In the ancient village of Podgortsy, located 20 km north of Zolochiv, there is a castle that can rightly be called one of the pearls of the historical monuments of Ukraine.

The history of this castle dates back to 1635-1640, when a fortress was erected on a high mountain. Its owners were the Polish magnates Koniecpolsky. The construction of fortifications was led by the famous Guillaume de Beauplan. Another, no less eminent architect, Andre Del Aqua, erected a three-story palace of amazing beauty.

The service premises formed a square courtyard with a terrace adapted for defense. On three sides the castle was surrounded by a deep moat, and on the north side, facing the valley, it had a beautiful terrace with a balustrade and sculptures. Entry into the castle was through a large gate - a richly decorated portal with two columns that have survived to this day.
In 1682 the Polish king Jan Sobetsky became the owner of the castle. He arranges one of his residences here, after which the Podgoretsky castle officially acquires the status of a royal castle. Accordingly, the decoration of the castle was royal.

In 1720 the castle became the property of the Zhevussky family. Wenceslas Zewuski gathered in the castle a large collection of valuable paintings, books, weapons, furniture. There was always a parade guard and several cannons in front of the castle. Lush balls were held in the palace, lasting for weeks, to which the surrounding nobility gathered.

In 1752–1763, a church was erected opposite the castle, according to the project of Vaclav Rzewuski, which has survived to this day. Its decoration is no less beautiful than the castle itself.
In 1787, Severin Zhevussky became the owner of the castle. He was known as an alchemist who tried to find the "philosopher's stone". It was rumored that when conducting his experiments, he resorted to the help of Satan. Since that time, the Podgoretsky castle began to fall into decay. The most valuable collections of works of art - paintings, old books, furniture - were sold out. The building of the castle was very dilapidated and needed urgent repairs.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Sangushek family became the owners of the castle. They carried out restoration work, after which a museum was created in the castle. It continued to operate after the annexation of Western Ukraine to the USSR in 1940, but its expositions were significantly thinned. Everything more or less valuable was taken out of the castle and scattered around other museums. For example, unique sculptures from Podgoretsky Castle still adorn the Summer Garden in St. Petersburg.
During the Second World War, the building of the palace was badly damaged. After the war, the castle housed an anti-tuberculosis sanatorium, which existed until the mid-90s. In 1997, the castle building was transferred to the Ministry of Culture.