In the north-west of Russia, a vast territory extends, from the 11th century mentioned in the annals as the Pskov Principality. Since in those ancient times, when it was born and strengthened, life flowed unsteadily, it was customary to enclose settlements with solid walls. Hence they began to call them cities, and where the walls were especially strong - fortresses. Some of them are only remembered, but those fortresses of the Pskov region that were destined to survive to this day are still magnificent monuments of their era.
The birth of the walled city
The largest and most famous fortification of this region is the Pskov fortress, a photo of which can be seen in the article. The exact date of its laying in a strategically important place at the confluence of the Velikaya and Pskov rivers is unknown. Also erased from the pages of history and the founding years of the city itself. But the first annalistic mention of it dates back to 903. In The Tale of Bygone Years, the chronicler Nestor, talking about the marriage of Prince Igor, reports that his wife was brought "from Pskov."
Over time, the Pskov fortress grew, and under Ivan the Terrible (XVI century) it was rightfully considered one of the largest and most powerful in Russia, built in addition to all the rules of fortification. By that time, Pskov itself had expanded its borders, becoming the third city in Russia, passing only Moscow and Novgorod ahead. From the documents of those years it is known that in his district there were forty monasteries and the same number of parish churches.
Inaccessible Citadel
Initially, the Pskov fortress was surrounded by wooden-earthen walls, built directly on the bulk shafts. In the middle of the XIII century, in connection with the beginning of the Tatar-Mongol invasion, they were replaced by stone ones, and when the role of artillery increased two centuries later, they were strengthened by four dozen towers.
The area of the fortress was more than two square kilometers and was surrounded by five belts of walls that were nine kilometers long and cut through by fourteen gates. The impregnability of the fortress was also provided by wall towers, and the viability was provided by numerous underground passages.
Miraculous solution
It should be noted that the Pskov fortress was built on the basis of advanced technologies at that time. Its walls and towers were built of limestone blocks, fastened with a particularly strong mortar, the secret of which was kept secret. Today it is known that lime for its production was extinguished for many years in special pits, and then mixed in sand in strictly defined proportions.
A binder solution was obtained that did not lose its qualities even after five centuries. The outer coating was added to the constructions for added strength, similar in technique to modern stucco, but made of more durable material.
Stone Belts of the Fortress
The core of the Pskov fortress - Holy Trinity Cathedral and the adjacent Veche Square - were surrounded by the first defensive wall, called Detinets, or Krom (Kremlin). This is the oldest part of the fortress. It was erected in the XI century.
The second fortress wall, named Dovmontov by the name of the influential Pskov prince Dovmont, surrounded the territory that is now part of the Kremlin. In the XIII century, it housed various administrative buildings, most of which were stone, so their foundations were uncovered during archaeological excavations.
Wall of Boris Posadnik
As often happened in the history of cities, around the fortress walls and under their protection, settlements quickly grew, in which craft settlements and festivities were arranged. They were called ambassadors, and as they grew, they were also protected by lines of defensive structures.
It was for this purpose that the third fortress wall was built, which received the name of one of the initiators of its construction, Boris Posadnik. It was a very reliable structure, surrounded by a deep moat outside. The territory, which appeared under its protection, began to be called "zastenie", and over time, the word "old" was added to this name.
The walls that completed the construction of the fortress
This wall stood until the middle of the 15th century, after which a significant part of it was demolished, since the posad had grown by then, and for its safety another line of fortifications had to be built. This new building, the Wall of the Middle City (the fourth in a row), was erected in parallel with its predecessor, the Wall of Boris Posadnik, and the entire area enclosed by it became known as the “New Castle”. The Pskov fortress was also protected from the side of the Pskov River. Here it was covered by a wall, the beginning of construction of which dates back to 1404.
And, finally, the last - the fifth ring of bastions - was erected in such a way that inside it was not only a significant section of the city, but, very importantly, part of the Pskov River. As a result, the Pskov fortress, the history of which by that time was already almost five centuries old, became almost inaccessible to the enemy. Neither hunger nor thirst threatened her defenders, as the river provided them with fish and water.
The end of the battlefield
The last stage of the active construction of the fortress took place at the beginning of the 18th century, when, on the orders of Peter the Great, it was hastily prepared for the Northern War. During these years, many redoubts and various external fortifications were erected.
Unfortunately, their construction was often carried out to the detriment of the previous buildings, since with a lack of building materials, temples and towers were dismantled. After the signing of the Nishtadt Peace Treaty in 1721, which ended the war with Sweden, the Pskov Citadel lost its military significance and eventually fell into decay.
The fortress turned into a museum complex
In the period of the fifties and sixties of the twentieth century, according to the design of the Leningrad Hermitage, archaeological excavations and restoration work were carried out on the territory of the Pskov fortress. Today, Pskov and its fortress are among the most popular tourist routes.
The high, truly European, level of tourist service is eloquently evidenced by the entries left in the book of the guests of the museum-reserve, as well as on its websites. In most of them, high professionalism and general erudition of guides who conducted excursions are noted. Thanks to them, visitors could mentally become witnesses to the history of our country, one of the main centers of which was once Pskov.
The reviews are also full of words of gratitude for the care that has been shown in relation to groups whose visit to the historical places of Pskov and its region was not limited to one day. At their disposal were hotels that met the highest requirements, and transportation was carried out on modern comfortable buses.
Izborsk fortress (Pskov region)
Continuing the conversation about the ancient fortifications of the Pskov region , one can not help but mention the fortress, the construction of which is associated with the foundation of the city of Izborsk, according to researchers from the 7th-8th centuries. When three centuries later it grew into a large trade and craft center, the wooden and earthen walls of the fortress were replaced by stone ones.
Izborsk fortress (Pskov region) has seen a lot in its lifetime, a lot fell on its lot and the tragic pages. In the first half of the XIII century, it was twice captured by German knights, and finally the victory of Alexander Nevsky, won by him in 1242 on Lake Peipus, helped to expel them from there.
A century later, the defenders of the fortress heroically resisted the siege of the Livonian knights, and in 1367 they drove the Germans from their walls, trying to penetrate the city with the help of fighting rams. During the Time of Troubles, the fortress was impregnable for the troops of the Lithuanian gentry Alexander Lisovsky, but after the end of the Northern War, she, like her Pskov sister, lost military significance and gradually fell into decay.
Fortress of Kaporie
Another interesting monument of medieval defensive architecture is located in Kaporye (Pskov region). The fortress located in this city and bearing its name was built in 1237 by the knights of the Livonian Order, but four years later it was recaptured from them by the troops of Prince Alexander Nevsky. It was destroyed many times, and rebuilt. The first time this happened in 1282 as a result of the rebellion of Novgorod against Prince Dmitry Alexandrovich, who tried to hide from them behind the fortress walls.
Subsequently, she was repeatedly captured by the Swedes, but each time she returned to the hands of her former owners. The last owner of the fortress was the charming prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, who received it as a gift from Peter I. However, after the death of his crown patron, he fell into disgrace, the fortress was confiscated, and it passed to the treasury.
Unlike other Russian fortresses, Kaporye has never been restored, and restoration work has never been carried out on its territory. As a result, today the fortress is in an extremely neglected state, but, on the other hand, as art historians believe, this has preserved many of the features of its architecture in its original form.