The following watercolors were included in the fourth album of the artist Zbigniew Szczepanek “Zamki na Kresach”. It shows the 59 most famous fortresses in Kresach (the Polish name of the territory of present Western Ukraine).

About 40% of the objects show the author’s reconstruction, the remaining 60% – show the current state of the monuments. The images of some fortifications were reconstructed for the first time and thus can be considered a kind of unique.

Berezhany Castle in Berezhany, the Ternopil region.

picturesque Ukrainian castles

Tags: fortress · Ivano-Frankivsk oblast · Khmelnitsky oblast · Rivne oblast · Ternopil oblast

Uzhhorod Castle is the historic heart of the city of Uzhgorod, the capital of the Zakarpattia region. The castle, originally built by the Drugeth family in the Middle Ages and rebuilt several times, is a mixture of architectural styles and materials of the 13th-18th centuries.

Since 1947, the castle is used as a museum of local lore. This monument is one of the most visited tourist sites of Uzhgorod and Ukraine. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

fly over the castle

Tags: fortress · Uzhgorod city

Pidhirtsi Castle, sponsored by the Polish Hetman Stanislaw Koniecpolski and built by Wilhelm Beauplan in 1635-1640, is a well-preserved Renaissance palace surrounded by fortifications. It is located in the east of the Lviv region, in the village of Pidhirtsi.

The castle has a square shape. From the east, south, and west it is surrounded by a deep moat and ramparts. The park, laid out around the castle, belongs to the monuments of landscape art of national importance. Pidhirtsi Castle on Google Maps. Photos by: alexdoomer2009.

take a walk around the castle

Tags: fortress · Lviv oblast

Nevytsky Castle is located near the village of Kamyanytsya in Zakarpattia region, 12 km north-east of Uzhhorod. The castle was built in the 13th century on a hill above the Uzh River valley in place of an earlier wooden fortress.

In 1241, it was destroyed by the Mongol-Tatar’s hordes, but, in the second half of the 13th century, it was restored.

explore the ruins

Tags: abandoned · fortress · Zakarpattia oblast

Not so long ago, Lviv received a new attraction – a miniature park of castles and fortresses. In the park, you can find fortifications once located in the territory of the former Kievan Rus and Poland.

The architect of these unusual buildings is Lviv artist Igor Kachor. It is a kind of reconstruction in miniature (1:50 scale) of ancient castles, fortresses, and fortified churches which are either completely destroyed, in ruins, or need restoration. Photos by Andrew Zhdan

monumental medieval architecture

Tags: fortress · Lviv city

Lutsk castle, also known as Lubart’s castle, is a symbol of Lutsk city, its main sight and pride.

The castle was built by the Lithuanian prince Lubart in the 14th century. He married a local princess and adopted the Orthodox faith. The castle was chosen as the prince’s residence.

one of the wonders of Ukraine

Tags: fortress · Lutsk city

Nevitsky castle is a castle located near the village of Kamenica, Zakarpattia region, which is 12 km north-east of the regional center of Uzhgorod. The castle was built in the 13th century on the top of a hill above the valley of the river Uzh on the site of an earlier wooden fort.

In 1241, it was destroyed by the Mongol-Tatar hordes, but in the second half of the 13th century the castle was rebuilt. With the development of firearms, it was reconstructed several times and acquired its final shape in the early 16th century.

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Tags: fortress · Zakarpattia oblast

Akkerman fortress located in Belgorod-Dnestrovskiy city (Odessa oblast) is a historic and architectural monument of the 13th-15th centuries. It is one of the most preserved fortresses on the territory of Ukraine. Also Akkerman fortress is the largest fortification in the country.

All the buildings of the fortress are surrounded by fortress walls, the length of which reaches 2.5 km. The initial number of towers was 34, 12 of which were hollow, battle towers. The rest towers were bastions and half bastions. They were later turned into artillery platforms. Photos by Alexander Lipilin.

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Tags: Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi city · fortress · Odessa oblast

Yeni-Kale is an ancient fortress located in the Crimea on the shore of the Kerch Strait. The fortress was built by the Ottomans in 1699-1706. The name is translated from Turkish meaning “new castle” (yeni – new, kale – fortress). Currently Yeni Kale is on the territory of Kerch city.

Yeni Kale was of great strategic importance. Located at the narrowest part of the strait the fortress, armed with powerful guns, controlled the passage of ships between the Azov and Black Seas. The construction was led by Goloppo – an Italian who had converted to Islam. Also several French engineers took part in the construction. Photos by Alexander Lipilin.

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Tags: Crimea Republic · fortress · Kerch city

Eski-Kermen is a medieval fortress-city located in the southwestern part of Crimean peninsula, about 14 km to the south of Bakhchisaray city. The name Eski-Kermen means “Old Fortress”.

The territory of the city occupies an area of 8.5 hectares, with a length of 1040 m and 170 m in width. Eski-Kermen was built on the plateau bounded by cliffs up to 30 m tall. Photos by Denis Frantsouzov.

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Tags: Crimea Republic · fortress