Smolensk Fortress: towers, their description. Thunder Tower of the Smolensk Fortress. Smolensk fortress Location of the towers of the Smolensk fortress 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.

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Since the Time of Troubles, Smolensk has been a city that stood as an obstacle on the path of the conquerors of the Russian land. It served as a gateway to Moscow, which is why all the invaders sought to take Smolensk at any cost. In this regard, the city attached special importance to defensive structures. So, in 1554, by decree of Ivan the Terrible, a high wooden fortress was built. But after some time, such a fortification was considered unreliable, and it was decided to build a new fortress - a stone one.

The architect Fyodor Kon did a great job and created an impregnable defensive structure. The length of the Smolensk fortress is 6.5 km, the width of the walls is about six meters, the height is from 13 to 19 meters.

The Smolensk fortress was erected in seven years - in 1595-1602, during the reign of Fyodor Ioannovich and Boris Godunov. The architect Fyodor Kon did a great job and created an impregnable defensive structure by the standards of that time. Its length is 6.5 km, the width of the walls is about six meters, and the height is from 13 to 19 meters. In addition, the Smolensk Fortress was also very beautiful. For example, loopholes are decorated with platbands following the example of residential building windows.

It is worth noting that many innovations were used during the construction of the Smolensk fortress. So, for example, the Horse considered it necessary to make the fortress much higher than all the previous ones, and to build many towers.

There is not a single identical tower in the Smolensk fortress; they all have their own names and differences. To date, only 17 towers have survived, 22 have been lost.

The construction of the Smolensk fortress proceeded at an accelerated pace, workers worked from morning to night and lived in very poor conditions. They had to huddle in cold dugouts; there was practically nothing to eat. It is not surprising that during the construction of the fortress, workers often died, unable to withstand backbreaking labor. In 1599, the poor people rebelled. Only after this did they pay attention and fulfill some requirements. For example, wages were raised to 16 kopecks per day. The weather conditions left much to be desired - in 1557 it was a very rainy summer. Almost the entire area where the work took place was in water. Three years later, on the contrary, a drought set in and famine began in the country. But the fortress was built, no matter what. The haste was due to the fact that in 1603 the truce with Poland was ending, and the invaders were preparing for another attack on our country. As a result, thanks to the efforts of almost six thousand workers, the Smolensk Fortress was built in 1600. Finishing work continued for another two years.

Today the Smolensk Fortress is considered one of the main attractions of the city. A beautiful view opens up from here, and, of course, all tourists take memorable photos here. It is interesting that even today the walls of the fortress are important for Smolensk. For example, this is where the local TV tower is located.

Address: Smolensk, st. Timiryazeva, 38.

The Smolensk fortress wall is a stone fence with several towers, each of which has its own interesting history. We'll talk about some of them in this article.

In Smolensk it was built at the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century. The height of the walls reached 18 meters. The 38 towers consisted mainly of three tiers and reached 22-33 m in height. The wall of this fortress is considered the most powerful in the history of Rus'. Even Napoleon only managed to blow up 9 towers. In peacetime, the Smolensk fortress wall served as a source of bricks, which were used to restore buildings destroyed by the war. Today we can see 18 towers and fragments of the wall scattered throughout the city. This is how big the Smolensk fortress wall was, the history of which is filled with many heroic battles.

Altar tower

It consists of 16 faces and is located at the end of Isakovsky Street. It is in the possession of the Smolensk diocese, so its internal part is inaccessible for inspection, since it is part of the monastery territory. Nowadays, the tower has been restored and re-roofed, which was lost during World War II.

Pozdnyakov Tower

It consists of four sides and is located on Timiryazev Street. It was named in honor of the merchant Pozdnyakov. People called it “Rogovka”. It received this name because it is located in the place where the road forks. The tower was also subject to numerous enemy attacks during the wars. During World War II, it also lost its roof, but was partially restored in 2013.

Volkov Tower

Despite the fact that today we can see at least partially what the Smolensk fortress wall was, the history of the towers of which is associated with repelling numerous enemy attacks, in peacetime it begins to collapse from old age, and nothing can be done about it. For example, Volkov's tower is barely supported by giant metal supports, although it continues to crumble. It is located on Sobolev Street. It is believed that the tower was named after one of its defenders. Although, according to another version, its name comes from the word “volgly”, which means wet, since in ancient times a branch of the Dnieper flowed opposite it. The tower is also called “Strelka” because it offers a direct and clear view of Rachevka.

At the beginning of the 18th century, there was a powder magazine in the tower. Even then she was in a deplorable state. Therefore, it, as well as the adjacent Smolensk fortress wall, were dismantled. The tower was erected again in 1877 and contained the archives of the county court. In Soviet times they even lived in it, but now it is dangerous to enter it. It's about to collapse. The city authorities are trying their best to save the architectural monument.

Tower "Veselukha"

When visiting this architectural structure, which, by the way, is included in a sightseeing tour of Smolensk, a tourist would seem to have nothing to fear, because it has such a funny name. But it turns out there is something to be afraid of. At least the legend that says that the daughter of one of the city merchants was walled up alive in this tower. This was done in order to pay off the evil spirits who did not allow the tower to stand normally in its place and not crack. But the girl, apparently going crazy with grief, did not cry, but laughed in her captivity. That is why the tower was called “Veselukha”. Based on this material, Ettinger wrote a novel called “Veseluha Tower.” Although, if you don’t believe the ancient horror stories, it turns out that it got its name for the cheerful landscape that opens up if you climb to the very top. The Smolensk fortress wall includes several towers, but this is the most popular. It has also been completely restored.

Eagle Tower

Tourists often come here to admire the stunning panoramic views that open from its site. The Smolensk fortress wall is scattered throughout the city. The address of this tower is Timiryazeva Street. She is sometimes confused with "Veselukha". But these are two completely different towers with their own stories. This one is believed to have been home to eagles that flew away as soon as the war began. The tower is not round at all, but has 16 sides. It was called Gorodetskaya differently due to the fact that at its foot there was an earthen fortification, which in ancient times was called a “town”.

An unpleasant story happened to this tower. Funds were allocated for its reconstruction. When work began, a fire broke out. The materials were burned. The authorities walled up the tower. It still exists in this form. It can only be viewed from the outside.

Kopytenskaya Tower

This part of the Smolensk fortress wall is located on the territory of the Lopatinsky Garden. Previously, it was fenced by a moat with water and an earthen rampart. This tower has three tiers and an L-shaped passage. Above the gate, icons have been preserved, which were traditionally installed on structures of this type. It is not difficult to guess that the name of the tower is associated with the word “hoof”. Indeed, it was built on a road along which cattle were driven to pasture. The tower has been restored, but the gate is not used in any way.

Kassandalovskaya Tower

The second name of this tower is Kozadolovska. It is also connected with the fact that pastures were located near it. This tower has not survived to this day. If it had not been blown up by Napoleon's troops, then you would have found it on the site of the Heroes' Memory Square. Instead, a city school building was built here in 1912. During World War II it was destroyed and then rebuilt. Now it houses a museum.

The scope of this article does not allow us to talk about all the towers that the Smolensk fortress wall includes. There is no need to look for tower opening hours. But the museums located in them are usually open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Day off is Monday.

18 Kremlin towers have been preserved, each with its own interesting history.

History of creation

For many centuries, the western borders of Russian lands were under the protection of Smolensk. Under Ivan the Terrible, the city was surrounded by a wooden fortress wall. But by the end of the 16th century, with the development of artillery, it could no longer serve as a reliable defense. It was decided to build a stone wall. They entrusted an important state matter to the famous master Fyodor Kon.

Materials were prepared and collected by the whole world. By the spring of 1596, the preparatory work was completed and work began to boil. During the construction of the wall, Boris Godunov strictly forbade all his subjects, regardless of family and rank, to carry out any kind of stone construction. All efforts were devoted to this “all-Russian” construction project. Up to six thousand people, driven from all cities and villages, worked here every day. In the first four years, the fortress wall was mostly completed, but minor work continued for another two years. In 1602, it was consecrated, and the image sent by Boris Godunov - a copy of the ancient miraculous Smolensk icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria” (translated from Greek - “Showing the Way”) - was placed above the gates of the Dnieper Tower (now Frolovskaya). On the eve of the famous Battle of Borodino, it was carried throughout the camp, blessing Russian soldiers for their feats of arms.

To make the wall impregnable, oak piles were driven into the bottom of the pit, the space between them was filled with compacted earth, and a new row was placed on top of them. Thick logs were laid crosswise on this “picket fence” and covered with rubble and earth. The foundation was laid out from stone blocks. And under it, “rumors” were made - holes to go beyond the walls. The middle part of the wall consisted of two vertical brick walls, between which cobblestones were poured and lime mortar was poured. It contained passages for communication with the towers, ammunition storage rooms, rifle and cannon loopholes located on three levels. And along the top there were teeth in the shape of a swallow’s tail, exactly like on the Moscow Kremlin.

The strength of such a bulk did not raise even a shadow of doubt, but it had an Achilles heel. The autumn of 1600 turned out to be hungry. Angered by the lack of food, the workers rebelled, demanding bread. A message was even sent to the Tsar, which was signed by Fyodor Kon. Boris Godunov ordered workers' wages to be increased, bread prices to be frozen, but the “writers” to be severely punished. The architect poured wine over his grievance over the flogging with batogs for two months. His assistant, the boyar's son Andryushka Dedyushin, was not involved in the work, and the work was done poorly. Later, in 1611, he revealed the secret of a poorly fortified section of the eastern wall to the Poles. It was in this place that the conquerors managed to crush the power of the walls and break into Smolensk.

Fortress towers

The role of a special place and the main decoration of the fortress was assigned to the towers. They were intended for observation, conducting a three-tier battle, protecting gates and sheltering troops, and were equipped with devices for throwing stones and pouring hot pitch on the heads of enemies. None of them were similar to the other, neither in shape nor in height. Nine towers had drive-through gates. Through the main ones - the Frolovskaya tower - the road to the capital opened.

Interestingly, all 38 towers had names. For example, the Nikolskaya tower received its name from the ancient church of St. Nicholas, near which it was built, Kopytenskaya - from the word “hooves” (they drove cattle through it to pasture), Vodyanaya (Voskresenskaya) - because of the water pipeline originating in it , and Veselukha - for a wonderful view of the outskirts of the city. By the way, you can now climb Veselukha to admire that very cheerful view of the Dnieper and the city.

However, not only the landscapes opening from the walls of the fortress are pleasing to the eye. In all his works, Fyodor Kon knew how to combine functionality and beauty. Thus, the loopholes are framed with decorative platbands and painted red-brown; the rectangular towers have one or two cornices located under the battlements, and the round ones have the appearance of a roller.

Today you can only see a model of the fortress wall. It is presented in the exhibition of the first of the restored towers - Thunder. The scale of all buildings has been meticulously recreated from ancient drawings and documents.

Over four centuries, only half of the Smolensk stronghold remained: three kilometers of walls and seventeen towers. The northeastern section of the wall along the Dnieper was dismantled in the 19th century, the western section - in the 30s of the last century. Despite this, wounded and aged, it has not lost its former greatness and still amazes with the grandeur of the Russian architect’s plan.

Architectural and technical features

Built in 1595‒1602
Length - 6.5 kilometers (3 kilometers preserved)
Wall width - 5.2‒6 meters
Wall height - 13–19 meters
Total towers - 38 (17 preserved)
The distance between the towers is approximately 150 meters
The driveway gates were in 9 towers
The main road tower is Frolovskaya (Dneprovskaya), through which the exit to Moscow passed

Fedor Kon

Born in 1556 in the family of Tver carpenter Savely Petrov, who taught him the basics of the profession. Left an orphan, he worked in construction cooperatives, earning his daily living through hard work, for which he received the nickname “Horse.” At the age of 17, standing up for a comrade, he almost strangled a German guardsman. To escape punishment, he fled abroad. In this he was helped by the Italian engineer, builder of the Oprichnina Court, Johann Clairaut, who sent him to study masonry in Strasbourg. In 1584, Fyodor Kon returned to Moscow, having received royal permission. The first major work of the talented master was the construction of fortifications of the Moscow White City with 27 towers (1586‒1593). His other works, distinguished by outstanding architectural skill: the Smolensk fortress wall, the ensemble of the Pafnutiev Monastery in Borovsk and the ensemble of the Boldinsky Monastery near Dorogobuzh. Nothing is known about the last years of his life. In memory of him, a monument was erected near the Thunder Tower in Smolensk in 1991.

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.

During the late Middle Ages, the city acquired 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