13.5

Kamyanets-Podilsky is an extremely beautiful ancient town of Ukraine. Kamyanets-Podilsky is one of the most ancient towns of Ukraine. “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. 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.