During the centuries, Russia's borders have been changed many times due to all sorts of wars, invasions and other historical events. One of the most important tasks of Russia at all times was the protection of its borders. Especially in the northwest, where there was a constant threat from Lithuania and Sweden, which many times tested the borders of the Russian state for strength. In this regard, powerful defensive structures were built in the Middle Ages, which created a strong shield from enemies on the borders of our state. Many of the great fortresses of Russia are well preserved to the day, many are partially preserved, some are completely destroyed or, for other reasons, wiped off the face of the earth over time. This article will focus on the greatest examples of ancient architecture that can be seen today.
Legacy of past eras
Most of the defensive structures on the territory of our country were erected in the Middle Ages. However, there are both earlier andlater fortresses of Russia, which performed very important functions in the life of the country. Of course, they no longer carry any protective functions, but are architectural monuments and cultural heritage, because they are a reflection of the heroic past of the Russian people. Most of the structures presented below are military fortresses of Russia, but among them there are also monasteries-fortresses and other most valuable masterpieces of ancient architecture of past centuries. The territory of our country is truly vast, and there are indeed a large number of various defensive fortifications on it. It is worth highlighting the most strategically important and famous fortresses of Russia. The list is:
1. Old Ladoga Fortress.
2. Oreshek Fortress.
3. Ivangorod fortress.
4. Koporskaya fortress.
5. Pskov fortress.
6. Izborsk fortress.
7. Porkhov fortress.
8. Novgorod fortress.
9. Kronstadt fortress.
10. Moscow Kremlin.
More details about each of them are written below.
Staraya Ladoga Fortress
It is worth starting the list with her, since in Staraya Ladoga, it is also called the "ancient capital of Northern Russia", in the 9th century the first fortress in Russia was built by the Varangians. An important point: it was the first stone fortress on the territory of Ancient Russia. However, it was destroyed by the Swedes, and in the XII century. it was rebuilt, and in the XVI century. rebuilt. In later centuries, it fell into disrepair and collapsed, and only part of the walls, two towers and the church have survived to this day.
Nutlet, or Shlisselburg, or Noteburg
That's how many names this fortress of Russia has, which is also located on the territory of the current Leningrad region. It was founded in 1352, the remains of the first wall of boulders are still in the center of a more modern fortress. In the XV - XVI centuries it was rebuilt and became a model of a classical fortress, designed for all-round defense. In the 17th century, it belonged to Sweden, until it was recaptured by Peter I. From the 18th century, the fortress became a prison where members of the royal family, favorites, schismatics, Decembrists and many others were sent. During the blockade of Leningrad, the Germans could not take it. At the moment, there are many museum exhibits that once belonged to the prisoners of these walls.
The power of Ivangorod
In 1492, over the River Narva on Devichya Gora, the foundation of this fortress city of Russia was laid and named after the great Russian prince. The Ivangorod fortress was being built in just seven weeks - an unthinkable speed for that time. Initially square with four towers, it was completed and expanded in the 15th-16th centuries. It was a strategically important center of Russia, which controlled the ships on the river and access to the B altic Sea. The monument of military engineering art is very well preserved to this day, despite the damage during the Great Patriotic War.
Ancient Koporye
First mentioned in chronicles in 1240 as a fortress founded by the crusaders. They retreatedthanks to the army of Alexander Nevsky, under whose son the Koporsky fortress was completed in 1297. In the 16th century it was thoroughly rebuilt. In the 17th century, it, like some other fortresses in the north-west of Russia, went to the Swedes, and only in 1703 it was recaptured. For some time it was the military-administrative center of the Ingermanland province (the first province of Russia). Only fragments of the walls and 4 towers have survived to this day, but the underground passages have been remarkably preserved. In Koporye itself there is "Rusich" - a glacial boulder, one of the largest of the existing ones.
Great Pskov
It was the first fortress city on the northwestern border of Russia. It has been mentioned in chronicles since 903. And from 1348 to 1510 it was the center of the Pskov veche republic - a small boyar state. In the center of the ensemble of the Pskov fortress was the Krom (Kremlin), built in 1337 on a cape at the confluence of two rivers, inside which were: the Trinity Cathedral, government bodies, the treasury, the archive; The second line of fortifications - Dovmontov city - was built in the XIV - XV centuries. Another wall was erected to the south of Dovmotnov city, and in the resulting so-called wall there was a Torgovishche. In 1374 - 75 years. the city was surrounded by another wall - the Middle City.
The defense of the city consisted of four belts of stone fortifications. The total length of the walls was 9.5 km, along the entire length of which there were 40 towers. During the sieges and battles on the walls of this Russian fortresseven the women fought. Most of the cities of Ancient Russia were wooden, while Pskov was built up with stone temples since the 12th century, many of which still exist today.
The Pskov-Caves Monastery is unique for its fortress ensemble, its center is located between the hills, and the edges are hidden by ravines. Despite the fact that the monastery did not perform a military function, it was able to withstand the attack of the Swedes. In addition to the ground part with the usual churches and outbuildings, this monastery also has a cave church - the Assumption. It appeared back in 1473, at the same time the monastery itself was consecrated. The monastery is currently open to the public.
One of the first
In the Pskov region is Izborsk, which was one of the first cities in Russia and is listed in the annals from 862. In 1330, a stone fortress was erected, which during its history was completed and changed several times, and fragments of which have survived to this day, although they have been thoroughly destroyed by time. The length of the fortress walls was about 850 meters. In the 14th century, one of the participants in the siege dubbed Izborsk an "iron city", and until the Great Patriotic War, no one could take the fortress. Today in these places there is a festival of military-historical reconstruction called "Iron City". Practically from under the walls of this fortress of Russia, springs beat, the water from which is considered healing, and in the spring they become whole waterfalls flowing into the lake.
Small Porkhov
Another one of the fortresses of the Pskov region- Porkhovskaya. Relatively small, it had only three towers, a church and a bell tower. It was founded in 1387, later completed, like many other ancient fortresses in Russia. The city of Porkhov itself, according to the chronicles, was founded during the reign of Alexander Nevsky to cover the waterway from Pskov to Novgorod. Under Catherine II, a botanical garden was laid within the walls of the fortress. In its place is now a small cozy corner where medicinal plants grow, and inside the fortress itself there is a museum post office. The city of Porkhov is even more interesting with a large number of other architectural monuments, such as merchant houses, historical estates and unusual temples.
Detinets of Veliky Novgorod
One of the largest and richest cities in Russia of the XI-XV centuries is Novgorod. From 1136 to 1478 it was the center of the Novgorod Republic, after which it joined the Moscow principality. Located on the banks of the Volkhov River, next to Lake Ilmen. In the center of the city since 1333 there was a wooden Detinets (Kremlin), which was later burned down. At the end of the 15th century, it was rebuilt in stone form. At the moment, the entire stunning architectural ensemble of the Kremlin is a UNESCO monument. The complex consisted of twelve towers (round and square), and the length of the walls was more than one and a half kilometers. Many of the fortifications, unfortunately, have not survived to this day.
Recent history of Russia
Kronstadt fortress refers to a later era in the history of the country than the above-mentioned fortresses in Russia. walled cityKronstadt, located on the island of Kotlin, on the periphery of which there are numerous forts of the complex, is the largest fortification in Europe and is also a UNESCO monument. Despite this, many of the fortifications today are in a very neglected state. Forts "Grand Duke Konstantin", "Kronshlot", "Konstantin" and "Emperor Alexander I" are currently the most accessible and visited. There are also a lot of old and interesting buildings in Kronstadt: the palace, Gostiny Dvor, the Admir alty complex, Tolbukhin Mayak, Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas and many others.
The most important
In different periods of the history of our country, various fortresses played an important, if not decisive role. Today we can say that this function is performed by the Moscow Kremlin. This main fortress of Russia is located on the banks of the Moskva River on Borovitsky Hill. Back in 1156, the first wooden fortifications were built on this site, which were replaced with stone ones in the 14th century (they used local white stone). It is believed that this is why Moscow was called white-stone. However, this material, although it withstood a lot of enemy attacks, turned out to be short-lived.
During the reign of Ivan III Vasilyevich, the restructuring of the Kremlin began. Palaces, churches and other buildings were erected by invited Italian masters. In the 16th century, the construction of new churches continued: the Cathedral of the Ascension Monastery, the Cathedral of the Chudov Monastery and others. In parallel with this, new walls and towers were being built.the Moscow Kremlin, and the area of the fortress was increased. During the time of Peter I, when Moscow ceased to be a royal residence, and a great fire in 1701 claimed many wooden buildings, it was forbidden to build wooden buildings inside the Kremlin. At the same time, the construction of the Arsenal began.
Later, the Kremlin was completed and rebuilt more than once, and a single architectural ensemble appeared in 1797. In 1812, Napoleon entered Moscow and the Kremlin, respectively, and when he left its walls through a secret passage, he ordered to blow up all the buildings. Fortunately, most of the buildings survived, but the damage was still significant. Over the course of 20 years, much has been restored, reconstructed and the traces of explosions have been eliminated.
Subsequently, the Moscow Kremlin was subjected to various changes many times, most of all its architectural ensemble suffered during the coming of the Bolsheviks to power. It has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1990, and since 1991 it has become the residence of the President of the Russian Federation. Since that time, it has been periodically restored. More than 2 km - the length of the walls of the Kremlin, along them there are 20 towers. Cathedrals and churches: Arkhangelsk, Annunciation, Assumption, Verkhospassky and others. On the territory there is the Grand Kremlin Palace, the Golden Tsaritsyna Chamber, the Arsenal, the Armory and other buildings. Four squares, a garden and a square, as well as two monuments - the Tsar Cannon and the Tsar Bell, and many other buildings are located on the territory of this important historical, artistic, social and political complex of our country.
