One of the most interesting fortified magnate residences in the Eastern Borderlands was the castle in Chortkiv. The origins of the building are linked to the Golsky family, who in the early 17th century erected a brick residence on the site of a wooden manor house. Most likely, as early as 1618, the estate passed into the hands of the Potocki family, who enabled the development of the estate. The period of prosperity was interrupted by the invasion of Turkish soldiers, who in 1672 captured the castle and arranged the residence of a basha, i.e. a dignitary of the Ottoman Empire. After returning to its previous Polish owners, the complex underwent further reconstructions, the most interesting of which are the works carried out for Eustachy Potocki and his wife, Marianna of Kątska. The castle's architecture combined motifs dating back to the Middle Ages, introduced in Chortkiv in the previous century (loopholes, tower design) with modern tendencies, appropriate for a prestigious residence (risalits, loggia and terrace). Some researchers hypothetically link the 18th-century reconstruction to Jan de Witte, a military engineer and architect who became famous as a builder of, among others, the Lubomirski Palace and the Dominican Church in Lviv.

Castle architecture
The seat of the Potocki family in Chortkiv was composed on the plan of an irregular pentagon. A gate, preceded by a bridge, led to a spacious courtyard, surrounded by ramparts with shooting windows. One of the sides of the complex was filled with a two-storey residential building, sometimes referred to as the palace, built on a rectangular plan, to which towers (adapted as risalits) adjoined. The loggia and parade staircase on the courtyard side, as well as the viewing terrace, date from the 18th century. An extensive outbuilding adjoined the building with residential and representative functions.

The shape retained clear military features, although the castle was intended only for short-term defence. The choice of architectural forms resulted not only from current security needs, but also from the building and strengthening of the position of the owner, Eustachy Potocki, a general of the Lithuanian artillery and a lieutenant-general of the Crown army. Other magnates who owned estates in the Borderlands also shaped their residences in a similar way.

Decline and rebirth
The period of Czortkow's splendour, which coincided with the times of the Potocki family, was followed by a gradual decline associated with neglect and the giving of new functions to the seat - of particular significance for the history of the Commonwealth was its conversion in 1815 into a prison, where, almost half a century later, January insurgents were held. The condition of the castle at the end of the 19th century was documented by Aleksander Czołowski. The famous historian and archivist wrote in 1892 that the castle was in a state of disrepair. From the courtyard, where there was a well, it was possible to enter the vaulted rooms, which were supported by stone and brick pillars, and which formerly performed economic functions (they housed storerooms, kitchens and servants' flats). The author of the description also drew attention to the remains of the cloisters and to the fact that "there is no trace of stone ornaments, sculptures, coats of arms or inscriptions nowadays, only the walls testify that the whole building was very carefully constructed" ("Teka Conservatorska" 1892).

Despite the destruction and impoverishment of the body, efforts were made to give the castle new functions. In 1895. the then owner, the philanthropist Hieronim Sadowski, allocated the residence to house a school and an asylum - institutions run by the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity (founded through the efforts of their founder). The building has since played an important role in the life, social of Chortkov. Attempts at restoration were made after the complex was purchased by the Polish Tourist Society in 1937, which adapted the premises for a regional museum and tourist hostel. The work resulted, among other things, in the restoration of the tower. After the Second World War, the condition of the castle began to deteriorate again - salvation did not come until 2021 with the start of the partial reconstruction and conservation of the former Potocki residence.