The city of Smolensk is surrounded by fortified walls with towers. Often this defensive structure of medieval Russia is called the Smolensk Kremlin, "Necklace of the Russian land." Only half of the fortifications built have survived to our days, but this fact only adds to the historical monument the charm of authenticity.
From the history
In the time of Ivan the Terrible, a wooden fortress with an earthen rampart existed at this place. But with the development of artillery, wooden walls could not resist the enemy, as it was before.
Smolensk has always been an important stronghold of Russia and was often attacked by enemies, so the sovereigns always cared about its strengthening. By decree of Fyodor Ioannovich, in 1595, the Moscow State began to build stone fortification with all the forces of the Moscow State , which later became known as the Smolensk Fortress, with defensive corner and intermediate towers.
For the first time in history, the labor of 30 thousand wage workers was used in this grandiose construction. The huge construction site was led by Fedor Kon. Stone walls were erected for 6 years. Their height reached 18 m, thickness - 6 m. At that time, more powerful walls did not exist in Russia. The total perimeter length was 6.5 km. In addition to the walls, 38 towers of the Smolensk fortress were also built. Basically, they were three-tiered, with a height of 22 to 33 m.
Towers of Smolensk Fortress
They occupy a special place in the Smolensk fortress. It is with the help of these structures that you can conduct:
- Observation.
- Longitudinal firing.
- Gate defense.
- Shelter of troops, etc.
Interesting fact: Smolensk fortress did not have a single identical tower. The height and shape of the towers depended on the topography and location. There were gates in 9 constructions. The main carriage tower is Frolovskaya. Through it one could get to the capital of the Russian state. The second most important is the Molokhov Tower, it opened the way to Kiev, Roslavl, etc.
Other towers were made more simply. 13 buildings were completely deaf, having a rectangular shape, 7 towers were sixteen-sided and 9 were round.
Fortitude and confrontation of Smolensk fortress
During the Russian-Polish war in the 18th century, the Smolensk fortress was attacked repeatedly, 4 towers were destroyed to the ground. No one could ever take her right away from the battle. The fortress during this period withstood 3 sieges with a total duration of more than three years. Officially, the fortress as a fort construction ceased to exist in 1786. All the artillerymen who served in it and their guns were distributed among other fortifications. But Napoleon again had to storm the Smolensk fortress and its gates in order to capture the city. The sturdy walls withstood the 2-day assault and artillery shelling of Napoleon's army in 1812. By the way, the walls (white stone parts) were constructed of limestone, which Konobeyevsky quarries supplied for the construction of the quarry. The Smolensk fortress was badly damaged during the French retreat; it was badly destroyed. By order of the Emperor Napoleon, all the towers of the fortress were mined. 9 towers were completely destroyed by explosions, and the rest were repelled and cleared by the Cossack corps of the ataman M. Platov.
Smolensk fortress in peacetime
Unfortunately, not only wars contributed to the destruction of the Smolensk fortress. After the war with Napoleon, in 1820-1830, the walls of the defensive structure, which were in poor condition, were dismantled into bricks to restore the buildings of the city destroyed by the war.
In 1930, the Smolensk fortress was actively disassembling building materials for Stalinist construction. In the years after the Great Patriotic War, the construction of the fortress helped to restore the ruined city and its region.
Smolensk fortress today
To this day, the total length of the Smolensk fortress has been preserved - 3.5 km, it includes 9 fragments of walls and 18 towers.
Smolensk fortress is an object of historical and cultural heritage of federal significance. Towers and fragments of walls are found in different parts of the city. The largest wall section 1.5 km long is located in the eastern part of Smolensk.
Numerous tourists insanely like the Smolensk fortress. Smolensk is an ancient city with a lot of museums and architectural monuments.
The main historical monument serves as a museum, a meeting place and a favorite destination for parkers. For those who do not like self-guided tours, it is advisable to visit the Thunder Tower, where concerts are often held with performances by rock stars, classics, etc.
A tourist can freely visit a stone relic, especially since a walk along the Smolensk Fortress is a memorable event, in addition, you can look at the ancient city from a height, admire the Dnieper.
Pyatnitskaya Tower
This tower and the gate of the same name have been restored and ennobled. Once, through the "Pyatnitsky" gate, it was possible to enter the city of Smolensk. In 1812, they, like the other gates and towers that made up the Smolensk fortress, were blown up by the Napoleonic army. Later on this place was built the church of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. Today, the Pyatnitskaya Tower has opened the Museum of Russian Vodka, where everyone can taste the products of the local distillery and find out some facts about the development of distillation in Russia.
Thunder Tower
One of the most beautiful towers of the “Necklace of the Russian Land” is Thunder. It is known under other names:
- "Round."
- Topinskaya. Once there was a swamp swamp in front of the tower, hence its name.
- "Tupinskaya." The tower forms an obtuse angle, perhaps this gave it its name.
The first of the restored - "Thunder" tower of the Smolensk fortress restored in its original form. Here you can see the unique interior of the tower, walk along steep stairs and admire the wooden dome from the inside.
The second tier of the tower is the exposition, which tells about the construction and heroic defense of the fortress. Visitors are given the opportunity to come into contact with genuine antiquities of the 16-17th centuries. Also in this place a model of the Smolensk fortress is exhibited - the initial appearance of the Smolensk citadel with all the towers, loopholes, gates.
On the third tier of “Thundering” is the exhibition “Battle of Grunwald, 600 years later” with exhibits - reconstructions of armor and weapons of the soldiers of the Smolensk Principality, the Golden Horde, etc.
The 4th tier is an observation deck. Sometimes there are various demonstrations of artists and concerts. This is what the Smolensk - Shield of Russia Museum looks like, located in the Thundering Tower of the Smolensk Fortress.
A tour of the Smolensk fortress must begin precisely with the Thunder Tower, since historical reconstructions are often carried out here, where you can see wide feasts, people in medieval clothes and Lithuanian soldiers.