The place where Polish King Jan III Sobieski spent many years of his life. The king became famous because he managed to stop the advance of the Ottoman Empire in Europe. The old castle, mentioned in written sources for the first time in 1327, has a lot to tell after almost seven centuries of existence. Its history lives on its premises.

Olesko castle is oldest preserved castle on the territory of Western Ukraine (Galicia) and the only fortress of Kiev Rus period. It raises above a wonderful park on a 50 meters natural hill near the town Olesko, Lviv region. This monument of architecture has oval form, its walls are 10 meters high and 2.5 meters wide.

The castle was built in XIII century on the crossroads of old trade routes from Hungary to Volyn. The first time it was mentioned in 1327, in 1390 it was given to Galician catholic archbishop by the Pope Bonifacius IX. From XV to XVII century it was attacked many times by Tatars. During one of these attacks in 1629 Jan III Sobieski, the king of Poland that saved Europe from Turks, was born here. In 1640 another polish king, Michal Korybut Wisniowiecki was born here as well.

Now museum-preserve "Olesko Castle" lies on the territory of 130000 square meters. Besides the castle tourists can see here masterpieces from Lviv art gallery, the biggest collection of wooden sculptures of XIV-XIX centuries, stone sculptures, fountains, and Jan, a ghost of monk. By the legend, he visited women of pleasure and was walled up alive. Some locals state that they saw his shadow near the castle. If you are not lucky to see the ghost, you can surely eat some good food cooked by old recipes in the Middle Age style restaurant.

Lviv region has been one of the focal points of eastern European history for the past millennium, with the tide of empire regularly washing up conquerors up into the woodlands and foothills of Halychyna. Lviv has traditionally been a gateway region highly prized by neighbouring powers and often fought over. This turbulent history has left the surrounding countryside dotted with the fortress relics of bygone frontiers and the palaces of extinct dynasties. While much of Ukraine’s historical inheritance remains tied to the Soviet or Russian Imperial past, Lviv region continues to act as an anchor for the country in a different, quintessentially European experience.

With the tourist trade developing in West Ukraine its historic treasures are also slowly beginning to receive the kind of attention they have long deserved. Many of Lviv region’s most celebrated castles are connected to the greatest men of their respective ages and have long since demanded more respect and care from the regional authorities.

Thanks to neighbouring Poland’s historical influence in the region most of the leading lights linked to Lviv’s palaces and castles are Polish. The most famous figure to feature in the annals of Lviv’s palaces is undoubtedly Jan III Sobieski, the legendary victor over the Turks at the gates of Vienna in 1683. Regarded by many as the last of the truly great Polish kings, Sobieski was born in Lviv region at Olesko Castle in 1629. Appropriately for a Lviv-born hero, Sobieski was later dubbed by the defeated Turks the “Lion of Lechistan.”

In the seventeenth century when West Ukraine was part of the sprawling Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which at the time was one of the mightiest empires in the world, Olesko Castle was a place of kings and couriers where the fate of many nations hung in the air. Today’s castle actually dates back to the very earliest years following Lviv’s foundation and first appears in the history books in 1390 when it was a gift from the Pope to the newly-created Catholic bishop of the region. Its location is said to mark a long-lost border between ancient Lviv and Volhynia princedoms. At various times the castle belonged to Halychians, Poles, Lithuanians and Hungarians before finally falling prey to the dominance of the Commonwealth. Despite these deep historic roots the castle will always be associated with the glory of the reign of Polish King Jan II Sobieski, who was born in the castle in 1629 and was to maintain a close bond with the fortress in particular and the region in general for the rest of his life. Many of the artworks currently on display in the castle museum are part of the collection the king personally amassed here, offering a unique glimpse into the mind of a military genius and colossal statesman.

The castle offers wonderful views of the surrounding countryside and a wide range of fascinating exhibits from what is thought to be one of the finest collections of historical Polish arts in the world. Visitors can also enjoy strolls in the attractive castle park or dine in “Hrydnytsya”, the popular castle restaurant, where the medieval architecture and Ukrainian national cuisine combine to offer an original dining experience. The church and monastery that are part of today’s complex were built in the eighteenth century. When the region was engulfed in the fighting during WWII the castle complex was used as a Nazi concentration camp. Since the 1960s the castle has been maintained as a museum.

The castle was restored in the late 16th to the early 17th Centuries. Paintings and mosaics were brought in to decorate the different rooms of the castle. The castle was remodeled in the Italian Renaissance style, which was popular at that time.

In 1838, an earthquake rocked the castle, partly destroying some areas. In 1882, the castle, regarded as a Polish national monument was bought by the Committee of Preservation of the Olesko Castle, which led to a restoration in 1892. Both World War I and World War II affected the castle negatively, undoing previous restoration work. In 1956, the castle was struck by lightning.

The castle was restored again, beginning in 1961 and lasting until 1985. Today, it is a museum, displaying the collections of antique furnishings and art dating from the 16th-17th Centuries. It also features sculptures, paintings, still lives, applied arts, tapestries, period weapons, and objects used in everyday life at the time. Its collection is regarded as one of the richest treasury of Polish art outside borders of Poland.

The castle is a part of the "Golden Horseshoe", a ring of three castles nearby each other: the Olesko, the Pidhirtsi, and the Zolochiv Castles. Olesko Castle is easily accessed from Lviv. You must take a flight to Lviv, and after that the castle is an hour away from the city.