Attractions of Zolochiv district

The magnificent monastic complex of the origin of the tree of the Cross of God (the former Dominican monastery) in the magnificent baroque style rises above Rozhenytsia Mountain on the outskirts of the village of Pidkamin.

The current architectural ensemble was formed in the 17th-18th centuries, however, according to one of the versions, the monastery was founded by Kyiv-Pechers monks back in the 13th century. The first mention of the wooden monastery of the Dominican Catholic order dates back to 1464, but it was soon burned down by the Tatars.

In 1612, the architect Pavlo Hizhitskyi and the engineer Hristian Dahlke began the construction of a new defensive monastery complex, which lasted for more than 80 years. The complex is dominated by the Church of the Ascension with a tall tower with a baroque spire, which can be seen from Pochaiv. The cells are adjacent to it, the bell tower, the chapel of Saint John Nepomuk (now the church of the New Martyr Nicholas) is located nearby. The complex is surrounded by walls with towers and bastions. In the center of the yard is a Corinthian column with the figure of the Mother of God (1719), and there is a 100-meter well on the territory. The monastery had a complex title - the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Cross of the God, the Apostles Peter and Paul and all the Saints. The main shrine was the miraculous icon of Our Lady of the Snows, which is now in Wroclaw.

In 1944, the monastery was closed by the Soviet authorities, a concentration camp for Ukrainian clergy was organized on the territory, where, in particular, Mykola Tsehelskyi, proclaimed a blessed martyr of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, was held. Later, a closed psychoneurological boarding school was established within the monastery walls, and the church was turned into a stable and even later into a garage. Grain was stored in one chapel, mineral fertilizers in another, and prison guard dogs were fed in another.

In 1997, the revival began with the efforts of a small brotherhood of Greek-Catholic monks of the Studite statute, and restoration is underway. In October 2022, the monastery bell tower restored with the funds of the European Union was consecrated.

Olesko Castle, which is part of the "Golden Horseshoe of Lviv Region", is one of the most famous castles in Ukraine.

It rises above the town of Olesko on a 50-meter hill, it is clearly visible from the road. Built in the XIII-XIV centuries. Galician-Volyn princes. The castle was first mentioned in 1327, when it became the property of Prince Yuriy II Boleslav. In the Middle Ages, the fortress was repeatedly attacked by Tatars, destroyed and rebuilt.

In the XVII century. Olesko Castle was owned by the magnates Danylovychs, who rebuilt it in its current form. In 1629 the grandson of Ivan Danylovych, the future King of Poland Yan III Sobeskyi, was born here. Mykhaylo Khmil, Bohdan Khmelnytsky's father, served here.

The restoration of the castle after a strong earthquake in 1882 was carried out by the Polish Society for the Guardianship of the Castle in Olesko.

Since the 1970s, a branch of the Lviv Art Gallery has been housed in Olesko Castle. In particular, the exhibition presents works by world-famous Ukrainian sculptor Ivan Pinzel.

The pearl of the collection is a huge (7.65 m x 7.3 m) battle canvas by Martyn Altomonte "Battle of Vienna".

On the slopes of the hill is an Italian park with ancient and modern sculptures.

The unique wooden church of Saint Archangel Michael in Kuty was preserved thanks to the students of the University of Banking of the National Bank of Ukraine, who managed to raise funds for its complete reconstruction in 2008. Until that time, the temple was in a deplorable condition.

This masterpiece of sacred architecture was created by the carpenter Hryhoriy Hebych from Sasiv in 1697. The temple is three-log, measuring 13.3 by 6.1 meters. In 1865, an arched gallery was added around the perimeter, which gave the Saint Michael's Church a romantic look.

Today, the Church of Archangel Michael has acquired its original appearance. The funds collected by the students were spent on covering the roof of the church, installing a fire protection system and alarm equipment. The following year, a small area around the temple was paved with cobblestones. Also, the old iconostasis of the 17th century, which was kept in the Olesko castle until now, was returned to the church. The solemn opening of the restored temple took place on September 26, 2010.

Zolochiv Castle is a beautifully preserved Renaissance castle of the Rus voivode Yakuba Sobeskyi, father of the future king of Poland Yan III Sobeskyi.

For a long time the hostess was the wife of the voivode Mariya-Kazymyra de Arkuyon. The current appearance of the rectangular citadel with four bastions at the corners and ramparts around the perimeter of the fortress acquired in 1636.

From 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.

The Brody Museum of Local History is located in an old tenement house on the central square of the city.

The building was built in the 18th century for a Catholic monastery, then various administrative institutions were located here.

The museum exposition in seven halls highlights the history of the region from the earliest times to the middle of the 20th century. Also presented is a photo gallery of attractions of the district, a panorama of "Brody of the XVII-XVIII centuries".

Of particular interest are materials devoted to the struggle for Ukraine's independence during the ZUNR period, as well as the activities of the OUN-UPA.

Museum employees conduct tours of the city and Brody Castle.

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bilyi Kamin is one of the best works of the Lviv architect Amvrosiy Prykhylny.

The founders of the temple were Prince Yuriy Korybut Vyshnevetskyi and his wife Teresa.

The Church of the Assumption is surrounded by a stone wall with an exit gate and two bell towers. The wall paintings in the interior were made at the end of the 18th century.

In 1983-1991, the temple was used by the Lviv Art Gallery.

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary harmoniously combines elements of Baroque and Renaissance architecture.

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 palace in Busk in the park above the Buh, the last owner of which was Count Kazymyr Badeni, was built in 1810 by the Busk landowner Voytsekh Miyer as a residential building and office.

The governor of Galicia, Kazymyr Badeni, bought it in 1876 and rebuilt it for his own summer residence. At the same time as the palace, a park (now named after Ivan Franko) was laid out, the avenues of which smoothly descend to the Buh. The complex consists of a main two-story building and two side wings. The decoration of the palace is a two-story portico with columns and a balcony with a balustrade. In the interiors, the old parquet, laid out in seven colors, as well as the stucco coat of arms of the count family of Badeni have been preserved.

In the period after the Second World War, a military unit was stationed here. Currently, the abandoned building is owned by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. In May 2016, the ministry handed over the palace of Count Badeni to the community of the city of Busk. As a result of a fire in November 2016, the roof and ceiling were damaged on an area of 150 square meters.

The issue of restoration and creation of a museum is under consideration.

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.

A powerful citadel was built in Brody by Crown Hetman Stanislav Konetspolsky in 1630-1635 on the site of the old castle.

The complex with a defensive rampart and a system of casemates in the shape of an octagon was designed by Hiyom de Boplan based on the bastions of Dutch and Italian fortresses. The construction work was supervised by the Italian architect Andrea del Akva. In 1648, the fortress withstood a siege by the troops of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi.

In the middle of the 18th century, Stanislav Potoski reconstructed the fortress, which had lost its strategic importance, into his own residence. The Rococo-style Potoski Palace has been preserved in the courtyard.

Until recently, Brody Castle was in the hands of the military, as a result of which it fell into serious disrepair. Now the palace houses a boarding school, tours of the castle are conducted by employees of the Brody Museum of Local History.

The Brody Gymnasium was founded in 1865. The construction of the current building in the style of classicism began in 1881, and the first classes were held in 1883.

During both world wars, the building was used as a barracks and a hospital. In the post-war period, it was returned to its main purpose - secondary school No. 1 was opened here.

In 1997, a gymnasium was revived on the basis of the school, which was named after a former graduate, the outstanding Ukrainian artist Ivan Trush. The classic of Austrian literature Yozef Rot, General of the UGA Myron Tarnavskyi also studied here.

The museum of the Brody Grammar School operates in five sections: "Austrian Grammar School named after Archduke Rudolf", "Polish Grammar School named after Yuzef Kozhenevsky", "Secondary School No. 1", "Revived Grammar School named after Ivan Trush", "Faces in the History of the Grammar School".

The monastery of the Catholic order of Capuchins opposite the Olesko castle was built at the expense of Volyn Voivode Severyn Rzhevuskyi.

The project was developed by Podillya architect Martyn Dobravskyi. Construction was completed in 1739. The monastery complex consisted of the church of Saint Anthony, built in the Baroque style, and a square cell building with an inner courtyard.

In 1939, the monastery was closed. After 1945, an agricultural school was located here. Currently, the complex belongs to the Lviv National Art Gallery named after Borys Voznytskyi and is used as a storage facility, access is closed.

The Roman Catholic Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and Saint Joseph the Betrothed was built according to the project of the engineer Karol Romanus as a temple-tomb of the Rzevuskyi family (according to one version, the author of the project was Prince Vaclav Rzevuskyi himself).

Made in the Baroque style in the form of a rotunda, to which a 300-meter linden alley leads from the castle. Figures of the Mother of God and Saint Joseph on columns are installed in front of the church. The main facade is decorated with a portico of 14 columns of the Corinthian order, on the attic of which 8 sculptures of saints by Fessinger and Leblas were installed (one of them was destroyed during the Second World War).

In the interior, the frescoes of Lukash Smuhlevych and several Galician masters have been preserved.

Since 1861, the temple was a parish church, in 1945 it was closed by the Soviet authorities. Currently, the church is under restoration, but you can get inside during services held by the Greek Catholic parish of the Church of the Blessed Mykola Charnetskyi and the New Martyrs of the UGCC.

Busk City Hall is an architectural landmark of the city center. It was built only in 1999, although the traditions of self-government in the city are very old - it received Magdeburg law in 1411, one of the first in Galicia.

The current building of the city hall was built on the site of the county court, which housed the Gestapo during the Second World War.

Today, the city council and the tax inspectorate are located here. In 2011, a clock made by the famous Lviv craftsman Oleksiy Burnayev was installed on the tower of the city hall. The clock's repertoire includes 12 melodies that play every hour. At noon, the national anthem of Ukraine plays.

Nearby is the new Peter and Paul Church (1998).

The huge 16-meter stone-relic "Devil Stone", which gave the village its name, is located on the top of a hill on the southeastern outskirts of Pidkamin.

The uniqueness and grandeur of this natural monument have attracted people to it since ancient times. One of the legends says that devils brought a piece of rock from the Carpathians, intending to drop it on the Pochaiv Lavra, but God threw the stone aside. According to the scientific version, this is a fragment of an ancient coral reef.

6 grave pits were hollowed out on top of the stone. In pre-Christian times, there was a pagan temple here. During the times of the Galicia-Volyn principality, a defensive church was built on top, from which traces in the form of grooves and ditches remained on the surface.

Nearby are stone crosses of the 17th century.