The Smolensk Kremlin () is a fortified complex (

kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...

) enclosing the center of the city of

Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...

in western

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. The partially preserved fortress wall was built between 1595 and 1602, during the reigns of the tsars

Feodor I Feodor I Ioannovich () or Fyodor I Ivanovich (; 31 May 1557 – 17 January 1598), nicknamed the Blessed (), was Tsar of all Russia from 1584 until his death in 1598. Feodor's mother died when he was three, and he grew up in the shadow of his ...

and

Boris Godunov Boris Feodorovich Godunov (; ; ) was the ''de facto'' regent of Russia from 1585 to 1598 and then tsar from 1598 to 1605 following the death of Feodor I, the last of the Rurik dynasty. After the end of Feodor's reign, Russia descended into t ...

. The length of the walls is about , of which less than the half was preserved. The fortifications were built under the supervision of the architect Fyodor Kon. The Smolensk Kremlin is classified as an architectural monument protected at the federal level, and also has a great historical significance, in particular, as the fortress protecting the Russian state from the west over centuries.

History

Smolensk historically had a great significance for the defence of Russia, and this is why Russian rulers paid considerable attention to its fortifications. In the spring of 1554, Tsar

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar of all Russia, Tsar and Grand Prince of all R ...

ordered to build a new tall wooden fortress. After the development of

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

, it became clear that a wooden fortress was no longer suitable for the defense, and at the end of the 16th century, it was decided to build a new stone fortress at the place of the old one. In December 1595, the preparations for the construction started after the official decree was issued. The construction works were very intense and were performed daily from sunrise to sunset. The construction workers, however, lived in harsh conditions and revolted in 1599 because of hunger, cold, and diseases. In the summer of 1597 long and heavy rains flooded all the trenches and ditches, and the construction workers had to strengthen the landslide soil by piles. In 1600, because of the heat and heavy rains, a large number of crops was lost in Russia, causing a famine. The construction of the new fortress used the old existing fortifications, in some places the new wall was built on top of them, and in certain areas, the new fortress extended beyond the limits set by the old one. The construction started from the western side of the fortress.

Towers and walls

Several sections of the wall survived, the eastern section with nine towers, the south-western section with five towers, and the northern section with three towers. The most famous remaining tower is the round-cornered tower named Veselukha. This name was given to it because of the nice view which opens from the tower. In the daytime, citizens lead their guests to see the beautiful suburbs. However, in the evening time and especially during the night it is a rather dangerous place and has a bad reputation. Brave hearts who dare to appear at this place told about horror phantoms and ghosts. Finally it was found the reasonable explanation to that awful fact. This place was used by the counterfeiters who printed out false money and scared people who tried to walk around. The Main Gate Tower was Frolovskaya (Dnieper Tower), through which was the exit to the capital of the Russian state. The second most important was Molohovskaya tower, opens the way to

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, Krasny and

Roslavl Roslavl (, ) is a town and the administrative center of Roslavlsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia. It is a road and rail junction and a market town. Population: History Roslavl was founded as Rostislavl in the 1130s or 1140s. The name is ...

Remaining towers

*Pyatnitskaya (Water Tower) *Volkova *Kostyrevskaya (Red Tower) *Veselukha (Luchinskaya) *Pozdnyakova (Rogovka) *Oryol (Gorogetskaya) *Avraamievskaya *Zaaltarnaya (Belukha) *Voronina *Dolgochevskaya *Zimbulka *Nikolskaya *Mokhovaya *Donets *Gromovaya *Bubleika *Kopytenskaya File:Башня Орел вечером.jpg, Oryol Tower File:Долгочевская башня первая в ансамбле.jpg, Dolgochevskaya Tower File:Башня Волкова Смоленской крепостной стены.jpg, Volkova Tower File:Смоленск-Прокудин-Горский-Никольские Ворота.jpg, Nikolskaya Tower File:Bub.jpg, Bubleika Tower File:Gromovaya bashnya.jpg, Gromovaya Tower File:Kopytenskaya2.jpg, Kopytenskaya Tower

Destroyed towers

*Antifonovskaya *Bogoslovskaya *Ivorovskaya (Verzhenova) *Pyatnitsa (Water Gate) *Granovitaya (Faceted Tower) *Gurkina *Frolovskaya *Evstafevskaya (Brikareva) *Kassandalovskaya (Kozodavlevskaya, Artishevskaya) *2 unnamed round towers *Krylosh Gate *Lazarev Gate *Molokhov Gate *Mikulinskaya *Stefanskaya *Kolominskaya (Sheinova) *Gorodetskaya (Semenovskaya) *3 unnamed quadrangular towers

References

External links

Fortifications of Smolensk
{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2017 Kremlins Buildings and structures in Smolensk Buildings and structures in Smolensk Oblast Tourist attractions in Smolensk Oblast Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Smolensk Oblast

Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...