The Dubno Castle was seen as probably the richest one in Europe because of Ostroh princes' unbelievable riches buried in its impregnable walls and underground corridors. So it is not surprising that it attracted many conquerors. But its walls withstood all the sieges and the fortress was never taken by storm.
The castle was renovated for several times and new fortifications were built. The exterior of the castle and its decoration were determined by the defensive purpose: deep moats filled with water, secret passages and artillery protected the city from the conquerors. The fortress even had its own foundry which replenished the arsenals of firearms.
Today, one can see two palaces on the territory of the Dubno Castle – the Ostroh Palace in the north part, and the Lubomirski Palace in the south part of the castle. And as it so often happens with the castles, the most important things were hidden underground. Prince Ostrogski is regarded as the wealthiest nobleman in Europe. Everything of value, as well as supplies of water and food were stared in the dungeons. But nowadays, there is a Museum of torture at that terrifying vaults.
The Dubno castle has its own legend. And it is not some made-up legend. On the wedding day of the Prince of Ostroh – Beata in 1577, the Tatars sieged the fortress. Everyone panicked except the bride. She climbed the castle’s tower and burned the tent, where the Crimean Khan and his son stayed, with a well-aimed cannon shot. Left without their leader, the Tatars retreated and nicknamed the brave Beata a witch.
During many years the whole complex belonged to the Ostroh dynasty and only at the end of the XIX century it was sold to the military department. And the interesting thing is that the reason for the sale was the huge debts of the owner, Józef Lubomyrski, who liked risky gambles.
Today Dubno Castle might almost be described as an entertainment complex. It houses exhibitions devoted to the history of the castle, as well as a café, a cinema and other infrastructure. The staff provides walking, theatrical and night tours. One of the tours is dedicated to the real events which were described in Nikolay Gogol’s immortal work “Taras Bulba”. According to historical sources it was under the walls of Dubno Castle where Taras lost his sons.