The town of Korets, named after the Korchyk River that flows through the middle, was first mentioned in the Hypatian Chronicle in 1150. The town became the property of Fedir Ostrogski in 1380 where he built a castle on the spot where former wooden fortresses burnt down by the marauding Mongols and later by the Tatars once stood.
At the beginning of the 15th century another princely family came into possession of Korets’ that took its name from the town. Prince Koretski rebuilt the castle. He pierced into the massive granite stones that surrounded the castle to build a moat.
In the middle of the 17th century the Leszczynsky family briefly owned the town until it came under the control of the powerful Czartoryski dynasty in 1780 that rebuilt the castle whose ruins stand today. They also built a majestic palace in the baroque style that unfortunately burned down in 1832 during the November Uprising. The castle has never been restored since.
By the end of the 19th century, 70%-80% of the population was Jewish. In May 1942 the German Nazis captured the town when 6000 Jews lived there. 2200 were immediately executed and the rest placed in a ghetto. In September 1942 another 1500 were slaughtered.