The origins of the history of Olesky Castle can be traced back to the reign of the last Galician-Volyn princes — Andrew (? —1323) or Leo II (? —1323), sons of Yuri of Lviv. In the “Chronicle of Olesk”, Sadok Baronch (1814—1892) gave information that Oleski Castle was mentioned in 1327, when it was owned by Prince Yuri II (1298—1340). After the capture of Galicia by the troops of the Polish king Casimir III (1310—1370), for Oleski Castle for almost a hundred years (1349—1441), an armed struggle was fought between Ruthenians, Lithuanians, Poles and Hungarians. The events of this time are recorded in documents from 1366, 1370—1380s, 1431—1432 years.

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Initially, the castle was an oval defensive structure.

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In 1441 Jan of Senn (? —1477) became the owner of Olesko Castle. The descendants of Jan Seninsky began to be called Oleski. As a result of wills and marriages, Oleski Castle was divided into two parts in the 16th century. The fortress was owned by Gerburts, Kamenetsky, Vasichinsky, Danilovich, Zholkevsky.

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At the beginning of the XVII century. Oleski Castle was the property of Ivan Danilovich (1570—1628) of the coat of arms of Sas, at that time the last crown prince (1600). It was then that the nobleman Mikhail Khmel, father of the future hetman of Ukraine Bohdan Khmelnytsky, arrived at the service of Ivan Danilovich from Zhovkva. AND. Danilovich built Oleski Castle, turning its architectonics into a palace fortress. In the 1628—1636s. Olesky Castle was owned by Stanislav Danilovich, son of Ivan.

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1637—1682 — Oleski Castle belonged to the magnates of Koniecpolskie.

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It is documented that the owner of Oleski Castle in May 1682 was the wife of the King of the Czech Republic, Frenchwoman, Maria Casimire Louise de La Grange d'Arquien (1641—1716). Contrary to various hypotheses and claims, Jan III Sobesky (1629, Olesko — 1696) did not own Olesko Castle, although it was his family nest. The interior of the castle of this period corresponded to the royal residence.

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In 1719, Queen Jakub Ludwik Sobesky, with the consent of his brother Konstantin Vladyslav, sold Oleski Castle to Stanisław Matviy Zhevuski (1642—1728), the governor of Podolsk, hetman of the Great Crown. 1728 Oleski Castle passed into the ownership of his eldest son Józef Severin Zhevuski (? —1755), a referendum of the crown. The interior of the castle of that time can be described as a luxurious palace.

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In 1755, his brother Václav Petro Zhevuski (1706—1779), at that time the governor of Podolsk, became the owner of Olesko Castle. Works of art from Oleski Castle are gradually transported to the neighboring Pidgoretsky Castle. In the 1779—1787 years. Olesky Castle was owned by the son of V. P. Zhevuski — Severin Zhevuski (1743—1811).

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1796 Oleski Castle and Severinka were bought at auction by Alexander Zelinsky (c. 1755—1821), sub-commissary of Nursky. The last owner of Oleski Castle is Sofia Litynska, daughter of Wojciech and Dizma Litinsky. During her possession, Oleski Castle turned into a ruin.

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In 1882, on the initiative of the regional marshal Nikolai Ziblikevich, the Society for the Custody of the Castle was established in Olesk, which on November 21, 1882 bought the castle in Sofia Litynska. On January 10, 1890, by the decision of the Sejm, it was transferred to the state. Long restoration work was interrupted by the First World War. In the Second World War, the castle suffered significant losses. In addition, in the 1950s, according to the official version, lightning struck the castle, the fire lasted several days. The fire destroyed all wooden floors, floors, remnants of furniture, etc.

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After the fire, local party members of the then Olesky district decided to dismantle the walls of Olesky Castle, and use the stone and brick for the construction of barns and pig houses. The complete destruction of Oleski Castle was prevented by Andriy Shulyar (1918—2010), Head of the Department of Construction and Architecture of Lviv Regional Executive Committee, Chief Architect of Lviv Oblast (1953-1980). He managed to secure the building, cover the roofs and carry out the primary repair and restoration work in the castle.

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From 1954, the restoration project began, and in 1958 construction work began, mostly completed by 1965. There were plans to adapt the castle as a holiday home.

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At the beginning of 1970, in the castle premises, it was decided to create a department of the Lviv Art Gallery — the Olesky Castle Museum. Famous figures joined the creation of the museum: Andriy Shulyar, Boris Voznitsky, Vladimir Ovsiychuk, Ivan Mohytych, Vladimir Vuytsyk. From 1972 to 1975, an exposition of the Museum of Art of Western Ukrainian Lands of the XIV-XVIII centuries was created in the restored castle. On December 21, 1975, the grand opening of the museum “Olesky Castle” took place.

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Today the museum presents: Galician-Volyn icon painting of the XV — XVIII centuries, Ukrainian portrait painting of the XVI-XVIII centuries, European painting of the XVI-XVIII centuries, European sculpture of the XV — XVIII centuries, in particular created in Lviv.

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Oleski Castle is part of the tourist route “Golden Horseshoe of Lviv region”, which includes Pidgoretsky, Zolochiv, and sometimes also Zhovkivsky Castle — museum units of the Lviv National Gallery of Art named after B.G. Voznitsky.

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