка.... это очень вкусно!!!
Maryna Cherniavska
9 March 2014
Самый старый замок на Львовщине. Внутри музей, много картин, старинной мебели, изразцов. В замке есть ресторан с очень неплохой кухней и потрясающим разнообразием самодельных настоек (около 30).
Анастасия Сафончик
Очень атмосферное место. Всегда заезжаем, когда едем во Львов или Карпаты.
Валерия
3 July 2016
Замок необычный и красивый, но при посещении таких исторических мест в Украине всегда возникает вопрос: "ну почему совок все портил внутри до безобразия и неузнаваемости, безжалостно и методично?".
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1.6km from Маркіяна Шашкевича, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine Get directions
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