If you are looking for the run-down splendour of a former imperial outpost then Pidhirtsi is the ideal location. The first known reference to a castle on this site is 1445, but today’s exotic and overpowering palatial ensemble dates back to the pomp of Polish rule in the East.

Taking advantage of a commanding position overlooking the surrounding countryside the celebrated architect Wilhelm Beauplan constructed this unconquerable stronghold in five years beginning in 1635 by order of Polish Hetman Stanislaw Koniecpolski. In 1633, commander in chief of the Polish army Hetman Stanislaw Koniecpolski, one of the leading Polish noblemen of the day, bought the estate from a descendant of the once noble but impoverished Pidhorecki family. As the new owner he hired numerous architects, artists and gardeners to give the existing fortified castle a more civilised chateau look. As a result the castle acquired French chateau charm of a standard rarely found outside of France itself. The most celebrated description of Pidhirtsi Castle in all its pomp was left by French nobleman Franeois d’Aleyrac, who visited the castle in 1687 and later noted: “This castle is the most splendid building, one of the most striking architectural miracles in all Poland.

Any European king or royal family would be proud to have it among their possessions.” However, this fashionable French country residence was also a formidable fortress and in the 1648 Cossack uprising it proved more than a match for besieging Ukrainian forces. Three years later the Cossacks returned, but again failed to take Pidhirtsi. After the second siege, Koniecpolski’s son Aleksander repaired the damage to the palace and strengthened its fortifications, which enabled it to successfully resist numerous Tatar invasions throughout the late 17th century.

The structure, built with brick and stone, was designed in the characteristic palazzo in fortezza style. It is located on the northern side of the Woroniaki hills, standing at 399 meters above sea level, overlooking the Styr River valley, in a prominent location where it can be seen from great distances. The palace itself is built into the slope of the hill. In the 17th century, it was surrounded by vineyards and Italian-style paterre gardens, its wine celebrated by the poetry of Jakub Sobieski and Andrzej Morsztyn. Guarded by a moat and drawbridge, fortified walls with bastions and a set of iron cannons (some of which have been preserved to this day). The castle takes the form of an open square nearly 100 meters on a side, with three floors. Its western part served as an official residency for guests; the eastern range was private, reserved for the owner and servants. Above the entrance gate, a marble plaque to this day bears a Latin inscription: "A crown of military labours is victory, victory is a triumph, triumph is rest." There also was a grange, a private zoo, vineyards, an apiary, a trout pond and a mill.

In its heyday under Jakub Ludwik Sobieski, the castle was richly furnished, with several halls and a library, and with gardens and parks around it. Next to the entrance was the Guardroom, then there was the knights’ room, filled with hussar equipment and numerous kinds of weaponry. There followed the suite of the Crimson Room, a Chinese Toom, the Mirror Room, Yellow Toom, Green Room (in which 106 paintings of the 18th century painter Szymon Czechowicz were kept) and a chapel. These rooms collected the names from the color of a trim or from what was kept in them. Walls of all rooms were covered with paintings, portraits (around 200 of them), wallpapers; floors were made of marble tiles. Each room also had a marble fireplace. Among the stylish furnishings, there were numerous examples from the booty taken by Stanisław Koniecpolski during wars with the Turks and Tatars, mostly Persian rugs and Turkish tents. In the library, there was an archive of the Koniecpolski and Rzewuski family. King Wladyslaw IV Vasa and his French wife Ludwika Maria Gonzaga, were impressed by the complex, when they visited it in early 1646. Soon after their visit, Stanisław Koniecpolski died.

In 1682 Stanislaw Koniecpolski (the grandson of the original owner) presented the castle to Jacob Sobieski, son of Polish King Jan III Sobieski. Tragically, in 1711 Russian troops under Tsar Peter the Great were billeted in Pidhirtsi will on campaign against the Ottomans in Besarabia and when the troops marched out they took with them many of the palace’s priceless and irreplaceable sculptures and other artistic treasures. Some of these works by celebrated Italian sculptors later reappeared as part of the collection of the Tsar’s Summer Garden in St Petersburg. In 1725 Konstantin Sobieski (the youngest son of Jan III) sold the castle to Hetman Stanislaw Rzewuski. After Rzewuski’s death, the complex was inherited by his son, Waclaw, who was also the owner of the nearby Olesko Castle. Waclaw Rzewuski made Pidhirtsi his permanent residence and eventually turned the chateau into a private museum full of priceless collections of art works, paintings, rare books, furniture, weapons and war trophies including Persian rugs and Turkish tents. It should be noted that the owner let the general public come and look at his treasures.

In the 19th century, Leon Zhevuski, the childless owner of the chateau, decided that he could no longer afford to pay for the maintenance of the palace and sold it on to Prince Sanguszko for a low price in return for guarantees that sufficient funds would be invested to pay for its upkeep and restoration. Sanguszko kept his promise and by the dawn of the twentieth century the chateau was in excellent condition and its collections in perfect order. However, the tide of history was turning against Polish dominion in the region and troubled times lay ahead for the palace. To escape the chaos and bloodshed of the First World War and later Russian Empire’s own civil war the Sanguszko family spirited most of their treasures away to Brazil where they remain in safety at the Sanguszko Foundation in San Paulo. During WWII the palace was used as a hospital and the Soviet authorities later turned it into a Tuberculosis sanitarium.

Tragedy hit the already dilapidated palace in February 1956 when a fire gutted much of the premises. Valuable wall panels, murals and mosaic floors were all irretrievably lost, leaving only the once magnificent architectural shell of the building intact. After some minimal repairs the Soviets found a new use for the chateau, using it as a backdrop for Soviet movies including the celebrated Soviet version of the Three Musketeers. With the coming of Ukrainian independence the palace complex reverted to the control of the Lviv Art Gallery. For many years there have been rumours that the palace is to be converted into a presidential resident. It would indeed by a powerful symbol of Ukraine’s European pedigree and Westward-facing international perspective, but for the time being talk of reconstruction works remains in the realm of rumour and gossip. The complex remains in a poor state of repair. However, despite its run-down appearance the palace remains an historical marvel that has retained much of the aristocratic swagger and sweeping majesty of previous centuries. It looks out onto distant horizon and visitors cannot help but wonder how many Polish nobles must have also peered across at that same frontier and wondered if the Tatars or Cossacks were marching against them.

Man can get to Pidhirtsi Castle after a flight to Lviv. After arriving at the Lviv Airport the easiest way to get to the castle is with the daily organized tours to the nearby historical places.