About This Site

Berezhany Castle is a fortified aristocratic residence from the 16th century built by the Sieniawski family on an island in the Zolota Lypa River, combining defensive architecture with elements of early Baroque.

Berezhany Castle is located on an island in the Zolota Lypa River in the center of Berezhany, Ternopil Oblast. This majestic fortress was built in the 1530s-1540s as the main ancestral residence of the powerful magnate Sieniawski family and is an outstanding monument of Renaissance defensive architecture. The castle was founded by Mikołaj Sieniawski, castellan of Lviv and prominent military figure, who chose a unique location for construction — an island on the Zolota Lypa River. This location provided natural protection from all sides by water obstacles. Parallel to castle construction, Sieniawski transformed the adjacent Church of the Holy Trinity into a family mausoleum and private chapel — an outstanding example of early Baroque, now in a decayed state. In 1630, the castle's fortifications were expanded and strengthened, making it one of the most powerful fortresses in the region. The castle was so well fortified that neither Khmelnitsky's Cossacks (during sieges in 1648 and 1651) nor the Turks (in 1675) could capture it. The only time in its history the castle surrendered without a fight was to the Swedes in 1655. Today, Berezhany Castle is an architectural monument of national significance protected by the state under number 190007. Despite its ruined state, the castle retains its grandeur and atmosphere of ancient times.

Historical Significance

Berezhany Castle was built in the 1530s-1540s by Mikołaj Sieniawski, castellan of Lviv, representative of one of the most influential magnate families of Ukraine and Poland. Sieniawski chose a unique location for building the ancestral residence — an island on the Zolota Lypa River, which provided natural protection for the fortress. Parallel to castle construction, Mikołaj Sieniawski transformed the adjacent Church of the Holy Trinity (built in 1554) into a family mausoleum. This church became an outstanding example of early Baroque and contains numerous elaborate tombs of Sieniawski family members, created by leading masters of the time, particularly Jan Pfister. In 1630, the castle's fortifications were significantly expanded and strengthened, making it one of the most powerful fortresses in the region. The castle successfully withstood numerous sieges: Cossack forces of Bohdan Khmelnytsky attacked it in 1648 and 1651 but could not capture it. Turkish forces also unsuccessfully stormed the castle in 1675.

Highlights

• ✓Unique island location on Zolota Lypa River
• ✓Ancestral residence of powerful Sieniawski family
• ✓Church of Holy Trinity with Sieniawski tombs
• ✓Late Gothic architecture from 16th century
• ✓Elaborate tombs by Jan Pfister
• ✓Elements of early Baroque
• ✓Atmospheric ruins with rich history

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