Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle ( ; ; ; ) is a former Ruthenia n - Lithuanian castle and a later three - part Polish fortress located in the historic city of Kamianets - Podilskyi , Ukraine , in the historic region of Podolia in the western part of the country . Its name is attributed to the root word " kamin < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > " , from the Slavic word for stone . Historical accounts date the Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle to the early 14th century , although recent archaeological evidence has proved human existence in the area back to the 12th or 13th century . Initially built to protect the bridge connecting the city with the mainland , the castle sits on top of a peninsula carved out by the winding Smotrych River , forming a natural defense system for Kamianets - Podilskyi ' s historic Old Town neighborhood . Its location on a strategic transport crossroad in Podolia and made the castle a prime target for foreign invaders , who rebuilt the castle to suit their own needs , adding to its multicultural architectural diversity . Specifically , the complex consists of the Old Town fortified by King Casimir IV , the Old Castle rebuilt by Kings Sigismund I and Stephen Báthory , and the New Castle founded by Kings Sigismund III and Władysław IV . However , in spite of the many architectural and engineering changes to the original structure , the castle still forms a coherent architectural design , being one of the few medieval constructions in Ukraine that is relatively well preserved . Along with the Old Town neighborhood , the castle is listed as part of the National Historical - Architectural Sanctuary " Kam ' ianets " and the National Environmental Park " Podilski Tovtry " . The complex is a candidate UNESCO World Heritage Site , nominated in 1989 by the Ukrainian representatives , and also one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine . Today , the Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle is the most recognized landmark of the city , serving as an important regional and national tourist attraction . History . Foundation and early history . Traditionally , the Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle was thought to have been founded during the second half of the 14th century , as the first accurate historical accounts of the castle date back to the mid - 14th century , when most of the territories of western Rus ' were under control of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . A written document by Prince Yuriy Koriatovych in 1374 , for example , mentions that the Magdeburg rights would be presented to Kamianets inside the castle . Archaeological excavations during the 1960s , however , provided contrasting evidence suggesting that the castle might date back even earlier to the end of the 12th or the beginning of the 13th centuries . It is also clear from historical and archaeological evidence that an earthen fortress existed in the area during the time of the East Slavic state of Kievan Rus ' , but not on the same site as the current castle . The castle was outdated but remained vital to the defense of Kamianets and nearby trade routes ; as a result , the voivode of Kraków , Spytek of Melsztyn , began modernizing the complex at the turn of the 15th century . During the reconstruction , the old towers were renovated and ten new towers were added . A century and a half later , the castle was updated again , this time by military engineer and architect , who built the New Western and Eastern Towers , the castle ' s eastern wall and an underground gallery , as well as the Full Gates and housing for the town ' s starosta community . Continuous attacks by invaders . During the mid - 14th to mid - 15th centuries , the Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle was located on one of the main frontiers of the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth . From 1434 until its annexation by the Russian Empire in 1793 , the castle played a major role in the defense against the oncoming Cossack , Ottoman and Tatar invasions ; from the 15th through 17th centuries , the castle was attacked by Tatar hordes a total of 51 times . The Tatar invasions of 1448 , 1451 , 1509 and 1528 , as well as the Ottoman siege of 1533 , caused damage to both the castle and the city but all of these invasions were successfully repelled . The Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle played an important role during the Khmelnytsky Uprising between 1648 – 54 , when the Zaporozhian Cossacks led by Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky , allied themselves with the Crimean Tatars and the local Ukrainian peasantry against the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth ' s army and militia . During the uprising , the castle was unsuccessfully besieged by local Cossacks and insurgents led by Commander Maksym Kryvonis . In 1651 , the castle was then subject to another Cossack siege led by Hetman Ivan Bohun , before an unexpected counterattack by Polish insurgents under commanders Aleksandrenka and Chuika re - established the Polish presence in the area and relieved the siege . A 60 , 000 force army led by Khmelnytsky himself reasserted Cossack control over the castle in 1652 . Just one year later , the castle was attacked yet again , this time by a 40 , 000 strong Crimean Tatar horde . In the beginning of August 1672 , a 300 , 000 Ottoman force led by Sultan Mehmed IV and a 40 , 000 combined force of Tatars and Cossacks led by Hetman Petro Doroshenko laid siege to the castle . After conducting negotiations with their attackers , the city ' s leaders surrendered control of the fortress to the Ottomans on August 18 . In a sign of protest , the fortress ' s Commandant Michał Wołodyjowski and Major Hejking blew up the castle ' s remaining gunpowder , killing themselves along with 800 defenders . For 27 years after the attack , the fortress served as the base of Ottoman rule in the Podolia . The 1699 Karlov Peace Treaty saw the return of Polish control over the area after the Ottoman Empire ceded its control in the area . From a castle to a prison . From the beginning of the 18th century , the Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle had lost its defensive role , and was used more as a military prison than a military fortification . Numerous people were executed or held captive in the prison , including Cossack starshyna s ( officers ) , haidamaka s , and even the three - year - old pretender to the Polish throne , Stanisław August Poniatowski . Even though it had lost its defensive role , it was one of the strongest fortresses in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland up until the Second Partition of Poland of April 21 , 1793 . when both the Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle and the city were transferred to the sovereignty of the Russian Empire . On the same day , the castle ' s commandant gave up the key to the castle and swore allegiance to the empire in the city ' s cathedral . One hundred and one artillery cannons later saluted the commandant ' s decision inside the castle . During the French invasion of Russia of 1812 , the Russian Imperial Army was stationed in the castle . In 1815 , Konstantin Batyushkov , who later became a well - known poet and writer , was stationed as an officer in the castle . In 1846 , poet Vladimir Raevsky was stationed in the castle , during which time he established a pro - Decembrist organization of progressively - minded army officers . From 1816 until 1914 , the fortress was converted from a military prison into a jail for debtors , criminals and political prisoners . In 1831 , Russian lexicologist Vladimir Dal worked in the castle , at the time writing a dictionary of the Russian language . The castle was the center of the anti - feudalism movement in the Podolia during the 19th century led by the Patriotic War of 1812 cavalry veteran Ustym Karmaliuk ( 1787 - 1835 ) , who is now regarded by Ukrainians as a national folk hero . Museum and conservation . After a series of political changes following the 1905 revolution , political parties and organizations were made legal throughout the Russian Empire . In 1906 , a total of 67 political organizations were based in the castle . Among them was the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party ' s newspaper " Iskra " ( " Spark " ) . A decree issued by the Sovnarkom of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1928 declared the Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle complex a historical - cultural preserve . During the late 1930s , plans were made to turn the castle into a museum , and reconstruction work on the buildings was started in 1937 . Among the museum attractions added was a scene depicting Karmaliuk in the castle ' s prison cell in the Pope ' s Tower , where he was kept during his imprisonment in the castle . Visitor numbers for the castle during the 1930s reached 300 , 000 a year . In 1947 , the Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle was placed on the all - Union list of historic preserves . A memorial plaque and a bas - relief resembling Karmaliuk was erected near the Karmaliuk exposition on April 18 , 1958 . Restorational and archaeological works have been conducted in the castle since 1962 under the supervision of architects Y . Plamenytska and A . Tyupych . On May 18 , 1977 , the National Historic - Architectural Reserve " Kamianets " was established . On September 13 , 1989 , the Ukrainian SSR Government placed " Kamianets " reserve on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites . In 2004 , the " Kamianets " reserve was upgraded to that of a national preservation district . In August 21 , 2007 , the complex was declared one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine when it came in 3rd place in a nation - wide competition . A severe storm on August 1 , 2011 partially destroyed the New Western Tower ; the city mayor ' s office didn ' t deny that the tower ' s structural integrity was weakened during its last reconstruction in 2007 , paving the way for its collapse just four years later . Architecture . The Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle rests on a limestone formation surrounded by the Smotrych River canyon . Consequently , its foundations were built using limestone , as well as local and imported brick and stone . Indeed , the castle ' s name is attributed to the root " kamin " ' , from the Slavic word for stone . The two main parts of the castle , the Old Castle ( ) and the New Castle ( ) , were built during different periods . The Old Castle defended the approach from Kamianets - Podilskyi ' s Old Town , and was constructed to protect against direct assaults from enemy soldiers . The New Castle was formed during the numerous later modernizations of the castle ; its purpose was to provide protection from enemy field armies and was designed to support newer military inventions such as long range artillery cannons . The twelve towers . An important and large fortification complex , the Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle had as many as 12 towers , some of which were added during later modernizations to the castle . Some of the towers were located on the peninsula on which the main castle sits ; some of the other towers were located on the steep slopes across the Smotrych River . There also were other towers such as the Petty Southern Tower , a Dacia - Roman Tower , while another Dacia - Roman Tower stood just outside the eastern walls and a half tower is located at the western end of the Castle bridge . Of these towers , however , only a few remain unscathed today . Specifically , the 12 towers were the : Fortification walls . The walls of the Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle are divided into three sections or terrace s ; the northern , southern , and eastern . The walls of the northern terrace ( about in length ) defend the whole inner courtyard . The courtyard ' s northwestern walls form the Old Castle , ending between the Day and Rozhanka Towers . They are made up of two parallel walls , which include the Petty Western Tower , the remnants of the Black Tower , and a two - level casemate , or fortified gun emplacement . The older of the two walls dates back to the beginning of the 12th century and is built with crenelation s . Another casemate was located at the eastern walls . An entrance to the castle in the eastern walls is known as the New Castle Gate , and there were two more gates , one , in the northern walls , called the Old Castle Gate , and another , the Field Gate , connecting the Water Tower with the rest of the castle . The northern walls are reinforced with the Northern Bastion along their whole length . The bastion was built in 1790 , just before the second partition of Poland . There is also the New Castle that was designed as a hornwork and located west from the main castle complex . At the eastern side of the castle ' s courtyard were the remnants of the St . Stanislaus Church , next to which was located a tomb of M . Potocki . Next to the Kovpak Tower stood an Eastern Orthodox church where Prince Koriatovych was buried . In the courtyard along the southern walls between Kovpak and Tenchynska Towers were a granary and cart shed . Across from these , near the northern walls and Lanckorońska Tower , was the residence of the starosta . Next to the Tenchynska Tower stood the " Rurmush " which served as a water storage tank for the castle . At the southern walls closer to the White Tower ( between Tenchynska and White Towers ) were a kitchen and a bakery . Adjacent to the White Tower at the southern walls between White and Day Towers stood the starosta ' s headquarters . Located against the western walls were the chelyadna , or serfs ' quarters , which housed up to 70 serfs who served the castle . Located outside of the northern walls were the castle stable s , which could house up to 30 horses . In the 16th century the castle had a garrison of around 300 soldiers , who lived in the town . The Kamianets - Podilskyi Industrial Vocational School has investigated the castle walls . They discovered an area of quick sand at the roadside next to the " Podzamche " , or sub - castle , neighborhood of the city , which in the previous year had partially undermined the castle ' s supporting walls . The effects of the quick sand had uncovered the fortress ' s foundation walls , a little over deep . The foundation walls were built on the limestone that creates a canyon along the river valley . Further excavation work showed that the walls stretched to the west , as well from the Old Castle to the bastions of the new one . The support footings for the old castle bridge were also found in the ditch . From the south in the wall there is a wide and tall opening , through which the Vocational School assumed water flowed . The preserved northwestern walls are now high measured from the outside of the castle and high from the courtyard . As a result of the numerous reconstructions , the walls ' depth changed throughout the centuries , being deep in the Medieval period , during the 14th and 15th centuries , and an average of after the reconstruction of the 16th and 17th centuries . Conservation works have recently been conducted on the walls to preserve the old Rus ' fragments . Castle bridge . As a result of the castle ' s unique location on a peninsula , the castle bridge ( ) serves as the only transport link to the city ' s Old Town neighborhood . It is considered to represent a considerable feat of medieval engineering . The bridge has a length of . At the entrance to the bridge , its width is around , while at the end , it narrows to . The bridge ' s height is at the entrance , dropping to on the far side . At the beginning of the 15th century , a large round gate tower was constructed at the castle end of the bridge ; the bridge ' s height , including the tower , was equivalent to that of eight modern stories . During the unsuccessful Polish siege of the city in 1687 , the castle bridge was rebuilt and fortified by the Turks , acquiring the name " Turkish bridge " ( ) , which many locals still call it today . The bridge ' s stone façade was in poor repair from 1841 until the end of the 19th century . A subsequent lack of preservation work , together with earthquake damage in 1986 , contributed to its poor condition . In 2000 , the World Monuments Fund included the Kamianets - Podilskyi ' s castle bridge in the 2000 World Monuments Watch . Legacy . The Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle was the most recognized attraction in the city in 2005 . The castle also sees a large number of tourists from across Ukraine and abroad , attracting thousands of tourists annually . Its legacy has left behind several local legends . According to one legend , when Ottoman Sultan Osman II came to Kamianets in 1621 to capture the city , he was allegedly impressed by its strength and fortifications and asked " Who built this great city ? " . Someone then replied to him , " God himself . " When Osman could not capture the castle , he then replied " Then let God himself take the city . " Another local legend has it that Turkish gold is buried in the Smotrych River and that a tunnel leads to the Khotyn Fortress from the Kamianets - Podilskyi Castle . The events of the 1672 Ottoman siege were depicted in the 1888 historical novel " Fire in the Steppe " , written by Polish Nobel Prize laureate Henryk Sienkiewicz . The castle has appeared on a commemorative coin of the " Ancient fortresses on the river Dniester " series issued by the Transnistrian Republican Bank of Transnistria , a breakaway , internationally unrecognised republic within Moldova .