Fortress, fortification, bastion, citadel, fortress — all this is about a structure that for many centuries in a row saved the lives of more than one generation of noble and ordinary people. The Medjibizh Castle is a stone knight who bravely survived more than one battle, not one invasion of fierce enemies. But the worst enemy for the building was time, as if an incurable disease that corrodes a healthy organism from the inside.
Medzibiz Castle is an ancient fortress, the foundation of which was laid back in the 13th century. At that time, a wooden fortification with clay mounds stood on the site of the castle — this was supposed to protect the people from the attacks of the Mongol-Tatars. The settlement was located at the place where the Bug river connects with the tributary Buzhok - this is where the name of the castle came from.
The first mention of Medjibij dates back to 1146.
In the 13th century, the city was part of the Bolohiv principality, and during the struggle of Prince Daniel of Galitsky with the Tatar invasion, the fortress was destroyed and for almost 100 years this land suffered from it. In 1362, Olgerd drove out the Tatars and Mezhybozhë passed to the Lutsk Land, and then it was transferred to the nephews of the prince, the Koriatovich brothers. They rebuilt and expanded the fortress, supplemented it with residential and farm buildings. The castle became a child, next to which in the 14th century they built a church based on the Romanesque temples of Europe.
In 1444, Medzibij joined the Commonwealth. Due to the fact that the settlement was located near the Black and Kuchmansky roads, along which the Tatars moved during the attacks on Ukrainian lands, a stone castle simply had to appear here. In 1540, the city passed into the possession of the magnates of Syniavsky, and in 1730 - the princes of Chartoriysk. During this time, it was a participant in many military events, but from year to year it kept the mark, remaining an active trade and production center. Medzibij had friendly relations with Kiev, Lviv and his brotherhood, Poland. The Assumption Church in Medjibizhya is still considered a model of defensive sacred construction of the 17th century.

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In the period from 1648 to 1831, the fortress and the city itself were owned by Poles, Turks, Cossacks. At the beginning of the Ukrainian War of Liberation, the castle was captured by the Cossacks, but already in 1649 it passed to the Polish troops. In 1650 the fortress was occupied by Bohdan Khmelnitsky, and after 7 years, having been defeated, he gave Medzhibizh to the Turks, who owned the land until 1699. Then there were long rebellions of the locals, they took the castle under siege.
In 1730, the fortress became the property of Adam Chartorii, who began to actively rebuild the complex, which suffered after the Turkish rule. He redesigned a 16th-century decorative wall, resized windows and doors, rebuilt part of the chimneys, and made furnaces lined with fine ceramics from them. The church was also rebuilt, for it the Baroque style was chosen. A flower garden with sculptures was bred here, many flowers were brought from abroad. Also in the Medzibiz Castle they created a huge library, books for which have been collected for centuries.
Soon, in 1831, the property of the Chartorian princes was confiscated by the authorities of the Russian Empire for their participation in the Polish uprising, and the Medzibiz Castle began to be used as a place for gathering troops. Isabella Chartoriyska wrote in her memoirs that after that the church was turned into an Orthodox church, the flower garden was spruced up, books from the library and old furniture were burned in the middle of the courtyard.

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At the same time, the authorities of the Russian Empire were actively building infrastructure. Three churches were built here, a synagogue was built, the street was paved with cobblestones, and the town hall was restored. The military unit, which was created on the site of the fort in 1848, was taken care of by the Empress herself - she was impressed by the beauty and grandeur of the castle. It was from her presentation that the Medjibij was reconstructed. All buildings were rebuilt in the Neo-Gothic and Romantic style, decorated with jagged parapets. The new residence was called “White Swan” — the snow-white walls, covered with lime mortar, reflected in the waters of the river and resembled a noble bird.

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The Medjibiz fortress was a citadel that was protected by earthen ramparts. The core of this outpost was discovered at a depth of 11 meters as a result of excavations in the castle yard. Then the fortification occupied an area on the slope of a high hill. The temple on the territory of the fortress existed already in those days.
A tower with a gate appeared above the junction of Buzhka and Bug, from which the fortress walls diverged to the north and west. The western spur, in front of which a deep moat was dug, divided the courtyard of the fortress in half. Round towers stood on the horns of the fortress walls, one of them has survived to this day in a rebuilt form.
The approaches to the gate were protected by a rectangular barbican. Its entrance gate had a gress (a device for raising and lowering the gate) and a collet, as evidenced by the 28 cm wide slits in the masonry of the skids. If the enemy broke through the first obstacle — the gress, the interior space of the reinforcement would be protected from the surrounding wooden galleries.
The Golden Gate in Kiev had a similar structure. But there they were cut into earthen shafts, and in Medjibozha the stone fortress walls were spun.

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Present-day:
Despite the complex history, the Medzhibizh fortress is today considered to be the best preserved of all in Ukraine. The territory of the castle resembles an elongated triangle. The thickness of the wall is 4 m, and its height in some places reaches 17 m. The arched exit bridge is in good condition. Walking along the defensive walls, you can look at the office and residential premises. In the latter, fireplaces, white stone portals and figured decorative walls, ceramics are quite well preserved.
The fortress ensemble consists of several buildings that have unique architectural value — we are talking about the Palace, the Knight's and North Tower, the Officer's Tower. Each object combines unique architectural styles and forms. In the center of the castle awaits you the church of St. Nicholas, as if a hospitable hostess meets all visitors to the fortress. On the territory you can also see the ruins of a Polish church, walk through the dungeon.

Every year the fortress hosts the festival “Ancient Medzhibizh”, during which you can see real knightly battles. Here you will meet stern princes and medieval beauties, observe the work of real craftsmen (blacksmiths, weavers, potters), meet forest monkeys. At the festival you can also try varietal wines, a typical food of that time. There is an archery shooting range on the territory of the castle, workshops on throwing knives are organized. There is an authentic medieval photo zone where you can take pictures in armor against the background of the Medjibiz fortress or the knightly camp.

Interesting facts:
* In 1846, Medjibij was visited by T. G. Shevchenko, as evidenced by more than one study. On one of the walls of the castle there is a plaque stating that he participated in archaeological research.
* Rabbi and healer, the founder of Hasidism, Israel Baal Sham-Tov (Basht) lived in Medjibozh. His grave is a place of pilgrimage for the Hasidim, who come here every year in May.
* The northwestern part of the castle is reserved for museum expositions. There are 6 halls where you can look at traditional clothes of podolians, works of artists and sculptors, get acquainted with exhibits dedicated to the Holodomor of 1932-1933.

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