Ternopil Castle

Ternopil Castle was founded in 1540 by the great crown hetman J. Tarnovsky on the site of the ancient Russian settlement Sopilche (Topilche) for the defense of the Polish borders from the Tatars. In the XVII century, the Grand Crown Chancellor T. Zamoysky significantly expanded the fortifications, but in the following years they were repeatedly destroyed. In particular, the castle was almost completely dismantled by the Turks after the capture of the city in 1672. At the beginning of the XIX century Count F. Koritovsky built a palace in its place, for which the remaining fortifications, towers and gates were demolished, and the building was surrounded by an ordinary fence. Separate locking elements have been preserved. During World War I, the palace was burned down and lay in ruins for a long time. Restored in 1951, it housed exhibition halls and a training and sports center. From the street, the building looks ugly, but from the side of the lake its fortification character is clearly visible.