Ukraine: Svirzh Castle
It’s not just wooden churches with frescoes that the western Ukraine has to offer, but also the spectacular medieval castles. The Svirzh Castle is almost fairytale perfect, although mostly unrestored and abandoned. The castle (more like a classic fortress) dates back to 1546 and was built by a local nobility. It has high walls with towers, a moat and a lake surrounding it on all sides, and a drawbridge gate guarding the entrance. The castle has burned and been restored several times throughout history, and was conquered by Tatars and Cossacks multiple times. It fell into a complete disarray during the Soviet times when it was used as a warehouse and a repair shop for tractors (was there anything good that happened during the soviet times??). It is now being very slowly restored into a tourist attraction – most halls are still empty and in near-hazardous conditions, but the atmospheric tour on a cold winter days offers awesome photographic opportunities.
