Description of the attraction
The ruins of the Rykhtovsky castle are located in the village of Rykhta, in the Kamenets-Podilsky district of the Khmelnitsky region.
Several centuries ago, a castle was a fortified dwelling of a feudal lord, which was usually a complex of certain buildings, and a significant part of them performed defensive functions, and the rest was provided directly for housing and household needs. Castles in Ukraine began to be erected in the 11th century. At the initial stage, they were defended by fortifications made of a strong type of wood (palisade walls and towers), as well as earth (ramparts and ditches). And already at the beginning of the 13th century, the construction of stone castles began, which were protected by huge walls, towers and other types of defensive structures. At the beginning of the 18th century, many of the castles lost their original significance. One part of them was abandoned by the owners, who preferred luxurious palaces that responded to the trends of modern times, while other castles were rebuilt into the same palaces.
A similar fate befell the Rykhtovsky castle. To date, four defensive towers have remained from it, located in the village of Rykhta, and they are the remains of the ancient Rykhtov castle. The tablet, which was found while making one of the next reconstructions, says that the castle over the Zhvanchik river was built in 1507, at that time the local lands were owned by representatives of the Polish gentry Lyantskoronski. The castle was built of stone according to the regular type. It was a rectangular fortress with pentahedral corner towers. From the 16th to the 18th century, this castle was the residence of the Gumetsky Polish family, its representatives became famous fighting the Turks.
In the 19th century, the new owners of this castle, the Golovinsky-Podvysotsky, dismantled the castle to build a palace, leaving only the corner towers in place. During the Second World War, the castle was used for some time as a hospital, but later it was completely destroyed.
