Khotyn Fortress for centuries served as a shield in the way of enemy invaders. The so-called arena of the greatest military events and decisive military conflicts. The most desirable piece of land for powerful autocrats and the cause of discord between the most sincere allies.
No wonder the name of the city "Khotyn" comes from the word "want", "wish". And the fate was such that at different times the fortress became a military trophy of Christians and Muslims. Each of the cultures left its mark in the annals of the castle.
History of the castle
The history of Khotyn is so ancient that most historians still can not come up with a single version of the date of its founding. The probable period of the settlement of the tenth century. But by this time, life was in full swing on the site of the modern fortress. After all, a wooden outpost erected by Volodymyr the Great operated on this place before the stone building. The prince attached great importance to the fort, as a trading town and fortress on the southeastern border. By the fourteenth century. the city managed to move from Kyiv to Terebovlya, Halych and Halych-Volyn principalities. At the same time, it never lost its basic significance.
Grand Duke Danylo Halytsky in the XIII century. decides to build a stone fortress, on which the fierce enemy would "break his teeth." Interestingly, none of the enemies managed to storm the castle for the first time. This was possible only in the case of a long siege.
With the advent of the fourteenth century. Khotyn fortress passes into the hands of the Moldavian principality and protects its lands not only from the Turks but also from Hungarians and Poles. Moldavian voivode Stephen the Great modernized the fortress, making it more impregnable. The territory of the castle has tripled, the walls have become up to 40 meters higher and up to 6 meters thick. A commandant's palace was built with basements filled with weapons.
Just imagine, you could get to the castle with the help of a drawbridge that hung over a 6-meter moat. The bridge itself leads to the Gate Tower, where the battlefields were located. If the enemy suddenly managed to reach the bridge, he, as an innkeeper, received on his head hot tar, stones, arrows and spears. Horrified and threatened with the death penalty, the loser warrior fled to another bridge, where an even more unpleasant inn awaited him.
The bridge was generously greased, which made its surface incredibly slippery. With the help of a specially equipped mechanism of cities under the weight of the enemy failed, and he did not have time to realize the whole tragedy, fell from a height of 11 meters on sharp as blades, spears. But, unfortunately, there were some invaders who were stronger and more resilient than the owners of the fortress. Therefore, the castle was repeatedly surrendered to the next owner.
Neither with the help of rapid assaults nor a long blockade, the Turks were able to open the Khotyn fortress in 1476. Sultan Muhammad II the Conqueror "broke his sharp teeth" on the house. And only when Moldova became part of the Ottoman Empire, Khotyn Fortress became a strategic point for preparing troops for long-term campaigns in European and Ukrainian lands.
Then the fortress often changed owners. But at the same time she did not suffer, but on the contrary, became even better. Thus, the 1700s were a time of full-scale reconstruction of the fortress.
Castle architecture
An old stone well is preserved in the castle yard. Since the castle rises on a rock, those who dug a well had to dig a pit 65 meters deep. But there are pros and cons - the water still quenches thirst and is surprisingly tasty and clean.
The fortress wall has four main towers: the North Tower, the Kowalska Tower, the Commandant's Tower and the Death Tower. North - the largest tower, among the people received another name - the fortress of fortresses. It was from the North Tower that the construction of the stone fortress began by order of Danylo Halytsky. It is decorated with red brick ornaments.
The blacksmith's tower is famous for its forging weapons. In the Commandant's Tower, there was a personal office of the commandant, and under it, there were two basements 10 meters deep. Weapons and food were kept here at one time. The suicide tower was designed to execute enemies who were dropped from a height of 45 meters.
In honour of the 370th battle of the Polish-Ukrainian army with the Turks in 1991, a monument to the Ataman of the Cossack army Peter Sagaidachny was erected near the Bender Gate.
In the courtyard of the castle is the church of St. Helena and Constantine. Its foundation was laid in the thirteenth century. Perestroika made of stone took place during the reign of the Moldavian princes in the 15th century. The arrival of the Turks from the church removed all Christian attributes and converted them into a mosque. With the advent of Russian rule, the church became Orthodox.
Also eye-catching is the Alexander Nevsky Church (1835), the ruins of a Muslim mosque (1718) and a military training school (1825).
It should be noted that in 2000, according to the decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Khotyn Castle received the status of a state reserve. And in 2007 Khotyn Fortress was included in the list of "Seven Wonders of Ukraine".
Interesting facts and legends of the fortress
When the fortress was just being built, the Christians who built it carved magical symbols on the walls for more reliable protection. They had to protect the fortress from evil invaders. Apparently, this is what happened, despite the number of owners of the castle, none of them was able to erase those secret signs from the walls. The castle itself was just being built and prospered.
At the end of the XIX century. real coins from Hungary, Saxony, the Czech Republic, Thuringia and many other countries were found near the Khotyn fortress. Unfortunately, such a precious treasure - more than a thousand ancient coins, is currently in St. Petersburg.
The festival "Medieval Khotyn" has been held on the territory of the castle every May since 2012.
During a visit to the Khotyn Fortress, a strange spot on one of the walls will not escape your attention. It would seem that it is ordinary water, but the human imagination has its own explanation for this. And look closely at that spot, because someone sees in it the outlines of Ukraine, and someone - a pitcher. It is associated with one of the versions of the stain. Once the fortress was besieged by enemy troops. There was no well on the castle grounds yet, so the thirsty soldiers peacefully awaited their time of death.
One of the local girls decided to risk her own life and bring water from the river. I took a jug for this as if that amount of water should be enough. But as soon as the girl returned to her native walls, one of the enemies noticed her and shot her with a bow. The arrow fell directly into the daredevil, but she did her best to bring the soldiers that water. Only a little spilt on the wall. And so that mysterious spot was formed.
Another version, quite scary, says that the spot is a girl's tears. A strict prince lived in this fortress and was looking for a profitable party for his only daughter. The girl has long loved the governor, who was in the service of her father. Upon learning of his daughter's connection with a simpleton, an enraged prince ordered her to be buried alive in one of the walls. It is said that the girl, walled up in the wall, still sheds bitter tears, and the stain will not dry until the lovers are reunited. Scientists prove that the stain is formed from drying oil, or nitrate, which was part of the gunpowder.
How to get to Khotyn
The city of Khotyn is 65 km from Chernivtsi or 25 km from the legendary Kamianets-Podilskyi.
Exact GPS coordinates of the fortress - 48.522202, 26.498372