We had intended to spend the weekend at a concert in Svirzh, the castle was a bonus!
Located Southwest of Lviv, on the Golden Horseshoe, you will find in the small settlement of Svirzh, a castle dating from the 16th to the 17th century. The first historical mention of Svirzh, as a town, dates to 1427. The first mention of a castle here was in 1530 when it belonged to a noble family called Svirz. The current look of the castle dates from the 17th century when the castle was fortified and belonged to O. Tsetnera.
The castle was considered to be very defensible, surrounded by impassible marshes (of course not seen today....), ponds, and of course a moat surrounding the castle. In the 17th century the castle saw a lot of action against Cossack detachments, Tartars and against the Turks.
The grounds of the castle also includes a small church, founded in the 15th century, the current church, in the Renaissance style replaced the original wooden church in 1541.
The outside structure of the castle seems solid, and as I was told, there were attempts to restore parts of the interior and at one time the castle hosted large parties in the 1990's. The main courtyard includes a large well and is and of itself a very large area. There is a side courtyard as well. The views from the upper floor to the valley are very beautiful.
If you are making your way around the Golden Horseshoe, Svirzh castle will not disappoint!
[Entrance was by donation as of August 2009]
