The Concession

is an agreement on the transfer of objects belonging to a state or a territorial community for the temporary exploitation of other states, foreign firms, and individuals

This is not private property, not an exclusive right. It is simply an opportunity to use the object of state property in one’s interests without violating the norms and restrictions which always seem to be more numerous than rights.

The project "12 Guards" is our attempt to get involved and help the castles survive. We are going to make it in all possible well-considered available ways.

Ukraine has little experience with the concessions. There are only one or two examples of concession of Ukrainian castles.

In Europe concession is widespread and gives possibilities not only to preserve the national heritage but also to create a new one. Even the world-famous Eiffel Tower is a concession project. It was built as a temporary building as part of the 1889 World Fair. When Gustave Eiffel won the competition organized in May 1886 for the construction of his tower, he signed a concession contract for twenty years.

Where did the money come from?

It came from different sources such as the state, the municipality, some banks, and the concessionaire’s funds.

The main things were the result and the fact that Eifel himself became the driving force of the process. The tower paid off within the course of the Fair, and its further exploitation became a very profitable business.

Joseph Bartosch is a Ukrainian example of the fact that anyone can get quite far even on their own. The active St. Miklosh Castle (Chynadiyovo) is a complete tribute to his persistence. He started his work at the time when Ukraine did not even have any laws on concessions. Nowadays there are five of them. The attempts to create an effective concession mechanism are continuing.

Getting concession on a castle is a kind of patroness rather than a profitable business mainly because the capital can’t be recovered in a year or two. However, such investment can become very profitable in the future.

After all, what other options can there be, if a castle chooses you?

Yes, castles can choose people. They can open or close, talk or hide, pull and push you away. They can take you to another plane of existence.

The castles are alive and this fact is not a fantasy. It is a historical fact.

So, do not resist if this happens to you. Do not argue with history. It knows better than us.

Meanwhile, we are going to collect all available information about the concession trying to answer the question of what to do if a castle chooses you.

We are a country of amazing castles!

So let's open them to the whole world!

Officially public but alienated
the castles having obtained the names of historical monuments are now left without a chance to be restored. These buildings are protected by volunteers. Those who had the honor of being born nearby.