Tustan

Tustan [Тустань]. A Kyivan Rus’ fortress of the 9th to 16th century near Urych, Lviv oblast. Built on a rocky hill which rose sharply above the surrounding area, the fortress had a stone stronghold and wooden exterior walls up to 15 m high. The interior of the castle had living quarters (with up to five levels in places) and a well and two cisterns to supply water. Documents of the 14th to 16th centuries note Tustan as an important regional center. The systematic study of the fortress was initiated in 1971 by Mykhailo Rozhko. In 1994 the Tustan State Historical Preserve was established on the area of the fortress as a branch of the Lviv Historical Museum. In 1997 a museum of the history of the Tustan fortress was founded there. In 2005 the preserve became and independent institution and since 2006 a popular annual ‘Tu Stan'’ (Stand Here) Medieval Festival has been organized there.

Marko Robert Stech

[This article was updated in 2019.]