Soroca Fortress ( ro, Cetatea Soroca) is a historic
fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
in the
Republic of Moldova
A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...
, in the modern-day city of
Soroca.
The city has its origin in the medieval
Genoese trade post of Olchionia, or Alchona. It is known for its well-preserved stronghold, established by the
Moldavian Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...
Stephen the Great ( ro, Ştefan cel Mare) in 130
The original wooden fort, which defended a
ford over the
Dniester
The Dniester, ; rus, Дне́стр, links=1, Dnéstr, ˈdⁿʲestr; ro, Nistru; grc, Τύρᾱς, Tyrās, ; la, Tyrās, la, Danaster, label=none, ) ( ,) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and t ...
(Moldovan/Romanian: ''Nistru''), was an important link in the chain of fortifications which comprised four forts (e.g.
Akkerman and
Khotin
Khotyn ( uk, Хотин, ; ro, Hotin, ; see other names) is a city in Dnistrovskyi Raion, Chernivtsi Oblast of western Ukraine and is located south-west of Kamianets-Podilskyi. It hosts the administration of Khotyn urban hromada, one of th ...
) on the Dniester, two forts on the Danube and three forts on the north border of medieval Moldova. Between 1543 and 1546 under the rule of
Petru Rareş Petru is a given name, and may refer to:
* Petru I of Moldavia (Petru Mușat, 1375–1391), ruler of Moldavia
* Petru Aron (died 1467), ruler of Moldavia
* Petru Bălan (born 1976), Romanian rugby union footballer
* Petru Cărare (1935–2019), wr ...
, the fortress was rebuilt in stone as a perfect circle with five bastions situated at equal distances.
During the
Great Turkish War
The Great Turkish War (german: Großer Türkenkrieg), also called the Wars of the Holy League ( tr, Kutsal İttifak Savaşları), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Pola ...
,
John Sobieski
John III Sobieski ( pl, Jan III Sobieski; lt, Jonas III Sobieskis; la, Ioannes III Sobiscius; 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696.
Born into Polish nobility, Sobi ...
's forces successfully defended the fortress against the Ottomans. It was of vital military importance during the
Pruth Campaign
The Russo-Ottoman War of 1710—1711, also known as the Pruth River Campaign, was a brief military conflict between the Tsardom of Russia and the Ottoman Empire. The main battle took place during 18-22 July 1711 in the basin of the Pruth riv ...
of
Peter the Great
Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
in 1711. The stronghold was sacked by the Russians in the
Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739)
The Russo-Turkish War of 1735–1739 between Russia and the Ottoman Empire was caused by the Ottoman Empire's war with Persia and continuing raids by the Crimean Tatars. The war also represented Russia's continuing struggle for access to the ...
. The Soroca fortress is an important attraction in
Soroca, having preserved cultures and kept the old Soroca in the present day.
Architecture
The current building displays elaborate characteristics of late
medieval fortifications. This observation conveys the idea that the fort was perhaps built by experts from
Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
or
Transylvanian people who traveled in Western Europe and brought architectural ideas back to
Moldova
Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistri ...
:
*The walls are not built straight but in a curved shape to better resist projectiles, as are the four outer towers.
*One can also notice round towers which allowed the defenders to shoot from better angles and thus protect the base of the walls.
The entire building has a diameter of 30 meters, and 4 meters for each tower. Each tower has 4 levels, of which the first two lower ones were used for artillery. The walls are 3 meters thick and we can find signs of a previous ditch. The main entrance tower had 3 doors, amongst them a portcullis which was closed during battles. The space saved at the upper level allowed the garrison to pray in a small chapel.
Despite all these features the fort was obsolete after the end of the 14th century because of the more widespread use of
gunpowder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). T ...
.
See also
*
Nicolae Bulat
External links
Molddata.md: Cetatea Soroca
Gallery
File:Soroca Fort, Eastern Walls, from the outside..JPG
File:Soroca Fort, Main Tower & Entrance, from the otside..JPG
File:Soroca Fort, Inside in Renovation, The Court (n°2).JPG
File:Soroca Fort, Main Tower, from the inside (n°2).JPG
File:Soroca 1.50.JPG, 1941 stamp
File:The Soroca fortress.jpg
File:Stamp of Moldova 175.gif, 1995 stamp
File:Tower with gate of the fortress.jpg
File:Сорокский уезд № 2 (1879 г.).jpg, 1879 stamp
File:Inside the Soroca fortress.jpg
References
{{Reflist
Castles in Moldova
Castles in Moldavia
Buildings and structures completed in 1499
History museums in Moldova
Tourist attractions in Moldova
History of Soroca