The majestic Renaissance palace located in the village of Pidhirtsi (Lviv Oblast, Ukraine) makes a strong impression. An integral composition is formed by a spacious landscape park, a three-story palace with fortifications, a moat, sculptural compositions, and a church. In the best of times, the castle often hosted parties that were attended by noble persons.
No money was spared for the construction: luxurious halls, decorated in different styles, decorated with gold, mosaics, decorated with copies of famous paintings and myriads of mirrors in chic frames, aroused admiration and delight among contemporaries.
400 years of history have shaped the look of the gloomy but still eye-catching building. The castle survived a fire that destroyed most of the collection of valuables and interior decoration. People also worked hard to create the atmosphere: during the war years, the museum center was plundered, and a hospice for tuberculosis patients was made within the walls of the historic building.
Already in our days, when restoration work began, and the Podgoretsky castle underwent thorough research, anomalous events began to occur. The workers examined every nook and cranny, photographed every section of the walls, floor, attic and other places. Some of the photographs caused genuine bewilderment: the photographs captured not only interiors, but also strange, ghostly silhouettes of people.
The interior of the Podgoretsky castle.
Ghost stories have been told for a long time, as soon as a museum was opened on the basis of the complex. So, it became known about the White Lady - the ghost of a woman appeared to several tourists and caretakers. Visitors heard the sound of heels on the stone floor as they walked the corridors. Moreover, the sound of footsteps swept very close, as if someone delicately bypassed people, remaining unnoticed.
Employees more than once noticed the sudden fading out of candles and saw the glow in the casemates of the building.
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The White Lady appeared as a result of a chilling event back in the heyday of the castle, when the owner was Vaclav Rzhevussky and his wife Maria. The girl was so beautiful that the jealous Vaclav could not bear the greasy looks of the young guests towards his wife, accused her of treason and immured her alive in one of the walls of the estate. History is confirmed based on archived data.
Ghost stories have been verified more than once. Participants of the Ukrainian program "The Battle of Psychics" came, who clearly felt the presence of restless souls. Also, scientists with instruments from the American community "Ghost Hunters International" worked in the castle for three days, and filmed a documentary about the paranormal. The participants were able to establish contact with the White Countess, communicated by knocking, the camera caught a massive shadow hanging over one of the heroines. Also, an unintelligible dialect was recorded that accompanied the research.
What exactly is roaming the dark corridors of the neglected castle? Who are these people who have become ghosts? What do they want from living people? Remains a mystery.
It will not be possible to inspect the entire palace with your own eyes, only a part is open for visiting, but sometimes this is enough … especially for impressionable people.