Castle Palanok in Mukachevo
Castle Palanok also know as Mukachevo castle but better known as the interesting Palanok palace complex on the territory of Ukraine, has been maintained since the Middle Ages. Palanok is situated on a hill above the town of Mukachevo, which is located in the western Ukrainian region of Zakarpattia. Towering over the 68-foot volcanic mountain Lamkova, Palanok Castle is one of the main historic monuments in the country.
The history of the castle in Mukachevo began in the 14th century. A little later it turned into the impregnable fortress of the French engineers. After the storming of the Bastille, Palanok castle was used as a prison. The castle in the coming years was used as a residence by a number of senior figures. For more than 200 years it was taken by the possession of the strong family Koriatovich. During the reign of Prince Felix Koriatovich the fortress became one of the most inaccessible throughout the country.
Palanok Castle itself consists of three separate buildings - high, medium and low. The Prince and his family lived in the highest part of the castle, where the interior impresses with its pomp and luxury. At that time the palace in Mukachevo has a pretty good arsenal of 164 guns of different sizes and 60 barrels of gunpowder. The fortress was surrounded by a deep ditch. Inside of the old pit was based on rising around it a wooden castle firewall that the Ukrainian called Palanok. It is from this word comes from the name of the fortress in Mukachevo.
The entire palace complex Palanok extends over an area of 14, 000 square meters inside the castle is composed of 130 different rooms with built complex system of underground passages between them.
At a certain stage of its history Palanok Castle became the main center of rebellion, led by Ferenc Rakoshy. After 1789 the fortress and its dungeons had been converted into a prison. In 1926 it became Palanok barracks, and then beyond its walls was housed an agricultural college before coming to these days when the castle operated as a museum where you can learn everything about the history of Mukachevo and Palanok Castle itself.
