One hour driving by car from Lviv and here we are: Pidhirtsi is a little village which is very famous for its castle. The building itself was left in a horrible state – after centuries of functioning as a residence (built in 1635-1640) of the elite and royal families and then operating as a museum, the Pidhirtsi Castle became a sanatorium for those who suffer from tuberculosis during the rule of Soviet Union in Ukraine.
The building was refurbished inside to meet the needs of hospital and now it is being remade to become a museum again and open its doors for tourists. Nowadays, one can wander around the castle and observe one of the most beautiful chapels standing in front of it.
But there is yet one more interesting fact about the palace for it is believed that it is haunted. The story says that Waclaw Rzewusky, who was dwelling in the castle during 1720-1779, has buried his young wife alive behind in one of the walls in the palace (the murder was caused by jealousy).
There are many who witnessed the Woman in White (as she is called), among them the participants of the Ukrainian Psychic Challange (the programme was shot half a year ago). They stated to come in contact with a young lady with few of them showing exactly the same place of her murder. The story is yet to be investigated, the cast of the Ghost Hunters International is currently examining the presence of the ghost.
http://travel.exploreukrainemagazine.com

Pidhirtsi Castle

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Olesko Castle is located within the borders of the present-day Busk Raion in Ukraine. The first historical records of the castle are in a document dated 1327, 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.
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.
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 the nobleman Jan Daniłowicz h. Sas, a wealthy local landowner and Voivode of the Ruthenian Voivodeship. It was then sold to the family of Koniecpolski. The new owners, whose main residence was in Zhovkva, 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, 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 displayed in the present-day museum. Another Polish king, King Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, was also born here. It is also said that Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, the most prominent leaders of Ukrainian Cossacks spent his childhood years here.\
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: Olesko, Pidhirtsi, and Zolochiv Castles.

Olesko Castle


As a witness of historical events Zolochevsky Castle is one of the most important cultural monuments of defensive architecture and the territory of Galician land ... 
Zolochevsky Castle is a castle on a small hill in the valley of two rivers, Zolochevsky castle at one time served as both defense and for housing. In 1634-1636 after the design of an unknown architect built his James Sobieski, the father of John Sobieski - King of Poland. In 1686 by order of King Jan III Sobieski castle has been renovated and decorated with works of art. Entrance Tower, Chinese palace, a large residential palace ensemble create beautiful Renaissance castle. 
In the second half of XVII century the castle was repeatedly subjected Zolochevsky Cossack, Tatar, Turkish attacks and sieges. From the rich heritage of the castle in 1801 left a bit serious loss and damage sustained in the twentieth century: the castle changed owners several times until it became the property of the state. For centuries the castle was Zolochevsky and fortress and royal residence, and the manor, and even jails and educational institutions. 
However, the structure of the castle, which was formed during the XVII century, with substantial losses until today. In the courtyard of the castle is the Grand Palace, where the exposition of the seventeenth century interiors and halls of history. Perfectly preserved eighteenth century fad - the Chinese Palace is one of the few examples of architecture in the eastern Ukrainian lands. Now it is the exhibition of oriental culture (art of Japan, China, India, Egypt). 
  
  
In this writing we used information from the book "Castles and Fortresses" (2007r.m.Kyyiv, "Art").

Zolochevsky Castle

Brody Castle is an outstanding monument of defensive architecture Ukraine, built at the expense of the owner of Brody, a great crown hetman Stanislaw Koniecpolski the Commonwealth on the western outskirts of the city of Brody in the years 1630-1635 ... 
Brody Castle is located on a small hill surrounded by marshy meadows. Construction of the castle due to the formation of an integrated urban system of fortifications after Brody in 1629 became the property of the crown hetman Stanislaw Konetspolskiy. Becoming the owner of Brody Konetspolskiy began building fortifications. To guide the work of fortification, he invited well-known at the time the world's engineers and Andrea del Akvu Guillaume de Beauplan. For five years (1630-1635) was erected regular bastion fortifications of residence. By planning the configuration lock is a right pentagon from the yard about 100 m Castle Brody formed kazematovanymy shafts with stone escarpment and five cornerstones bastions hex in terms of casemates. 

Entrance Gate housed by the city in the southeastern clumps, which were dam across the valley and composite bridge thrown over the moat that surrounded the building. To further strengthen the entrance to the castle yard to the entrance gate was erected half moon. 
Plastic muruvan walls, arcades, pilasters and rusticated pore-tali inputs determine the nature of the facades of buildings that formed the yard. Casemates were used simultaneously to accommodate military weapons storage and other household needs. On the territory of the court house was built for the commandant. 
Since 1704 the castle became the property of Potocki. In the first half of the XVIII century. Stanislaw Potocki in place of wooden houses along the northern curtain brings palace in baroque forms, and from the entrance gate of the city rebuilds the tower clock. In 1809, an entry tower, half moon and curtain with two bastions were demolished. 
  
Today, the castle remained four curtain with casemates, dungeons three corner bastions and palace mid XVIII century. 
After the war, the castle housed a military unit and sustained considerable damage and reorganization. Since the mid 1990s the palace premises referred to the use of schools, there is also a regional archive and exhibit space Brody historical museum. In 2007, at the initiative of the museum and county governments started with the restoration of monuments.