The history book of the ancient Ukrainian city of Khotyn recorded numerous battles and fierce battles, great uprisings and glorious victories. Khotinskaya fortress has always been a tasty morsel for many conquerors. Favorable geographical location at the intersection of important routes of traders made it such a desirable prey. The Khotinsky fortress wanted to conquer the Turkish sultans, Polish and Moldavian rulers. At one time it was the most powerful building in all of Eastern Europe. Today, the fortress in the city of Khotyn is recognized as one of the seven wonders of Ukraine. It is definitely worth a visit for those who love adventure, ancient relics and ancient legends.
Legends of Origin
The origin of the word "Khotin" has many different options. Some legends claim that everyone who came here wanted to stay in this unique fortress.
The Khotyn Fortress, the photo of which is presented below, is truly mesmerizing.
However, there is another legend. She tells the story of a guy and a girl who lived in ancient times on these lands. They wanted to get married. The bride's name was Ting, and the bridegroom's name was Ho. But the girl’s parents were against this union. The lovers built a boat and sailed down the Dniester, carried away by the current to unknown lands. Where she is ashore, there they live.
The shuttle was nailed to this very place where the ancient city and its majestic fortress now stands. Ho and Ting began to live here. In total they were far away, and nature pleased them with their beauty.
There were children in love. They grew up and got married or got married. So gradually grew here the city, named after its founders Ho-Ting. However, these are only legends. There is also historical information about the origin of the fortress.
Origin of Khotin
The history of the Khotyn Fortress is diverse and permeated with the spirit of heroism. According to researchers, the first settlements in the territory where the fortress is now located appeared in the 8-9th century. That Khotyn Fortress is really a great place to stay, you can see by looking at the photo below.
It is a great place in every way. Thanks to a convenient approach to water, ferry across the Dniester River was carried out here. This led to the emergence on this site of one of the most important trade routes for many people. In order to defend this crossing, a fortress was built. It was created in the 12th century and at that time was built of wood.
In 1199, Khotin became part of the Galicia-Volyn principality. Almost at the same time (in 1219) raids on the lands of the hordes of the Mongol-Tatars began. In this situation, the brave prince Danilo Galitsky decided to seriously strengthen his fortresses. Wooden buildings were replaced by stone ones.
Khotinsky fortress also knew the same restructuring. Around it was built a high seven-meter wall, dug a deep moat. The fortress was rebuilt in the fifties of the 13th century. In size, it was somewhat inferior to the modern structure, however, it performed its defensive role perfectly. The first church of this magnificent fortification was built here.
Fortress history
The Khotyn Fortress, whose photo is located in the review, today contains traces of many centuries that have passed through its stone walls.
In the second half of the 14th century, the land of Khotyn was given over to the jurisdiction of the Principality of Moldova. From the end of the same century, settlements of Moldavia began to appear here, and from the 15th century - of Armenians. In 1408, the Moldavian voivode Alexander Dobry decided to take a fee of 2 pennies "for horses" on the road in Khotyn.
The first sieges began in the fortress in the 30s of the 15th century from the Polish feudal lords. In the years 1450-1455 there was a Polish garrison. In order not to become dependent on the Ottoman Turks, Governor Stephen III the Great radically changed the look and layout of the fortress in Khotyn.
The area was expanded, the level of the courtyard was raised, and towers about 40 m high were also built. Loopholes were built in the thick walls (5 m). There is a legend that during the construction of these walls a young girl was walled up alive in them - as a sacrifice to the gods. So the locals explained the appearance of wet spots on the walls. In fact, the latter appeared on the site of the old poured ditch.
Two palaces with deep basements were built in the courtyard at the same time. They were connected by a gate. A passage to the chapel was created from the eastern palace . This type of structure will not change for 6 centuries.
Fortress Plan
The Khotyn Fortress, the plan of which should be considered more carefully, is a really well-planned defensive center. There are a number of different towers. These include the Gateway, Southwest, Commandant, North, East towers. The territory now houses the Princely (Commandant) Palace. Barracks were built here in the 18th century.
In ancient times, a church was erected here and a deep well was dug. One of the mysteries of the walls of the fortress is a dark wet spot that does not dry out in the heat or cold.
Inside the castle you can get on the suspension bridge. In ancient times, it rose and fell. There is also a bridge on the back of the gate. He had one important secret in him. If the enemies nevertheless broke through the gate, they fell on a wooden platform. The action of the hidden mechanism set it in motion, and the enemies simply fell down. There was dug a deep hole in which pointed sticks stuck. Now such a terrible mechanism that the Khotyn fortress had, for obvious reasons, is absent, but you can still see the depth of the enemy’s fall.
Entering the courtyard, on the right you can see a long building. Barracks were located here. Behind them is the church. And even further is the palace of the prince. These two buildings have been standing here since the time of Stephen the Great. Near the palace in the rock at the same time a well was hollowed out. It is now located in the center of the courtyard.
Well
According to the description, the well located on the territory of the Khotyn Fortress has a depth of 68 meters. Its width reaches 2.5 m. It is hollowed out in rock, and still the water raised from its depths is suitable for drinking. This is far from all the information that can be learned about a well in the Khotyn fortress.
For many centuries this object has not ceased to fascinate people with its power. Many legends are connected with it, which Khotinsky fortress itself generates in the minds. Legends say that at the time of the first capture by the Turks of this impregnable structure, a healer lived here. He had a daughter - the beautiful Katerina. The Turkish pasha, who was then living in the castle, got his only son sick. And no one could cure him. Obeying his duty, the healer returned to life the royal offspring. But while the pasha’s son was in the medicine man’s house, he fell in love with Katerina. And so she sunk into his soul that the prince did not dare to take the girl by force, she wanted her to come to him.
Upon learning that, the Turkish Pasha forced the girl to marry his son, otherwise her father would face death. A year later, Katerina gave birth to a son. He had blond hair and blue eyes. Pasha could not get enough of his grandson and gave him a golden cradle.
The healer all this time did not find a place for himself from grief, everyone wanted to rescue his only daughter from shameful captivity. And then one day he found a way. Having collected a certain set of herbs, he made a potion. He was able to transfer him to the palace.
The potion was supposed to turn Katerina and her son into water. So they could escape from the palace. Katerina drank the potion and gave her her baby a drink. Then she threw the golden cradle into the well. So they were able to seep in tiny drops through the walls of the fortress. A healer was waiting for them. But he could not conjure the fugitives, since the cradle was bewitched by an even stronger spell.
Some locals claim that the wet spot on the wall is Katrusya, who is waiting for their son to spell. This will happen only when someone removes the golden cradle from the bottom of the well. They say that on a moonlit night you can see how it gleams in the water. But no one has yet been given into the hands of.
Structural features
The area where the Khotyn Fortress is located is characterized by rockiness. It is hard to imagine what an enormous work the ancient builders did to erect such a structure.
It was built by the peasants of nearby villages. To get to the top, where the Khotyn Fortress was located, they had to drag stone, water and lime on themselves. In those days, a decree was issued to collect the quitrent in the form of eggs and milk. These products were added to the solution to give strength to the building. Thanks to this miraculous solution, the walls of the fortress stood up to this day without significant damage. Some historians claim that during the Turkish rule of the fortress, nursing mothers were forced to bring them breast milk, which was also added to the solution when restoring the destroyed walls after a siege.
The Khotyn Fortress, information about which is provided to tourists and guests, has a system of underground tunnels. They connect all the buildings in the fortress. Under the ground, the residents kept provisions and stored weapons. There was also a prison. The rebels, who refused to carry heavy stones on the mountain day after day, were put in a dungeon. In 1491 there was even a peasant uprising led by Andrei Borulya. The protest was quickly suppressed, and the main instigator and his comrades languished for a long time in the dungeons of this fortress. Andrei Borula was chopped off in the main square. His like-minded people were thrown from the North Tower. It was the tallest building on the site.
Usually, the prisoners in the dungeons were thrown down from the East Tower. Therefore, it was also called the Death Tower. The executed fell on the Dniester rocks below. It was considered a bad sign if blood was shed in peacetime on the territory of the fortress. It predicted a bloody battle.
Princely palace
The Princely Palace was also built in the 15th century. Later he was given the name of the Curfew Palace. This is one of the most beautiful buildings that Khotyn Fortress has on its territory. Description of it may take a lot of time. But the most interesting detail on the facade is a beautiful pattern of red brick and white stone. In front of the palace is a wooden summer hall for banquets.
During the Turkish capture of the fortress on the second floor in the palace was a pasha harem. In it at that time there were about 30 women who were the wives of the ruler. According to legend, there was also a sister of Sofia Potocka, famous for her beauty. They say the sisters even met repeatedly
Pasha loved his wives and in every way appeased them. For them, on his orders, baths were built near the ramparts, and even had a pool.
Plumbing system
In the distant 15th century, the inhabitants of the fortress had a water supply and sewage system. This is a rather unusual situation for that time. Water was supplied directly from the river.
Conveniences were enjoyed not only by the pans, but also by ordinary people. The Khotyn fortress had toilets in which water was supplied to the highest ranks, and ordinary people were content with a sewage system that flowed down the walls of the fortress.
The White Tower of the Tower Palace had the same sewage disposal system. This is a pretty acceptable principle of a drainage system for that time. High above the wall, nothing is visible, because the tap is made from the outside. Rain and snow washed away everything.
For senior persons even pools acted. The comfort of using the water supply, despite the fact that the courtyard stood in the 15th century, is difficult to overestimate. Khotinskaya fortress was favorably different from many European castles.
Significant Events
Many significant events took place under the walls of this fortress. In 1621, there was a battle between the Ukrainian-Polish army and the Turks. So the advance of the Ottoman Empire to the west was stopped. This historically important battle saved Europe from the rule of the Turks. She was watched by Khotyn fortress. How to get to this significant place will be discussed later.
Thanks to courage and ingenuity, the Cossacks led by hetman Pyotr Sagaidachny won this battle.
In 1673, the Battle of Khotyn took place. Hetman Jan Sobieski defeated an army of Turks. Many historically important events took place in these lands.
In the 18th century, the Russian Empire took Khotin 4 times. Lomonosov wrote "Ode to the Capture of Khotin," dedicated to one of these battles.
How to get to the fortress
To get to the Khotyn Fortress, you must come from Kiev to Kamenetz-Podolsk by train.
A bus also follows from bus station No. 1 in Khmelnitsk. If you plan to travel in your car, then the
M20 highway will lead to the destination of the traveler
. From Kamenetz-Podolsk should move south. You will have to drive only 27 km. You should consider the time at which visitors are allowed into the Khotyn Fortress. Otherwise, having traveled many kilometers, you will have to look for an overnight stay, and the trip will need to be extended.
The opening hours of the Khotyn Fortress begin at 9 a.m. and end at 6 p.m. Entrance to the territory costs about 30 rubles, and if you want to take a picture or take pictures of the beauty of the ancient building on video, you will need to pay another 20-30 rubles.
Khotinskaya fortress will undoubtedly leave a sea of unforgettable impressions. The magical beauty of nature, combined with the secrets and legends that keep the walls of this building - all this will not leave indifferent any guest.