The height of the Smolensk fortress wall. Smolensk Fortress or Kremlin? The Legend of a Cheerful Girl
The history of Smolensk, one of the oldest Slavic cities, goes back to the 9th century. At this time, the Smolensk fortress, one of the most ancient sights of Smolensk, was founded in the upper reaches of the Dnieper. There is a legend according to which the skull of St. Mercury’s horse was walled up in one of the walls of the fortress. Mercury is a warrior who in 1238 saved the city from the Mongol-Tatar invasion. They say that as soon as the enemies approached Smolensk, horses neighing were heard from this wall.
Smolensk Fortress on Google Maps.
Sorry, the card is temporarily unavailable Sorry, the card is temporarily unavailableDuring times late Middle Ages the city acquires the significance of a border fortress between the Moscow and Great Lithuanian principalities. At that time, these were the two largest states in Eastern Europe and at the same time fierce opponents.
In the 15th century, Smolensk belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. But in 1514 it came under the rule of the Moscow princes and became an important strategic point on the western approaches to Moscow. The existing old fortifications can no longer effectively perform their defensive functions and, therefore, in 1595 it was decided to begin grandiose fortification work to modernize the fortress.
The left steep bank of the Dnieper was ideal for the construction of a new fortification. Therefore, it was here that, under the leadership of the famous Moscow master Fyodor Kon, they began to erect new towers of the Smolensk fortress. They say that after inspecting the construction, Boris Godunov said: “The Smolensk wall will now become a necklace for all Orthodox Rus', to the envy of its enemies and to the pride of the Moscow state.” The construction of the Smolensk Kremlin was declared a matter of primary national importance. There was even a decree prohibiting the construction of any other fortress in Muscovy until the construction of the Smolensk fortress was completed.
In 1602, the construction of the Kremlin came to an end. Now 38 towers, surrounded by more than 6 km of fortress walls, proudly towered over the Dnieper. The thickness and height of the walls, taking into account the features of the relief, were different.
As a sign that the construction of the fortress was completed, Boris Godunov presented the city with an icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria. The image was hung in a niche above the main gate, and soon a temple was located in the gate tower. But neither the icon of the Heavenly Intercessor, nor the mighty walls and towers of the Smolensk fortress helped protect it from the Poles, and in a short time it again found itself under the rule of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Smolensk Kremlin. Photo.
Russia does not give up hope of returning the outpost back. The Russians besiege the Solenskaya fortress several times. But only in 1654, after a brutal assault, they managed to recapture it from the enemy. The Peace of Andrusevsky was signed as a sign of the transition of the city of Smolensk to Russia in 1667. At that time, the fortifications of the fortress were not in the best condition, however, their restoration began only 25 years later and the work was carried out very slowly.
During the War of 1812, the walls of the Smolensk fortress again defended the city. The stronghold held its defense for two days in front of French detachments. Thus, giving the Russian army the opportunity to retreat and the city residents to evacuate.
Nowadays, about half of the walls of the Smolensk fortress have survived, but even today it impresses with its size. The fortification extends almost 2 km from west to east and almost 1.5 km from north to south.
The towers of the Smolensk fortress are called: Pyatnitskaya, Volkova (Strelka), Kostirevskaya (Red), Veselukha, Pozdnyakova, Orel, Avraamovskaya, Zaaltarnaya (Belukha), Voronina, Dolmachovskaya (Shembeleva), Zimbulka, Nikolskaya (Elenovskaya), Makhova, Donets, Gromovaya, Bubleyka and Kopitenskaya. Of the 38 towers, only 17 and separate sections of the fortress wall have survived.
At the end, as always, we offer a video. Smolensk Kremlin. History and sights. Smolensk
Smolensk Fortress Wall ( Smolensk Kremlin) was built in 1595-1602 during the reign of Tsars Fyodor Ioannovich and Boris Godunov. The architect of this building is Fyodor Kon.
The Smolensk Fortress Wall is popularly called the Smolensk Kremlin. Once upon a time it had many buildings and structures and was an important strategic object, the main purpose of which was to protect the city from attacks. Only a small wall of the Smolensk Kremlin has survived to this day.
Nowadays, only preserved fragments of walls and several towers of the Smolensk Kremlin are visible to the tourist’s eye. The fact that only a part has survived to this day Smolensk fortress wall, built at the end of the 16th century, only adds ancient authenticity to the monument.
Stone walls could withstand enemy artillery attacks even at the time of construction. If we do not take into account the purpose of the fortress, but consider it as a cultural value, it can be argued that the Smolensk fortress wall is exceptionally beautiful. Architect Fyodor Savelyevich Kon had experience in constructing structures of this kind, but in this project he outdid himself. The Smolensk Kremlin is the most unusual structure of all the works of Fyodor Kon, which had six-kilometer walls and 38 towers, and none of the towers was repeated in its design and was one of a kind.
It is a pity that not all the towers of the Smolensk fortress wall have survived to this day, but only 17 of them. The total length of the remaining walls is about 3 kilometers. This is a consequence of the wars that took place in the territory. According to the stories of old-timers, the first towers were destroyed by Polish feudal lords, then Napoleon laid claim to these lands, and four more towers were damaged during skirmishes with German troops during World War II. Several remaining towers of the Smolensk Kremlin were dismantled by local residents to restore houses destroyed during the war. In the 1960s, huge sections of the Smolensk Fortress Wall were destroyed by workers, making way for new streets in the expanding city of Smolensk. And only 10 years later, when historical Smolensk did not require any more redevelopment, the Smolensk wall was left alone. Everything that has been preserved is in its original form; external changes are due only to minor restoration work.
Towers of the Smolensk fortress wall (Smolensk Kremlin).
One of the most popular towers of the Smolensk fortress wall among those that are open to tourists is the Thunder Tower, which has a number of other names - Kuninskaya, Topinskaya, Tupinskaya Tower. People say that the tower received its name from the strong clap of thunder during a thunderstorm that raged right above it. There is another version of the origin of the name “Thunder”; it is associated with the bizarre structure of the tower itself. She is pushed forward menacingly from the wall, which makes her impregnable and menacing as thunder.
Nowadays, the Thunder Tower houses the Smolensk – Shield of Russia museum, which displays exhibits of military equipment and weapons from the mid-14th century. You can also see a small model that reflects the history of the fortress, starting from the construction of the foundation - from it you can trace the implementation of the grandiose project of F. Kon. On the upper tier of the Thunder Tower of the Smolensk Kremlin there is Observation deck, where during the day you can see an unforgettable panorama of the city, and in the evening from this platform you can not only admire the lights of night Smolensk, but also listen to rock bands, classical orchestras and other popular performers who often hold their concerts right on this platform.
Another open tower of the Smolensk Fortress Wall is the Eagle Tower. From this tower there is a wonderful view of the inner courtyard of the fortress, and from here there is a passage to the Veselukha Tower. During this walk along the Smolensk fortress wall you will be able to feel all the grandeur and power of this building. Such feelings are due to the unforgettable view on both sides of the wall. On one side it is a picturesque courtyard, and on the other there is a view of deep ravines, among which there is the “Devil's Ditch” ravine, in which a ski slope was built.
The Eagle Tower of the Smolensk fortress wall was named so in the first years after its construction. There is a legend about a family of eagles that built their nest right on top of this tower and lived there for many years, until the first military skirmish scared the birds away and forced them to fly away with their young offspring to safer places. However, despite the fact that eagles have not lived here for a long time, this tower of the Smolensk fortress wall still bears its original name.
The Smolensk Kremlin is a fairly famous landmark of Smolensk. It is located in the central part of the city. Now about half of the walls and 18 towers have been preserved. The total length of the fortress wall is more than 6 kilometers.
Western Gate of Russia.
The strategic importance of the city of Smolensk is the protection of Moscow from invasions from the West. The city is located on the shortest route to Moscow, here are the so-called Smolensk Gates - a narrow passage (defile) between the full-flowing rivers Western Dvina and Dnieper. This is a convenient route for military campaigns without crossings.
The first fortifications.
The Smolensk hills on the right bank of the Dnieper have long attracted the ancient Slavs. They could be fortified relatively quickly. The first mention of wooden fortifications on Cathedral Hill dates back to 1053. In the 12th century, the Smolensk wooden fortress was already mentioned in chronicles. The defense of the city was strengthened by the Borisoglebsky and Spassky monasteries. The Mongol-Tatar conquerors bypassed Smolensk, and in 1340 a fire destroyed most of the city: “Smolensk burned all on the night of Savior Day.”
The fortress withstood repeated attacks Principality of Lithuania and, in the end, was conquered by the cunning of the Lithuanian prince Vytautas and annexed to Lithuania. The city repeatedly rebelled against the Lithuanians. In 1514, Smolensk was taken as a result of the third campaign of the Moscow Tsar Vasily III and annexed to the Moscow state, the townspeople, after long negotiations, opened the gates and surrendered the fortress.
Stone fortress.
The fortress in Smolensk attracted all conquerors like a magnet, and therefore, immediately after joining the Moscow state, in 1595 the construction of a new stone Kremlin began instead of a wooden one. The construction of the stone Kremlin was led by an experienced architect and builder of that time, Fyodor Kon. The Smolensk Kremlin was built with all the forces of the Moscow state. Construction was difficult and complex; 320 thousand piles, 100 million bricks, and a million cartloads of sand were used. The thickness of the walls was about 5 meters, the height depended on the terrain.
Polish-Lithuanian wars. Time of Troubles.
The Kremlin was built in 1602 and already in 1609 was besieged by the Polish king Sigismund. The defense of the city was led by the experienced governor Mikhail Shein, but the betrayal of the boyars and the small number of the garrison led to the fall of the fortress. The siege lasted 20 months; as a result of the fifth main assault, the Poles broke into the city. Sigismund planned to move on to Moscow, but during the long siege he spent all his money. The king's army disintegrated, the mercenaries, not receiving pay, began plundering the city and the surrounding area and refused to go further. This helped the militia of Minin and Pozharsky to drive out the small Polish garrison from the Moscow Kremlin.
Patriotic War of 1812.
The fortress was heavily fortified by order of Peter the Great in 1698, deep ditches were dug and modern fortifications were built.
Under the cover of the walls of Smolensk in 1812 there was major battle with Napoleonic troops. During the retreat of the French and their allies from Smolensk, on the orders of Marshal Ney, 9 towers of the Smolensk Kremlin were blown up, and they were never restored.
Great Patriotic War. 1941-1945.
In the 20th century, stone walls and towers already lost their defensive value. Basic fighting took place over a vast territory. The Battle of Smolensk lasted 2 months and played important role in disrupting the German "quick war" plan.
On July 11, the German 39th Motorized Corps cut the Smolensk-Moscow highway east of Smolensk, and on July 13, the 47th Motorized Corps reached Smolensk from the South-West. As a result of these breakthroughs, our troops were surrounded. The city itself was defended by units of the 16th and 20th armies of the Red Army, which on July 28 left Smolensk and left the encirclement on the eastern bank of the Dnieper, blowing up bridges.
Smolensk was liberated in 1943 as a result of Operation Suvorov. The German group near Smolensk was surrounded by the forces of the 31st and 5th armies. Our troops crossed the Dnieper and liberated the city.
As a result of these battles, the Smolensk Kremlin was badly damaged, and two of its towers were turned into an ammunition depot by the German invaders and blown up during the retreat.
Modernity.
The remains of the fortress wall and towers are in different states. Now the Smolensk Kremlin is being gradually restored, some of the towers can be climbed. Also, certain sections of the fortress wall are accessible for passage along it. The area around the walls is quite picturesque; in summer, there are street exhibitions of local artists nearby.
Development of Smolensk monumental architecture in the XIV, XV and 16th centuries we essentially don't know. This does not mean at all that at that time they did not build here from brick, and all buildings were constructed only from wood. After all, even being part of the Lithuanian state, Smolensk has always remained a large cultural and economic center. There is no doubt that monumental construction must have been carried out in the city. Thus, during excavations of the Church of the Trinity Monastery on Klovka, it turned out that it was heavily rebuilt in the 15th or 16th centuries, and two brick civil buildings (apparently for economic purposes) were erected nearby at the same time. It is known that traces of reconstructions of the 15th-16th centuries were also found in some other monuments of Smolensk architecture of the 12th century. Unfortunately, all these buildings and reconstructions have not yet been studied.
In 1514, Smolensk was returned to Rus' and became the most important fortress on the western borders of the Moscow state. Its defense was of great importance for the security of Moscow itself, since the city stood on the main road leading to Moscow from the west. In 1554, the Smolensk fortress was damaged in a fire, and by decree of Ivan the Terrible, Prince Vasily Dmitrievich Danilov was sent here to “make the city of Smolensk.”
Travelers who saw Smolensk in the second half of the 16th century unanimously note that the new fortress was built of oak and protected by deep ditches. In 1593, one of the foreigners who visited Smolensk called it “the most famous border town” and noted that its fortress was “very high, but all wooden.”
At the end of the 16th century, after the strengthening of the Smolensk settlement, the question arose of replacing the old city fortress made of wood and earth with a stone one. Why was there such a need? The fact is that by this time they had learned to cast guns that could easily destroy walls made of wood and clay. Smolensk was; the main fortress on the way to the capital of Russia. 3rd about desire. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth regained it, the Moscow government decided to build a stone fortress.
Preparatory work
The preparatory work for its creation was carefully thought out in advance, carried out on a large scale, with excellent knowledge of construction techniques and construction production.
The surviving sources make it possible to get a clear picture of the entire progress of construction work. They officially began on December 15, 1595. The “administrator” of the construction was Prince Vasily Andreevich Zvenigorodsky, and his assistants were Semyon Bezobrazov and clerks Posnik Shipilov and Nechai Perfiryev. But main role The famous architect, who had recently completed the grandiose construction of defensive walls in Moscow, “city master Fyodor Savelyev Kon,” played a part in the construction.
In the spring of 1596, the official foundation took place. This actually began the strengthening of Smolensk, which found itself under the threat of an enemy attack. The appointed construction managers were required to go to Smolensk immediately. The time of their arrival at their destination was also precisely established - December 25 of the same year at three or four o'clock in the afternoon. This was specifically stipulated by the royal decree. But it was impossible to fortify the border city secretly; enemy scouts would immediately report the start of work to Sigismund III. Taking this into account, the government of Tsar Fedor did not make them a state secret. It was decided to carry out all events not only openly, but also in the most solemn atmosphere. Therefore, construction managers were ordered to enter Smolensk under the sound of the city bells through the suburb, past the Lithuanian Gostiny Dvor, along the Big Bridge across the Dnieper, so that everyone could see, and to appear at the Theotokos Cathedral to Archbishop Theodosius to receive a blessing both for the “city business” and for procuring the necessary “city reserves”. This has never happened before. This clearly demonstrated the importance of the arrival of government officials in Smolensk, raised their authority, showed what a responsible task the government had set for them, what importance Smolensk had acquired in the emerging political situation. The purpose of such a ceremonial entry should have been clear to everyone - both foreign guests who were in the city and its...residents who became direct participants in its strengthening. To carry out the planned construction, the seconded received the “sovereign treasury.” Then everything went according to schedule, and by the spring of 1596 preparatory work in Smolensk were basically completed. Construction managers hired “willing people” who began procuring building materials, repaired old and built new sheds and kilns for drying and firing bricks, began their production and the preparation of lime, began transporting stone and preparing piles for the foundations. All this was done “hastily”, without delaying with great “zeal”, as required by the royal order. At the same time, an estimate for construction was drawn up and sent to Moscow for approval, and the locations of the walls and towers of the future “city” were established.
To control the expenditure of funds, the Smolensk voivode, Prince Katyrev-Rostovsky, allocated 10 people “Smolny Posad best people” who had to certify with their signature all expenses “so that there would be no theft of money.”
Such an organization would be the envy of modern builders. This made it possible to quickly start work, expand it to its full extent and carry it out without delay.
Construction of the fortress
Due to the fact that the importance of Smolensk in the overall defense system of the western border of Russia was enormous, Tsar Fedor sent his brother-in-law, boyar Boris Fedorovich Godunov, who was then the de facto ruler of the state, to lay new fortifications there. Boris Godunov arranged his trip to Smolensk with great pomp and ceremony. Arriving in the city “with great zeal,” he served a prayer service in the Bogoroditsky Cathedral, and then with his retinue “toured the place where there would be a city,” previously planned by Fyodor Kon and other construction leaders, and “loved to lay a hail of stones.” After this, Boris Godunov returned to Moscow, and the okolnichy I.M. Buturlin, Prince V.A. Zvenigorodsky, clerk N. Perfiryev and many nobles and boyar children were sent to Smolensk, who were ordered to build the “city” “quickly”.
The volume of construction is evidenced by documents that preserve information on the consumption of building materials. 100 million bricks and several hundred thousand pounds of strip iron were laid into the wall and towers.
At the same time, a broad, almost universal mobilization of all master masons, brickmakers and even potters was carried out in the country, who poured in a wide stream “for the masonry and brickwork business” to Smolensk. Some monasteries were also involved in the work; They not only provided people and carts to Smolensk, but also delivered stone, barrels of lime and other building materials. They were brought from wherever they were available. Staritsa, Ruza, Bely and other “distant cities of the whole earth” were then suppliers of Smolensk construction. At the end of the 16th century, the country did not know its equal. It was the largest in terms of the volume of work performed and the number of workers employed. The city was turned into a gigantic, unprecedented construction site, where huge masses of “black people”, collected from all cities of the state, worked. Ordinary workers worked on digging pits for foundations, driving piles into soft soil, and delivering bricks and stones to places where they were laid. More qualified craftsmen, masons and brickmakers, wise from previous experience, erected walls and towers with their loopholes, battlements, internal staircases, vaults, inter-storey log bridges and roof support pillars, and nearby carpenters erected scaffolding, made formwork for vaults and arches, and covered sections of the fortress have already been completed. It grew by leaps and bounds, plot by plot, fathom by fathom. There was no downtime in the work. Their uninterrupted operation along the entire length of the “city” being built was ensured by separate construction teams that worked in areas assigned to them in advance, and by the constant supervision of the architect moving from one place to another. This went on for more than three years. Some work was obviously carried out at night, by the light of fires lit everywhere. At the final stage they did not stop even in late autumn, which was not usually done before.
Fortress plan
The Smolensk Fortress has irregular outlines in plan, since during its construction the natural conditions of the area were most fully taken into account. From the north, the fortress rests on a natural defensive line - the Dnieper. From the east and west, the walls run along the ridge of hills so that in front of the walls there are low areas everywhere, over which the fortress completely dominates. The most difficult thing was to create defensive lines on the southern side, where there are no natural barriers. Here the walls stood on level ground in some places, so ditches were dug in some areas. The Smolensk fortress had no ramparts at all.
At the middle of the northern and southern walls were the main gate towers of the fortress. The Dnieper (or Frolovskaya) tower opened the way to the Dnieper, to the bridge that led to the road to Moscow. Opposite it, approximately in the area of modern Smirnov Square, stood the Molokhov Tower - the main gate from the south. These two towers were the highest and, in addition to their functional purpose, served as a place for ceremonial entrances to the city. In addition to them, the fortress had seven more passage towers, that is, those in which there were gates. no driveways.
The towers are located quite evenly along the perimeter of the fortress, at an average distance of 150 meters, and the sections of walls between them are straight throughout. This made it possible to conduct effective flanking fire from all sections of the walls.
From the point of view of the military engineering art of that time, the Smolensk Fortress was a first-class fortification structure. And it was not without reason that one foreigner noted in his notes, compiled shortly after the completion of construction, that the Smolensk fortress “cannot be taken by storm.” The fighting that unfolded here 10 years later fully confirmed this.
At the base of the foundations of the fortress walls, where there is no dense continental soil, there is a complex system of piles and wooden structures filled with earth. In those areas where it could be reached, a stone foundation was immediately laid at the base. The lower part is made of well-hewn white stone blocks, and the higher wall is brick. At the same time, only the outer and inner surfaces of the walls are made of brick, forming, as it were, two independent, rather thick brick walls, and their inner part is filled with broken stone and boulders filled with lime mortar.
There are three tiers of loopholes: the lower tier is a plantar battle, the middle and upper tier is with a combat platform at the top. Firing from the walls, from all three tiers, was carried out only from small guns, and larger artillery was concentrated in the towers. Here, special combat chambers are made to accommodate guns. The interior space of the towers was divided into tiers, mostly four, using wooden flooring. However, some towers also had vaulted ceilings.
The surface of the lower part of the walls outside has a slight slope, and above it is strictly vertical. At the turn of these sections, a decorative semicircular roller runs along the walls and towers of the entire fortress. On the back side the walls are dissected by large arched niches. The outside of the fortress was whitewashed, and some areas were also decoratively painted with red-brown brick paint.
The Smolensk Fortress is located on a difficult terrain. Naturally, it was necessary to ensure free flow of rainwater in all places, which otherwise could stagnate near the walls and destroy them. Therefore, many stone pipes are laid in the basement to drain water. To prevent enemy spies from penetrating through them, the pipes were blocked with iron bars.
It took the craftsmen six years to build the fortress wall, which became the pride of Russia, its “necklace”. In 1602, the construction of the fortress was completed. The architecture of the wall had almost nothing to do with the traditions of old Smolensk architecture. But, despite this, the fortress not only protected, but also decorated the city. The length of the walls was 6.5 km, height - from 10 to 13 meters, width - from 4 to 6 meters. None of its 38 towers was the same as another. They were divided into 3 groups: round (16-sided), rectangular and rectangular with gates. The tower of the Frolov or Dnieper Gate was especially beautiful. She stood on the bank in front of the Big Dnieper Bridge. The passage was closed with wooden cobbled gates and an iron grating (gersa). The tower stood out from all the others due to its height. Its five tiers rose 30 meters above the ground. At the top there was an observation tower and a bell. The appearance of the tower was complemented by the double-headed eagle that crowned it and the icon of Hodegetria above the passage gate. The Dnieper Tower was created by F. Kon not only as a structure that was rightfully considered the pearl of the “necklace of all Rus'”. The gate was also a ceremonial entrance that opened the way to Moscow.
In the southern part the wall stood on a stone foundation, and in the northern Dnieper part it rested on oak piles.
Basically, the Smolensk church was completed by 1600, but some work continued in the future. At the same time, new masses of masons, brickmakers, potters, potters, jug makers, stove makers and other craftsmen were then sent to help the builders. They arrived in Smolensk from different regions of the country in accordance with the orders of Boris Godunov.
They were in a great hurry to end the Smolensk “city affair”, since in 1603 the twelve-year truce with Poland, whose aggressive policy intensified every day, was expiring. In an effort to complete this “business,” Boris Godunov in 1600 sent a large sum of money to Smolensk, and to supervise the work, he sent Prince S.I. Dolgoruky to it. Moreover, on pain death penalty he banned all stone construction in the country that was not related to government orders, which anticipated the famous decree of Peter I, which in 1714 closed stone construction in all cities Russian Empire in order to speed up the development of St. Petersburg. This ultimately contributed to the fact that in 1602 the Smolensk construction was completely completed. The subsequent solemn ceremony of consecrating the fortress indicated that the direct route to Moscow from the west was reliably closed. At the same time, the Smolensk fortress was immediately armed with cannons different types and calibers, and assigned to its towers and walls are nobles, boyar children, gunners, archers and townspeople, who in 1609, when the Poles approached Smolensk, took the places assigned to them and fulfilled their national duty. This, in fact, is the whole story of the creation of the Smolensk “city”, a story full of interesting facts and, perhaps, even instructive.
Conclusion
In a short time (1596-1602), an impregnable fortress was built around Smolensk on the site of ancient fortifications. It was a first-class structure of that time, possessing outstanding defensive qualities and great artistic expressiveness.
Now it’s time to get closer to the Smolensk Fortress, carefully examine its sections, and admire its architecture. Despite the huge potholes, significant losses and colossal planes of peeling brickwork, it still makes an indelible impression. Having seen it once, it can be difficult to forget later. I inspect it every time I come to Smolensk. Old and new residential buildings, cinemas, clubs, schools, kindergartens, nurseries, hospitals, clinics, department stores, shops and many other modern buildings - all this fits into its long-broken ring. As if with a giant red ribbon it encircles Smolensk, its central and most old part. It is just as impossible to imagine the city without this fortress wall, as it is without the majestic bulk of the Assumption Cathedral.
Particularly impressive is the huge, uninterrupted section of the fortress, located in the eastern part of Smolensk. A mighty wall, evenly fortified with towers, stretches here for almost two kilometers. Following the whimsical curves of the ravine, but maintaining rigor and regularity, it either goes down or climbs up the slopes of the hills, avoiding wide depressions. Behind it is a picturesquely located urban development, immersed in the greenery of gardens; in front of her is a deep, slightly swollen ditch, overflowing with water in the rainy season. A majestic picture opens from this wall onto the surrounding area. It can be difficult to take your eyes off it. Here the city ends. Further on stretch deep ravines that limit its territory. Their slopes are steep and cut by ravines. In some places they are overgrown with perennial trees and dense thickets of bushes. It is difficult to climb up or down them even now They served as an excellent cover for Smolensk before. No one could approach it from the east. Here, nature did everything to make it inaccessible. People also worked on this, increasing the protective properties of nature by building a fortress wall, like a crown, only a narrow one. , a path almost clinging to it, running like a snake from tower to tower, allows you to move towards the Dnieper River visible in the distance and the freely spread out left bank of the city behind it. The height of the wall is enormous. It grows out of the ground with a leisurely white stone slope of the base and at a height of two meters. picking up speed, it takes off into the endlessly open sky above the Dnieper steeps. A narrow, neatly hewn white stone roller seems to pierce it along its entire length. There is no end in sight. Like pieces on a chessboard, narrow arched slots for the middle and sole battlements are located on the smooth surface of the wall.
The Smolensk Fortress is not only a wonderful monument of Russian military engineering. This is also a magnificent architectural monument. The talent of the “city master” Fyodor Kon was reflected in the fact that, while erecting a structure that had primarily an applied, defensive purpose, he also created a wonderful architectural ensemble.
The proportions of the towers and their silhouettes reveal the hand of a great master, not only a military engineer, but also an artist. All architectural details are drawn with exquisite skill. True, there are very few of them: the military fortress was supposed to look stern, and unnecessary decorative elements could give it an elegant and thereby less impregnable appearance.
The architect skillfully used purely decorative elements: external frames of loopholes, designed as window frames, frames of gate openings, corner blades of towers, etc. The entrance portals of the gate towers were especially elegantly designed. Profiles carved from white stone, pilasters with panels, a niche for an icon above the passage are arranged by the hand of an experienced craftsman.
To date, only half of the fortress has survived - 18 towers and about 3 km of walls. Most of the towers were destroyed during wars and battles. The northeastern section of the wall along the Dnieper was dismantled in the 19th century, the western section - in the 30s of our century. At the same time, in the 1880s, restoration (restoration) of the fortress began, which continues to this day.
What do we expect to see when we come to some ancient Russian city? The Kremlin in its center, the streets diverging from it with historical buildings, such as, for example, in Nizhny Novgorod or Veliky Novgorod, Tula or Kazan.
But in Smolensk everything is different.
There is no Kremlin in Smolensk, but there is fortress , inside which almost the entire historical center of the city is located. Wherever you go, being in the center of Smolensk, one way or another you will definitely see either the fortress walls (or what remains of them by now) or the mighty towers of the Smolensk fortress .
By the way, in my impression, in this respect Smolensk is similar to Moscow, if it had preserved the fortress walls of Bely and Kitai Gorod. However, why be surprised if the Smolensk Fortress was built by the same architect as the Moscow White City - Fedor Kon , and besides, almost at the same time when the last of the Rurikovichs, not fully capable, sat on the Moscow throne Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich , and his brother-in-law, a powerful and cunning boyar, ruled the state under him Boris Fedorovich Godunov .
However, first things first.
Smolensk Kremlin , an outstanding defensive structure of the endXVI- startedXVIIcenturies, the creation of the architect Fyodor Savelyevich Konya , for several centuries shaped the appearance of the city.
Monument to the architect at the walls of the fortress:
The history of its creation is connected with the beginning of the Time of Troubles, when the Moscow state really faced the threat of a Polish invasion.
Conscious of the need to strengthen the western borders, December 15, 1595 "sovereign and grand duke Fedor Ioannovich All Rus' ordered Prince Vasily Ondreevich Zvenigorodsky and Semyon Volodimirovich Bezobrazov and the clerks Posnik Shipilov and Nechai Perfiryev and the city master Fyodor Savelyev Konya to go to Smolensk. The Sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Fyodor Ioannovich of All Rus' indicated that the city of Smolensk should be made of stone as his sovereign fatherland.”.
The importance of the fortress being built in Smolensk is emphasized by the fact that he himself came to lay its foundation Boris Godunov , the de facto ruler of the Moscow state, who ascended the Russian throne in 1598.
The laying ceremony was arranged with special solemnity: “singing at the Most Pure Mother of God Smolensk prayer service”, Godunov with his retinue “I went around the place where the city was, and ordered to build a stone city”.
The construction of the fortress wall began immediately “Okolnichy Ivan Mikhailov son Buturlin and Prince Vasily Zvenigorodsky and clerk Nechai Perfiryev and many nobles and boyar children in the bailiffs”, whom the king punished “do it hastily, without delay”.
Such a grandiose and hasty construction required the mobilization of all the forces of the country: "from all over the Russian land" Craftsmen - masons and brickmakers, as well as working people - were sent to Smolensk. Both local and imported building materials were used ( “And they brought stone and lime from the distant cities of all the earth”).
Due to the importance of the construction of the Smolensk fortress and the short deadlines for the work, Tsar Boris Godunov issued a decree banning stone construction in other cities of the state.
In 1602, construction was completed and the new fortress was consecrated. By the way, it is interesting that many Smolensk residents, of course, those who at least somehow understand the past of their city, still call the Smolensk fortress “Godunovskaya”.
The fortress wall had a length of about 6.4 km (about 3 km have survived) and included 38 towers (today there are 17 of them left, some of which have survived in a heavily rebuilt form). The width of the spindle is 4.2 - 6 m, the height together with the battlements is 12 - 19 m. The base of the western and northern sections of the wall consists of oak piles driven into the bottom of the pit; in the south and east the wall is placed directly on the mainland.
The foundation of the fortress, made of large white stone blocks, tapers upward and ends with a layer of 3 to 10 rows of bricks, above which there is a white stone ridge, which, however, is not preserved everywhere.
A special feature of the Smolensk fortress is the presence of three battle levels, the loopholes of which are located in a checkerboard pattern. The “upper battle” was to be carried out from the wall platform, the width of which was 4 - 4.5 m. It was possible to climb to the platform along stone “shoots” - narrow internal staircases located near the gate towers. Outside, the battle area is fenced with alternating blind and battle (cut through loopholes) battlements with a dovetail finish; from the inside - square pillars supporting a wooden gable roof.
The loopholes of the middle and bottom levels were located in vaulted chambers in the thickness of the spindles.
The length of the spindles between the towers is on average 158 m.
On all sides (except for the northern one, facing the Dnieper), the fortress was surrounded by a deep moat filled with water. Some fragments of this ditch have survived to this day:
Among the towers of the Smolensk fortress there are multifaceted (round) and tetrahedral towers. All of them are basically three-tiered.
The following towers have survived to this day: Pyatnitskaya, Kopytinskaya, Bubleika, Gromovaya, Donets, Makhovaya, Nikolskaya, Zimbulka, Dolgochevskaya, Voronina, Zaaltarnaya, Avraamievskaya, Orel, Pozdnyakova, Veselukha, Kostyrevskaya, Volkova.
The rest were destroyed during the War of 1812, and also later, since the city authorities of SmolenskXIXcentury, they did not see any particular need for preserving the ancient fortress, and the local residents themselves actively stole the bricks of the fortress wall for their own economic needs.
The most magnificent was the rectangular five-tier Frolovskaya tower , which stood at the bridge over the Dnieper, so it was also called the Dnieper Gate.
It suffered greatly from wars and natural Disasters and already dilapidated by the beginningXVIIIcentury. In its place, a gate temple was built, first wooden (1728), and then stone (1793 - 1800), restored after Patriotic War 1812 (architect M. N. Slepnev, 1814).
Several views of the fortress wall and the Dnieper Gate from the bridge over the Dnieper and the embankment (the Volkov Tower is visible in the background on the left):
This building is designed in the forms of classicism. The symmetrical facades are designed in the form of a portico ending at the second floor level. On the sides of the temple there are two belfries.
There is a legend that from the balcony of the gate church in 1812, Napoleon himself aimed a cannon, firing at the Russian army retreating towards Moscow.
Church of Tikhon of Zadonsk on the site of the Pyatnitsky Gate, built in 1815 - 1816, for a long time (until 1862) used as a prison church:
Some towers of the Smolensk fortress
Wolf Tower: