Klevan Castle () is one of the oldest forts in

Volynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in Ukraine it is roughly ...

, Ukraine. It was built in the mid-15th century by Prince Michael

Czartoryski The House of Czartoryski (feminine form: Czartoryska, plural: Czartoryscy; ) is a Princely Houses of Poland, Polish princely family of Lithuanian-Ruthenians, Ruthenian origin, also known as the Familia (political party), Familia. The family, whic ...

in order to control a ford over the

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Klevan Klevan () is a Populated places in Ukraine#Rural settlements, rural settlement in Rivne Raion (raion, district) of Rivne Oblast (oblast, province) in western Ukraine. Its population was 7,470 at the Ukrainian Census (2001), 2001 Ukrainian census. ...

was the main seat of the Orthodox princely house of Chortoryisk until its members converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in the 17th century. After that the castle was given to a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

school. After the

partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partition (politics), partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the eli ...

the castle was confiscated by the

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, and stood untenanted. Its western wall was pulled down in the 19th century. The remaining portions include two towers, three fortified buildings, and a high four-arched bridge leading to the main gate.

History

A description of the castle from 1605 has been preserved. The main protective role was played by the western tower, fortified with a stone bastion. The eastern tower served as a Zeichhaus (arsenal). The castle quickly lost its defensive function, and in 1632 the building was given to the Jesuits, who set up their college here. Probably, they were the owners of the castle until the end of the 18th century. Thus, the castle was not a magnate's residence with a palace, like Korets Castle. After the first partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the lands were ceded to the Habsburg monarchy (since 1804 to the Austrian Empire). By order of Emperor Joseph II, the Jesuits' property was confiscated in 1773. After the subsequent partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the territory was ceded to Russia. At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, the castle stood empty. In 1817, the eastern wall of the castle was dismantled. The building materials were used to construct two wings intended for a Polish gymnasium. In the period 1817-1831 it was used as a Polish gymnasium, which was liquidated by the tsarist regime after the Polish national liberation uprising. The slow destruction of the castle buildings continued during the tragic events of the 20th century.

References

* Памятники градостроительства и архитектуры Украинской ССР. Киев: Будивельник, 1983–1986. Том 3, с. 328.

External links

* {{coord, 50, 44, 32, N, 25, 58, 00, E, region:UA, display=title Castles in Ukraine Buildings and structures in Rivne Oblast

Czartoryski family The House of Czartoryski (feminine form: Czartoryska, plural: Czartoryscy; ) is a Polish princely family of Lithuanian- Ruthenian origin, also known as the Familia. The family, which derived their kin from the Gediminids dynasty, by the mid-17 ...