Kamyanets-Podilsky is an extremely beautiful ancient town of Ukraine, “a stone flower on the rock”, as the famous Ukrainian poet Lesya Ukrayinka described it in the beginning of the 20th century.” Stare Misto”, a majestic stone fortress with numerous fortifications and intricate architectural decorations, which dates back to the beginning of the 12th century, is the heart of this medieval place. The fortress, built on a rocky island near the River Smotrych, is just one jewel of Kamyanets-Podilsky. Among other ancient attractions, there are a two millennia old Roman bridge, a Gothic city hall, and a unique minaret featuring the statue of the Virgin Mary. Besides being a military fortress, ancient Kamyanets-Podilsky was also a stronghold of Christianity. In the 17th century, the town had about 15 different churches of Orthodox, Catholic, and Armenian Christian confessions, many of which still stand and continue to marvel tourists.

Actually, Kamyanets-Podilsky is one of the most ancient towns of Ukraine. Archaeological excavations show that in the Neolithic Age the place was settled by people of the Tripolya Culture, who were forced away by the about two thousand years ago. According to legend, the town-fortress was founded by four brothers belonging to the Grand Duke Olgerd clan of Lithuania, who hit upon an enchanting river valley with a towering rock during a deer hunt and decided to build there a town. Although a true history of the town still remains a mystery, many researchers believe that it was established about the same time as were the first settlements of the Kyivan Rus – before the 11th century.

Kamyanets-Podilsky was first mentioned in the Armenian Chronicles about a thousand years ago. Since then, fierce storms of history have swept through it numerous times. In 1393 the fortress was captured by the Lithuanian Duke Witovt; in 1672 it was occupied by the Turks, and in 1621 the town won against the army of the Turkish Sultan Osman I, but fell again in the 17th century to the Turk Emperor Mahomet IV… After 1793, the town was ceased by the Russian Empire and its fortress eventually lost its military significance and became a prison. Kamyanets-Podilsky was again returned to Ukraine only in the 20th century.

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