Discussing the enigmatic phenomenon of bastion castles in Renaissance architecture, their origin poses a separate topic. Despite significant losses throughout the centuries due to warfare, alterations, and so-called restoration efforts, many of these architectural complexes continue to exist across Europe. Particularly remarkable is the prevalence of 17th-century bastion castles in Eastern Galicia (Western Ukraine), with no other region in Europe boasting as many examples of this type. However, there is still a dearth of information on their inception and value in architectural history.

The prevailing notion was that medieval castles in the 17th century became inappropriate for both opulent living and protection against gunpowder weaponry, which led to a division of this architectural structure into two architectural categories: defensive structures like contemporary forts or fortresses with bastion fortifications, and civil constructions such as palaces. Nonetheless, during this period, a hybrid category emerged, melding these two architectural types into a single ensemble, extending the creation of castles into the 17th century. The initial cases of this hybrid type were identified in Italy during the 16th century, primarily built for the Medici family. However, it acquired a distinct typological characteristic a century later in the Republic of Poland and gained widespread prevalence, particularly in the former territory of Eastern Galicia (Western Ukraine).

This lecture aims to highlight a transfer of knowledge from Italy and France to Ukraine and familiarize the audience with the rich defensive architecture of the bastion castle type that gained its pick of development in Ukraine.