Kamenetz-Podolsky castle (fortress)

On the rocky peninsula is the Old Town of Kamenets-Podolsky. This territory is a historical and architectural reserve of Kamenets & raquo ;. You will be impressed by its fantastic architecture. Here you will see the Orthodox wooden Cross Exaltation Church, the monasteries of the Dominican and Franciscan Orders, the Armenian and Turkish towers of the 17th century, the 14th century Nikolaev church, and the Muslim Turkish minaret of the 17th century.

The strict fortress gives the reserve a unique charm, it has for hundreds of years been standing on a rocky promontory between the two banks of the Smotrych river. According to some historical data, the fortress existed already in 10th-13th centuries. First it was an Old Russian defense structure made of wood. In the 15th century Kamenets-Podolsky was captured by the Polish gentry and acquired the status of an important defensive point of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The wooden fortress was rebuilt in stone.

The power of the fortifications of Kamenets-Podolsky impressed the travelers. And its defense capability and a successful location attracted the Turkish conquerors, the Lithuanian princes and the Polish gentry. At all times the fortress was an impregnable stronghold. They say that in 1621, when Khan Osman with the army approached the city, he was very impressed by the strong walls and towers of the fortress. He asked his subjects who built this miracle. They answered him & ndash; & laquo; Allah & raquo ;. Then Osman exclaimed: & laquo; Allah and take it! & Raquo; and ordered to retreat. In its entire history, the fortress city was captured twice. In 1393, the fortress was seized by the Lithuanian prince Vitovt, and in 1672, thanks to the great advantage of the army, the city was captured by the Turks.

The spirit of the storm of 1672 can still be felt today in the walls of this stronghold. To get to this attraction, you need to go through the Castle Bridge, which stretches along a narrow isthmus. This bridge is a unique monument of architecture of national importance. It is believed that it was built by the Roman emperor Troyan during the campaign against Dacia. Be sure to climb the Day Tower, from where you will see a beautiful view of the city and the fortress.

Twelve powerful towers form a castle complex. Each of the towers has its own story and interesting name. In the dungeons of the fortress there are expositions that reflect the atmosphere of those times. Be sure to visit the dungeon of the Commandant's Tower. Here you will see soldiers of the detachment Volodievsky. The Pontifical Toweris so called, because it was built on the money of Pope Julius II. In 1812, Russia built up a dungeon in it, where the people's favorite served his sentence & ndash; Ustim Karmelyuk. He was very popular with women. And he owes his rescue to them. They say that women gave him handkerchiefs when they came to see him. With these handkerchiefs, he tied a rope, through which he got out of the dungeon and fled. Black Toweris no less interesting for tourists. In it is a well, hollowed out in the wall. Here you will see a huge ancient wooden wheel, which has survived to our days. With the help of it, water was raised from the depths of the well for the entire city.

In the western bastion you will see a panorama of the castle during the attack of the Turks of 1672. And in the eastern & ndash; you are waiting for an exhibition of weapons of those times in Podillia. Everyone can shoot from a crossbow or bow and feel like a medieval warrior.