Lokachi is an urban-type settlement on the right bank of the Luhy-Svynoryika River and its tributary Viynytsia, 56 km west of Lutsk, the center of Lokachynska community in Volodymyr Raion. Here, an ancient hillfort with a citadel and an outer town from the princely times has been preserved, and the history of the town is connected with the princes Hlynskyi, Chortoryiskyi, and Sangushko.
Hillfort of the princely era
The oldest landmark of Lokachi is the hillfort of the 11th–12th centuries, consisting of a citadel and an outer town. It shows how densely populated the Volodymyr land was during the times of Kyivan Rus.
Hlynskyi, Chortoryiskyi, Sangushko
The first known owners of Lokachi were the princes Hlynskyi. Under the Chortoryiskyi family, a castle was built on the marshes near the neighboring village Kozliv, opposite Lokachi — it was mentioned by the Volyn voivode Jan Jabłoński in 1545. Later, Lokachi passed to the Lithuanian princes Sangushko, who appeared in Volyn in the 1440s. The most famous among them was Roman Sangushko, prince of Lokach and Nesukhoizhiv.
In 1625, Lokachi, by then already a town with the right to hold four fairs, belonged to the szlachta family Vilham. There were 173 households, with craftsmen, shoemakers, tailors, bakers, and merchants living here. The peasants’ condition was harsh: they were forced to perform corvée labor six days a week.
What to see
The hillfort above the Luhy, the St. Nicholas Church of 1913, and the quiet streets of the town. Lokachi can be conveniently combined with Zaturtsi, where the Viacheslav Lypynskyi Museum operates, and the Zahoriv Monastery.
Lokachi on video
When to go
The best time is from May to October, when you can walk along the ramparts of the hillfort and the valley of the Luhy. Lokachi is a quiet stop on the route Lutsk — Zaturtsi — Volodymyr, which takes about an hour.
Nearby
Lypynskyi Museum in Zaturtsi, Zahoriv Monastery, Volodymyr. More in the article Volodymyr Raion.
How to get there
Buses run from Lutsk and Volodymyr; by car from Lutsk it takes about an hour.
