The mysterious Podgoretsky castle is located in the village of Podgortsy, which is located in the Lviv region. This place is located 88 kilometers from Lviv and 460 from Kiev.
Podgoretsky castle: history
In 1440, the Polish king Jagiello granted land to the boyar Ivan Podgoretsky. The new owner named this area Podgortsy. He built the first fortification here.
In 1633, the building was purchased from the Podgoretsky, and possibly received from the crown (historians disagree on this issue) hetman Stanislav Konetspolsky. He turned to the French architect Guillaume de Beauplan with a request to create a project of new fortifications and a two-story palace.
Construction work was carried out for five years (1635-1640). As planned by the architect, the office premises created a square courtyard with a terrace, which was adapted for the defense of the territory. The palace was surrounded on three sides by a deep moat. In the northern part, which overlooked the plain, a terrace was built with sculptures and a balustrade. The entrance was decorated with a large arch resembling a portal with two columns.
Since the 17th century, Podgoretsky castle was seriously damaged several times during the wars. But he was immediately restored.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the castle was given to the historical museum of the city of Lviv. However, a little later a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients was organized in it.
In 1997, the Renaissance Podgoretsky Castle charity foundation, led by Boris Voznitsky, took the initiative to restore a masterpiece of ancient architecture. It was again recognized as a museum and decided to reconstruct.
Castle territory
The architectural ensemble of the Podgoretsky castle consists of a church, a park, an inn and a castle. The baroque one-story inn was built for the servants, it had a hotel and an inn.
Castle description
Podgoretsky Castle (Ukraine) is a well-preserved Renaissance palace, which is surrounded by defensive structures. Together with Zolochevsky and Olesky castles they form the “Golden Horseshoe of Ukraine”. Here were filmed some episodes of the famous Soviet film "Three Musketeers."
The castle is built in the shape of a square. From the south, west and east it is surrounded by defensive fortifications, earthen ramparts and a deep moat.
Interior decoration
The interiors of the palace were striking in their wealth and beauty. The halls and rooms were called Golden, Knightly, Green, Mirrored, Mosaic. Items belonging to King John III Sobesky were stored separately.
The rooms were decorated with portraits of the owners of the castle, these were famous copies of Rubens, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio. Here were paintings by the famous Polish artist Chekhovich, the work of Jacob de Baan.
In the dining room hung a portrait of the hetman of Konetspolsky and 72 portraits of spiritual and political figures. In the center was a marble black table. King John III was baptized on it. Today the castle is closed for reconstruction. Opening time is still unknown.
Collection
Despite significant losses during the First World War, as well as the revolution, in 1939 the castle's collection consisted of 39 shells of winged hussars, as well as 65 hussar peaks. All these exhibits belonged to the XVIII century. They belonged to the hussars from the company of the hetman of Rzhevusky.
Church
The Catholic Church of the Exaltation and St. Joseph was built by order of Vacorv Rzhevussky (1752–1766). He was supposed to be the tomb. The architect of this building is C. Romanus.
This Catholic church is a magnificent baroque rotunda. Its diameter is 12 m. The facade of the rotunda is decorated with a portico consisting of fourteen columns of the Corinthian order. Eight sculptures of saints were installed on the attic, which were performed by Fessinger and Leblas. One of the sculptures was destroyed during the Second World War.
From the church, a 300-meter long linden alley leads to the castle. In front of the temple are columns of sculptures of Our Lady and St. Joseph.
The interior was painted by the artist L. Smuglevich with his son. Four masters from Zhovkva were engaged in painting behind them: Wojciech, Demian, Konstantin and Nikolai - and two artists from Lviv - Vitanetsky and Gurgilevich. Since 1861, the church became a paraphilous church. After World War II (1945) it was closed. The last restoration began in 1976 and lasted three years. The work was led by architect I. Starosolsky. Now the church is handed over to Greek Catholics.
Italian garden
Once Podgoretsky castle, the description of which has been preserved in the Central Library of Lviv in historical documents, surrounded one of the best "Italian" gardens in Europe. There were many stones in the park that created a feeling of remoteness from the outside world and harmony. There were many evergreens - pine, boxwood, laurel. Much attention was paid to flowers. Here grew irises, lilies, carnations, violets. Thuja, spruce, different varieties of spirea, derain, and barberry turned green everywhere.
Not so much is left from the former splendor - a rather large orchard from apple trees has been preserved, which in spring pleases with magnificent flowering, and thuja. On the outskirts of the garden, an old linden tree has been preserved. Her age, according to scientists, is more than 700 years.
Podgoretsky castle: legends
Since its creation, this castle has been surrounded by a mystical halo. Incredible rumors are circulating about him - one is worse than the other. Locals love telling visiting guests stories with bloody details and chilling details. The most common story is about a smart and beautiful woman, the wife of Count Yablonsky. According to the indigenous people, her soul wanders through the corridors and dungeons of the castle on moonlit nights. If you are a lover of mysterious stories and legends - you should definitely visit the Podgoretsky castle - ghosts will surely surprise you.
The Legend of the White Lady
In 1787, Podgoretsky castle, along with villages located in the district, was bought after the death of his father by his son, Severin Zhevusky. This name is associated with the most mysterious and exciting legend of the castle - about the White Lady.
One fine day, a luxurious carriage drawn by six horses rode up to the front door of the palace. It belonged to a new owner - Severin Zhevusky.
The whole servants gathered near the gate, as well as peasants from neighboring villages who wanted to see the new owner. The young count stepped out of the carriage, and as if an icy wind had passed over everyone present from the sight of the clandestine pan. Following him, his young wife, Maria, got out of the carriage. The sun shone brighter from her kind look and gentle smile, people smiled at her in return.
People were not mistaken: their mistress turned out to be merciful and kind, she helped the wretched and poor, healed the sick, she warmed souls with a kind word. Maria loved white dresses, for which she began to be called the White Lady.
And the new owner was gloomy and unsociable. Often and for a long time Count Severin descended into a damp and gloomy dungeon, and then gathered guests, and sumptuous feasts grew into a wild hunt.
Soon rumors spread that the count was a black sorcerer, and he casted witchcraft potions in a dungeon. In addition, young girls began to disappear without a trace in the district. Residents decided - pan is guilty of this. Of course, they were led by fear, because it was known that, while studying in Vienna, he was carried away by the Count of Alchemy, and so that all his thoughts were occupied with how to turn metals into gold. And he also planned to invent the elixir of youth and longevity. To do this, he set up a laboratory in the castle dungeon.
Years passed, the count went very badly - he could not get gold, and large funds were required to maintain a huge castle. With the elixir of youth, too, went wrong. The count was completely blackened, deep wrinkles scored his face, his hands were dry and yellow, as if his strength had sucked out experiments in a damp and cold dungeon.
And his wife, Maria, seemed to get younger every year. She is still beautiful. Jealousy tormented the count when he watched the admirable grandees look at her with admiration, bow respectfully over her gentle hand, try to get her clear eyes to look. But not much love was the cause of his jealousy - to love the count was incapable. The fact is that he married Maria because of the huge dowry that her parents gave her. Terrible envy tormented his heart. And the distraught count decided that his wife knew the secret of eternal youth, but she did not want to share with him.
Once, late at night, he ordered his workers to capture Mary and secretly lead him into a terrible dungeon. He began to demand to give him the secret of youth, threatening terrible torment.
The countess was surprised - she did not know any secret, she simply knew how to love people, give them kindness and help others - that’s the whole secret. The count did not believe her that there was no witchcraft potion. He ordered his minions to take Mary to the far corner of the dungeon and walled him alive in the wall. Hearing this, the countess shuddered and cursed the whole family of her tormentor, saying at the end: "How many steps separate me from the place of my execution, after so many generations your family will fade away." There were four steps … After four generations, the Zhevusky clan was gone.
Ghostbusters
Local residents are so sure that this actually happened that they transferred their confidence to modern magicians and sorcerers who dream of revealing an ancient secret.
It was visited by American "ghostbusters" and domestic sorcerers and witches from the "Battle of psychics." In 2010, the participants in this Russian program unanimously claimed that Podgoretsky Castle (Ukraine) was simply full of ghosts, though each of them spoke about his ghost. Some of the sorcerers agreed that they managed to see a woman in white, who wandered along the corridors of the castle and went down into the dungeon.
