Description of the attraction
The Armenian well is located in the center of the old part of Kamyanets-Podilsky (the so-called Old Town), on the Polsky Rynok square near the town hall. In appearance, the structure resembles a medieval castle tower - octagonal in plan, with stone walls decorated with pilasters. The completion of the construction is a low tent with a shingle covering. The size of the pavilion above the well is 144 square meters, the height is 14, and the walls are 8 meters. There is an entrance door in the eastern part of the building, while the southern, northern and western tower walls are equipped with round-shaped windows, approximately one meter in diameter. This is how you can see the ground part of the well - one of the most interesting monuments of the city.
According to numerous historical sources, a wealthy Armenian merchant Narses at the beginning of the 17th century allocated a large sum of money for the construction of a city water supply system, the main part of which, however, "disappeared" in an unknown direction, or, more precisely, in whose pocket it is unknown. And in the 38th year of the 17th century, the Polish monarch Vladislav IV Vasa issued a corresponding decree, and local residents erected a well for the remainder of the stolen funds bequeathed by the merchant Narses. For this purpose, a hole five meters wide and forty meters deep was dug in solid rock (according to other sources - 55 m). This well was to become the main source of water for the residents of the city. But, as it turned out later, the water in the well was unusable - the well was closed, surviving only as a kind of monument.
Due to its history of construction, the Armenian well was jokingly dubbed “a monument to corruption”. During the occupation of the city by Nazi troops, the well's superstructure was destroyed, and it was restored only in 1956. The well pavilion has been used as a warehouse for a long time. Nowadays it is an exhibition hall.
