Zholkovsky Castle

Lviv region is full of sights, many of which are castles. But there are not so many architectural monuments of the Renaissance in Ukraine. One of them is in the town of Zholkva.

The idea to build the castle belonged to the founder of the city S. Zholkevsky, and the first project was created by P. Happy. In 1594 the construction of the most important element of the fortification system of the"ideal city" was started.

Former view of the castle

The lock has a quadrangular base. The main entrance is made in the form of an arch, and the building itself is three towers, united by two-storey buildings. From each of the side towers an arched passage that connects with the building is covered with a gallery. The main tower rises above the castle on two floors. Special rooms and a palace are located inside the courtyard. Since 1606, the owners of the castle together with the guests regularly conducted hunting, for which they built a park-zoo near the castle, where they grew deer and bison.

In the 17th century, King Jan III turned the Zholkovsky Castle into one of the most beautiful palaces in Europe, making it his summer residence. From famous guests  the palace was visited by Ivan Mazepa and the Emperor Peter  I.

Contemporary History

The castle was significantly damaged during the Great Patriotic War, after which it was rebuilt. Restoration work was carried out in  1972-1975. With the advent of Soviet power, the building began to be used as a state institution. Later, the castle was turned into a dwelling house.

Now the castle has a small museum that tells the history of the city, as well as a tourist information center and a law firm. The building needs a thorough restoration, only the main entrance is partially restored. You can see the interior of the Zholkovsky Castle every day from 10:00 to 17:00. The castle is located in the center of the city, on the Market Square.