Zhovkva Things to Do

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Dominican church of St. Josaphat and monastery was built in 1652, it is already a baroque style structure. Church was built by a will of granddaughter of Stanislaw Zolkiewich Teofilia Sobieska. Later she was buried inside.

Nowadays it is under reconstruction. Most things inside was badly damaged, as in Soviet times there was a warehouse. I was happy to see interior, as church restorers unlocked doors for me.

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Church was built for Catholic confession, also as a pantheon of Zhovkva former founders and owners Zolkiewski family. It was constructed in 1606 - 1618 in late Rennaisance style.

Nowadays it houses burial places not only of Zolkiewski family, but also some members of Sobieski family. It is quite popular place to visit, especially by Polish people. Pity, that church was closed at day I visited city.

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City fortifications was of course, as a part of defensive structures together with a castle. I believe these walls and gates was built also at the same time as castle, around the end of 16th century and 17th century.

Nowadays you still could see some signs of former owners of town on the gates. Also these defensive structures add a feeling the place is medieval, but it is already more new, and used more as residence, but not a heavy stronghold.

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Castle is the main sight in this town. It was built in the end of 16th century and very beginning of 17th century by commander Stanislaw Zolkiewski. There was a living place, also stables, arsenal, it had a garden.

It was a residence of John III Sobieski for some time. After Poland - Lithuania Commonwealth partition in 1795 and changing of owners it was damaged brick by brick, also fire harmed it. Nowadays it is partly rebuilt, it is possible to see just inner yard, but it is not rebuild, so that not so worth visiting it.

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Basilian monastery was founded in 1682, later it got major reconstruction work after a fire in the end of 17th century. The monastery looks Byzantium style. It was known as a printing house in 1895 - 1946, printed some famous religious works.

In Soviet times an printing activities were stopped and only in 1994 a former action started again.

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built in 1655 by Teofilia Sobiewski (mother of Jan III) as a burial place for her son, Mark, who died in Tatar captivity in 1652. (fatal destiny for Zolkiewsky women, but if you think that men of that time were on and off wars, seems like the only logical one). Teofilia is also buried here.

Little has remained of one cathedral's luxury interior decor (currently, it is closed for renovation). before the IIWW, it had a miracle-working icon of the Virgin Mary, which was later moved to Warsaw. at the same time, the whole cloister is still very impressive, eluding the tower and defense walls.

In 2001, to get the gas pipe to the nearby school a trench was dug on the territory of the Dominican Closter. As a result, they have discovered the cellar with some church utensils and many (in hundreds) bottles of wine. the utensils were secretly left at the priest house porch. As for wine, it was allegedly passed to militia. anyway, the whole city of Zhovka enjoyed that wine for a while. for those wondering about what kind of wine it was and when and where it was produced - it was 1870 and 1900 white, rose and red, produced in Malaga, Spain ;) some say that couple bottles might have been preserved and are in Zhovkva.

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Zolkievski commissioned the castle to the best architect of the time, Pavlo Schaslyvyi (one who planned the whole “ideal city”). The castle has been built to resemble a fortress between 1594-1606 by captive Turks and Tatars, along with Ukrainian kozaks. Money came from Jews, who had to pay 50 zlotykh each for settling in Zhovka.

while getman and other males of Zolkievski family were busy fighting and winning wars(by the way, Stanislaw Zolkievski was one of few who has taken Moscow in 1610 overthrowing the Russian Tsar of the time Mykhailo Shuisky), the castle was build under female supervision, first of getman's wife, Regina, later, of his daughter Sofia and grand-daughter Teofilia).

Zhovka Castle one of few, which had a mint place (opened in 1620). The permission to open the mint place was granted by Polish King to Regina Zolkewki, so she could mint 3 mln golden coins to buy out getman Zolkievski’s head from Turks. Some sources say claim that Ukrainian hero, Bogdan Khmelnytsky was likely to be born here. (His father was in service to Zolkewki)

The castle reached its prosperity peak during the reign of Jan III Sobieski, who celebrated here his victory over Turks in the battle of Vienna in 1683.

From 1700 to 1721, during the Northern war, the Russian Army stayed here. Peter the Great developed his defeat plan while Mazepa wrote his first letters to Karl XII requesting the military alliance.

Before the IIWW the castle’s cellars were used by NKVD to torture people. A commemorative monument to murdered by NKVD has been opened not far from the castles’ gate.

Till 2004, the local court, the secondary school and even private apartments were located in the castle premises. Before the 400 anniversary celebration of Magdeburg Right, they have finally been relocated to other places. the castle’s façade has been renovated, and even a small museum has been open (currently hosts the exhibit of wooden church models ). Some of renovations including the entrance gate have been done by Polish students.

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the church is built in 1612, the rest of buildings are built later. it has a very nice and cozy yard where you can take a rest fro couple minute, before you enter the church to enjoy interesting 20 century modern paintings by Buchmaniuk (1930).