Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle ( uk, links=no, Кам'янець-Подільська фортеця; pl, links=no, twierdza w Kamieńcu Podolskim) is a former Ruthenian- Lithuanian castle and a later three-part Polish fortress located in the historic city of

Kamianets-Podilskyi Kamianets-Podilskyi ( uk, Ка́м'яне́ць-Поді́льський, russian: Каменец-Подольский, Kamenets-Podolskiy, pl, Kamieniec Podolski, ro, Camenița, yi, קאַמענעץ־פּאָדאָלסק / קאַמעניץ, ...

, Ukraine, in the historic region of

Podolia Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-central ...

in the western part of the country. Its name is attributed to the root word ''kamin''', from the Slavic word for 'stone'. Historical accounts date Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle to the early 14th century, although recent archaeological evidence has proved human existence in the area back to the 12th or 13th century. Initially built to protect the bridge connecting the city with the mainland, the castle sits on top of a peninsula carved out by the winding

Smotrych River , name_etymology = , image = Smotrych River.JPG , image_size = , image_caption = The Smotrych River seen near the historic city of Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine. , map = , map_size = ...

, forming a natural defense system for Kamianets-Podilskyi's historic Old Town neighborhood. Its location on a strategic transport crossroad in Podolia made the castle a prime target for foreign invaders, who rebuilt the castle to suit their own needs, adding to its multicultural architectural diversity. Specifically, the complex consists of the Old Town fortified by King Casimir IV, the Old Castle rebuilt by Kings Sigismund I and

Stephen Báthory Stephen Báthory ( hu, Báthory István; pl, Stefan Batory; ; 27 September 1533 – 12 December 1586) was Voivode of Transylvania (1571–1576), Prince of Transylvania (1576–1586), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1576–1586) ...

, and the New Castle founded by Kings Sigismund III and

Władysław IV Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to: Famous people Mononym * ...

. However, in spite of the many architectural and engineering changes to the original structure, the castle still forms a coherent architectural design, being one of the few

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

constructions in modern-day Ukraine that is relatively well preserved. Along with the Old Town neighborhood, the castle is listed as part of the National Historical-Architectural Sanctuary "Kam'ianets" and the

National Environmental Park "Podilski Tovtry" Podilski Tovtry National Nature Park ( uk, Націона́льний приро́дний парк «Поді́льські То́втри») is a national park, located in Khmelnytskyi and Kamianets-Podilskyi Raions (districts) of Khmelnytskyi ...

. The complex is a candidate

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

, nominated in 1989 by the Ukrainian representatives, and also one of the

Seven Wonders of Ukraine The Seven Wonders of Ukraine ( uk, Сім чудес України ) are the seven historical and cultural monuments of Ukraine, which were chosen in the ''Seven Wonders of Ukraine'' contest held in July, 2007. This was the first public contest ...

. Today, Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle is the most recognized landmark of the city, serving as an important regional and national

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural ...

History

Foundation and early history

Traditionally, Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle was thought to have been founded during the second half of the 14th century, as the first accurate historical accounts of the castle date back to the mid-14th century, when most of the territories of western Rus' were under control of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

. A written document by Prince Yuriy Koriatovych in 1374, for example, mentions that the

Magdeburg rights Magdeburg rights (german: Magdeburger Recht; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within ...

would be presented to Kamianets inside the castle. Archaeological excavations during the 1960s, however, provided contrasting evidence suggesting that the castle might date back even earlier to the end of the 12th or the beginning of the 13th centuries. It is also clear from historical and archaeological evidence that an earthen fortress existed in the area during the time of the East Slavic state of Kievan Rus', but not on the same site as the current castle. The castle was outdated but remained vital to the defense of Kamianets and nearby trade routes; as a result, the

voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the ...

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

Spytek of Melsztyn Spycimir, also Spyćmier, Spyćmir, Spyćmierz, Spićymierz, etc., is an old Polish masculine given name. Etymology: ''spyci-'': "in vain", ''-mir'': "peace". Diminutives: Spytko, Spytek. Its name day is 26 April.Bogdan Kupis, ''Nasze imiona'', 1991 ...

, began modernizing the complex at the turn of the 15th century.Pyaterikov, Sergey "The old fortress on the Smotrych River", ''

Zerkalo Nedeli ''Dzerkalo Tyzhnia'' ( ua, Дзеркало тижня), usually referred to in English as the ''Mirror Weekly'', was one of Ukraine's most influential analytical weekly-publisher newspapers, founded in 1994.in Russian

Ukrainian
) During the reconstruction, the old towers were renovated and ten new towers were added. A century and a half later, the castle was updated again, this time by military engineer and architect Hiob Bretfus, who built the New Western and Eastern Towers, the castle's eastern wall and an underground gallery, as well as the Full Gates and housing for the town's starosta community.

Continuous attacks by invaders

During the mid-14th to mid-15th centuries, Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle was located on one of the main frontiers of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...

. From 1434 until its annexation by the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

in 1793, the castle played a major role in the defense against the oncoming Cossack, Ottoman, and Tatar invasions; from the 15th through 17th centuries, the castle was attacked by Tatar hordes a total of 51 times. The Tatar invasions of 1448, 1451, 1509, and 1528, as well as the Ottoman siege of 1533, caused damage to both the castle and the city but all of these invasions were successfully repelled. Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle played an important role during the Khmelnytsky Uprising between 1648 and 1654, when the

Zaporozhian Cossacks The Zaporozhian Cossacks, Zaporozhian Cossack Army, Zaporozhian Host, (, or uk, Військо Запорізьке, translit=Viisko Zaporizke, translit-std=ungegn, label=none) or simply Zaporozhians ( uk, Запорожці, translit=Zaporoz ...

led by

Hetman ( uk, гетьман, translit=het'man) is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders. Used by the Czechs in Bohemia since the 15th century. It was the title of the second-highest military co ...

Bohdan Khmelnytsky, allied themselves with the

Crimean Tatars , flag = Flag of the Crimean Tatar people.svg , flag_caption = Flag of Crimean Tatars , image = Love, Peace, Traditions.jpg , caption = Crimean Tatars in traditional clothing in front of the Khan's Palace ...

and the local

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

peasantry A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

against the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth's army and militia. During the uprising, the castle was unsuccessfully besieged by local Cossacks and insurgents led by Commander

Maksym Kryvonis Maksym Kryvonis ( uk, Максим Кривоніс) ( "Crooked-nose", or Perebyinis) (d. 1648) was one of the Cossack leaders of Khmelnytsky Uprising. Origins The question about his origins remains unresolved. A Polish pamphlet published in 16 ...

. In 1651, the castle was then subject to another Cossack siege led by

Ivan Bohun Ivan Bohun ( ua, Іван Богун) (died 1664) was a Ukrainian Cossack colonel. Close associate and friend of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, he opposed both the pacts with Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ( Treaty of Hadiach of 1658) and with Tsardom ...

, before an unexpected counterattack by Polish insurgents under commanders Aleksandrenka and Chuika re-established the Polish presence in the area and relieved the siege. A 60,000 force army led by Khmelnytsky himself reasserted Cossack control over the castle in 1652. Just one year later, the castle was attacked yet again, this time by a 40,000 strong Crimean Tatar horde. Karmelyuk

In the beginning of August 1672, a 300,000 Ottoman force led by Sultan

Mehmed IV Mehmed IV ( ota, محمد رابع, Meḥmed-i rābi; tr, IV. Mehmed; 2 January 1642 – 6 January 1693) also known as Mehmed the Hunter ( tr, Avcı Mehmed) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. He came to the throne at the a ...

and a 40,000 combined force of Tatars and Cossacks led by Hetman

Petro Doroshenko Petro Doroshenko ( uk, Петро Дорофійович Дорошенко, russian: Пётр Дорофе́евич Дороше́нко, pl, Piotr Doroszenko; 1627–1698) was a Cossack political and military leader, Hetman of Right-bank Ukr ...

laid siege to the castle. After conducting negotiations with their attackers, the city's leaders surrendered control of the fortress to the Ottomans on August 18. In a sign of protest, the fortress's Commandant Michał Wołodyjowski and Major Ketling blew up the castle's remaining gunpowder, killing themselves along with 800 defenders. For 27 years after the attack, the fortress served as the base of

Ottoman rule Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to: Governments and dynasties * Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924 * Ottoman Empire, in existence fro ...

. The 1699 Karlov Peace Treaty saw the return of Polish control over the area after the Ottoman Empire ceded its control in the area.

From a castle to a prison

From the beginning of the 18th century, Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle had lost its defensive role, and was used more as a military prison than a military fortification. Numerous people were executed or held captive in the prison, including Cossack

starshyna ( rus, старшина, p=stərʂɨˈna, a=Ru-старшина.ogg or in Ukrainian transliteration) is a senior non-commissioned rank or designation in the military forces of some Slavic states, and a historical military designation. In arm ...

s (officers),

haidamaka The haidamakas, also haidamaky or haidamaks (singular ''haidamaka'', ua, Гайдамаки, ''Haidamaky'') were Ukrainian paramilitary outfits composed of commoners (peasants, craftsmen), and impoverished noblemen in the eastern part of the ...

s, and even the three-year-old pretender to the Polish throne, Stanisław August Poniatowski. Even though it had lost its defensive role, it was one of the strongest fortresses in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland up until the

Second Partition of Poland The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of three partitions (or partial annexations) that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the Polish–Russian W ...

of April 21, 1793. when both Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle and the city were transferred to the sovereignty of the

. On the same day, the castle's commandant gave up the key to the castle and swore allegiance to the empire in the city's cathedral. One hundred and one artillery cannons later saluted the commandant's decision inside the castle. During the French invasion of Russia of 1812, the

Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

was stationed in the castle. In 1815, Konstantin Batyushkov, who later became a well-known poet and writer, was stationed as an officer in the castle. In 1846, poet Vladimir Raevsky was stationed in the castle, during which time he established a pro-Decembrist organization of progressively-minded army officers. From 1816 until 1914, the fortress was converted from a military prison into a jail for

debtors A debtor or debitor is a legal entity (legal person) that owes a debt to another entity. The entity may be an individual, a firm, a government, a company or other legal person. The counterparty is called a creditor. When the counterpart of this ...

, criminals and political prisoners. In 1831, Russian lexicologist

Vladimir Dal Vladimir Ivanovich Dal ( rus, Влади́мир Ива́нович Даль, p=vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr ɨˈvanəvʲɪdʑ ˈdalʲ; November 22, 1801 – October 4, 1872) was a noted Russian-language lexicographer, polyglot, Turkologist, and founding me ...

worked in the castle, at the time writing a dictionary of the Russian language. The castle was the center of the anti-feudalism movement in the Podolia during the 19th century led by the

Patriotic War of 1812 The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...

cavalry veteran

Ustym Karmaliuk Ustym Yakymovych Karmaliuk (also Karmelyuk, uk, Устим Якимович Кармалюк (Кармелюк)) (March 10, 1787 – October 22, 1835) was a Ukrainian outlaw who fought against the Russian administration and became a folk hero to ...

(1787-1835), who is now regarded by Ukrainians as a national folk hero.

Museum and conservation

After a series of political changes following the

1905 revolution The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...

, political parties and organizations were allowed by the law throughout the

. In 1906, a total of 67 political organizations were based in the castle. Among them was the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party's newspaper "Iskra" (''Spark''). A decree issued by the

Sovnarkom The Councils of People's Commissars (SNK; russian: Совет народных комиссаров (СНК), ''Sovet narodnykh kommissarov''), commonly known as the ''Sovnarkom'' (Совнарком), were the highest executive authorities of ...

of the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

in 1928 declared Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle complex a historical-cultural preserve.. During the late 1930s, plans were made to turn the castle into a museum, and reconstruction work on the buildings was started in 1937. Among the museum attractions added was a scene depicting Karmaliuk in the castle's prison cell in the Pope's Tower, where he was kept during his imprisonment in the castle. Visitor numbers for the castle during the 1930s reached 300,000 a year. In 1947, Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle was placed on the all-Union list of historic preserves. A memorial plaque and a

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

resembling Karmaliuk was erected near the Karmaliuk exposition on April 18, 1958. Restorational and archaeological works have been conducted at the castle since 1962 under the supervision of architects Y. Plamenytska and A. Tyupych. On May 18, 1977, the National Historic-Architectural Reserve "Kamianets" was established. On September 13, 1989, the Ukrainian SSR Government placed "Kamianets" reserve on the tentative list of UNESCO

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

s. In 2004, the "Kamianets" reserve was upgraded to that of a national preservation district. On August 21, 2007, the complex was declared one of the

when it came in 3rd place in a nationwide competition. A severe storm on August 1, 2011, partially destroyed the New Western Tower; the city mayor's office didn't deny that the tower's structural integrity was weakened during its last reconstruction in 2007, paving the way for its collapse just four years later.

Architecture

Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle rests on a limestone formation surrounded by the

canyon. Consequently, its foundations were built using limestone, as well as local and imported brick and stone. Indeed, the castle's name is attributed to the root ''kamin, from the Slavic word for stone. The two main parts of the castle, the Old Castle ( uk, links=no, Старий замок) and the New Castle ( uk, links=no, Новий замок), were built during different periods. The Old Castle defended the approach from Kamianets-Podilskyi's Old Town, and was constructed to protect against direct assaults from enemy soldiers. The New Castle was formed during the numerous later modernizations of the castle; its purpose was to provide protection from enemy field armies and was designed to support newer military inventions such as long range artillery cannons.

The twelve towers

An important and large fortification complex, Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle had as many as 12 towers, some of which were added during later modernizations to the castle. Some of the towers were located on the peninsula on which the main castle sits; some of the other towers were located on the steep slopes across the Smotrych River. There also were other towers such as the Petty Southern Tower, a Dacia-Roman Tower, while another Dacia-Roman Tower stood just outside the eastern walls and a half tower is located at the western end of the Castle bridge. Of these towers, however, only a few remain unscathed today. Specifically, the 12 towers were the: * Pope's Tower (also known as Karmeliuk's Tower, Julian Tower) was built sometime in the 15th and 16th centuries; an artillery arsenal, powder warehouse, treasury, and a mill were housed within the tower, interconnected with the extensive southern bastion; * Kovpak Tower (also called the Szlachta Tower) an earlier tower originating between the 14th and 16th centuries, where the town's szlachta nobility were quartered; * Tenchynska Tower, from the 14th to 16th centuries, commemorated to the

Tęczyński family The House of Tęczyński was a powerful family of nobility ('' szlachta'') in the Kingdom of Poland, during the times of the late Piast dynasty, the Jagiellon dynasty and in the early decades of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (from 14th c ...

; * White Tower (also known as Laska Tower), constructed in the 15th century, which housed an additional artillery arsenal; * Daily Tower (also called the Dzienna Tower), a large tower with a second-floor artillery intersection to move guns into firing position as well as onto the New Western Tower. It also housed a small

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

chapel and a smaller "orlyk" (eaglet), or observation tower, at the top; * New Western Tower (or the Great Tower), built in 1544 and which served as a bastion. The tower contained one of the castle's printing presses, and also provided an artillery platform to cover the vast fields surrounding it. It was damaged in a severe storm in 2011. * Różanka Tower (also known as the Burgrabska or Kreslavska Tower), which was constructed between the 14th and 16th centuries, housed a prison in the tower's basement. It is one of three towers (Tenchynska and Lanckorońska) that were finished with specially designed conical

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

to draw away the gases from the gunpowder stored there; *

Water Tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conju ...

(also known as the Smotrytska Tower), one of the castle's later constructions dating to the 15th to 18th centuries used to be connected to the castle by the Field Gate, located some distance away from the main compound on the northern side. It contained a well which drew water from the adjacent Smotrych River, and a secret tunnel, whose existence was only known to the local starosta and scribes; * Commandant's Tower, built in the 15th century; * Lanckorońska Tower (or the second Laska Tower), built between the 14th and 16th centuries, commemorated to the

Lanckoroński family The House of Lanckoroński (plural Lanckorońscy. Lithuanian - Lanskoronskiai) was an old Polish aristocratic family. Its representatives held power and influence in the Kingdom of Poland from the times of the late Piast dynasty (14th century) to ...

; * Black Tower. Only the remains of this tower exist, dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries. It served as a magazine and was blown up in a protest (see earlier

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

section); * New Eastern Tower, built in 1544.

Fortification walls

The walls of Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle are divided into three sections or

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk an ...

s; the northern, southern, and eastern. The walls of the northern terrace (about in length) defend the whole inner courtyard. The courtyard's northwestern walls form the Old Castle, ending between the Day and Rozhanka Towers. They are made up of two parallel walls, which include the Petty Western Tower, the remnants of the Black Tower, and a two-level casemate, or fortified gun emplacement. The older of the two walls dates back to the beginning of the 12th century and is built with

crenelation A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interv ...

s. Another casemate was located at the eastern walls. An entrance to the castle in the eastern walls is known as the New Castle Gate, and there were two more gates, one, in the northern walls, called the Old Castle Gate, and another, the Field Gate, connecting the Water Tower with the rest of the castle. The northern walls are reinforced with the Northern Bastion along their whole length. The bastion was built in 1790, just before the

second partition of Poland The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of three partitions (or partial annexations) that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the Polish–Russian W ...

. There is also the New Castle that was designed as a

hornwork A hornwork is an element of the Italian bastion system of fortification. Its face is flanked with a pair of demi-bastions. It is distinguished from a crownwork, because crownworks contain full bastions at their centers. They are both outwork ...

and located west from the main castle complex. Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle walls2

At the eastern side of the castle's courtyard were the remnants of the St. Stanislaus Church, next to which was located a

tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immureme ...

of M. Potocki. Next to the Kovpak Tower stood an Eastern Orthodox church where Prince Koriatovych was buried. In the courtyard along the southern walls between Kovpak and Tenchynska Towers were a

granary A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals ...

and cart shed. Across from these, near the northern walls and Lanckorońska Tower, was the residence of the starosta. Next to the Tenchynska Tower stood the "Rurmush" which served as a water storage tank for the castle. At the southern walls closer to the White Tower (between Tenchynska and White Towers) were a kitchen and a bakery. Adjacent to the White Tower at the southern walls between White and Day Towers stood the starosta's headquarters. Located against the western walls were the chelyadna, or serfs' quarters, which housed up to 70 serfs who served the castle. Located outside of the northern walls were the castle stables, which could house up to 30 horses. In the 16th century the castle had a garrison of around 300 soldiers, who lived in the town. Kamianets-Podilskyi-2

The Kamianets-Podilskyi Industrial

Vocational School A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the task ...

has investigated the castle walls. They discovered an area of

quick sand Quicksand is a colloid consisting of fine granular material (such as sand, silt or clay) and water. It forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly agitated. When water in the sand cannot escape, it creates a liquefied soil that lo ...

at the roadside next to the "Podzamche", or sub-castle, neighborhood of the city, which in the previous year had partially undermined the castle's supporting walls. The effects of the quick sand had uncovered the fortress's foundation walls, a little over deep. The foundation walls were built on the limestone that creates a canyon along the river valley. Further excavation work showed that the walls stretched to the west, as well from the Old Castle to the bastions of the new one. The support footings for the old castle bridge were also found in the ditch. From the south in the wall there is a wide and tall opening, through which the Vocational School assumed water flowed. The preserved northwestern walls are now high measured from the outside of the castle and high from the courtyard. As a result of the numerous reconstructions, the walls' depth changed throughout the centuries, being deep in the Medieval period, during the 14th and 15th centuries, and an average of after the reconstruction of the 16th and 17th centuries. Conservation works have recently been conducted on the walls to preserve the old Rus' fragments.

Castle bridge

As a result of the castle's unique location on a peninsula, the castle bridge ( uk, links=no, Замковий міст) serves as the only transport link to the city's Old Town neighborhood. It is considered to represent a considerable feat of

engineering. The bridge has a length of . At the entrance to the bridge, its width is around , while at the end, it narrows to . The bridge's height is at the entrance, dropping to on the far side. At the beginning of the 15th century, a large round gate tower was constructed at the castle end of the bridge; the bridge's height, including the tower, was equivalent to that of eight modern stories. During the unsuccessful Polish siege of the city in 1687, the castle bridge was rebuilt and fortified by the Turks, acquiring the name "Turkish bridge" ( uk, links=no, Турецький міст), which many locals still call it today. The bridge's stone

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...

was in poor repair from 1841 until the end of the 19th century. A subsequent lack of preservation work, together with earthquake damage in 1986, contributed to its poor condition. In 2000, the

World Monuments Fund World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and trainin ...

included Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle bridge in the

2000 World Monuments Watch The World Monuments Watch is a flagship advocacy program of the New York-based private non-profit organization World Monuments Fund (WMF) and American Express to call upon every government in the world, preservation organizations, and other groups ...

Legacy

Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle was the most recognized attraction in the city in 2005. The castle also sees a large number of tourists from across Ukraine and abroad, attracting thousands of tourists annually. Its legacy has left behind several local legends. According to one legend, when Ottoman Sultan

Osman II Osman II ( ota, عثمان ثانى ''‘Osmān-i sānī''; tr, II. Osman; 3 November 1604 – 20 May 1622), also known as Osman the Young ( tr, Genç Osman), was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 26 February 1618 until his regicide on 20 May 162 ...

came to Kamianets in 1621 to capture the city, he was allegedly impressed by its strength and fortifications and asked "Who built this great city?" . Someone then replied to him, "God himself." When Osman could not capture the castle, he then replied "Then let God himself take the city." Another local legend has it that Turkish gold is buried in the Smotrych River and that a tunnel leads to the

Khotyn Fortress The Khotyn Fortress ( uk, Хотинська фортеця, pl, twierdza w Chocimiu, tr, Hotin Kalesi, ro, Cetatea Hotinului) is a fortification complex located on the right bank of the Dniester River in Khotyn, Chernivtsi Oblast (province) ...

from Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle. The events of the 1672 Ottoman siege were depicted in the 1888 historical novel ''

Fire in the Steppe ''Pan Michael'' ( pl, Pan Wołodyjowski; also translated into English as ''Sir Michael'' and ''Colonel Wolodyjowski''; literally, ''Sir Wołodyjowski'') is a historical novel by the Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz, published in 1887. It is the ...

'', written by Polish

Nobel Prize laureate The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make out ...

Henryk Sienkiewicz. The castle has appeared on a commemorative coin of the "Ancient fortresses on the river Dniester" series issued by the Transnistrian Republican Bank of

Transnistria Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester riv ...

, a breakaway, internationally unrecognised republic within

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistr ...

References

Notes Footnotes Bibliography * * * * * * * * * *

External links

* * * * {{Castles in Ukraine Castle Castles in Ukraine Historic sites in Ukraine Protected areas of Ukraine Protected areas established in 1928 Tourist attractions in Khmelnytskyi Oblast Castles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania