Attractions of Stare Selo

Stare Selo Castle is one of the largest strongholds of Galicia.

A powerful stone fortification in the middle of a swampy area was built in 1584-1589 by the princes of Ostrozky to protect the south-eastern approaches to Lviv.

Architect Amvrosiy Prykhylny used the style of the Eastern European late renaissance. The castle with an area of about 2 hectares was surrounded by 8-meter walls in the shape of an irregular triangle, at the corners of which there were six defense towers 14-16 meters high with baroque carvings (3 of them have been preserved).

In 1648, the castle was taken by the troops of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, in 1672 it withstood the Turkish siege.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the Stare Selo Castle belonged to Adam Mykolay Senyavskyi, who moved his arsenal here from Lviv. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was owned by the Chartoriysky and Potocki. The last owner, Alfred Potocki, turned the castle into a brewery, after which it began to decline.

In 2010, the architectural monument was given a long-term concession to a private investor under the conditions of restoration and creation of a recreational complex, but the ruins of the castle still remain in a neglected state. In 2023, the court terminated the concession agreement with the private company and returned the Stare Selo Castle to state ownership.

Access is free.