Kamianets-Podilskyi Fortress. A medieval castle above the Smotrych canyon with towers, walls, the Castle Bridge and Karmaliuk’s dungeon

A panorama of Kamianets-Podilskyi Fortress above the canyon
The towers of Kamianets-Podilskyi Fortress at dawn
The towers and walls of Kamianets-Podilskyi Fortress
The Castle Bridge and the fortress in Kamianets-Podilskyi in the evening
Kamianets-Podilskyi Fortress at dusk
A panorama of Kamianets-Podilskyi Fortress above the canyonThe towers of Kamianets-Podilskyi Fortress at dawnThe towers and walls of Kamianets-Podilskyi FortressThe Castle Bridge and the fortress in Kamianets-Podilskyi in the eveningKamianets-Podilskyi Fortress at dusk

The Old Fortress is the symbol of Kamianets-Podilskyi and one of the most striking strongholds in Europe: stone towers with pointed roofs stand on a cliff above the deep canyon of the Smotrych River. The Castle Bridge leads to the gate, and inside you can walk along the walls, look into the towers and see the dungeon of Ustym Karmeliuk. The fortress is part of the historic complex of Kamianets, which was named one of the “7 Wonders of Ukraine” in 2007.

Why visit

  • A medieval castle on a rocky cape above the deep canyon of the Smotrych River, the emblem of the whole Podillia region
  • More than ten towers with their own names: Papal, Rozhanka, Lianckoronska, Denna, New and others
  • The dungeon of Ustym Karmeliuk in the Papal Tower, where the legendary leader of the Podillia peasant movement was held
  • The Castle Bridge over the canyon and views from the walls of the Old Town and the Smotrych
  • More than six centuries of history: from the charter of 1374 to the Ottoman siege of 1672
  • One of the most photogenic places in Ukraine, especially at sunrise and when the towers are lit in the evening

Good to know

Ticket prices
Admission is UAH 150 for adults and UAH 80 for school students, university students and pensioners; university students and pensioners show a document for the discount. A UAH 300 combined ticket gives one visit to five sites of the museum-reserve.
Opening hours
The Old Castle is open every day, 9:00 to 17:00.
Guided tours
Group tours of the fortress are led by museum-reserve guides: UAH 400 per group, admission tickets paid separately.
Best shots
The classic panorama of the fortress with the Castle Bridge is taken from the Old Town side. At sunrise the sun turns the towers above the canyon golden, and in the evening the fortress is lit up.
Good to know
The grounds have cobblestones and steep stairs in the towers and on the walls, so wear comfortable shoes. Plan at least an hour and a half to two hours for the visit.
Getting there
The fortress stands at the edge of the Old Town: from Polish Market Square and the Town Hall it is a 10–15 minute walk to the Castle Bridge, which leads to the castle gate.

The castle in Kamianets is first mentioned in 1374, in a charter of Prince Yurii Koriatovych that granted the town Magdeburg rights. The stronghold took its present shape in the mid-16th century: in 1544 the military engineer Job Pretwicz rebuilt the fortifications and erected the New Tower, and a stone plaque on one of the towers still bears the inscription “1544. DEUS TIBI SOLI GLORIA. IOB PRAET. ARCHITECTOR”, the builder’s own signature. The fortress consists of the Old Castle, walls with towers on the edge of the cliff, and the New Castle with earthen ramparts and moats, built in the early 17th century on the bastion system. Together they cover about 4.5 hectares. Each tower has its own name and story: the Papal Tower was built with money from Pope Julius II, and there are also Rozhanka, Lianckoronska, Denna, Kovpak, Tenchynska, Vodna and Chorna. The castle survived many sieges. In 1672, after a siege, Kamianets surrendered to the Ottoman army, and for 27 years the town remained under Ottoman rule. In the early 19th century the fortress was turned into a prison: from 1818 to 1823 the Papal Tower held Ustym Karmeliuk, leader of a peasant movement often called the Ukrainian Robin Hood. Today the fortress is the main site of the Kamianets-Podilskyi State Historical Museum-Reserve. The towers and the castle courtyard house exhibitions on the castle’s history, a weapons display, Karmeliuk’s dungeon and a pottery workshop, and the walls offer views of the canyon and the Old Town. The best photos come at sunrise, when the sun lights up the towers, and in the evening, when the fortress is dramatically illuminated.

Tours that visit this place

Kamianets-Podilskyi and Khotyn. Two fortresses from the “Seven Wonders of Ukraine” over a weekend from Kyiv

Kamianets-Podilskyi and Khotyn. Two fortresses from the “Seven Wonders of Ukraine” over a weekend from Kyiv

Next: Nov 13 at 23:30

3 days (Fri 23:30 – Sun around 22:00)

from6,690UAH