The fortress Kamenetz-Podolskaya, also called the Outpost of Christianity, was built to defend the so-called Turkish bridge, which performs the connecting functions between the mainland and the Old Town.
About paragraph
Archaeologists have carefully examined this place. According to their conclusion, the local castle was built on the territory where in the IX-XII century there was a detinet and a rampart of earth, as well as a wall of wood. Thanks to them, the settlement was protected, whose inhabitants were citizens of the Galicia-Volyn state.
The place where the Kamenetz-Podilsky fortress now stands was surrounded by stone fortifications in the XII-XIII centuries. And in 1240 the army of Batu appeared here, which destroyed these walls, the city itself and its population.
For more than a hundred years, the Mongol Tatars reigned here. In 1362, a battle took place on the Blue Waters, as a result of which the conquerors were defeated. They were overthrown by the troops of Olgerd, who disposed of the land in such a way that the Kamenetz-Podolsky fortress (Khmelnytsky region) was under the control of his nephews.
Development
When this territory was under the control of Lithuanian rulers in the 1363-1430s, there were positive changes in the life of the fortress - work was carried out to restore it. Merchants and gentry made donations, through which it was possible to collect the necessary amount to betray the fortress of its remarkable appearance. In addition, the popes participated in the gatherings, giving "alms from St. Peter."
When Vitovt died, feuds began between his heirs. Since it was not possible to determine the ruler, the land where the Kamenetz-Podolskaya fortress still stands today fell under the jurisdiction of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth for the period from 1434 to 1793.
And in 1672-1699. here the rules of the Ottoman Empire. It was then that important strategic functions were imposed on this point, because it was the center of the province of Poland, as well as a city with royal status.
Change
Under the rule of the Poles, the old fortress-castle Kamenetz-Podolsky was slightly changed. Reconstructions were carried out here - one of the largest took place in 1621. It was led by T. Schomberg, who worked to adapt the named point to the defense of artillery.
And at the height of the war, which lasted between the Polish people and the Turks from 1672 to 1676, one of the attacks ended with the surrender of the local population. At the same time, two towers were defeated.
But a quarter of a century later, the Kamyanets-Podilsky fortress, the history of which is set out in the article, was returned to Poland. This happened as a result of the conclusion of the Karlovitsky peace agreement.
Now this item was not as powerful for Christians as it was before. Much more attention was paid to its combat effectiveness and the ability to carry out defense. The buildings were reconstructed with money allocated by the state.
Change of power
Since 1793, this land was under the control of the Russian Empire, since 1795 it is the central point of the Podolsk province. When the Russo-Turkish war was over in 1812, the borders of the state expanded towards the south. Then the fortress Kamenetz-Podolsk became no longer so important for military purposes, and it was used as a correctional institution.
During the First World War, I again had to think about defense - here the front headquarters was located in the south-west of Russia. In 1917-1923, when the Civil War broke out, power at this point changed many times. The nationalists of Ukraine, the Bolsheviks, and the Austrian-German troops ruled here. In the years 1919-1920. there was a period when this city was even appointed the capital of Ukraine after the surrender of the government of the UPR and the Directory from Kiev.
Importance
In 1928, the Kamenetz-Podolskaya fortress received the status of a cultural and historical reserve of national importance. But during the Second World War this place was badly damaged, because there were bombing and fierce battles.
Now it is an architectural and historical reserve of national importance, which is one of the cultural monuments of the world that are part of the UNESCO heritage. This building can be described as impregnable, thanks to the efforts of builders, as well as favorable circumstances created by nature. So people who lived in the Middle Ages even said that the very hand of God built these fortifications.
There are steep slopes of great height, deep ravines and an extensive channel of the Smotrych River, reaching 250 m in width. The walls decorated with embrasures rise above all this. Weapons of great power were shot from here - there were 10 guns in total in the fortress, as well as a tarasnitsa.
The old castle is the heart, the krug of which grew a powerful and impregnable Kamenetz-Podolsk fortress. The photo that you can see in the article only to a small extent conveys the grandeur of the local buildings. The shape of the castle is quadrangular. Inside is a closed area with an area of 1.5 hectares. Its perimeter is decorated with 11 towers.
Important facilities
One of the defensive structures in the south is the Papal Tower. It is closest to the entrance on the left side. It was built between 1505 and 1515. To ensure the work, funds from the Pope were used.
In the XIX century, U. Karmelyuk, who led the rebel movement of peasants, was held captive three times. There are five tiers, looking at which it can be noted that the first two have a square shape, the next pair is an octahedron, and the last is a cylinder.
In addition, the fortress has a tower in the form of a cap. It was created in the 14th century. The walls are built to make up a cylinder, and the tower is a cone. In 1544, its modernization took place - they strengthened the foundation, covered the facades with plaster, removed the inner passage and built the outer one from the north. When the war broke out between the Turks and the Poles in 1672-1676, the tower was seriously damaged. Previously, it was much higher, but today we can only see 22 m of its height.
Interesting buildings
An important role is played by the Tenchinskaya tower, which was built at the very beginning of the 15th century, coinciding with its opening on arrival from Krakow, Y. Tenchinsky, who was responsible for the proper functioning of the fortification, as well as for the safety of being in it.
The location of this building is interesting - it leaves three quarters beyond the borders of the Old Castle. Therefore, in order to make its safety higher, in the XVIII century the tower was covered with a fourth tier. Now it rises to 21 meters.
The fourth position from the entrance is the Laska tower with four cylinders, which was built at the beginning of the 15th century. It kept the values of bishops. The masonry is white. There is an inscription in Latin stating that it is more difficult to find a true friend than to see the phoenix. The second tier of this building was changed in 1544. Thanks to this, a staircase appeared inside the wall, which was covered with plaster. The fourth level was used for military purposes. The current height of the tower is 22.5 m.
Oldest of buildings
In the west there is a Day tower, near the entrance to the building. She is older than everyone else, since it was created in the XII-XVI centuries. It has the shape of a rectangle and a large number of loopholes. From here, observation was carried out for strategic purposes. At the top was a wooden superstructure, which also played the role of a springboard, through which weapons were delivered to the upper level of the New Tower. An interesting detail is that the structure does not have a roof.
The Big Tower was created in 1544 and is the largest in the fortress. Its perimeter has five faces. The goals of the creation are defensive - during the battles weapons rolled here. In 1672, the Turks carried out an explosion, due to which the building was seriously damaged, and the castle had to be surrendered.
Everything described is just the most important points. In fact, the Kamyanets-Podilsky fortress is grandiose, and there is still much interesting.