About This Site

Khotyn Fortress is one of the largest and oldest defensive complexes in Ukraine, located on a high rocky bank of the Dniester River. Founded in the 10th century, for over a thousand years the fortress has witnessed the most important historical events, including the legendary Khotyn War of 1621.

Khotyn Fortress is a unique monument of defensive architecture from the 13th-18th centuries, combining various architectural styles and epochs. Situated on a high rocky promontory above the Dniester, the fortress occupies a strategically important position, controlling the river crossing and trade routes between Europe and Asia. The fortress complex consists of the Old and New Castles, surrounded by powerful defensive walls and towers. The total area exceeds 6 hectares, with a wall perimeter of about 2 kilometers. The walls reach up to 40 meters in height and up to 5 meters in thickness. Most of the 34 towers have been preserved, each serving its own defensive function. Over the centuries, the fortress was repeatedly rebuilt and expanded. The oldest part is the 13th-century citadel, built during the Galicia-Volhynia principality. In the 15th century, Moldavian ruler Stephen the Great conducted large-scale reconstruction, strengthening the walls and adding new towers. The Turkish period (1711-1812) left its mark on the architecture - a mosque, minaret, and Ottoman decorations. The most glorious event in the fortress's history was the Khotyn War of 1621, when the united forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Zaporozhian Sich, led by Hetman Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny, heroically repelled an attack by a 160,000-strong Turkish army of Sultan Osman II. This victory went down in history as one of the greatest triumphs of Cossack arms.

Historical Significance

The first fortifications on the site of modern Khotyn Fortress appeared in the 10th century during Kievan Rus'. Archaeological research confirms that a wooden-earthen hillfort existed here, protecting the crossing over the Dniester. In the 13th century, after the Mongol invasion, Prince Danylo Romanovych began construction of a stone fortress to defend the western borders of the Galicia-Volhynia principality. This marks the beginning of the stone Khotyn Fortress. In the 14th-15th centuries, the fortress was part of the Moldavian principality. Moldavian ruler Stephen III the Great (1457-1504) carried out large-scale modernization of the fortress in the 1460s-1470s. He built powerful walls 5 meters thick and up to 40 meters high, decorating them with red brick ornaments - images of "Babylon" (symbol of wisdom) and "Golgotha" (Christian shrine). The most glorious page in the fortress's history was the Khotyn War of 1621. In September, a 160,000-strong Turkish army of Sultan Osman II, with 300 cannons and auxiliary troops of the Crimean Khan, besieged the fortress. It was opposed by a 32,000-strong Polish-Lithuanian army and a 39,000-strong Zaporozhian Cossack army led by Hetman Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny. After two months of fierce battles, the Turks were forced to retreat, signing a peace agreement on October 9, 1621. In 1672, after the capture of Kamianets-Podilskyi, the fortress was occupied by a Turkish garrison led by Hussein Pasha. However, in 1673, the Polish-Lithuanian-Cossack army under Jan Sobieski liberated the fortress. In 1711, after Peter I's unsuccessful Prut campaign, the fortress again came under Turkish control and remained part of the Ottoman Empire until 1812. After the Treaty of Bucharest in 1812, the fortress became part of the Russian Empire. In 1856, it lost its military significance and was converted into a prison. In 1928, Khotyn Fortress was declared a historical-cultural preserve.

Highlights

• ✓34 defensive towers from different eras
• ✓Panoramic views of the Dniester Canyon
• ✓Site of the legendary Khotyn War of 1621
• ✓Museum exhibitions of weapons and archaeological finds
• ✓Authentic Ottoman architecture from the 18th century
• ✓Underground galleries and casemates
• ✓One of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine
• ✓Popular filming location for historical movies

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