Description of the attraction
An example of a wonderful combination of a Renaissance palace with bastion fortifications is the Pidhirtsi Castle, located on the slope of a picturesque hill in the village of Pidhirtsi, Lviv region.
The stone castle was founded in 1635 by Hetman Stanislav Konetspolsky on the site of more ancient fortifications that belonged to the Podgoretsky family. The castle was built by the famous Italian architect André del Aqua in 1635-1640. The service rooms formed a square courtyard with a terrace, which was adapted for possible defense. The two-story palace with three-story pavilions and a late Renaissance and Baroque tower was surrounded on three sides by deep moats, and on the north side it had a beautiful terrace with sculptures and a balustrade. The castle could be accessed through a large arch.
Since 1682 Pidhirtsi Castle became the property of the Sobieski family. In 1720, Vaclav Rzhevuski became its new owner, who began a large-scale reconstruction of the castle, adding on the third floor and redoing the interiors. V. Rzhevusky collected in the castle a huge collection of paintings, books, weapons and furniture, and also brought here all the valuables from the Olesky castle. In 1752-1766. according to the project of the architect K. Romanus, the church of St. Joseph was built and the park was redesigned. Soon, due to the financial insolvency of the Rzewuski family, the castle fell into decay. Restoration work in the castle was carried out only in 1865. The castle suffered significant damage during the Second World War and a fire in 1956, later the building was converted into a hospital.
Today, the Pidhirtsi Castle is a unique landmark, which is a monument of gardening art of national importance. And, despite the decline, the castle amazes with its grandeur and beauty, and as if transports visitors into the turbulent 17th century.
