Ukraine: Pidhirtsi Castle
When you arrive to a tiny village of Pidhirtsi In the middle of nowhere, you all of a sudden feel like you are driving across the Loire Valley in France (except for horrendous roads) – there is an absolutely magnificent Western European-style castle here. The Pidhirtsi Castle was built in 1635-40 by a famous French architect de Bauplan on the orders of a local Polish duke (whose wife was French royalty). The castle is built as a castle-fortress in what is known as palazzo in fortezza style, combining elements of an impregnable fort and a beautiful medieval castle full of decorative elements. The castle stands nearly 1000 feet above the otherwise flat countryside. There is also an absolutely ruined but stunning cathedral outside the castle’s fortified walls with statues and monuments.
