Husiatyn Castle

Did You Know?

• Until 1729 the castle belonged to the Kalinowski family, then to the Potocki family.
• From 1819 the estate was owned by the Zabielski family until the mid-19th century.
• Polish kings Władysław IV Vasa and John II Casimir Vasa once visited the castle.

History

The castle was erected as a borderland fortification at the initiative of Marcin Kalinowski. It was quickly rebuilt and successfully defended against Cossacks and Tatars in 1653 and against the Muscovite army in 1655, though severely damaged. During the Polish-Turkish War in the 1670s–80s, it was besieged and captured. In 1683, following the Turkish defeat at Vienna, Polish troops under Andrzej Potocki recaptured it, but retreating Turks destroyed the city's defensive walls and partly the castle. The structure survived in good condition until the end of the First Republic. Sold in the first half of the 19th century by Agenor Romuald Goluchowski to a local rabbi, it was dismantled to build a new palace and synagogue, which were destroyed during World War I. Before 1939, an entrance gate remained among the ruins. Today little remains; traces of old walls lean against the river course.