On the right bank of the Dniester 20 km from the amazing city Kamenets-Podolsky is another real medieval treasure — the ancient Khotyn Fortress, which is annually visited by thousands of tourists from all over the world. It is one of the oldest fortresses on the territory of Ukraine, which, despite its difficult history, has survived to this day in excellent condition.
Not everyone has visited Khotin, but many people have seen this fortress. Centuries have passed, the bloody battles for territories are in the past, and Khotin fortress continues to be famous, but not as a place of brutal battles, but as a place of action of famous historical movies. Here were filmed such movies as «The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe», «The Arrows of Robin Hood», «The Three Musketeers», «At War as at War», «The Viper», recently released «Taras Bulba» and many other films. Of course, this would not be the case if the old Khotyn and its legendary fortress did not preserve the real atmosphere of the Middle Ages.
The fortress, castle, picturesque landscapes of the Dniester valley and the surrounding steppes and forests are an extraordinary sight. Erected on a rocky promontory between the canyons of the river and the creek bending around the promontory from the north and west at a height of about 20 meters above the river level, the castle appears before the eye and as if it takes you back centuries. The areas adjacent to the castle are untouched by modernity, so visitors to Old Khotyn can see the place as it was centuries ago.
The stone fortress was erected on the place of a wooden one built in the time of Prince Vladimir in the middle of XIII century. The city, located on the important trade route along the Dniester to the Black Sea, needed reliable fortifications that would protect it from nomadic raids and claims to Khotin from neighboring states. The construction of the fortress was undertaken by Prince Danila Galitsky in the times when the city was a part of the Galicia-Volyn principality. The 7-meter high white limestone walls erected at that time, due to further repeated rebuilding and completion of the fortress, are now only partially preserved in the thickness of the eastern wall built later.
After the Prince of Galicia, the fortress was built by all those who later owned the city. The look that can be seen today, it was mostly given by Moldavian rulers in the XV century. At that time, the castle courtyard was raised by 10 meters, powerful walls up to 40 meters high and 5 meters wide, towers, a chapel and two palaces were built. Then its southern borders were extended in the 1640s by the Poles. In the XVIII century even more reliable citadel Khotyn fortress was made by the Turks, who hired fortification engineers from France, built a new castle with powerful bastions, adapted the fortifications to long-range artillery. After all the improvements, the capacity of the fortress increased — it could accommodate a 60,000-strong garrison.
A visit to Khotyn fortress leaves unforgettable impressions. The princely palace, castle church, barracks and commandant’s house are preserved on its territory. The high level of builders’ skill is demonstrated by a large well in the center of the castle courtyard, which still has water, and dark dungeons keep the dark secrets of the past.
The authentic atmosphere preserved by the Khotyn fortress is evident in the photos, but you can feel and touch the rich past of this citadel with a difficult fate, which has seen so much over the centuries that it is impossible to describe, only by visiting this attraction of Ukraine and seeing it with your own eyes. The walls, sidewalks, ancient structures and buildings of the fortress will tell you about what you remember and what you have seen in the most eloquent language.