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Rakovets is a village of Horodenkivskyi district (Ivano-Frankivsk area), located on a bank of the river Dniester, one of the oldest settlements of Halychyna area, known by the materials of town and council books of 1440. There are ruins of the castle located in the south suburbs of the village, in extraordinarily picturesque area. It is a cape looking terrace of steep slope which passes into the steep right bank of Dniester.The majestic scenery of the river opens from here, the view of the village and its premises looks like a wide horseshoe. Though once it was a densely built-up but small castle, not much was preserved to nowadays only the north-western tower and a fragment of south-east one, which served as a chaped. The castle was built by Dominique Voytsekh Benyovskyi, Halychyna servant, in the middle of the 17th century, right after the ending of national liberation war. Just after its foundation, in 1657, yet not completely built castle resisred the siege of Cossack troops which went to the rebuft to price Rakotsi, after which in 1660 the builging of the edifice was already ended. The Latin inscription on a marble grave, moored into the overgate tower testifies it, and also instruction of Halychyna area counsil on February, 21, 1659, where this event was also mentioned. At the end of the 17th century there was a ferriage throgh Dniester on the Rakovets' castle's disposal, and the castle was a place for preserving supplies of food and accoutrement. For this reason this important militarystrategie object became the place of soldiery collisions. In 1667, in the days of Turkish war, the castle resisted the Tatar siege, but in 1672 Turks conquered it rather easily. In 1676 Turks laid hands on the castle for a second time, having damaged it heavity. After restoration the castle played an outstanding role in providing of marches of Polish King Yan III Sobeskyi against Turkey in 1685-1691 years. In the 18 Architecture According to a plan, the castle was in form a wrong polygon, which correspondent to a contour of the ground. The general sizes were 40x60 m, not taking into account the towers which protruded the perimeter of defensive walls. There were three towers: a south-western - an overgate one (from the side of the settlement); a north-western one (from the side of steep slope); a south-eastern one (above a sleep bank). An entrance to the fortress was through twostoreyed gates with half-round vaults, to which there was a bridge over a dug ditch. There were dwelling apartments in the western part on the castle, and the chapel on the north-east. In the middle of the eastern castle wall there was a hexagonal tower with deep wine cellars. The legend of the castle. The legeng tells about an interesting episode of war/ Benyovskiy together with gentry and peasants resisted the Tatars"s attacks bravely until the sudden ending of the food supply in the castle. Defenders were forced to begin negotiations with Tatars. And then a fellow, whose name remained unknown? at night get down on twine from a swift rock above the river, twince swam across Dniester and reached Chernelytsi, where Poles encamped. He told them about difficulties the defenders had and convinced them that the Rakowets' castle could be easily got back. Poles with lightning speed besieged an enemy camp at night. Benyovskyi with defenders also sallied from the side of the castle. Tatars were shatter raided. 2 |
