Palanok Castle in Ukraine, Castles, Travel Destinations

Palanok Castle

The city of Mukachevsky is home to one of the most beautiful and well-preserved castles in the whole of Europe. Palanok Castle or Mukachevsky castle, as it is more commonly called, had its foundations first laid in the 14th century on a volcanic hill which stands sixty-eight meters high.

This historic castle has had a variety of inhabitants, many of whom were of royal origin. These included Janucz Gunyadi who was regent of Hungary, Serbian prince Georgi Brankovich, King Laiosh Maria's wife, and the Koriatovych family who lived there for nearly two centuries. These are just some of the families that made Palanok castle their home. In 1805 the castle became home to the Hungarian Sacred Crown for a year in an attempt to protect it from troops under Napoleon's leadership.

The Palanok Castle was used not only as a home for a variety of wealthy lords over the centuries, but also as a fortress and a prison as well as a few other things. The first change that the castle underwent was one of fortification. This helped to convert it into a secure and impenetrable fortress and the changes were designed by French engineers. Later the Mukachevsky castle went under another face-lift and was changed from a strong fortress to a political prison. Previously the Bastille, a famous French prison, was home to all the political prisoners from around Europe. However, the Bastille use as such was put to an end when an angry mob attacked and removed all the prisoners in protest. It was then that the Mukachevsky castle took over as an all-European political prison.

The Palanok castle has a unique layout which includes beautiful patios, elaborate entrances, massive multiple chambers and, of course, the fortress that was built so long ago. Palanok gives the impression of being made up of three castles all joined together - especially if you get a chance to view the castle from the air. There is the high, the middle and the lower castle; all of these make up the Mukachevsky castle.

Today Mukachevsky castle remains a European and Ukrainian monument famous for its military role and appreciated for its architectural beauty. Located in such a difficult position the castle has proved impossible to breach. This relative inaccessibility has allowed this magnificent castle to remain somewhat unaltered over the course of its history.