About us
The Museum «Okolnyi Castle» is a modern historical part of the defensive structure of Lutsk from the 14th - 17th centuries. The Upper Lutsk Castle was rebuilt from wooden fortifications to stone ones between the late 14th and 15th centuries. The first line of defensive of the Upper Castle, Okolny Castle, began its transformation in the early 16th century, when wooden towers were gradually replaced with stone structures. After the National Liberation War under the leadership of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the aboveground and underground levels of the Jesuit Collegium became an essential part of Okolny Castle’s fortifications. The Museum “Okolny Castle” operates as a functional part of the Lutsk City Council’s Communal Enterprise «Tourism Development Center». Creation of this Museum “The Okolny Castle” was made possible through the project New Life for the Old City: Revitalization of the Historical and Cultural Heritage of Lutsk and Lublin». The project was implemented as part of a collaboration between the European Union and the Lutsk City Council. The project was funded by the Poland-Belarus-Ukraine Cross-Border Cooperation Program 2014-2020 under the European Neighborhood Instrument. The goal was to enhance the tourism appeal of Lutsk and Lublin by developing shared international tourist attractions based on their common historical and cultural heritage. As part of the project, restoration work was carried out on the Princes Czartoryski Towers with its defensive wall and the Jesuit Monastery. Archaeological research and excavation were conducted, including the clearance and restoration of an 18-meter corridor, previously covered with soil and construction debris, which now connects existing and newly discovered underground basements. The total area of the newly opened underground galleries spans 700 square meters. Today, the Museum “Okolny Castle” is an exciting new tourist destination on the map of Lutsk, Volyn, and Ukraine. The historic underground complex includes 18 rooms, 4 corridors, a 16th–17th-century tower, and atmospheric inner and outer courtyards.
OUR MISSION
The underground galleries of the Jesuit Priest’ s Collegium and the Towers of the Czartoryski Princes with their unique authenticity and modern exhibitions, serve as an effective tool for promoting history. By emerging within the cultural space, the Okolny Castle has provided an opportunity to reshape certain stereotypical perceptions among visitors aged 35 and older. It is about increasing the self-worth of adult excursion participants and, most importantly, the purposeful formation of a perception of Lutsk’s past as a city that, until the late 16th century, developed within distinctly European frameworks—functioning municipal law, religious freethinking, and craft guild—among schoolchildren and students. The fusion of antiquity and cutting-edge scientific advancements within our space is designed to cultivate a lasting interest in the history and culture of our native land. It aims to instill a deep understanding of self-identification and encourage reflection on our heritage as residents of a historically and inherently European cultural, intellectual, and legal space.
Our team
