Halych (Starostynskyi) Castle, Halych

Halych Castle stands on the top of Halych Hill. More precisely, from the former majestic fortress on the right bank of the Dniester, only the ruins of the defensive wall and a tower remain. Today, Halych Castle (also known as Starostynskyi) is part of the national reserve "Ancient Halych".

Halych Castle was built in the mid-15th century. However, as historians assert, there was most likely a courtyard of the nobleman Sudyslav here in the 13th century – a personal enemy of Daniel Romanovych. It is impossible to determine exactly who initiated the construction: some attribute it to Casimir III, while others to the Volhynian prince Liubart.

It is known that the reconstruction of Halych Castle took almost 100 years. It became one of the largest fortresses in all of Halychyna. The fortress was so large that about 1000 soldiers, several dozen cannons, and a lot of firearms could be stationed here at the same time.

Throughout its history, the castle was stormed more than once. In 1490, it was attempted to be taken by a peasant army led by Mukha, and from 1594 to 1621 – by the Tatars. In 1676, Halych Castle was destroyed by the beylerbey of Damascus, Ibrahim Pasha, nicknamed Shaytan, along with his army. The castle in Halych and was rebuilt, but later the fortress lost its defensive significance.

There are two ways to climb to the Castle Hill in Halych. The best option is to use both: first, ascend (the stairs leading up start near the Christmas Square, by the memorial plaque "Heavenly Hundred"). The second way is to descend: to find the path, you need to go east along Castle Hill. Around is a nice park, and from the ramparts, there is a beautiful view that is worth photographing.