Stare Selo Castle, Castle in Stare Selo, Ukraine

Stare Selo Castle is a stone fortress in the village of Stare Selo, in western Ukraine, a short distance from Lviv. It has a pentagonal layout with high walls, three surviving towers, and a gateway that shows Renaissance details.

The fortress was built in the late 16th century to protect trade routes leading to Lviv from raids. In the late 17th century it withstood a major Ottoman siege, which showed its defensive strength.

The castle's towers were designed as crowns with baroque stone carving, and the eastern tower keeps a high parapet with white-stone vases and obelisks. Carved on one tower is the coat of arms of Władysław Dominik Zasławski, and above the entrance gate a black eagle and the Radziwiłł coat of arms recall Prince Michał Radziwiłł, under whom the tower was built. Local beer from the castle brewery was once known in Lviv and its surroundings.

The fortress sits outside Lviv and is easiest to visit in dry weather, when the paths around the walls are easy to walk. Sturdy footwear is a good idea if you plan to explore the full perimeter.

A pentagonal layout was very rare among fortresses of that era and region, where rectangular or round plans were far more common. This shape gave those inside a wider view of all sides of the walls at once.