UKRDOUG Castle Tours - Chervonohorod Fortress Traditional Geocache
UKRDOUG Castle Tours - Chervonohorod Fortress
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Please do not search for cache when people are around. Also, do not sweep with your hand when looking for the cache because you could easily knock the cache down the hole. Use slow hand movements.
Chervonohorod Fortress
This ancient town, which once was the capital city of the Appanage Principality of Podilya, no longer exists after Ukrainian nationalists murdered its entire population of 500 Polish citizens during World War II. The Soviet government subsequently dismantled the town. Chervonohorod was one of the oldest towns in Podilya first mentioned in the Rus Chronicles of the 9th century. The name of the town means “Red Town” because of the abundance of red sandstone.
By 1313 the wooden castle erected by Rus Princes came into the possession of the patriarch of the Koryatovych family, Michal Karijotas. Karijotas was one of the sons of Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. He built the first stone fortress on the territory that then passed to his son Fyodor Koryatovych.
In 1362 Fyodor fought alongside his uncle Algirdas, who was then Grand Duke of Lithuania, at the Battle of Blue Waters. Their victory over the Golden Horde brought Kyiv and the region of Podilya under Lithuanian control. The Koryatovych family was rewarded with rule over Podilya from their Chervonohorod Fortress. Fyodor became sole ruler after his last brother died in 1389.
Fyodor’s rule did not last long as he came into conflict with his cousin Vytautas. When their uncle Algirdas died, the crown was passed on to his son Jogaila. The Union of Kreva was signed with Poland in 1385. In this agreement Jogaila agreed to convert to Catholicism, marry the underage Polish princess Jadwiga, and be crowned King of Poland. It was the first step in uniting Poland and Lithuania into a Commonwealth.
Jogaila left his unpopular brother Skirgaila as Grand Duke of Lithuania. Vytautas saw this as his opportunity to take the crown resulting in a three-year civil war (1389-1392). Fyodor’s loyalty to the son of Algirdas resulted in his exile when Vytautas succeeded in coming to power. Fyodor purchased the city of Mukachave in 1396 and settled into Palanok Castle, one of the most protected castles in the region.
In 1434 Chervonohorod was elevated to the status of a royal town. Fourteen years later it was granted Magdeburg rights.
In the middle of the 17th century, at which time the castle belonged to the Danylovych family, the Tatars, Cossacks and Hungarians repeatedly destroyed the castle. When the Turks conquered Podilya at the end of the 17th century they left the castle in ruins and led the residents away into captivity leaving Chervonohorod a ghost town.
A century later, in 1772, Poland was partitioned between Austria, Russia and Prussia. Chervonohorod became a part of the Austrian Habsburg Empire. Polish Prince Adam Karol Poninskyi, Grand Treasurer of the Crown, bought the castle in 1778 and tore down the walls of the fortress to build a palace on its foundations. He only preserved the two towers that are all that is left of the fortress. He also built a church nearby, which ruins stand today, to house the remains of this princely family.
The two World Wars of the 20th century were merciless to the castle. The palace was completely destroyed and the two towers heavily damaged. The territory now houses the youth camp “Romashka” operated by the Greek Catholic Church.
When you visit the ruins you will hear the sound of a roaring stream nearby. That noise is produced by Dzuryn Waterfalls which at 16-meters is the largest waterfall in Ukraine.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre gur "yvq" va gur "eblny gbvyrg"