Attractions of Zolochiv

The wonderfully preserved Zolochiv Castle is one of the key objects of the "Golden Horseshoe of Lviv Region" tourist route. It represents the neo-Dutch type of defensive structures and belongs to the monuments of the "palazzo in fortezzo" type, that is, it combines the functions of defense and housing.

The Renaissance fortress in Zolochiv was built in the first half of the 17th century by the Polish magnate Jakub Sobieski, the father of the future king of Poland Jan III Sobieski. It is a rectangular citadel with four bastions at the corners and walls along the perimeter, inside which there are residential and economic buildings.

In 1686, by order of King Jan III Sobieski, the castle was restored and decorated with works of art. His mistress for a long time was the wife of King Marie Casimire.

Since the XIX century, the castle began to decline, later used as a prison by the Austrian, Soviet, Polish and German authorities. At the end of the XX century. restoration was carried out.

The museum exhibits are located in the Grand Palace (a residential building with complex communications) and the Chinese Palace, which is made in a rare Eastern European style. The construction of palace toilets is of great interest to visitors.

In the yard there are stones found on the outskirts with mysterious Gothic writings (XV century), which the legend connects with the activities of the Knights Templar.

In front of the gate the castle ravelin (advanced fortification) was restored. Inside there is a cafe "Ravelin" and a souvenir shop, on top there is an observation deck.

Zolochiv Castle Museum-Reserve is a branch of the Lviv National Art Gallery.

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the former Church of the Ascension) was founded in Zolochiv in 1730 together with the monastery and the collegium of piary.

After the liquidation of the Order of piary by the Austrian authorities in 1788, the church was closed, and warehouses were placed in the building. In 1838, the Roman Catholic parish moved here from the Resurrection Church, which was transferred to the Greek Catholics.

In Soviet times, it was the only functioning church between Lviv and Zbruch.

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is made in the magnificent late baroque style. During the restoration in 1878, a quadrangular tower with a clock made of hewn stone was erected on the main facade, a veneered pediment, a roof covered with galvanized sheet metal, and five stone sculptures were installed in the niches. The vaults of the nave and apse are richly decorated with carvings and paintings.

The Zolochiv Monastery of the Basilian Order was founded in 1567, and was then located 10 kilometers east of Zolochiv (now the village of Monastyrok).

Soon it was destroyed by the Tatars, but in 1665 it was restored by Yan Sobesky, the future king of Poland.

In 1704, Teodor Yavorskyi founded a new monastery with the Church of the Ascension - on the current site, on the western outskirts of Zolochiv. In 1740, the two monasteries were united into one Greek-Catholic Basilian monastery. In the 1840s and 1860s, the complex was rebuilt in stone at the expense of Countess Lukiya Komarnytska.

In Soviet times, a tuberculosis dispensary was located on the territory of the monastery.

Currently, it is an active monastery of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ of the Basilian Order of Saint Josaphat.

The boyar court in Zolochiv, also known as the Zolochiv Arsenal, is a former fortified residence of the town's owners, built in the 15th century by representatives of the Shchechy boyar family.

This is the oldest architectural monument of Zolochiv. After the Zolochiv castle was built, the building began to be used as a city arsenal, then it was handed over to the parish church for the care of the poor.

Until recently, the building of the Boyar Court was in a state of disrepair. In 2012, it was transferred to the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church of the Exaltation of the Life-giving Cross, which carried out reconstruction and opened there the Holy Cross Monastery of Saint Damian Friars Minor (Franciscans) and the Chapel of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross of the Lord.

The Church of the Resurrection of the Lord in Zolochiv was built in 1624-1627 by Yakiv Sobesky, the father of King Yan III Sobesky, as a parish Catholic church.

In 1838, as a result of the agreement with the Roman Catholic parish, the church was transferred to the Greek Catholic community of Zolochiv.

Built in the Renaissance style, the Church of the Resurrection is characterized by simplicity of form.

Today it is an active Orthodox church.

The church-fortress of Saint Nicholas was built in Zolochiv on the line of defensive ramparts in the 16th century and played an important role in the system of city fortifications.

Even after further reconstructions, it did not lose its characteristic features of defensive architecture. Thick walls are reinforced with buttresses, strict side facades have narrow loophole window openings.

After the restoration in 1765, the west facade was enlivened with a Baroque pediment with decorative vases and a small balcony with carved stone consoles in the Rococo style.