Walls of the Smolensk Kremlin. Fortress wall

What do we expect to see when we come to some ancient Russian city? The Kremlin is in its center, streets diverging from it with historical buildings, 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.

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 had already fallen into disrepairXVIIIcentury. In its place, a gate temple was built, first wooden (1728), and then stone (1793 - 1800), restored after the Patriotic War of 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:

Plan.

1. Introduction.

2 Smolensk Fortress is an outstanding architectural and fortification structure

a) the need for construction -

historical reference

b) architect Fyodor Kon

c) construction of a fortress

d) defensive capabilities of the fortress

3 Conclusion.

4 Applications.

1. Introduction

This is a chronicle of battles, This is a story about the destinies of Rus'! This is a stone shield

What does her heart keep in Moscow!...

A working city, a warrior city, a city of Russian glory!

This is what historians call Smolensk. For the second millennium, it stands unshakably on the steep Dnieper hills, at the crossroads of many roads, honestly and courageously accepting everything that history has assigned to it. In the entire centuries-old history of the city, there has not been a century when Smolensk residents did not have to take up arms.

Smolensk is the very history of our Motherland,

his fate has always been inextricably linked with

the fate of the state.

M.S.Gorbachev

At the turn of the 16th-17th centuries, Smolensk, as an important strategic point, was fortified with a powerful stone wall. For six years, from the spring of 1596 to the autumn of 1602, the Smolensk fortress was built. Four hundred years ago, builders were working on creating a wall. The wall was erected under the leadership of the outstanding Russian architect Fyodor Savelyevich Kon.

He was nicknamed the Horse for his strength:

The power of the beater played in him!

Tsar Ivan Vasilich the Terrible himself

The kid was christened Horse.

Indeed, accurate, albeit unflattering,

That nickname stuck with him:

His tousled mane

Exactly like a horse's...

Dmitry Kedrin.

The walls were built so skillfully that they became a reliable defense for the city. Smolensk is called the “key city”, the road to Moscow. The Smolensk fortress played an important role not only for the Smolensk region, but also for the whole of Russia. This wall has endured many sieges and wars.

On September 13, 1609, seven years after the completion of the fortress, the Polish king Sigismund 3 approached Smolensk with a huge army and besieged it. The defenders of the city, its entire population, selflessly held back the onslaught of a well-armed army of invaders for more than twenty months.

In the summer of 1708, the troops of the Swedish king Charles 12 approached the southern borders of the Smolensk land; it was through Smolensk that he threatened to advance to Moscow. But Peter I arrived in the city, and the most energetic measures were taken to repair the fortress and meet the enemy at the distant approaches. Having encountered well-equipped fortifications, having suffered several major defeats and almost being captured, Charles 12 realized that it was impossible to get through Smolensk to Moscow, and turned south to Ukraine, where the famous Battle of Poltava took place (1709).

The ancient city increased its military merits in the Patriotic War of 1812. Two Russian armies united on Smolensk soil - M.B. Barclay de Tolia and P.I. Bagration. This ruined Napoleon's strategic plan to break them apart. A major battle took place near the walls of the Smolensk fortress on August 4-5, 1812, in which the French troops suffered heavy losses, and the Russian army was able to carry out a strategic maneuver and maintain its combat effectiveness. When the city was abandoned, a partisan war broke out in its surroundings throughout Smolensk. By this time, 38 towers had been preserved in the fortress wall. At the end of the war, during Napoleon's retreat, his army blew up 8 towers.

The most difficult trials befell Smolensk during the Great Patriotic War. On the distant and near approaches to the ancient city, on its streets and squares, throughout the surrounding land, the largest battle of the initial period of the war, the Battle of Smolensk, raged for two months, destroying Hitler’s “blitzkrieg” plans. When the city found itself under temporary occupation, the remaining population continued to fight the enemy. On September 25, 1943, Smolensk was liberated.

Ruins of buildings, mountains of crumbled bricks, charred trees, brick chimneys on the site of former homes were seen by the Red Army soldiers upon entering the city. A new heroic feat was required to overcome the devastation and revive life in the ashes and ruins. And this feat was accomplished.

Today's Smolensk is one of the most beautiful cities in the country. In it, hoary antiquity coexists with modern buildings; the revived buildings delight the eye with their architectural appearance. History here reminds of itself either with an earthen defensive rampart, or an ancient temple, or a fortress tower... Smolensk residents are proud of their heroic past, building a new life.

Smolensk Kremlin -

an outstanding architectural and fortification structure.

Someone is moving the arrows slowly

On the earth's dial of centuries,

Yes, on a white thread

A series of golden clouds .

Drop your necklace onto your shoulders

Dnieper green hills

The harsh thread is torn

Nothing

To patch up the injuries of these spinners,

And connect these word beads:

Zaaltarnaya, Strelka, Belukha,

Shakhovskaya, Zimbulka, Donets,

Thunder, Eagle, Veselukha -

Father's blood crown of thorns .

In these arches, openings, spaces,

A flock of scattered days is circling,

Only the wind within Russian borders

Only painting of colorless stones .

2.a) The need for construction - historical background.

In the second half of the 60s of the 16th century, a difficult time came for the Russian state . The grueling Livonian War, which lasted a quarter of a century (1558 - 1583), had a very hard impact on the country's economy. . Costing enormous sacrifices and not solving the main state task - access to the Baltic Sea, it also fell heavily on the shoulders of the peasantry . But in the 80s of the 16th century, the economic power of the country began to gradually level out . Construction, which had greatly declined during the period of desolation, is also reviving . The question of the urgent implementation of large construction orders of national importance became especially acute at that time. . Weakened by an inconclusive long-term war and internal social contradictions, the country has become a tempting bait for aggressive neighbors. . Crimean Tatars constantly threatened from the south , received support from the Sultan's Turkey . In the west, danger threatened from the gentry of Poland - the natural ally of Crimea in the fight against the Moscow state, and in the north-west the Swedes were waiting for an opportune moment to attack . Every precaution had to be taken to prevent the possibility of external invasion . Some outer cities also required protection, the fortifications of which were either lost or simply became unusable in the south and southeast, and to try to regain Votskaya Pyatina, that section of ancient Novgorod territory on the coast of the Gulf of Finland that was lost in the Lebanon War . It was finally necessary to satisfy other, already internal construction needs of the country, not related to defense tasks . However, the government did not have enough skilled labor to carry out all this construction. . Attempts to change the current situation in the construction business were made during the Lebanese War . At that time, Russia, blocked from the west, was establishing relations with England, and Ivan the Terrible, in a letter to Queen Elizabeth of England, asked for a call to temporary service as an architect . The need for specialist builders did not disappear even during the reign of Boris Godunov (1598-1605). . Replenishment of Russian architects from time to time with invitees from abroad could not meet the growing construction needs . A strong reorganization of the construction business was needed . Therefore, at the end of 1583 or the beginning of 1584, during the life of Ivan the Terrible, a special construction department was created in Moscow - « Order of stone affairs ». The Order of Stone Affairs acquired particular significance under Boris Godunov: under him it turned into the largest specialized organization that took into its own hands all state construction . It can be said with almost certainty that at the same time the Order of Stone Affairs also regulated the extraction of stone in the long-famous Myaikovo quarries . At the end of the 16th century, monasteries were also involved in construction duties. . The implementation of the above measures allowed the Moscow government to carry out enormous construction in the country in a short period of time. . The initiator of this construction was Boris Godunov . The reign of Ivan the Terrible is also characterized by great construction activity . Particularly large construction work took place in Moscow . In 1565, like many others, Savely Petrov came to Moscow to work with his son Fyodor, who later became a great Russian architect , who built the Smolensk fortress .

2.b) Architect Fyodor Kon.

Fyodor Kon was born on July 4, 1556 in Dorogobuzh . Fyodor Kon's father , Saveliy Petrov , was a carpenter . And in 1565, Savely Petrov came to Moscow to work; he brought his nine-year-old son Fedor with him to the capital to teach him the craft of ward construction . Savely Petrov was one of the “black people” who had almost no rights . At that time, a new royal palace was being built across the Neglinnaya River, where Savely Petrov settled . The work was supervised by an experienced master - foreigner Johann Clairaut . In Moscow, Fyodor Kon was delighted with the almost fabulous charm of “St. Basil” and the greatness of “Ivan the Great” . He was greatly impressed by the harsh walls of the Moscow Kremlin and Kitay-gorod . At first he helped his father : carried boards, dug ditches for foundations, got used to the craft of ward construction, but in the fall of 1568, a fireweed epidemic swept across Moscow: many townspeople and newcomers died . Carpenter Savely Petrov also died . Johann Clairaut left his son Fyodor at the construction site, assigning him as a junior assistant to the carpenter Foma Krivousov . Soon a stranger from his native place informed Fyodor about the death of his mother and younger brothers. . The orphaned Fyodor Savelyev left the construction of the royal chambers and continues to work in Moscow, erecting stone walls and log huts, which were built at that time according to « samples" developed by experienced carpenters and masters of ward construction . In 1571, Moscow was attacked by the hordes of the Crimean Khan and almost all wooden buildings were destroyed by fires. . Fedor « with friends » continued to build . A tall and smart young man becomes a senior in a carpentry team . He stood out among his comrades for his extraordinary strength and endurance. . It is no coincidence that already sixteen-year-old Fyodor Savelyev received the nickname Horse . « Black » Human Fedor the Horse loved Rus' with all the soul of the simple Russian people and gave all his knowledge and strength to strengthen its power . Wandering around Moscow and half-starved life « stink » did not develop in Fyodor Kon an insatiable interest in stone city buildings . Fyodor lived at that time on Arbat in the courtyard of the parish priest Gur Agapitov, from whom the inquisitive young man learned to read and write, gleaned some information from sacred history . Fedor continued to walk around the yards in search of odd jobs . The thirst for knowledge led Fedor to the master Johann Clairaut . The educated engineer Clairo undertook to teach the Horse mathematics and the principles of structural mechanics . Stories about great architects, about ancient Greek and Roman architecture, about castles and fortresses, revealed a new unknown world to the young carpenter . From Clero the Horse learned German and Latin and independent reading of foreign books. . The friendship of Fyodor Kon with the cannon master Andrei Chekhov dates back to this time. . Meanwhile, the life of the artel carpenter went on as before . Huts, barns, chambers - rarely did a large order come up . The spring of 1573 has arrived . Fedor Kon « with friends » built mansions for the German Heinrich Staden, who served at court . Horse hasn’t had much work for a long time, and he devoted himself enthusiastically to completing an interesting order. . The work was coming to an end; the carpenters erected a high fence around the new mansion. . The Horse himself cut the gate patterns . But the German owner did not like the magnificent Russian carvings . Without saying a word, he struck the Horse and turned to walk away . Fyodor Kon flared up and, overcome with anger, knocked the German to the ground . A fight broke out ... Fedor was accused of rebellion and atheism . Knowing well that severe punishment awaited him, Fyodor Kon fled from Moscow . A refugee hid in the Boldinsky monastery near his hometown of Dorogobuzh . At the time of Fyodor Kon’s arrival, the Boldinsky Monastery was one of the richest in Rus' . The monks wanted to surround the monastery with stone . Fedor had the opportunity to try his knowledge and experience on the big business of stone construction . Standing out for his knowledge and courage of artistic thought, the Horse led the monastery construction . Under the leadership of Fyodor Kon, a cathedral with three altar niches, a monastery belfry, a refectory with a small church next to it, and chopped oak walls were built . But Fyodor Kon did not escape for long in the monastery . He was forced to leave him . The participation of Fyodor Kon in the construction of the Boldinsky Monastery is confirmed by many researchers of Russian architecture . Analyzing the architectural details of the Odigitrievskaya Church of the Ivano-Predtechensky Monastery in Vyazma, one cannot help but be convinced that they were made by the hand of the same master as the stone buildings of the Boldinsky Monastery . Simultaneously with the construction of the Ivano-Predtechensky Monastery, Fyodor Kon was entrusted with the construction of the Vyazemsky City Cathedral, which later received the name Trinity . The Trinity Cathedral in Vyazma has survived to this day without significant changes and testifies to the great creative talent of the architect . Fyodor Kon clearly imagined what Russian fortresses should be like . Based on the experience of Russian fortification art, he paved his own path in this area . Longing for big work forced Fyodor Kon to leave Vyazma in March 1584 and secretly return to Moscow . There he wrote a petition addressed to Tsar Ivan the Terrible . But Grozny could not forgive the escape from the sovereign’s justice . That's why a week later Fedor Kon received an answer: « The city master Fyodor, the son of Savely, is allowed to live in Moscow, and for escaping he will be beaten fifty times. ». Fedor endured the punishment for escaping with fortitude. . Thus began a new stage in the life of Fyodor Kon, who was destined to increase the power and glory of Moscow Rus' . In Moscow, Fyodor Kon met with his old friend - foundry master Andrei Chekhov, who was casting the Tsar Cannon at that time . Again the ward master had to leave Moscow . This time Fyodor Kon worked in the Moscow region on the construction of the Pafnutiev Monastery in Borovsk . The reign of Boris Godunov continued the policy of Ivan the Terrible to strengthen the Russian state . Godunov paid great attention to the defense of the Fatherland and especially the capital . At his suggestion, in 1586, work began on the construction of a new Tsarev city around Moscow. . Godunov remembered the city master Fyodor Kon . Dream « black » man's dream came true - he was entrusted with the construction of Tsarev-city . Fyodor Kon set to work with great energy; judging by the excavations carried out during the construction of the Moscow Metro, the depth of the foundations of the White City was 2 . 1 meters . The width of the walls at the foundation level reached six meters, and in the upper part it was 4 . 5 meters . Loopholes were built in the walls for short and long-range shelling , 28 towers rose above the walls . In 1593, the construction of the White City was completed . As a reward for his work, Fyodor Kon received from boyar Godunov a piece of brocade and a fur coat, and Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich allowed the city planner to take his hand . The construction of the White City brought honor and wealth to Fyodor Kon . Fyodor Kon married the widow of a merchant from « cloth row » Irina Agapovna Petrova and he is accepted into the cloth hundred . At the same time, he erected the Church of the Don Mother of God in the Moscow Donskoy Monastery . After completing the construction of the Don Church, Fyodor Kon began building and strengthening the Simonov Monastery - one of the brightest pages in the history of Russian fortress construction . Upon completion of work in the Simonov Monastery, Fyodor Kon was entrusted with the construction of the Smolensk fortress wall. In 1595, Fyodor Kon arrived in Smolensk on the orders of the Tsar to build a fortress. The Smolensk Fortress is the second large structure of Fyodor Savelyevich Kon.

For me, a passionate history buff, there is nothing more beautiful and interesting than architectural monuments in the cities I visit. The walls of castles, estates, churches, and fortifications can tell about the city’s past better than any guide. The main thing is to be attentive and be able to listen to the whispering of the walls. When I come to a new place, I first of all look for ancient buildings, and the older the better. So, having arrived in Smolensk, I first of all decided to get acquainted with one of the oldest silent storytellers of history - the Smolensk fortress wall.

Unfortunately, most of the fortification was destroyed as a result of the wars, and only fragments of the wall and a few towers have reached us. But, nevertheless, they are well preserved, and the traveler, seeing this defensive object of amazing beauty, will receive a lot of impressions.

Historical reference

The stone fortress wall was erected at the beginning of the 17th century on the site of the old fortress by the “sovereign master” Fyodor Kon, famous throughout Rus' at that time. For hundreds of years, the wall protected the western borders of the Russian state from enemies and was a symbol of Smolensk.

The fortification had to be erected during the Time of Troubles, when the Russian kingdom was faced with the question of protecting its borders from the invasion of Polish invaders. In the spring of 1596, the construction of the wall began in full swing in Smolensk: the Great Construction, in which tens of thousands of people from many cities of the country participated. It was decided to make the fortification so that the defenders could fire at the enemy from three points at once: from below (bottom battle system), from the center of the wall (called the middle battle) and from above (top battle).

Seven years later, the wall was completed, and already in 1609–1611 it successfully withstood a 20-month siege by the army of the Polish king Sigismund III. The diagram of the Smolensk fortress wall is presented below.

Explore the Smolensk fortress wall

As I already said, the fortress wall is located within the city: it surrounds the Leninsky district (old Smolensk) and goes down the hills to the Dnieper. You should start exploring the fortification from the Volkov Tower (I’ll say right away that exploring the wall will take you about 4–5 hours). If you don’t have a car, you can get to the city center from the train station by public transport: you need to get off at the Sobolev stop. You can see how to get to this stop by public transport from the railway station.

• We examine the Volkov tower and move to the next one - Kostyrevskaya - one of the few that stands apart (see the map above).

If you finished your route at the Kopytenskaya Tower, then you can get to the restaurant by bus No. 38 or minibus No. 38 n. Just cross the road (Dzerzhinsky Street) as shown on the map and wait for the necessary transport at the Dzerzhinsky stop.

We get to the Sobolev stop and go to the restaurant (shown on the map).

Towers of the Smolensk fortress wall

In terms of length, the Smolensk fortress wall ranks third in the world (after the Great Wall of China and Constantinople). Initially, its length was 6.3 km, and the wall itself connected 38 towers. Currently, the length of the surviving fortification is 2.5 km, and only 18 towers remain. The height of the Smolensk fortress wall in some places reaches 19 meters, but on average it is 14–16 meters. Thickness - 5–6 meters.

The western part of the fortification, where the Zaaltarnaya, Dolgochevskaya, Voronina towers stand, is in excellent condition. When you look at them, you get the feeling that this defensive area has not been touched by time.

The two most visited towers by tourists, the Eagle and the Thunder, are also well preserved.

Almost all the towers that have survived to this day are closed. Of course, if you want, you can get into them through secret loopholes, but you won’t see anything inside except building materials, garbage, and wooden beams. Over the past ten years, restoration work has been carried out repeatedly: something has been tampered with, something has been repaired, but the interior of the towers has not been brought into complete order.

Eagle Tower of the Smolensk fortress wall

The multi-faceted, checkerboard-shaped Eagle Tower is located in the eastern part of the fortress on Timiryazev Street. Previously, it was easy to get into, but two years ago local authorities, for an unknown reason, decided to wall up the entrance. Because of this, residents and guests of Smolensk lost the stunning observation deck, the function of which was performed by the Eagle Tower: it offered an amazing panoramic view of the city. The only good thing is that not far from the tower, in the thickness of the wall, there is a steep staircase that allows you to climb the wall and look at the city.

Thunder Tower of the Smolensk fortress wall

The Thunder Tower is located near the Blonier Garden, and, in fact, is the only defensive structure of the wall where entry is allowed. It is impossible not to notice it, it stands apart right in the middle of a busy street. Address: October Revolution Street, 3. A small part of the fortification has been preserved nearby. You can walk along the wall: you can access it from the second tier of the tower. It is interesting that the building itself has reached us almost in its original form: part of the unique interior and a narrow steep staircase have survived.

Now the tower houses the Smolensk - Shield of Russia museum, dedicated to the military history of the city. The museum occupies three tiers, and on the fourth there is an observation deck from which you can admire the panorama of Smolensk. The view may not be as breathtaking as from the tower, but it is also impressive.

The museum is open from Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00. Ticket price - 80 rubles.

Secrets of the Smolensk fortress wall

The Smolensk Fortress is not only an architectural monument, but also a very mysterious structure, with many interesting secrets and legends associated with it.

The Legend of a Cheerful Girl

The legend about the name of the tower is very dark and ominous. It is connected with the story of a cheerful and cheerful girl nicknamed Veselukha. The legend says that the builders of the fortress had to sacrifice it in order to get rid of the constantly appearing crack in the tower. The chief builder had a dream in which the spirits told him: to prevent the crack from appearing again, he needed to find the most beautiful and cheerful girl in the city and wall her up in the wall. When the girl was killed, the crack disappeared instantly, but since then, for more than three hundred years, women’s laughter has allegedly been heard from the tower at night, which in rainy weather develops into ominous laughter. And on a calm and moonlit night, near the tower you can see the white silhouette of a lonely girl walking. They say that if you scare Veselukha, you can die. This is how she takes revenge for her own death.

Horse skull

Among the residents of the city there is a legend about a horse neighing, coming from different parts of the fortress and always foreshadowing trouble. Legend has it that when they began to build the fortress, it was decided to wall up the skull of a horse, and not just any horse, but the war horse of St. Mercury of Smolensk, the patron saint of the city, who in 1239 stopped the invasion of Smolensk by the Mongol Khan Batu. Since that time, the horse allegedly warns the city residents of impending danger with its neighing.

Dishonest Count

There is also a legend associated with the tower. In the middle of the 18th century, the Polish Count Zmeyavsky arrived in the city and built a brick factory very close to the tower. But this plant was just a disguise. In fact, in the dungeon of the tower there was a workshop for the production of counterfeit coins, which were secretly delivered to Poland and exchanged for real ones. The Count came up with a clever way to keep people from prying into his affairs. Every evening on the Eagle Tower a foreigner put on a performance - he depicted the presence of “ghosts” who were supposed to scare away the residents. Rumors quickly spread throughout the city about evil spirits “sitting” in the tower. But a few years later, Zmeyavsky’s plan was discovered, he was arrested and sent to hard labor. The count's factory was destroyed, and the entrance to the underground workshop for the production of counterfeit money was blocked. They say that even today on Christmastide or Kupala you can see strange shadows that, in some kind of hellish dance, rage on the battlements of the tower.

Dinner at the Pyatnitskaya Tower

After exploring the fortress wall, stop by the Temnitsa restaurant, which is located in the Pyatnitskaya Tower. You will not regret! Above I wrote how you can get to it. Address: Studencheskaya Street, 4. This establishment is famous for its specific game dishes. Very comfortable room, cozy interior and reasonable prices.

Finally

The Smolensk fortress wall is a huge and impressive structure, with which a large number of beautiful legends and secrets are associated. All the towers of the fortress are unique, have their own amazing history and are worth seeing with your own eyes. If you are a lover of antiquity, and defensive fortifications inspire your admiration, then I am sure that you will be delighted with the Smolensk Wall.

Smolensk fortress wall (1596-1602)- the largest defensive structure at that time in Rus'. In plan, the fortress had the appearance of an irregular closed figure. With a length of 6.5 km, the Smolensk fortress wall covered a city with an area of ​​about 2.7 square meters. km.

The fortress included 38 spindles and the same number of towers. The average length of the walls between the towers is approximately 158 m, the width is from 5.2 to 6 m. The height of the walls is on average from 13 to 19 m, including battlements. The width of the battle area of ​​the Smolensk wall is 4-4.5 m.

Among the 38 towers: 16 polygonal (round), 13 solid rectangular towers and 9 rectangular with gates. The main gate towers were in the northern part of the fortress - the Frolovskaya (Dnieper) tower, in the southern part - the Molokhovskaya tower.

In addition to the two main passage towers, the Smolensk Fortress had 7 additional gate towers, which were not intended for ceremonial entrances to the city. They had a so-called “knee” passage and were intended for internal use. Avraamievskaya, Eleninskaya, Lazarevskaya, Kryloshevskaya towers were located on the eastern side of the city, and Kopytenskaya, Pyatnitskaya and Pyatnitskaya water towers were located on the western side. Differing from each other in size, these towers were almost identical inside, but some of them had two tiers, while others had three. Some of them (Lazarevskaya, Avraamievskaya, Eleninskaya and Kopytenskaya) have survived to this day. Protruding strongly forward in relation to the walls, these towers are almost square in plan. Each of them is equipped with two wide arched openings, one of which is on the back side, and the other on the side, facing the field.

In the thickness of the wall, directly next to the gate towers, Fyodor Kon also laid out narrow vaulted staircases, which in the List of Paintings of 1665 are called stone shoots. These shoots made it possible to climb to the upper tiers of the towers and to the battle platforms of the walls adjacent to them. The surface of the fighting area was paved with brick.

The bottom of the fortress is made of regular, well-hewn rectangular blocks of white stone with a length of 92 to 21 cm and a height of 34 to 20 cm, and at the top - of well-burnt red brick, the dimensions of which are 31x15x6 cm. The dry weight of the brick was 6. 5 - 7.5 kg.

The technique of laying the wall is half-rub. The wall consists of two vertical walls, the space between which is filled with rubble (broken bricks, fragments of white stone, cobblestones and even cores filled with lime mortar).

The entire fortress was covered with an oak roof. The roofs of the blind and gate towers, as well as the roofs of the two main towers of the fortress, were wooden, apparently made of two boards. The Smolensk towers are also depicted with high tents in the engraving of Wilhelm Hondius. These towers did not have watchtowers, as was the case on the Frolovsky and Molokhovo gates.

For the first time in the history of military defense construction, the Smolensk fortress wall was equipped with 3 tiers of battle: bottom, middle and top. An important feature of the Smolensk fortress is the second (middle) battle tier. The plantar and middle battlements were located in vaulted niches built into the masonry. The upper one is in teeth placed along the outer edge of the upper combat passage.

History of the Smolensk Fortress

Thanks to its favorable geographical position, even in pre-chronicle times, Smolensk was the most important strategic outpost of a small appanage principality. It was part of the trade route “From the Varangians to the Greeks.” 10 kilometers from Smolensk, at the fork of the Katynka and the Dnieper, a difficult section of the “drag” route began for merchants, so the city at the crossroads flourished, attracting the attention of invaders. Over time, it turned into the “key of the Moscow state”, standing guard over the main road leading to Belokamennaya. The construction of capital fortifications here was one of the primary tasks.

In different centuries, princes and kings sought to make the city impregnable. The beginning of the history of the Smolensk fortress is considered to be 1554, when, by order of Ivan the Terrible, capital wooden fortifications were built. Since the work was part of a plan to restore the settlement after a major fire, the fortress received the name “Great New City”. However, due to the rapid development of weapons and artillery, such structures no longer provided adequate protection. In this regard, by the end of the century, during the reign of Fyodor Ioannovich and Boris Godunov, the construction of a stone fortification began, fragments of which have survived to this day.

The foreign policy of the Moscow state included gaining access to the Baltic Sea, which ran counter to the plans of rival countries. To get a break on the western front, a non-aggression pact with Poland was signed in 1590, guaranteeing the absence of war for the next 12 years. In 1595, an “eternal peace” was concluded with Sweden. It was during this period of time that the Muscovite state intended to replace the wooden fortress in Smolensk with a large-scale stone fort, anticipating the end of a fragile period of stability.

In the winter of 1595, active preparations began for the construction of defensive fortifications. A decree was issued by the tsar, commanding princes S.V. Bezobrazov and V.A. Zvenigorodsky, clerks N. Perfiryev and P. Shipilov, as well as the architect Fyodor Kon to appear in Smolensk by Christmas to supervise the construction. They were instructed to find and register all the craftsmen, the places where bricks were made, determine where rubble piles and stone would need to be imported from, develop supply routes and hire the required number of workers. Labor was paid from the state treasury.

That same winter, the peasants received an order to increase the standards for the preparation of foundation piles, which had to be delivered to the construction site as the weather warmed. In the spring of 1596, the tsar signed the estimate documents and sent Boris Godunov to supervise the foundation of the Smolensk fortress. Construction of the fort continued until 1602.

The first test of strength came already in 1609, when Polish troops began attacking the city. The total duration of the siege was then more than 3 years. In 1633-1634 and 1654, a Russian army was already standing under the walls of the fort, trying to recapture the fortress from the enemy.

Peter I decided to further strengthen the damaged structure, so in 1698 he initiated restoration work. At the site of Shein's breach, a stone pentagonal fortification with storage for weapons was built. The royal bastion was turned into a real citadel, separated by a trench even from the city. Digging or deepening of ditches took place along the entire wall - the width of such barriers reached 6.4 meters. Additionally, traverses and bastions were erected.

A new round of the fort’s military history began in 1812, when Russian troops, under the cover of fortifications, entered into battle with the French army. Despite the organized retreat while maintaining combat effectiveness, the defenders still lost the fortress to the invaders. Napoleonic troops left the city on November 17 at night, blowing up 9 towers of the wall. The remaining bastions of the Smolensk fortress were cleared by the Don Cossack corps. Until 1844, the fortifications were on the balance sheet of the military department, which did not allocate any funds to maintain the structure. The already damaged fortifications continued to collapse. By 1889, only 19 towers remained, some of which were used as warehouses.

In the period 1889-1917, the remains of the Smolensk fortress wall were under the jurisdiction of a commission, which included local officials, an architect and a governor. Measures to preserve the fortress yielded virtually no results. Emperor Alexander II took more serious action, declaring fortifications an important part of the country's cultural heritage.

During World War II, the Smolensk Fortress suffered from the actions of both domestic and German military forces. Particularly great damage was caused during the defense of the city in 1941 and during its liberation from the occupiers in 1943. It is believed that 2 towers were destroyed during this period. The wall was actively destroyed not only in wartime. It was dismantled into brick and stone to restore other city buildings and expand the housing stock in the 1820s-1830s and in the 1930s.

At the moment, less than half of the buildings (3.3 km) have survived in the form of 9 fragments. One of the largest sections has a straight view on the southeast side. The fortress, even in its current state, gives the impression of a majestic stronghold. Traces of the fortification can be found in other areas of Smolensk, although these remains are no longer subject to reconstruction. In total, 17 towers have survived, 22 are irretrievably lost.

Surviving towers

• Volkova (Semenovskaya, Strelka).
• Kostyrevskaya (Red).
• Veselukha (Luchinskaya).
• Dnieper Gate.
• Pozdnyakova (Rogovka).
• Orel (Gorodetskaya).
• Avraamievskaya.
• Zaaltarnaya (Belukha).
• Voronin.
• Dolgochevskaya (Shembeleva).
• Zimbulka.
• Nikolskaya Tower (Nikolsky Gate).
• Mokhovaya.
• Donets.
• Gromovaya (Tupinskaya).
• Bubbleka.
• Kopytenskaya Tower (Kopytenskaya Gate).
• Pyatnitskaya Tower.

Unpreserved towers

• Antifonovskaya.
• Bogoslovskaya.
• Ivorovskaya (Verzhenova).
• Water Gate (Resurrection Gate).
• Faceted.
• Gurkina.
• Frolovskaya.
• Evstafievskaya (Brikareva).
• Kassandalovskaya (Kozodavlevskaya, Artishevskaya).
• Round No. 11 and No. 13.
• Kryloshevsky Gate.
• Lazarevsky Gate.
• Molochov Gate.
• Mikulinskaya tower.
• Stefanskaya.
• Kolominskaya (Sheinova).
• Gorodetskaya (Semyonovskaya).
• Quadrangular No. 8, No. 12, No. 19.

Construction of the fortress

The main architect was Fyodor Savelyevich Kon, who had previously worked on the creation of the Moscow “White City”. When planning the future structure, he used as models the Kremlins already erected in Moscow, Tula, Nizhny Novgorod, Serpukhov, Kolomna, Zaraysk. The great defensive importance of fortifications prompted the architect to increase the number of towers, expand the battle system, and lay more powerful walls than usual.

At the same time, Fyodor Kon used a number of traditional proven methods for constructing fortifications: half-ruble masonry, fencing with high dovetail teeth, laying a plinth with a bolster, and convex arches on the inside. The fortress was not only impregnable, but also beautiful. The architect decided to decorate the loopholes with carved platbands, which were used to frame the windows of residential buildings, and white stone elements.

It is interesting that throughout the Smolensk fortress the towers differed in shape: 13 rectangular solid, 9 round, 7 polyhedral. The three-tier structures had a height of 22 to 33 meters, located at a distance of 150-160 meters from each other. Each had its own characteristics and name. The height of the fortification was 13-19 meters, depending on the topography of a particular area. The walls facing steep ditches were made a little lower. The width of the fortification ranged from 5-5.2 to 6 meters - they said that it was easy to drive along it in a troika.

The new Smolensk fortress largely repeated the shape of the old wooden structure, which, just in case, was not demolished until the work was completed. This provided protection in case of unexpected danger. The stone wall mostly ran outside, along the line of the second shaft, but in some places it ran right along the old structures. The western section was built first, since it was from here that the likelihood of an enemy attack was highest.

Considering the importance of the fortifications and the scale of the work that needed to be completed in a short time, Fyodor Ioannovich ordered brickmakers, masons and potters from all over Rus' to be sent to Smolensk. At the same time, under pain of the death penalty, stone construction was prohibited in the state until the completion of the construction of the laid fortifications, therefore the chronicles noted that Smolensk was made by all the cities of Rus'.

Only bricks were made on site, which were passed along a long “human chain”. Limestone, rubble stone and other materials were delivered from other, sometimes very distant places. They used not only ordinary, but two-handed bricks. They were one and a half times larger than the standard ones, which made it impossible to hold them with one hand, hence the name. Archaeologists have calculated that at least 320 thousand piles, about a million carts of sand and 100 million bricks were used to build this structure.

The most difficult and expensive work (procurement and transportation of building materials) was elevated to the rank of state duty. It is believed that from each yard throughout the country, on pain of death, they demanded 2 bricks, and even residents of the Moscow district who had carts were mobilized to transport piles and stone. The main emphasis was placed on the use of hired labor, which became an uncharacteristic phenomenon for the economic life of that time. More than 30 thousand people built the Smolensk fortress. At the same time, experienced craftsmen received a fairly high salary - 16 kopecks per day.

Construction was carried out in a hurry, since the grandiose structure had to be completed before the expiration of the peace treaty with Poland in 1603, which did not hide its intentions to confirm the success of the Livonian War. Weather conditions were not favorable to the work: in 1597 there was an extremely rainy summer, which forced the builders to additionally strengthen the sliding soil with piles. In 1600, a severe drought caused crop failure, which caused famine in the country. Under these conditions, many sought to become workers in order to feed themselves. In 1602, there was a rainy autumn, which affected the strength of the eastern wall, which the Polish troops later took advantage of.

The construction of the fortress wall was in full swing from dawn to dusk; the mercenaries lived in heated dugouts, which were often flooded with water. Severe punishments were imposed for the slightest offenses, which is why many people died or became crippled. As a result, in 1599, workers staged a large-scale riot, forcing the government to improve working conditions and raise wages. Such emergency measures made it possible to complete the construction of the Smolensk fortress on schedule. In 1600, major work was completed; about two more years were required for finishing. In 1602, a magnificent ceremony of consecration of the fort took place.

Design Features

Under the foundation of the future Smolensk fortress, a pit was dug, into the bottom of which thick oak piles were driven. The space between them was filled with soil and compacted thoroughly. New piles were also driven in here. A structure of longitudinal and transverse logs with a cut-out joint was laid on top. The square gaps were again filled with soil and crushed stone and carefully compacted. In some places the soil was too hard - here large stones were placed directly on the bottom of the pit, holding them together with lime “cement”. This approach made it possible to create a strong, wide foundation that could support the weight of thick walls.

“Rumor” galleries were dug under the massif. They were required to carry out secret reconnaissance and combat forays in small detachments. The bricks there are laid in strictly horizontal rows, with the exception of the inclined fence on the river side. The middle part of the fortifications had a kind of rigidity belt. Here a double wall was built, into the space of which a stone was poured and poured with lime mortar.

Along the entire length of the wall, passages were equipped to move the garrison between the towers. Cannon and rifle loopholes and small ammunition depots were also built. The wall was crowned by a brick-lined battle area, surrounded by dovetail battlements. The distance between the protrusions was 4-4.5 meters.

The side of the Smolensk fortress facing the city was decorated with a series of shallow arched niches, in which there were embrasures for firing at the enemy. At the very bottom of the wall there was a level of plantar combat. For convenience, guns (arquebuses, cannons) were placed in niches called pechurs. In the center of the fort there was a middle battle, where the artillerymen climbed up the ladders provided. The upper platform had battlements with loopholes cut into them, and between them there were compact stone ceilings, allowing you to safely shoot from your knees. The warriors and guns were protected from precipitation by a two-slope plank roof.

The towers were designed in such a way that the garrison soldiers were able to fire along the wall and defend the gate. Entrances to the city and inside the fortress were provided in 9 bastions. The main gate was the Frolovskaya (Dnieper) tower, from where the road towards Moscow began. The Molokhovo bastion was also of great importance, opening the way to Kyiv, Roslavl, and Krasny.

Additionally, in front of the Smolensk fortress, the architect provided ravelins, ditches with water, ramparts and other elements that would impede the rapid advance of enemy troops. Drainage pipes were placed in the northern part of the fortifications to remove excess moisture that could undermine the strength of the structures. The openings were covered with bars to prevent enemy penetration.

For tourists

Today the Smolensk Fortress remains one of the main attractions of the city. It has retained not only historical, but practical significance:

• in the Nikolsky Gate there is a communication center (television tower);
• The Thunder Tower is occupied by the museum exhibition “Smolensk – Shield of Russia”;
• The Pyatnitsky Bastion is dedicated to an exhibition dedicated to the development of the wine and vodka industry (with tasting);
• The Red Tower became the premises of the Red Tower Club;
• Oryol is the base for local rock climbing competitions.

The longest section of the fortress wall is 1.5 km long and stretches along Timiryazev and Zhukov streets. The extreme towers of the segment are the Nikolsky Gate in the southeast and the Veselukha Tower in the north. According to legend, the latter got its name due to the magnificent view, “cheerful to the soul,” that opens from the upper platform.

You can climb the wall for free through the Eagle Tower to walk from the Abraham Gate to Veselukha. The ravines surrounding the fortress are so deep that on the slope of the “Devil’s Moat” there is a ski track with a rope tow.

In the immediate vicinity of the surviving fragments of the Smolensk fortress along Barclay de Tolly Street there is a cultural center, a monument to F. S. Kon, the Fyodor Savelyevich tavern, named after the architect, and other attractions.

Address: Smolensk, st. Timiryazeva, 38, st. Barclay de Tolly, 7.