Olyka Castle

The Olyka Castle (Ukrainian: Олицький замок, romanized: Olyts'kyi zamok; Polish: Pałac Radziwiłłów w Ołyce) is a fortified palace in Olyka, Ukraine. Constructed in 1564, it became the principal seat of the Radziwiłł family in Volhynia, once part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and now Ukraine. The Radziwiłłs hold the castle for almost four hundred years, since the last owner, Janusz Radziwiłł, owned the castle till 1945. After 1945, it was confiscated and changed into a psychiatric hospital. In 2021, it was transferred to the Volyn museum and is now open for the public.

The castle is a so-called 'Palazzo in Fortezza', a structure where a palace or noble residence is incorporated or built within a fortress of fortified complex. It is one of the largest aristocratic residences in Ukraine with over two hundred rooms, and a courtyard larger than the Piazza San Marco in Venice.

Text adapted from “Olyka Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Olyka Castle ranks #1,759 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #34 of the 183 mapped in Ukraine. Founded 1564, it is older than 37% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 718 atlas entries founded in the 16th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 2,372 times in the last 60 days, more than 70% of the atlas. 1 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Lutsk, 34 km away. See how Ukraine compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗