Entrance tower of XVI–XVIII centuries of the Starostynskyi castle in Halych. Results and perspectives of the architectural and archaeological research

Architectural and archaeological research of the Entrance Tower of the castle in Halych on Dnister was started in 2022 by the expedition of the National Reserve «Ancient Halych». The crowns of the external authentic buildings on two-thirds of the perimeter were localized and revealed, and the internal planning structure of the object was partially clarified. Six loopholes, the remains of an oblique opening of the outer entrance gate with a wicket, the cheek of the inner gate, some inner walls, and traces of vault, which pointed to the lower tier of the structure, were discovered and recorded. It was established that the monument was preserved in general until the midpoint of its middle tier, and the tower was considerably conserved from the outside, probably in the 19th century. Through one of the two ventilation channels found in the walls, an inspection camera was used to examine the large crypt – one of the rooms of the lower tier of the tower, which is in a satisfactory dry state of preservation, the entrance to which is blocked by a multi-ton pile of the tower wall. For preservation and further research, a conservation pavilion was built over the discovered substances of the tower. The partially revealed elements of the defensive architecture of the tower were identified with the inventory descriptions of the castle from 1582 and 1767. A cartographic and iconographic analysis of the partially revealed object was carried out. It has been found that the most accurate source of the mapping of the planning structure of the Starostynskyi castle is the plan made in 1795, which should be kept in the Archives in Vienna. The movable artifacts discovered during the introductory stage of the excavations are attributed to the period of the 17th–19th centuries. Programs have been developed for the further disclosure of the interior and exterior of the ruins of the Entrance Tower of the Halych Castle, which are proposed to be implemented consistently, taking into account interdisciplinary research and tandem with restoration specialists for the future museumization and use of the monument

Archaeology · Art · Tower · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Engineering · Historical and Cultural Studies of Poland · History · Medieval European History and Architecture