Latest news with #VladimirOleynik
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Found a Mysterious Secret Chamber Beneath a 12th-Century Castle
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: Researchers discovered a secret sealed room in Ukraine's historic Galician Castle. After accessing the sealed room, the researchers found that it was once a fortified space for storing weapons and testing artillery. The research team may have also discovered the beginning of a network of tunnels—known only through legend—beneath the castle. For 300 years, nobody knew that a secret sealed room existed in Ukraine's historic Galician Castle, let alone entered it. But researchers recently discovered the room and broke that seal, discovering that it was likely a fortified space for storing weapons and (possibly) even firing artillery. The castle—prominent in the 12th through 17th centuries in the western Ukrainian city of Halych—has long been an attraction. When archaeologists from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine noticed a ventilation shaft among a tower's ruins, it led to an unknown room that hasn't been used for 300 years, according to a report from Heritage Daily. Most likely, it had been cut off from the rest of the castle since the Turkish-Polish War of 1676. As the shaft was too narrow to access—Vladimir Oleynik, director general of the Ancient Galich National Reserve, told Heritage Daily—crews dug through over 5,200 cubic feet of debris by hand to access the room. Oleynik said that the manual labor was key in ensuring artifacts weren't damaged and the integrity of the structure wasn't compromised while accessing the chamber. Once inside, archaeologists discovered that the room was likely a casemate—a fortified space for storing and testing weapons. Evidence for this included the walls (which featured dark soot stains, a common result of firing artillery from the time), and the presence of a ventilation shaft (they were popular in casemates to allow smoke to escape). The Galician Castle—sometimes known as Starasta Castle—was originally a wooden fortress from the 12th century, and was built along the Dniester River. In the 14th century, Casimir III the Great led major renovations, after which the castle was used as a residence. In the early 17th century, architect Francisco Corazzini designed a remodel, but not even a century later, the Turks' army sieged the castle with cannons during the Turkish-Polish War of 1676. Experts believe that the bombing of the castle buried the ventilation shaft, covering the recently rediscovered room. 'This part of the castle has been completely cut off since the explosion,' Oleynik said. 'No heavy machinery could be used, so it was all done manually to preserve the archaeological integrity.' Isolated from the main fortress, use of the chamber as a casemate makes sense, but crews will continue to analyze finds within the room to better understand how it fit into the site's patchwork ruins. Crews may soon have some more pieces of that puzzle to explore, as the team located a small gap in the chamber's walls that could lead to further exploration. With a legend circulating throughout the city that the castle site features secret underground passages—one such story tells of how the love-struck daughter of a high-ranking official escaped with her chosen man, all thanks to her maid bribing castle guards—any little clue about the existence of such tunnels would add a fresh level of intrigue to the site. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Archaeologists make shocking discovery after accessing room that had been sealed up for 300 years
For the last three centuries, this dark, dusty chamber has been sealed shut. Hidden beneath a castle in Halych, western Ukraine, the mysterious room was buried beneath 150 cubic metres of soil and debris. It is believed the room was covered by a section of wall that collapsed when the castle was bombarded by canons in 1676. In 2023, experts discovered a small ventilation shaft leading to the hidden chamber. Now, after years of delicate excavation work, archaeologists have finally been able to access it. Initial theories suggest that the chamber served as a casemate – an arsenal, or vault for safeguarding precious belongings during times of conflict. But to add to the mystery, a small gap in one of the chamber's walls indicates the presence of a tunnel, or possibly a network of underground tunnels long associated with local legend. One tells of a girl who escaped through the tunnels with her lover, aided by her maid who bribed the castle guards. The building, called Galician Castle – or Starasta Castle – was originally founded in the 12th century as a wooden fortification built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Dniester River. In the mid-14th century it was rebuilt in stone by Casimir III the Great and, later, in the early 17th century it was redesigned by an architect. It was Vladimir Oleynik, Director General of the Ancient Galich National Reserve, who first announced the discovery of a ventilation shaft two years ago. He believes the collapsed wall likely dates to the Turkish-Polish War of 1676, when Halych was attacked by forces who used a cannon to destroy the castle's defensive walls and towers. 'This part of the castle had been completely cut off since the explosion,' Mr Oleynik told Heritage Daily. 'No heavy machinery could be used, so it was all done manually to preserve the archaeological integrity.' While work is ongoing, public access to the excavation site remains restricted. Archaeologists hope that further exploration will provide deeper insights into the hidden history of one of Ukraine's most legendary fortresses. In 2018 experts unearthed mysterious tar decorations scrawled on the bones of a woman buried along the river Dniester. The burial ritual, unlike anything ever seen in Europe, is thought to have taken place after the woman had died and decomposed 4,500 years ago. This allowed ancient people to draw directly on her bones – likely using tar obtained from wood.
