Lviv High Castle

"Vysokyi Zamok" redirects here. For another use, see Vysoky Zamok (newspaper).

Lviv High Castle
Високий замок
Lviv
A fragment of Lviv engraving by A. Hogenberg, 17th century
Part of the South Wall of the High Castle.
Site information
Condition	Ruins
Site history
Built	1362 (1362)
Built by	Casimir III of Poland
Materials	Wood and stone
Demolished	1869
Overlooking Lviv from the High Castle during Wintertime

The Lviv High Castle (Ukrainian: Високий замок, romanized: Vysokyi zamok, pronounced [ʋeˈsɔkei̯ ˈzamɔk]; Polish: Wysoki Zamek) is a historic castle located on the top of the Castle Hill of the city of Lviv, Ukraine. It is currently the highest point in the city, 413 metres (1,355 ft) above sea level. The castle currently stands in ruins.

The High Castle is proximate to the centre of Lviv (see picture), formerly being surrounded by a fortification wall. The Castle Hill took its name from the High Castle (as opposed to the Lviv Low Castle, once located on the east bank of the Poltva), which used to be located on the hill from the 13th century to the late 19th century. The castle was a main defensive fort of the city during its existence.

History

Before the castle was built, there were certainly defensive structures in Lviv, but their shape and exact location are unknown. As it follows from Rus' Chronicles, the first wooden structures were built by Leo I of Halych. In 1261 by a request of Mongol military leader Boroldai they were destroyed. Before 1283 they were rebuilt. Here was the treasury of the kingdom of Rus', including crowns, thrones and precious crosses with parts of the True Cross.

According to chronicler Jan Długosz in 1340, when Lviv was captured by Casimir III of Poland, the king ordered city's fortifications to be dismantled. In 1351 Lithuanian prince Liubartas captured and burned down Lviv. Two years later in 1353 Liubartas again invaded the city this time destroying it completely. Casimir III built a new town on the Poltva River and granted it a Magdeburg rights in 1356.

A new brick castle appeared on the hill in 1362 by the king Casmimir III. It became the residence of Polish nobles. In 1537, the castle witnessed a rebellion known as the Chicken War against Polish king Sigismund I the Old and his wife Bona Sforza.

The castle was rebuilt and repaired many times. In the times of Khmelnytsky Uprising it was taken by Cossack forces of Colonel Maksym Kryvonis in October 1648. In 1704, when Lviv was occupied by Swedes the castle was heavily damaged. In 1777, Austrians initiated disassembling of fortifications around the castle.

In the 19th century, the then destroyed castle was taken apart and new facilities were built in its place. The fortification was strengthened, trees were planted on the hill's slope, and a park was constructed. On the place where the castle once stood, a Union of Lublin Mound was constructed in 1869, dedicated to the 300-years of the Union of Lublin. Currently, an observation platform is located atop the kurgan. In 1957, a 141-meter tall television tower was constructed on a ridge of the hill (see picture).

In 2004-2005, there were talks of reconstructing a stone castle on the hill. The project gained some support and opposition. However, at this time, plans for the construction of the castle are not realistic.

In culture

Highcastle: A Remembrance (Polish: Wysoki Zamek), a 1966 coming-of-age autobiographical novel by the Polish, Lviv-born, science fiction writer Stanisław Lem, refers to the castle.

Further reading

• Czołowski, Aleksander (1910). Wysoki zamek (in Polish). Lwów.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• A. Kozykyi, "Vysokyi Zamok", in Encyklopediya L'vova vol. 1, 2007, p. 366-368.