Klevan Park is located in the central part of Klewan. It is a garden monument of local significance and belongs to the Rivne Oblast Nature Conservation Fund. Oak trees of different ages grow there; individual trees are estimated to be about 250 to 300 years old. With its old oaks, the park shapes Klewan’s landscape. The castle and churches draw attention to the town’s architectural history. These are two different topics to consider when deciding what you are interested in during your stay.

Klevan Castle: Location, Moat, and Bridge

The ruins of the Czartoryski princes’ castle, dated to 1475, have been preserved in Klewan. A restoration by Prince Fedir Czartoryski, who was the starosta of Lutsk, is also documented for the second half of the 15th century. The castle stood on a promontory above the river called Horodyshche. A deep moat surrounded it and was fed by water from the Stubla River. A four-arched bridge on sturdy supports crossed the moat; remnants of its fresco decoration were still visible in the early 20th century. The promontory setting, water-filled moat, and bridge describe different aspects of the complex. The arches and supports provide information about the bridge’s construction, while the fresco remnants reveal its decorative design.

Churches in Klewan: History and Architecture

Church of the Nativity

The Church of the Nativity was built in 1777 near the family castle for the Uniate community. A stone bell tower was added to the church in 1842. In 1862, it received a wooden dome, and the roof covering was also changed. Between 1882 and 1884, the church was richly painted. More than a century thus separates its construction from its painted decoration. The later dates show different changes: additions to the building, an adjustment to the roof covering, and finally, the painting. The church’s history can therefore be considered not only through its year of foundation, but also through its later construction and decorative phases.

Annunciation Church

The Annunciation Church in Klewan is a three-nave basilica with an altar apse, a narthex, and two rectangular, two-story towers on the main façade. A narthex is a vestibule; the altar apse refers to the termination at the altar. Together with the towers, these features make it possible to distinguish the layout of the church interior from the design of the main façade. Two dates are recorded for the completion of the new church building: one account gives 1610, another 1630. A foundation for an Orthodox church, which was wooden at the time, was recorded in Klewan in 1590; according to another account, it was for the Annunciation Church.

The dates for the two churches serve different purposes: for the Church of the Nativity, they form a sequence of construction changes; for the Annunciation Church, alternative completion dates are given. The estimated ages of the oaks in the park provide a different timescale from these individual construction years.

Discover more destinations:

Ostroh, Samostrily, Dubno, Kolodenka, Babyn, Kozlyn, Braniv, Moshchanytsya

For the broader travel overview: Rivne Oblast.