Klevan castle (Abandoned manor of Chartoriyskih)

The castle on the Stubla River in Klevan, Rivne region, has been known since the 15th century. At the end of the century, the Volyn prince Fedor Chartoryisky, whose family owned the local territories for 400 years, began the reconstruction of the fortress. The works lasted more than 60 years and ended in 1561.

An arched bridge adorned with frescoes (fragments of them remained until the beginning of the previous century) led to the castle over the moat. The castle complex included 2 stone five-pointed towers, their walls (almost 4 meters thick) have still remained, and 1 wooden, which, unfortunately, has not been preserved. The main function of the towers was the observation, because they went out onto the road to the fortress from the side of the river and to the central entrance. In addition, a bastion was placed in the western tower, and an armory in the eastern one. For the defense of the territory, the castle was equipped with 30 cannons. Residents of the village also talk about the network of dungeons leading from Klevansky to Oletsky Castle, and then to the Annunciation Church. It is said that it was thanks to the reinforcements that came through these passages that the castle was able to hold the weekly defense and defeat the Tatar troops in 1640. In general, in XVI – XVII cent. the fortress often was attacked by Horde invasions, but because it was far from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, it gradually lost its protective role.

At the beginning of the 17th century Chartoryisky left Klevansky Castle and turned it into an infirmary. From 1632, for almost 150 years, there had been the Jesuit College. At the beginning of the 19th century, another prince from the Chartoryisky family decided to rebuild the fortress and establish a Polish gymnasium. It was closed in the 30s, because of the participation of students in Polish riots. For the next few years, several more educational institutions had been opened here, and then for 50 years the place was taken by a religious school. With the advent of the First World War, which caused significant damage to the building of the fortress, a veterinary evacuation center was equipped here.
During the ХХ century in Klevansky castle there used to be a shelter for homeless people, a school, a boarding school for orphans, the NKVD base, German punitive organs, vocational schools, and finally the last one was the health-care dispensary for alcoholics. It was closed in 1988 and since then the building has been empty. There was a period when they wanted to make a hotel in the castle, but it was never implemented.

Now the abandoned fortress has to make do only with the attention of a few travelers, who sometimes visit it on the way to the famous Tunnel of Lovers. Although Klevansky castle itself is the object of romantic legends. So, according to one of them, Chartoryisky ordered the pair of lovers to be immured within its walls, after the girl objected to the first night with the prince. Therefore, for many lovers, this place is considered as a symbol of loyalty.