You're reading: Enchanting palaces for autumn visits

Ukraine’s beautiful castles and fortresses have witnessed dramatic historical events, many of which have attained a shroud of mystery and legend over the centuries. Located in some of the country’s most picturesque landscapes, their charm is highlighted by the rich colors of autumn. The Kyiv Post offers a guide to some of Ukraine’s best castles and fortresses.

Palanok Castle

Palanok, one of Ukraine’s oldest castles, at different times used to be a royal residence, an Austrian outpost, and a political prison. (UNIAN)

Palanok Castle – whose name in Rusyn, an east Slavic language, means “oak paling” – annually attracts thousands of tourists to Mukacheve in Zakarpattya Oblast, where it is located. Perched on top of a 68-meter-high volcanic plug, Palanok broods over the flat land around, and is more like a formidable fortress than a fairytale castle. Dating back to the 11th century, Palanok is one of the oldest Ukrainian castles. The present structure, the first parts of which date back to the 14th century, has survived numerous attacks and sieges. Over the past millennium, the castle has been a royal residence, an Austrian outpost and even a jail for political prisoners. Some parts of the castle are in disrepair, but others, including the impressive central courtyard, have undergone extensive refurbishment. A network of underground tunnels connects the 130 rooms in the castle, and it houses a museum on the history of the castle and the local area.

89600 Kurutsiv alley, Mukacheve, Zakarpattya Oblast. Take train N081K (Kyiv-Chop) or 023KO (Kyiv-Uzhhorod) from Kyiv to Mukachevo for Hr 429 – 999. The trip takes more than 14 hours.
Open Tues. – Sun., 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Entrance fee is Hr 15 for adults, Hr 5 for children. Excursion costs Hr 60 per person.

Kamyanets-Podilsky Fortress

Situated on a bend of the Smotrych River, this medieval fortress blends into the fabulous landscape. The castle is one of the few medieval structures in Ukraine that is still relatively well-preserved. For centuries the residents of Kamyanets-Podilsky could take refuge from enemy assaults in this impressive fortress. Today, the complex history of the fortress is told via authentic exhibits located within the castle’s towers and catacombs. But the tourist attraction of the Kamyanets-Podilsky Fortress is the atmosphere of the surrounding medieval city. To get into the spirit of days of old, visitors to the fortress can try on medieval clothing, fire an ancient arbalest weapon or attend a tournament of knights.

1 Zamkova St., Kamyanets-Podilsky, Khmelnytsky Oblast. Take a mini-bus from Kyiv station (3 Moscovska Square) to Kamyanets-Podilsky for Hr 237.
Open daily from 9 a.m. till 6 p.m. Entrance fee is Hr 20 for adults, and Hr 10 for schoolchildren and students.

Vyshnyvetsky Palace

For centuries this palace was home to one of the most famous Polish–Lithuanian princely families – the Wisniowieckis. The palace is nicknamed the Volyn or Polish Versailles for its magnificent baroque and classical architecture, and its 80-meter-long mirrored hall, made to resemble the famous hall in the Palace of Versailles in France.

In form, the palace is a symmetrical U-shaped, two-level building surrounded by two splendid annexes. The nearby Orthodox Church, the sepulcher of the Wisniowiecki family, and a landscaped park complete the Vyshnyvetsky palace complex. The palace was severely damaged during World War II, but underwent extensive reconstruction during the 1990s.

5 Zamkova St., Vyshnivest village, Zbarazh district, Ternopil Oblast. Take a mini bus from Kremenets to Vyshnivets for Hr 47. While travelling by car from Kremenets take road M19 to Vyshnivets.
Open daily from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. Entrance fee is Hr 20 for adults, Hr 10 for children. Guided tours cost Hr 50–80 and are available in Ukrainian, Russian and Polish.

Kurysy Palace

The architecture of Kurysy Palace in Petrivka village in Odesa Oblast combines Moorish style with Gothic elements, which is very unusual for Ukraine. The palace’s minarets are visible from the far-off Odesa highway near the entrance to the village. The refined estate was built in the 19th century as a private residence of Ukrainian nobility, the Kurysy family. The building was looted and vandalized after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, and now only a shell remains, although it gives visitors some idea of its previous majestic beauty. Despite the unsightly graffiti on the walls of the ruin, tourists are attracted by the crumbling beauty of the structure and the overgrowth of weeds and vegetation on its grand staircase and other parts of the building only add to the palace’s mystery and sad air of past grandeur.

Petrivka village, Kominternivsky district, Odesa Oblast. To get there take the daily minibus that goes from the Odesa bus station towards Yuzhnoukrainsk for Hr 137. If travelling by car take road P55 from Odesa and drive 64 kilometers northwest. From Kyiv take road E95 and go 479 kilometers south.

Radomyshl Castle

This amazing brick structure, sitting atop a foundation of rough granite blocks, started out in the 17–18th as a paper mill for the Kyiv–Pechersk Lavra, but also served as a defensive structure. The original structure had fallen into ruin by the end of the 19th century, but it was reconstructed by a Polish architect at the beginning of the 20th century and was used a flour mill until 1989, when the mill was closed and the building began to be used as a dump for the nearby town. In 2007 the building was acquired and reconstructed by Ukrainian doctor and member of parliament Olha Bohomolets. It now contains Ukraine’s only museum of non-canonical icons, with more than 5,000 exhibits. The castle is available for hire for weddings, conferences and other events, and has several rooms for hotel accommodation. It also has several exhibition halls, a 150-seat concert hall, and a dining hall located inside a restaurant. The castle is surrounded by a small pond and a small picturesque park.

15 Shchorsa St, Radomyshl town, Zhytomyr Oblast. Take the E40 road from Kyiv to Kocheriv, then turn to the road M06 to Radomyshl.
Open Wed. – Sun. from 9 a.m. till 6 p.m. Guided tours cost Hr 50 for adults and Hr 25 for children.

Kyiv Post staff writer Nataliya Trach can be reached at [email protected]