The occupiers damaged the buildings of the Medzhibiz fortress

The Russian drone attack on the Khmelnytsky region, which occurred on the night of August 19, caused damage to the Medzhibiz State Historical and Cultural Reserve.

The blast wave damaged several buildings of the Medzhibiz Fortress, which is an architectural monument of the 16th century and is included in the State Register of National Cultural Heritage. In particular, it is the Knight's Tower of the 15th century, the St. Michael's Church of 1586, the local museum of the Holodomor.

"At approximately 3:20 on August 19, the blast wave damaged the windows, the locks were broken, the doors were damaged… suffered a roof on the highest Knight's Tower with a height of 37 meters”, – Ukrinform quotes the director of the reserve Oleg Pohorilets.

According to him, damage to the tower – the greatest damage to the reserve. "The fasteners are broken, and of course, there is now a danger that these sheets can be completely torn off by the wind, during a storm, creating a danger for people as well, and, of course, that natural factors, such as rains, can damage the building itself,", &ndash ; said the director of the nature reserve Khmelnytskyi.

Scientific employee of the reserve “Mezhibizh” Evgeny Nagurnyi said that a large crack appeared on the wall in the Holodomor museum, which is located in one of the buildings.

Also, according to him, during the Russian attack, windows were broken, stained glass windows were damaged, and the door in the 1586 St. Michael's Church, located on the territory of the fortress.

On Monday, August 21, Nagurny reported, a special commission was working on the territory of the reserve together with the police, recording the destruction and assessing the amount of damage.

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The reserve hopes to restore the damaged area with the help of benefactors, Pohorilets said. "I think, most likely, the restoration of the reserve will take place in the good traditions of our work with charitable foundations, which will quickly be able to help us glaze the windows, repair the doors, and conduct an inspection of the roof of the Knight's Tower,", – added the director.

Medzhibiz Castle – the second most popular fortress in Khmelnytskyi region. Since 2001, it has had the status of a State Historical and Cultural Reserve.

This is a monument of fortification architecture of the 16th century, built in a mixed style: from the brick construction of the Lithuanian era to the Eastern European Renaissance and pseudo-Gothic of the 19th century. Entered into the State Register of the National Cultural Property of Ukraine. Architectural monuments of national importance are also individual objects on the territory of the reserve: the palace complex, the church of St. Nicholas, walls and towers.

In April 2022, the castle was granted the official status of a full member of the European Cultural route through the sights of the Forte Cultura fortification.