Border fortresses played a key role in ensuring the security of the Republic. The castle in Buczacz, located in a bend of the Strypa River, a tributary of the Dniester, belonged to this group of buildings. Its origin was connected with the family of the Awdaniec family of Abdank coat of arms, who initially lived in a wooden manor house, and then, in the second half of the 14th century, erected a new stone seat, consisting most probably of a courtyard preceding the building with residential functions, and closed at the front (on the opposite side of the property) with an entrance gate. The Awdańc family, who in time adopted the surname of Buczaccy, strove for the development of the centre, obtaining the privilege of location under the Magdeburg Law (probably issued in the last decade of the 14th century) and founding the parish church of the Holy Mother in 1379.

From the Buczackis to the Potockis - the heyday of
The most important phase in the history of the Buczacz stronghold was the period when the estate was in the hands of the Potocki family. Subsequent representatives of this powerful magnate family - with considerable financial resources and a strong socio-political position - carried out a number of works to expand and modernise the castle. The complex was enlarged, towers and new walls up to 7 m thick were added, the access via a drawbridge was modernised, and the openings and shooting galleries were formed. The residential wing had lighter forms, with cloisters overlooking the courtyard. For the protection of the building and the town coupled to it, military values were crucial, expressed in the strong construction and good organisation of the garrison. During battles, local residents also sought refuge in the complex. Buchat Castle was repeatedly attacked by Turkish army units, and the siege of 1676 was particularly severe, with heavy damage to the structure. An attempt to rebuild and repair the fortress was made by Jan Potocki, thanks to which it returned to a good technical and aesthetic condition after less than a decade. Reports from the 1780s drew attention to the massiveness and strength of the walls, the considerable height of the stone castle (made all the more conspicuous by its location at the top of a steep hill), and the appearance of the courtyard - partly surrounded by porches - with a fountain of decorative forms.Much less kind to the residential and defence complex were the following centuries, during which the castle lost its importance and underwent gradual degradation. The reason for the destruction was the demolition of parts of the walls carried out at the beginning of the 19th century in order to obtain building material, finally interrupted by the city authorities. Thanks to the reaction of officials, it was possible to save part of the castle, although it never regained its former grandeur. To this day, all that can be admired in Buchach are the relics of the famous fortalition: the stone walls on the south side of the hill, fragments of a bastion and a building that once served as a residence.

Relics of the mighty castle
The castle foundation was erected on top of the hill, making maximum use of the terrain's possibilities and ensuring a more effective defence of the site. Clearly, the urban layout, which was later seen as picturesque - with the fortress towering over the town - had a purely practical origin. A bridge led into the complex, allowing the visitor to cross the moat. The castle was given an irregular plan, close to an oval. The buildings had basements and were built using stone, in some parts enriched with brick. The oldest, medieval part of the establishment, built of sandstone, was located in the northern part and the aforementioned thick walls were surrounded by towers and bastions with several rows of shooting windows. The fortress of Buczac was a combination of military and residential functions, which were expressed by a residential building with lighter, modern forms, with arcaded cloisters, as well as a fountain in the courtyard.