Skalat Castle - Castles on Waymarking.com

Skalat

The castle in Skalat was built in 1630 as one of many fortresses to defend Podilya. The town and castle were built high above the Gnyla River. Its strategic location and its industrious majority Jewish population made it quickly a prosperous town. Skalat became one of the rare towns that was ruled by a Jewish lord.

Unfortunately it also became a target of the Cossack leader Bogdan Khmelnitsky who waged war against the Polish nobles. The Cossacks were cruel to the Jews who worked for the Polish lords. The Cossacks took Skalat twice in 1649 and then in 1651. Pogroms against the Jews were carried out on both occasions. Then the Turkish army destroyed the town in 1672.

At the end of the Turkish-Polish war Skalat once again became part of Poland and the town and castle were restored. In 1722 at the First Partition of Poland, Skalat became a part of the Austrian Habsburg Empire. During this period the castle was strengthened. Peace had come to the town and it prospered during the next 200 years.

The German Nazis wiped out the Jews of Skalat, nearly half of the population. Prior to the Nazi invasion, around 7350 Jews lived in Skalat. After the fall of the Reich, only 200 remained alive. The Germans took Skalat on July 5, 1941 and soldiers killed 20 Jews on that day. The next day 560 were rounded up by the Ukrainian nationalist allies and executed. Later in the Fall 200 young Jews were rounded up and sent to a nearby slave labor camp.

Early in 1942, 600 sick and elderly Jews were assembled in the synagogue and sent to Belzec death camp. On October 21, 1942 another 3000 Jews were shipped off to Belzec. During that operation, 153 Jews were shot dead in the street. On November 9 a second raid was held and another 1100 were sent to their death. With the Soviet army advancing to liberate Ukraine, 750 Jews were shot and placed in mass graves on April 7, 1943. The remaining Jews organized a resistance group but another 660 of them fell on May 9. The 300 remaining Jews fled into the forest chased by Ukrainian nationalist Stepan Bandera who killed another 100.

The fortress is currently under reconstruction after a tornado tore off the roof-tiles of the towers in 2004.

Accessibility: Full access Condition: Partly ruined Admission Charge?: yes Website: Not listed

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