Archaeologists from The National Academy of Ukraine Sciences They arrived in sealed Hidden room Below the Galipian Castle for nearly three centuries. This important penetration follows more than a year of sensitive excavation work, and reveals a forgotten semester of the Halic medieval castle, western Ukraine.
From a wooden stronghold to a stone fortress
Also known as Starasta Castle, Galician Castle It tracks its origins to the twelfth century. Initially, it was built as wooden enrichment on a rock shelf overlooking the Dniester River, the structure played a major role in the defense network in the region. It was later rebuilt in the stone during the fourteenth century under the leadership of Casimir III, and it was designed in the early sixteenth century by architect Francisco Korezini, which represents its transformation into a fortified stronghold of strategic importance.
Century of the military conflict left the castle. A pivotal moment in its decline in 1676 came during the Turkish Broken War, when Ibrahim Shah led from a devastating attack that brought up sections of the castle towers using the fire cannon. One of these collapsed towers hidden an entrance Underground room.
Re -detection of the forgotten room
According to Daily’s heritageThe first evidence of the hidden room appeared in 2023, when Vladimir Olinic, General Manager of The old national reserveI mentioned the discovery of a narrow ventilation column under the rubble of the sixteenth century Tower. The column pointed to a hidden room, but the initial arrival was impossible.
Since then, archaeologists have cleared him hard More than 150 cubic meters of soil and debris Manually to maintain the archaeological safety of the site. “This part of the castle has been completely cut since the explosion,” Olinik explained. “No heavy machines can be used, so all of this has been manually.”
Once it was cleansed, the Chamber revealed a low internal presence and soot, which prompted the researchers to propose several hypotheses about its original purpose. Current assessments tend to interpret space as WristA fortified position used to store or release weapons. The presence of a spear supports the ventilation of this theory, because it is likely that it is Dip smoke From inside the defensive gunpowder.
Tunnels and legend whispers
One of the most interesting discoveries inside the room is a A small gap in one of its stone wallsHint to a possible tunnel. This feeds the long local myths of an underground network that extends under the castle and the surrounding lands.
One of this story tells the escape from the daughter of Sheikhousa from the Galilee and her lover, with the help of a maid who bribed the guards and led them through the hidden tunnels to Fenteia. The general access to the site is still closed while the exploration continues. Archaeologists hope that continuous investigations will confirm whether the room is already part of more An underground system is wide.
