The oldest historical landmark of Volodymyr is its ancient center – the princely Сitadel of the 10th–12th centuries. It was first mentioned in 988 during the reign of Prince Volodymyr the Great in connection with the transfer of the princely domain to his son Vsevolod.

At the entrance, visitors are greeted by a corageous warrior, strong as an oak, who guards this place and ensures that only those with good intentions enter. He invites visitors into the very historical heart of Volodymyr. Today, one can see remnants of old utility structures, the premises of a former prison, an alley of sophisticatedly carved wooden sculptures, and the largest hewn throne in Ukraine.

What does history conceal? Over the centuries, the appearance of the castle in Volodymyr changed – it was first wooden, then stone, and later wooden again. The Volodymyr Citadel was a typical defensive structure for the Volyn region. Wooden walls of a frame or notched construction stood atop the ramparts. Let’s try to imagine how the fortress looked in the 10th–12th centuries. Grass might have grown on the embankments to prevent erosion. Sometimes, they were covered with clay and fired by lighting bonfires, or in winter, they were doused with water to create an icy layer.

Atop the ramparts, numerous log structures were built close to each other and covered with earth – these were known as “horodny”. Some remained empty and served as living quarters. The defensive wall formed by these “horodny” was divided into two or three levels inside. The walls had arrow slits, and a roof covered the top. The upper wooden part of the wall, featuring a protected platform for warriors, was called “zaborol”. Towers were constructed where the walls made turns.

The Hypatian Chronicle records that Khan Burundai came to Volodymyr and stopped for the night at Zhytani village, where he coversed with Prince Vasylko, ordering him to quickly dismantle the city fortifications. According to a legend, the walls of the princely city were made of thick oak logs. To comply with Burundai’s order, Vasylko decided to set them on fire. However, the heavens opened, and a torrential rain lasted for three days. Only on the fourth day was the prince able to ignite the city. Once the city had burned down, the khan commanded that the fortress should be dismantled, and this was carried out.

The Stone Castle and Later History

A large number of horses and oxen were used to transport construction materials for building the stone castle. Narushevych described King Kazymyr III’s castle in Volodymyr as “a stone structure surrounded by a rampart.” In 1370 (or, according to another version, in 1377), Princes Lubart and Keistut attacked Volodymyr, defeated the Polish garrison, and destroyed the fortress, leaving “not a stone upon a stone.”

After the castle walls were destroyed, the city could not remain without a fortified core for long. A 1552 inventory of the wooden Volodymyr castle states that this “oakwood castle was built eighty years ago under the direction of governor Soltan,” meaning around 1470. This suggests that the wooden fortress was either newly constructed or rebuilt.

According to historical records, the entrance to the castle was through a four-sided gate tower. In the front there was a moat, over which a drawbridge connected the castle to the surrounding fortified settlement – Pidzamche, located north of the citadel.

The wooden castle, built in the 15th century, stood until 1683, when it suffered severe damage in a fire. It is known that the castle was originally built among marshes, surrounded by ramparts. The wooden bridge over the marshes had deteriorated, and the two-tiered wooden gate had been recently rebuilt. The first tier housed a prison for commoners, while the second, with a balcony, held noble convicts. To the left stood an old wooden building for the court and chancery. On the castle grounds, there were four houses, two iron cannons—one damaged and the other rusted. The ramparts had partially collapsed, and the moat had silted up.

From 1939 to 1941 and again from 1944 to 1954, a prison operated on the site of the ancient settlement. Between 1939 and 1941, mass executions of prisoners took place here. Thousands have become victims of repression, particularly during the executions of June 22, 1941, within the walls of the Volodymyr prison. A monument on the citadel’s ramparts now commemorates these tragic times.

Today, the site has been cleared of accidental developments, and archaeological research and exhumation work have been conducted.