The town served as a family seat of the Polish princely Wiśniowiecki family, as of the 15th century, and received its name from the family. The town was noted for its extensive cherry orchards. In the mid-1500s, one of the family's descendants, Dmytro Vyshnevetsky (1516-1563), was distinguished by his service to Ivan the Terrible. His grandson, Jeremi Wiśniowiecki, also known as Yarema Vyshnevetsky (1612-1651) was also a distinguished military commander. During the time of the leadership of Princes Michael and Valusah Wiśniowiecki, as of 1674, the town was on the verge of becoming a Russian capital.