The exhibition "Treasures of Pidhirtsi Castle" continues at the Lviv Gallery

These artistic works could once again fill the walls of the castle if it is restored. The Polish side has promised to provide its collection for this purpose. However, currently, one of the most significant palaces in Europe stands in ruins due to lack of funding.

"Pidhirtsi Castle is a true thesaurus of world culture, built by Italians, French, and Ukrainians with Poles. Austrians, Germans, Czechs, and Romanians have all been there, and nearby is Plisnetsko - the homeland of the White Croats. The heart of Pidhirtsi Castle still beats, and this exhibition is a step towards ensuring it does not stop," said the curator of the exhibition, Oksana Kozynekvych.

Photo by Olena Lyakhovych

Most of the values exhibited in the Art Gallery have not been seen by the audience for the last 70 years. "Treasures of Pidhirtsi Castle" features two hundred unique exhibits. For this exhibition, the gallery even repainted the walls and changed the lighting.

Pidhirtsi Castle is not only a decoration of Brodivshchyna but one of the best in Europe. It combines a Renaissance palace with bastion fortifications. However, since the seventeenth century, only the walls have survived. All exhibits were buried in museums in Ukraine and Poland after wars and a fire in 1956. And now, after a long break, they have been shown.

An interactive screen allows visitors to delve into history and learn about all the owners of the palace. "On the screen, you can find all the owners of Pidhirtsi Castle, starting with the Konetspolskys, who were the first to arrive. We have a portrait of Stanisław, a Polish nobleman and great crown hetman. Here, the history is condensed but very interesting. And so it is for each one," said the exhibition curator Oksana Kozynekvych.

Among the weapons, sculptures, and paintings is a canvas depicting the interior of the castle. This painting by Oleksandr Hryhlevskyi from 1871 was kept in the capital's Hanenko Museum as "Interior of the Palace." It turned out that this is what the "golden hall" looked like.

Photo by Olena Lyakhovych

"Our imagination materializes about how magnificent and rich this palace was. We know that these beams on the ceiling, which have not survived due to the fire in 1956, were recreated in Wawel Castle. And when we want to see what the ceilings in Pidhirtsi looked like, we can come to the castle in Poland, look up – and we will see," said Oksana Kozynekvych.

There is also a visualization of a wedding in the exhibition. The brother of the hostess of Pidhirtsi Castle, Anna Zhevuskaya, Stanisław Lubomirski, with his wife. They appear in their own portraits as if sitting in their carriage, of which only the body remains. They are going to Warsaw for registration.

Photo by Olena Lyakhovych

"This carriage is indeed theirs. It was made for the day of their engagement and registration. It was ordered from France. And this is an original from the 18th century. And there are coats of arms in the center. Because they were always painted, even on the chests of the bride and groom," said the chief curator of the "Olesko Castle" museum, Tetiana Sabodash.