| Ostroh Castle | |
|---|---|
Острозький замок | |
| Ostroh in Ukraine | |
 | |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Website | ostrohcastle.com.ua |
| Location | |
  Ostroh Castle | |
| Coordinates | 50°19′35″N26°31′15″E / 50.32639°N 26.52083°E /50.32639; 26.52083 |
| Official name | Замок (сторожова башта) (Castle (Guard Tower)) |
| Type | Architecture |
| Reference no. | 170038/1 |
TheOstroh Castle (Ukrainian:Острозький замок,romanized: Ostroz'kyi zamok;Polish:Zamek w Ostrogu) is a castle in the city ofOstroh, located in theRivne Oblast of western Ukraine. In the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, the castle was the key stronghold of the powerfulHouse of Ostroh. Today it is in ruins.
Ostroh Castle is a castle in the town ofOstroh, located in theRivne Oblast, in western Ukraine.
The castle complex consists of four main structures: the Guard Tower (Vezha murovana) where theOstroh Local History Museum [uk] is located,[1] the Bohoiavlenska Church, the New Tower, and the Belltower, constructed in 1905. The castle is located in a relatively small elevated oval plaza. The area's natural geography helped to fortify the complex; the southern and eastern sides of the fortress raised upon a 20 metres (66 ft) high cliff, and the northern and western sides separate the city by series of moats that replaced the big ravine.
The first wooden fortifications were built in the area before the 1241Mongol invasion of Rus, during which they were subsequently destroyed.
During the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, the castle was the key stronghold of the powerfulHouse of Ostroh.[citation needed] From 1386, the town of Ostroh belonged to theOstrogski family, who built the castle. Under the Ostrogski, the town grew in importance.[2]
The ruins were later reconstructed by the founder of the family,Danylo Ostrozki, on the city's Sudovyi Hill. Since then, more additions and reconstructions have carried out, although the complex retains itsmedieval architecture.[citation needed]
In the early 20th century the castle was restored at the initiative of Ostroh priest Mykhailo Tuchemsky, the leader of the local branch of theUnion of the Russian People. During that time a historical museum was opened on the site, and in 1909-1916 anOrthodox brotherhood named after Princes of Ostroh was active under Tuchemsky's leadership.[3]
Both towers were built in the second half of the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries from sandstone. They are three-tiered structures, with a plan that combines an oval with a rectangle. Since 1985, the Lutsk Tower has housed a book museum. The Tatar Tower is worse preserved, with a significant portion of the elliptical part of the building lost.
The castle is a ruin. A small park sits right next to the castle, separated by a small moat. A monument was placed in the park in 1978, commemorating the 400 anniversary of the foundation of theOstroh Academy. A building used to stand in the same location, in which the "Azbuka" (alphabet) and theOstrog Bible were printed byIvan Fedorov.
In 2007, the castle was awarded a "Significant Landmark of Spiritual Ukraine", as part of competition to find theSeven Wonders of Ukraine.[4]
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