"So Mr Skrzetuski rode at the head of the ducal flags to Zbaraż". With these words, Henryk Sieniewicz began a description of one of the expeditions of the famous hero of 'With Fire and Sword'. On the pages of the novel, a story inspired by the famous defence of Zbaraż fortress against Tartar-Cossack troops in 1649 by the army of King Jan Kazimierz was described. The site of the action, which has been immortalised in literature, is characterised by equally interesting architectural forms, which determined its military value. Already in the Middle Ages, the estate was owned by representatives of the princely family of Nieświcki of the Korybut coat of arms, who later adopted the surname Zbaraski. The first wooden seat of the dukes dated back to the 13th century. The building, which had defensive features, was destroyed by the Tartars in 1589, which necessitated the reconstruction and functional changes (connected with the need to erect a brick residence, ensuring effective defence).

Italian design in the "palazzo in fortezza " type
. The history of the construction of the masonry fortalice is one of the most important episodes connected with the Zbaraski patronage and also with the artistic relations between the Republic and Italy. Around 1612, the residence was designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi, one of the most eminent architects and theoreticians from the Venetian region. Scamozzi published his proposal for the shape of the façade and the plan of the palace in his treatise 'L'idea dell'architettura universale'. The drawings show a magnificent rectangular building with corners framed by bastions and surrounded by a moat. The rooms are distributed in four wings surrounding an inner courtyard. The front elevation, with rustication on the lower storeys, strongly emphasises the three central axes with portico-like articulation, topped by a triangular pediment. Scamozzi thus combined the two most important elements of construction of the period: adaptation to the spatial context and the specifics of the site (necessary military fortifications) and the innovative, modern form of the palace. The designs were commissioned by Krzysztof Zbaraski, who was well acquainted with the scientific and artistic milieu of northern Italy (among other things, he had studied under Galileo Galilei in Padua) and showed an interest in military architecture. His ambitions and intellectual horizons led the magnate to engage the famous architect - unfortunately, the project was not realised, probably for financial and utilitarian reasons, related to the dominance of military features (as more important than the palace-like, representative form). In the end, it was decided on a concept that retained only some of the solutions proposed by Scamozzi.

Zbaraski and Wiśniowiecki Castle
Construction of the castle was carried out from 1620. The complex received the projection of a quadrangle formed by bastion fortifications. A massive gate, preceded by a bridge over a moat, leads into the inner courtyard. Opposite the entrance, a representative building with palace-like forms was erected. The nine-axis, two-storey façade has rusticated corners and the apparent risalit (comprising the three central axes) is similarly accentuated. The face of the wall was also varied by profiled window frames. After the Zbaraski family, the castle was taken over by the Wiśniowiecki family, one of whose representatives was Jeremi, the commander in charge of the defence of Zbaraż during the aforementioned Tartar-Cossack invasion in 1649. In the following century, when the estate was in the hands of the Potocki family, Russian invasions (in 1707 and 1734) contributed to the destruction. At the beginning of the 19th century, an attempt at rescue was made by the Niementowskis, who bought the castle and managed it until the First World War, during which the building suffered much damage. Fortunately, the Zbaraska fortress was rebuilt and adapted for use as a museum.