The Lutsk Gate of the ХVІth–ХVІІth centuries

It is a monument of national importance. The Lutsk Gate is the business card of Dubno city. In the late Middle Ages it played an important defense role, serving as a customs and transport-regulatory point. The history of the Lutsk Gate dates back to the end of the ХVth century and related to the spatial location of Dubno. The stone gate was built in the Renaissance style with stone and brick in 1623 by architect Jakub Medleni.

The Lutsk Gate, located on an ancient road from Dubno to Lutsk, played the role of a gate and a defensive tower in the system of city fortifications. The building was linked to an earth mound protecting the city from the west. A bridge over a moat with water led to the gate.

The Lutsk Gate is a rare variety of small barbacan. Except Volyn, there is no one in Ukraine. In plan, the tower is a combination of a small oval with a long rectangle facing the city. It is probable that the image of the Lutsk Gate is connected with the plot of Mykola Gogol’s story Taras Bulba.

In the last decade of the ХVІІIth century in Dubno city there was a Masonic Lodge “Perfect Mystery” under the auspices of the owner of Dubno prince Mykhailo of Liubomyr. The meeting of this lodge took place in the Lutsk Gate on the second floor.