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Radomysl Castle

World's Only Museum of Ukrainian Home Icons

📍 Radomyshl, Polissya•🏛️ 1612

About This Site

Radomysl Castle is a unique historical and cultural complex featuring the world's largest collection of Ukrainian home icons.

Radomysl Castle is an exceptional historical and cultural complex created in 2007-2011 by Dr. Olha Bohomolets, a Ukrainian doctor and public activist. Built on the site of a 19th-century flour mill and a 1612 paper mill commissioned by Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the castle now houses the Museum of Ukrainian Home Icons - the first and only museum of its kind in the world. The complex includes a boutique hotel, restaurant, paper mill museum, and landscape park. Since 2011, it has been part of the Council of Europe's Via Regia cultural project.

Historical Significance

The castle's history begins in 1612 when Archimandrite Yelysei Pletenetskyi ordered the construction of a paper mill to produce paper for the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra printing house. In the late 19th century, Polish engineer Piekarski built a flour mill on the ruins of the paper mill. During reconstruction of this building, it was discovered that it had been designed as a fortress. The modern castle was reconstructed between 2007 and 2011, incorporating historical elements and creating a unique cultural complex that celebrates Ukrainian heritage.

Radomysl Castle is home to the world's only Museum of Ukrainian Home Icons, featuring over 5,000 icons and sculptures (Orthodox, Catholic, and Greek-Catholic) from the 16th-20th centuries. The collection includes rare pieces such as a 12th-century stone-carved icon of St. Nicholas and icons bearing traces of Soviet-era persecution. The castle preserves the ancient art of paper-making with demonstrations using 17th-century technology. It serves as an important center for preserving Ukrainian cultural and spiritual heritage.