Attractions of Ostroh

Ostroh Castle on a hill above the river Viliya - the former residence of the powerful princes of Ostroh, who in the XIV-XVII centuries owned large lands in Volhynia. Prince Danylo, the first well-known prince of the Ostroh dynasty, began to build fortifications on the site of the ancient Russian settlement. His descendants expanded and strengthened their capital for two centuries. The story of the & quot; black princess & quot; is connected with the castle. Halshka, who after the death of her father I. Ostrozky inherited all his wealth. Real magnate wars broke out for her hand, she was twice forced to marry by force, but her uncle Vasyl-Konstantin managed to keep the property of the Ostroh family. He later became famous as an educator and defender of Orthodoxy. The oldest building in Ostroh Castle is the Watchtower or & quot; Brick Tower & quot; (XIV century), which houses an exposition of the Museum of Local Lore (the main exhibit is the famous Ostroh Bible, published in 1681 by the first printer Ivan Fedorov). Also preserved is the Round (New) Tower (XVI century) with a Renaissance crown of teeth, from the foot of which you can see the domes of the monastery in Mezhyrich. On the territory of the castle is the ancient Epiphany Cathedral (1453), whose silhouette was the coat of arms of the city. Under the Catholics, the church was partially destroyed, one wall with loopholes was included in the castle's fortification system. At the end of the XIX century the cathedral was reconstructed in a pseudo-Byzantine style designed by architect Bazylevsky, the baths received a characteristic gilding. In 1905 the Gate Bell Tower was built. The church is in operation and belongs to the UOC-MP.

The Lutsk Tower was a key defensive element of the lower city, also serving as the entrance gate to Lutsk. This is one of the two surviving towers of the outer city fortifications. Currently, the room is adapted for the exposition of the Museum of Books and Printing (in 1580 Ivan Fedorov created a printing house in Ostroh, which published the first "Reading Book" and the first complete Slavic Ostroh Bible). There are also temporary exhibitions.