Tarakanivskiy Fort, 19th-century military fortification in Tarakaniv, Ukraine.
Tarakanivskiy Fort is a 19th-century military fortification in Tarakaniv, Ukraine, laid out in a diamond-shaped plan. Each side measures roughly 240 meters, and inside, underground corridors run between two-story barracks and 105 casemates that once housed soldiers.
Construction began in 1860 under the direction of Eduard Totleben, after the Russian Empire sought to secure its western border following the third partition of Poland. The site was meant to protect the railway line between Lviv and Kyiv and used newly available concrete alongside traditional stone and brick.
The name comes from the nearby village of Tarakaniv, which surrounds the site and gives it a local point of reference. Today the crumbling walls and overgrown casemates draw hikers and history enthusiasts who walk through the open courtyards and dark passages.
Caution is needed when exploring, as underground traps, thick brush, and crumbling sections can affect safety. Sturdy footwear and a flashlight are helpful if you plan to enter the passages and casemates.
Beneath the walls lie burial sites of 200 Austrian soldiers from World War I who fell here during fighting between Russian and Austrian troops. These graves serve as a reminder that the site later became a theater of combat, even though it was originally built for other purposes.
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