We left Kyiv with Igor Poddubny driving, heading west Friday afternoon, June 1, and needed to be at Rivne by 6:30. The road was very good, double wide, mostly rebuilt because it is the main highway connecting Warsaw, Poland and Kyiv, Ukraine. It was just before the Euro 2012 soccer tournament began and it was obvious that crews were finishing up construction that was promised and necessary to the month-long soccer tournament. We traveled through rolling agricultural land interspersed by forest and rivers. Ukraine is a very beautiful fertile country.
We stayed the night at the main hotel in downtown Rivne, nicely remodeled and comfortable.
Saturday we drove further west towards L'viv and stopped to see the castle at Oles'ko set nicely on a commanding hill.
We had to wait until the gates were opened and took a few pictures of buildings outside the palace grounds including this Roman Catholic Church and monastery complex. I have no information about this modern statue outside the walls.
The castle on a steep hill was the site of an ancient Russ fortress from 1347. It was destroyed by the Tatars in 1519 and rebuilt in Italian Renaissance style by Ivan Danilowicz with a gateway tower and a lovely park outside the southern walls. This area of Ukraine was often part of Poland so there was a strong Catholic religious influence.
Outside at this corner is the entrance to a basement restaurant which has been created in the former dungeon. You can see the lovely furnishings and one can dress up in period costumes!
These are part of the gardens outside with some older statuary and some newer. We are standing at the bottom of the stairs that lead down to the garden and embellished with Lions
Here is a buggy for hire! Olesko was the birthplace of Jan III Sobiesky. His mother was the daughter of Danilowicz. This Sobiesky family became owners of Zolochiv, the next castle we visited south and on the road back towards Ternopl'
Though the castle is much smaller, Jan III's father reconstructed, fortified and made this castle an unassailable fortress with bastians as seen here.
Rooms are on two levels with the more public but less restored ones on ground floor
A small private chapel
Upstairs are lovely living spaces. There were seven lavatories in the palace, unique for that time.
Jan III became a famous Polish king and further constructed this palace for his bride adding the oriental-looking building, the Chinese Palace and a lovely garden.
The entrance building is less restored
This lovely Catholic church is outside another palace nearby that we did not visit for lack of time.
The last castle we visited was at Medzhybizh past Khmel'nyts'kyi towards Vinnytsya. Set at the confluence of 2 rivers a fort was mentioned as early as 1146. Lithuanian overlords built a fortress in the 1400's and the Tatars failed to conquer during the 1500's. In the 1700's it became property of the wealthiest Polish princes.
The castle is under reconstruction and we just stepped inside the gate to take a couple of pictures because it was closing time.
This is outside the far end.
