Attractions of Medzhybizh

The only surviving synagogue in Medzhybizh is the Beit Midrash (house of learning) of Rabbi Abraham Yehoshua Heschel of Apta. It is called the Apta Synagogue or simply the Old Synagogue.

It was built in 1814, when Heschel settled in Medzhybizh. The synagogue had two floors. The rabbi himself lived in the neighboring house.

During the Soviet rule, the building was used for various purposes. In particular, there was a fire station in it.

Restoration was carried out in 2010. Today, a large Jewish library has been organized in the Old Synagogue.

The Baal Shem Tov Synagogue was reconstructed on the same site where the first Medzhybizh Synagogue was founded in 1442. The founder of Hasidism, the Baal Shem Tov (Besht), chose it as a place of worship when he came to Medzhybizh in 1740.

The synagogue was destroyed by the Nazis during World War II. Accurately reproduced in 2000-2004 based on old photographs and drawings by the efforts of Rabbi Israel Meir Habay. Nearby is the foundation of the Bach Synagogue.

A synagogue with a crypt, in which in 1760 one of the greatest spiritual leaders of the Jewish people, the Kabbalist, the founder of Hasidism, Israel Ben Eliezer, who was called Baal Shem Tov (Lord of the Good Name) or simply Besht, was buried.

He spent the last 20 years of his life in Medzhybizh. The Beshta had many followers, including the famous tzaddik Rabbi Nachman of Uman.

Beshta's grave is the object of a mass pilgrimage of Hasids (supporters of this orthodox current in Judaism) and other people who are fascinated by Kabbalism. A crypt was built over Beshta's grave.

In the old Jewish cemetery, you should see the unique beauty of the tombstone. A modern synagogue building was built nearby. Many Jewish houses of the 19th century have been preserved around.

The majestic Medzhibizh Castle at the confluence of the Buzhok River with the Pivdeniy Buh, where the ancient Rus city of Mezhibozh stood in the 11th and 13th centuries, began to be built in 1362 by princes Koriatovych (Koryatovych), who received these lands from the Grand Duke Olherd of Lithuania.

Medzhibizh Castle became an outpost on the eastern border of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, later Poland. In the XV-XVI centuries, he successfully repelled Tatar attacks.

In 1540, the castle passed into the possession of the noble family of the Russian voivodes of Senyavsky, who rebuilt it and strengthened it with corner towers. An elegant palace and a Gothic chapel were built on the territory, which was later rebuilt in the Baroque style. A small garrison and palace servants occupied the service premises.

Princes Chartoriysky added even more luxury to the architecture in the 18th century.

The castle survived to this day in a good condition, although it was damaged during two world wars. The pentagonal Knight's Tower with an observation deck, the castle church, the carriage row and the barracks, which house the museum exhibits of the State Historical and Cultural Reserve "Mezhibyzh", have been restored. In particular, historical and ethnographic museums, as well as the Holodomor Museum. The restoration of the palace is ongoing.

In August, the "Ancient Medzhibizh" festival with knightly tournaments takes place on the territory of the fortress.

The ruins of the Church of the Holy Trinity are located next to the Medzhybizh castle - on a hill fortified by a stone retaining wall.

The Baroque-style church with Gothic elements was built under the Senyavsky magnates in 1632, when Catholicism was massively planted by the Poles in Podillya.

The church is stone, cruciform in plan. The ceilings were vaulted, the plasticity of the faceted volumes was emphasized by tall, pointed windows. The decoration was ascetic.

In the second half of the 20th century, the Trinity Church was destroyed. It has lost its authentic appearance and the monastery building is located next to it.

The rotunda chapel is located in the upper part of Medzhybizh, opposite the old cemetery at the exit from the village towards the village of Yaroslavka.

The chapel, round in plan, originally served as a defensive tower and was part of the system of city fortifications of the 16th and 17th centuries. Its round windows resemble embrasures.

In 1800, the tower was rebuilt into a Trinitarian cemetery chapel. The fortress character of the rotunda was softened by a rectangular vestibule, decorated with pilasters and a triangular pediment with a large protruding cornice.

Currently, the rotunda chapel is located on a private bypass and performs economic functions.