Reproduced with permission from Paul S. Valasek DDS, PGSA President
Zaloz~ce or Zalos~e, Zalos~e Stare (Old) and Nowe (New)
A city in the Brody Administrative District, forty kilometers from Brody toward the south east, at coordinates 49° 48' North and 43° 2' East of Ferro [this is the same as 25° 24' East of Greenwich]. Located there are a district court, a post office, a notary, a military station, a physician and a pharmacy. West of Zaloz~ce lies: Tros~cianiec Wielki, Czystopady and Ratyszcze; south: Podbrzeice, Seretec and Zagórze; south-east: Milno and Blich; and south: Reniów and Bialoglowy (the last in the Zloczow Administrative District). Almost in middle of the territory flows the Seret River which at Zalozce becomes a vast pond. The pond is at elevation 315 meters above sea level. The city was built on the south side of the pond and on the right bank of the Seret River. The city includes a Castle which lies on left bank of the river among the wetlands. Together they comprise Zaloz~ce Stare. Beyond the levy and at the south-east edge of the pond lies a portion of a town named Zaloz~ce Nowe.
At a distance of two to three kilometers to the north-west from Zalozce Nowe are hills (359 and 379 meters above sea level) which form part of Zalozce and are called Zalozce Grove or Roztoki and Grove beyond Ruda. The western territory goes up to 374 meters above sea level at Wojtowa Góra and comes down toward the east to the Seret bog valley at 314 meters above sea level. Beyond that and stretching further to the cast are higher hills covered with beautiful oak trees (Ostra Góra). The larger territory consists of 1043 acres of ploughed land, 728 acres of fields and gardens, 98 acres of pastures, and 33 acres of forest; the smaller territory consists of 3499 acres of ploughed land, 1474 acres of fields and gardens, 236 acres of pastures, and 431 acres of forest.
In 1890 there were 988 houses and 6928 inhabitants; in the local district there were 39 houses and 367 inhabitants at the manor house territory. By religion there were 3157 Greek Catholics, 1636 Roman Catholics and 2502 Jews, By nationality there were 3065 Russians, 2846 Poles and 1379 Germans. The city has a Roman Catholic parish, with the diocese located at Brody, and the archdiocese at Lwów. The parish was founded and salaried by Jan Kamieniecki, the heir to Olesk and Zaloz~ce. To this parish belong: Bialoglowy and Blich, Czystopady, Ditkowce, Gontowa, Hnidawa, Horodyszcze, Milo, Mszaniec, Neterpince, Niszkowce, Nosowce, Nowosiolki with Beniow, Obarzance, Panasówka, Plisowce, Podbereice, Ratyszcze, Seretec, Troscianiec Wielki, Wertelka, Zagórze and Zarudzie. The brick church was consecrated in 1738. The church houses the tombs of Fr. Janusz Wismiowiecki, who was master of the horse to the crown ( 21 May 1636), and his father Constantine, Governor of the Russian District ( 25 May 1641). There is a cloister of the Sisters of Charity at Zalozce Nowe, Originally founded and salaried in Brody in 1760 by Helen Potocka, widow of Stanley Potocki, Governor of the Poznad District, and heir to the possessions in Brody, When the Brody cloister burned down in 1801, the sisters came to Zalozce, where they take care of the elderly and teach the children in school. There are two Greek-Catholic parishes in Zalozce Nowe and Stare. Reniów belongs to Zalozce Stare and both belong to the Zalozce diocese. These are the villages that belong to Zalozce Stare: Batków, Czepiele, Harbuzów, Holubica, Koltów, Kutyszcze, Lutowisko, Manajów, Markopol, Milmo, Nestorowce, Panasówka, Pieniaki, Podkamien, Popowce, Ratyszcze, Seretec, Szyszkowce, Troscianiec, Wertelka, Wierzbowczyk, Zagórze and Zwyzen. In Zalozce Nowe there is an Orthodox church named the Holy Virgin Mary and in Zalozce Stare one named Saint V [Vladimer ?]. Zalozce Nowe has three grade schools which already existed in 1791 and Zalozce Stare has one grade school dating from 1871. Both schools are taught in the Polish language. The Sisters of Charity run an institution for the sick, with 20 beds, and an orphanage from a yearly fund of 4,120 Zloty. There is also a workshop for invalids, from a fund of 1,095 Zloty. Industry, craftsmanship and trade have developed. There are these factories: distillery, water mill and brick kiln. There is a local loan bank with a capital of 12,246 Zloty.
In the XV century, Zalozce, together with the local village, belonged to the heirs of Oleski. After the death of Jan of Sienna in 1477, his lands were dispersed and divided. His nephew Peter received Zalozce, together with the local village. Peter left two daughters: Ann who married Herburt, Castellian of Biecko, and Hedwig who married Martin Kamieniec, Governor of the Podole District. After the father died they divided the possessions at Lwów in 1511. In documents written at that time (passed down by Fr. Baracz in "Cronicle Oleska", page 137) Zalozce and the nearby village are named. From this we can infer that they already existed in 1511 as Zalozce town and that Zalozce had a Castle. Further, there is proof that in the XVI century they collected custom taxes from merchandise, which was the bigest source of income for the Podole Region. At the time of the division Zalozce more than likely was put up as a security deposit and later years bought by Martin Kamiemiec who was at the time Governor of the Podole District. In 1578, his sons, Jan, Adelbert and Stanley, made another division of the possessions. At that time Zalozce, with the Castle and the village came to Stanley. After Stanley Kamieniec the land went to Wisniowiecki, and after Wisniowiecki to Potocki. Peter, grandson of Józef Potocki, Hetman and Governor of the Kraków Castle, sold the possessions to Michael Ronikier who was the Lithuania King's Cup-Bearer. After that Ignac, Lord of Miaczyn bought it. Today it belongs to Vladimir, Lord of Dzieduszyc. The Castle that was once a fort is in ruins. Some parts are still livable and and have been made into a brewery and stables. There once was a vast four winged structure, built in the shape of a cross, made with rocks and bricks and two stories high. At the sides were towers which opened on all sides, were three stories high with shooting galleries. At the south wing is an entrance gate with traces of a drawbridge which is still in good condition. Outside the entrance is the Crest of Pilawa. At the side of the gate are four comer towers. The fortress was damaged. Under the Castle, there are vast cellars, some still used for beer brewing, some completely damaged. At one time, wetlands surrounded the Castle; today only dry lands are found. The Castle was built at later part of XVI century. Wisniowiecki Lords created it and they constantly lived in it. Besides their homeland Wisniowiec, this Castle was the main full time living quarters. The heir was Jerzy Wisniowiecki, Castellian of Kijów (1617). He was followed by Dymiter Jerzy, Hetman to the Crown (1682). He was excellently prepared for his role as Hetman and blood was boiling. During the Cossack War he was toppled down. Many times he fought against armed Tartar forces. In 1675, Ibrahim Szymszan Lord sent from the Zbaraz fortress a few lords to take ever the Castle in which Lord Dymiter Wisniowiecki had gathered his forces, The Turkish Lords usually went to fortunetellers before they started to fight. Before the actual fighting they first let out a black chicken toward the castle, to see which way the chicken would turn. With a cackle, the chicken turned towards the moslem line of soldiers. The Turks took this as a bad omen. They burned the town, but they didn't touch the Castle and returned to Zbaraz. Joseph Potocki, Hetman to the Crown, renovated and redecorated the Castle, lived in it often and,died there in 175 1. When Ignac, Lord of Miaczynski, possessed the Castle he had almost ruins, so he turned it into a wool factory. He later closed it down and started to change it into a rug factory, but that didn't last too long. (Sokalski in "Russian Geographer Statistician Zloczów", page 321, and Czolowski "Old Castles and Fortresses at Halicka Rus", a preserved file, 1892, page 122).