Berezhany Castle (, Berezhans'kyi zamok, ), around which the modern town of

Berezhany Berezhany ( ; ; ; , ''Bzhezhani''/''Bzhizhani'') is a small List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It lies about from the administrative center of the oblast, Ternopil. Berezhany hosts the administr ...

has sprung up, was built on an island in the Zolota Lypa River in the 1530s and 1540s by

Mikołaj Sieniawski Mikołaj Sieniawski (c. 1489 – 1569) was a notable Poland, Polish magnate, military commander and a prominent politician of his times. He built stone Brzeżany Castle round which the modern town of Berezhany has developed. Since 1539 Miko ...

as the main residence of the

Sieniawski Sieniawski is a Polish surname, it may refer to: *Adam Hieronim Sieniawski (1576–1616), Polish–Lithuanian noble *Adam Hieronim Sieniawski (1623–1650), Polish noble, starost of Lwów since 1648, Field Clerk of the Crown since 1649 * Adam Mik ...

magnate family.

turned the adjoining church of the Holy Trinity into a family mausoleum and a private church. Currently decayed, the church was a prominent example of early Baroque style. In 1630, the castle's fortifications were expanded. It was so well fortified that neither Khmelnitsky's

Cossacks The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...

(in 1648 and 1648) nor the

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...

(in 1675) succeeded in taking it. In 1655, it was surrendered to the Swedes without a fight. The local

Jewish community Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

was made responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the walls in 1667. After

Maria Zofia Sieniawska Countess Maria Zofia Czartoryska née ''Sieniawska'' (15 April 1699–21 May 1771) was a Polish szlachcianka (noblewoman). By birth she was member of powerful Sieniawski family and by marriage she was member of House of Dönhoff and House of ...

's marriage to

August Aleksander Czartoryski Prince August Aleksander Czartoryski (9 November 1697, Warsaw4 April 1782, Warsaw) was a member of the Polish nobility (), magnate. Life August became major-general of the Polish Army in 1729, voivode of the Ruthenian Voivodeship in 1731, gene ...

, the castle passed to the

Czartoryski The House of Czartoryski (feminine form: Czartoryska, plural: Czartoryscy; ) is a Princely Houses of Poland, Polish princely family of Lithuanian-Ruthenians, Ruthenian origin, also known as the Familia (political party), Familia. The family, whic ...

family (1726), then to the Princes

Lubomirski The House of Lubomirski is a Princely Houses of Poland, Polish princely family. The Lubomirski family's coat of arms is the Drużyna coat of arms, which is similar to the Szreniawa coat of arms but without a cross. Origin and the coat ...

(1778) and to the Counts

Potocki The House of Potocki (; plural: Potoccy, male: Potocki, feminine: Potocka) was a prominent Polish noble family in the Kingdom of Poland and magnates of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Potocki family is one of the wealthiest and ...

(1816). Those new owners allowed it to fall into such disrepair that in 1908 visitors were cautioned not to enter the castle for fear of being smashed by falling masonry. The castle was further damaged during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, as was the late Gothic church from 1554 which contains a number of elaborate tombs of the Sieniawskis. The Brzeżany tombs were executed by Jan Pfister and other leading Polish artists of the 16th and 17th centuries.

References

Sources

* * Памятники градостроительства и архитектуры Украинской ССР, 4 volumes, Kiev: Будивэльнык, 1983-86, the article on Бережанский замок
online

External links

* {{Castles in Ukraine Ruined castles in Ukraine Castles in Ternopil Oblast Houses completed in the 16th century

Castles A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble. This i ...