Near from Busk on a high hill a mighty castle is standing for a couple of centuries. It is probably the most famous castle among tourists of our region. It is a witness of the history for six centuries. And although for all this time there was a fight for it, Olesko castle raised from the ruins and lives till today.
Looking ahead, it should be noted that the magnificent job on reconstruction of Olesko Castle did well-known Borys Voznytskyy. Thanks to the dedication to favorite work of Hero of Ukraine, Olesko Castle is the same as we see it today. It is pleasant that a part of the history is located in Busk region.
Within the walls of the castle the future king of Poland Jan III Sobiesky was born. Thanks to his rule, the castle in Olesko became the royal residence. There is even a legend, according to which, when little king was born, it was raining hard and even Tatars attacked the castle. And when the midwife put the baby on a marble table, the thunder hit and the table split. It became a legend that an unusual boy was born.
For six centuries of its existence the castle survived an earthquake and invasions. Even its owners caused considerable damage to it when in the wall of one of the rooms a treasure was found. After that the search for other treasures has begun and in the process walls with paintings, fireplaces and floors were broken. At the end of the XIX century Olesko Castle turned into ruin. And in 1882 Lviv citizens gathered some money to buy the castle which was restored much later.
Olesko Castle was a female agricultural school and in Soviet times there was a camp of Polish prisoners of war and during World War II there were military warehouses.
Only from the 70th Olesko Castle was being restored. Nowadays the castle belongs to Lviv Art Gallery. The interesting thing of Olesko castle is 42-meter well. However, after the earthquake in 1883 now there is only25 metersof the dug well. The main function of the well was not to get water but, they say, that there is a secret exit in case of invasion. But until now this exit is not found.
In short, it is better to see Olesko Castle once than a hundred times to tell! And soon you will feel like an invisible force attracts you to this castle again and again. You will also enjoy the interior of Olesko Castle, its beautiful rooms and a museum inside.
