Travel the paths of the defenders of the fortress!
Dating back to the 12th-16th centuries, Tustan Cliff Fortress is a unique monument of nature and construction that has no analogues in Europe. Back in the day, the fortress served as a powerful defense, customs, and administrative center. This complex represented the pinnacle of architectural artisanship for the time.
Today you can walk the marked route around the rocks and climb up to the citadel (‘detinets’). There you can enjoy an incredible view of the Skole Beskids and the village valley. You’ll be able to see the remains of the building: 4 thousand grooves and cuts in the stone. Following these traces, during expeditions in 1971-2004 Ukrainian scientist Mykhailo Rozhko created a graphic reconstruction of the cliff-side wooden fortress. You can see its hypothetical appearance as a 3D model in the Tustan AR mobile application and during Tustan VR flights.
What makes these rocks even more interesting is their age-old history. On these 55 million years old stones, people used to worship ancient gods. They have left behind petroglyphs, rock engravings that you can come across today. Carved images of a wolf chasing a moose, a horse with a rider, as well as axes and crosses, have been preserved.
Descending from the detinets, make sure to take the turn to the medieval well. It was able to save lives providing water to the garrison of the fortress during a long siege.
Then, walking through the village, you can follow the ancient trade route that passed through this region back in the days of Rus’. Merchants used to bring salt from Drohobych to Europe via Tustan, and the fortress also served as a customhouse.
Working hours:
The reserve is open daily
weekdays from 10:00 to 18:00
weekends from 10:00 to 18:00
Public holidays:
Christmas (January 7)
Epiphany (January 19)
Easter