Dubno Castle is a fortress of the Ostrogski princes in Dubno, on a cape above the Ikva River. This is one of the best-preserved castles in Rivne Oblast: powerful bastions, a moat, the palaces of the Ostrogski and Lubomirski families, and dungeons. Today it is a state historical and cultural reserve.
History
A fortification on this site appeared as early as the 10th century as a fortress of the Volhynians and until the 13th century was the detynets of the chronicled Dubno. In 1240–1241, it was destroyed by the Mongols. In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, Prince Fedir Ostrogski built a wooden-earth castle here with ramparts and a palisade. The wooden walls frequently burned down, so the Ostrogskis eventually erected a masonry fortress that withstood numerous sieges, including the Cossack siege described by Gogol in "Taras Bulba".
In the 18th century, the Lubomirskis rebuilt the castle into a residence — hence the classicist-style palace on the fortress grounds.
What to see
Bastions and walls, the palaces of the Ostrogski and Lubomirski families, underground passages and storerooms, weapon museum expositions, torture chambers, and the history of the town. The castle is surrounded by the floodplains of the Ikva, so wide views open up from the bastions.
How to get there
The castle is in the centre of Dubno, next to the Lutsk Gate and the Bernardine monastery. From Rivne, it is 45 km.
