Illustrated magazine by Vladimir Dergachev “Landscapes of Life. Kamenets-Podolsk fortress - a historical monument of Ukraine Life outside the walls of the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress

The Kamenets Fortress or Kamenets-Podolsk Fortress is one of the most impregnable defensive structures in Ukraine. The stone stronghold is located on a rocky island above the Smotrich River in Volyn. Archaeologists attribute its appearance to the XIII-XIV centuries. But even earlier there were wooden fortifications at this place. And under some of the fortress’s structures, researchers discovered stone foundations of buildings from Roman times. The first written mention of the Kamenets-Podolsk castle is contained in the charter of Prince Yuri Koryatovich, which dates back to 1374. It was then that he was given the right to build a fortress in Kamenets-Podolsky.

Kamenets-Podolsk fortress. on Google Maps.

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The first mention that has reached us with a description of the Kamenets-Podolsk castle dates back to 1494. Then, on the side of the city, a gate with a tower was made in its walls, and in the northern wall - a Floor Gate. During the 14th-15th centuries, stone-throwing mechanisms went out of use and firearms were increasingly used. Therefore, in the 16th century, new towers appeared in the Kamenets-Podolsk castle. Military barracks and a number of cellars for storing weapons, gunpowder and food also appeared. Currently, the castle is a complex of eleven towers, united by stone walls into a single defensive structure. Subsequently it received the name - Old Castle.

Despite the fairly strong natural and artificial fortifications of the Kamenets Castle, which protected it throughout the Middle Ages, at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries the city faced the problem of radical modernization of the fortification system. In 1621, when the city and the castle were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a New Castle was built around the old fortification, adapted for defense in conditions of artillery shelling. It consisted of two earthen semi-bastions and a curtain wall (the rampart), in front of which stretched a dry ditch. Such fortifications were resistant to gunfire, but the enemy found themselves under a hellish downpour. It’s good that there was no gunpowder in the fortress itself - it was produced in gunpowder mills in the Smotrich canyon. To test the quality of gunpowder in the 18th century, a casemate tower was erected in the Old Town, called the “Laboratory”.

Even the Great Khan Osman was afraid of the inaccessibility of the castle. They say that, having seen the fortifications of Kamenets-Podolsky in 1621, he asked: “Who built such a mighty city?”

“Allah himself,” was the answer.

“So may Allah conquer it!”

And he turned the army away from the walls of Kamenets-Podolsk. Only in 1672 did the Turks capture the stronghold of Podolia due to their numerical superiority (more than 60 times).

Kamenets-Podolsk fortress. Photo.

Now the castle dungeons and towers are populated with figures depicting Ustim Karmelyuk with his fellow prisoners, warriors and other historical characters. Also on the territory of the fortress you can look into the abyss of a 40-meter well, walk through the gallery of the castle, and sometimes even admire recreated knightly tournaments.

Now this perfectly preserved monument of medieval architecture attracts many tourists. Thanks to the activities of military history clubs, festivals dedicated to the historical events that took place here are regularly organized in the Kamenets-Podilsky Castle. The largest of them, “Terra heroica,” is dedicated to the events of the 17th century.

We invite you to take a historical walk. Video Kamyanets-Podolsk Castle or Kamyanets-Podolsk Fortress.

This video is for those who want to know more about the castle. Enjoy watching.

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The Kamenets-Podolsk fortress, also called the Outpost of Christianity, was built to defend the so-called Turkish bridge, which serves as a connecting link between the mainland and the Old City.

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Archaeologists carefully examined this place. According to their conclusion, the local castle was built on the territory where in the 9th-12th centuries there was a detinets and a rampart made of earth, as well as a wall made of wood. Thanks to them, the settlement was protected, whose inhabitants were citizens of the Galicia-Volyn state.

The place where the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress now stands was surrounded by stone fortifications in the 12th-13th centuries. And in 1240, Batu’s army appeared here, which destroyed these walls, the city itself and its population.

The Mongol-Tatars reigned here for more than a hundred years. In 1362, the Battle of Blue Waters took place, as a result of which the conquerors were defeated. They were overthrown by the troops of Olgerd, who disposed of the land in such a way that the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress was under the control of his nephews.

Development

When this territory was under the jurisdiction of Lithuanian rulers in the years 1363-1430, positive changes took place in the life of the fortress - work was carried out to restore it. Merchants and nobles made donations, through which it was possible to collect the necessary amount to restore the fortress to its wonderful appearance. In addition, the popes took part in the collections, giving “alms from St. Peter.”

When Vytautas died, strife began between his heirs. Since it was not possible to decide on a ruler, the land where the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress stands to this day fell under jurisdiction for the period from 1434 to 1793.

And in 1672-1699. rules here It was then that important strategic functions were assigned to this point, because it was a center and also a city with royal status.

Changes

Under the rule of the Poles, Kamenets-Podolsky was somewhat changed. Reconstructions were carried out here - one of the largest took place in 1621. It was led by T. Schomberg, who worked to adapt the named point to artillery defense.

And at the height of the war that lasted between the Polish people and the Turks from 1672 to 1676, one of the attacks ended in the surrender of the local population. At the same time, two towers were destroyed.

But a quarter of a century later, the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress, the history of which is outlined in the article, was returned to Poland. This happened as a result of the conclusion of the Karlowitz Peace Agreement.

Now this point was not as significant for Christians as it was before. Much more attention was paid to its combat effectiveness and ability to carry out defense. The buildings were reconstructed with money allocated by the state.

Change of power

Since 1793, this land was under the control of the Russian Empire; since 1795, it has been the central point of the Podolsk province. When the Russian-Turkish war was over in 1812, the borders of the state expanded towards the south. Then the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress was no longer so important for military purposes, and it was used as a correctional institution.

During the First World War, we again had to remember about defense - the headquarters of the front in the south-west of Russia was located here. In 1917-1923, when the Civil War broke out, the government at this point changed many times. Ukrainian nationalists, Bolsheviks, and Austrian-German troops ruled here. In 1919-1920 there was a period when this city was even appointed the capital of Ukraine after the capitulation of the UPR government and the Directory from Kyiv.

Importance

In 1928, the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress received the status of a cultural and historical reserve of national significance. But during World War II, this place suffered greatly, as bombings and fierce battles took place here.

Now it is an architectural and historical reserve of national importance, which is one of the cultural monuments of the world included in the UNESCO heritage. This structure can be described as impregnable, thanks to the efforts of the builders, as well as favorable circumstances created by nature. So people who lived in the Middle Ages even said that the very hand of God built these fortifications.

There are steep slopes of great height, deep ravines and the vast bed of the Smotrich River, reaching 250 m in width. Above all this rise walls decorated with embrasures. From here they fired from guns of great power - in total there were 10 guns in the fortress, as well as a tarasnitsa.

The old castle is the heart around which grew the powerful and impregnable Kamenets-Podolsk fortress. The photo that you can see in the article only to a small extent conveys the grandeur of the local buildings. The shape of the castle is quadrangular. Inside there is a closed territory with an area of ​​1.5 hectares. Its perimeter is decorated with 11 towers.

Important structures

One of the defensive buildings in the south is the Papal Tower. It is closest to the entrance on the left side. It was built between 1505 and 1515. Funds received from the Pope were used to support the work.

In the 19th century, U. Karmelyuk, who led the peasant insurgency, was held captive here three times. There are five tiers here, looking at which you can note that the first two have a cross-section in the shape of a square, the next pair - an octagon, and the last one - a cylinder.

In addition, the fortress has a tower in the form of a cap. It was created in the 14th century. The walls are built so that they form a cylinder, and the tower is a cone. In 1544, it was modernized - the foundation was strengthened, the facades were covered with plaster, the internal passage was removed and an external passage was built, in the north. When the war broke out between the Turks and Poles in 1672-1676, the tower was seriously damaged. Previously, it was much higher, but today we can observe only 22 m of its height.

An important role is played by the Tenczynska Tower, which was built at the very beginning of the 15th century, timing its opening to coincide with the arrival of J. Tenczynski from Krakow, who was responsible for the proper functioning of the fortification, as well as for the safety of being in it.

The location of this building is interesting - three quarters of it extends beyond the boundaries of the Old Castle. Therefore, in order to make its safety higher, in the 18th century the tower was filled up to the fourth tier. Now it rises 21 meters.

At the fourth position from the entrance is the Laskaya Tower with four cylinders, which was built at the beginning of the 15th century. The bishops' valuables were kept in it. The masonry is white. There is an inscription in Latin that says that finding a true friend is more difficult than seeing a phoenix. The second tier of this building was replaced in 1544. Thanks to this, a staircase appeared inside the wall, which was covered with plaster. The fourth level was used for military purposes. The current height of the tower is 22.5 m.

The oldest of the buildings

In the west there is a Day Tower, near the entrance to the building. It is older than all the others, since it was created in the 12th-16th centuries. It has a rectangular shape and a large number of loopholes. From here surveillance was carried out for strategic purposes. At the top there was a wooden superstructure, which also served as a springboard through which weapons were delivered to the upper level of the New Tower. An interesting detail is that the structure has no roof.

The Big Tower was created in 1544 and is the largest on the territory of the fortress. Its perimeter has five sides. The purpose of the creation is defensive - weapons were rolled here during battles. In 1672, the Turks carried out an explosion, due to which the structure received heavy damage, and the castle had to be surrendered.

Everything described is just the most important points. In fact, the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress is grandiose, and there is much more interesting here.

Kamenets-Podolsky Castle consists of two parts - the Old Castle itself, which is known as the most important attraction of the city, and the New Castle, located nearby and representing bastion fortifications. Disputes about the time of the foundation of the Kamenets-Podolsk castle among scientists do not subside to this day, however, the generally accepted date for the construction of the stone fortress is considered to be 1374 - the moment of the first mention of it in the charter of Yuri Koriatovich. What is noteworthy is that this charter informs about the granting of Magdeburg rights to the city.

Over the long period of its existence, the castle changed hands several times. If we report from ancient times, namely from the Daco-Roman hypothesis of the founding of Kamenets-Podolsky, then the fortifications were first considered part of the Trajan Ramparts complex, after which they passed into the hands of the Goths, and from them to the Slavs, who used those remaining from the ancients. times fortifications, they erected their own wooden fortification, which later became the basis for the Old Castle. It also belonged to the Tatar-Mongols, although indirectly and not for too long - subsequently the city was captured by the Lithuanian king Olgerd and transferred it to the jurisdiction of the Koriatovich princes, who erected a stone fortress on the basis of a wooden castle.

There is a legend spread among the residents of the city that no one has ever been able to take the castle by storm - only by cunning or gold, but history still refutes it. Thus, due to internal disagreements within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, in 1394 the castle was stormed by Prince Vytautas. After this, in 1430, the castle passed to the Poles, who captured it by cunning. Fyodor Ostrozhsky managed to recapture it temporarily, however, for a period of less than a year.

However, Bogdan Khmelnitsky did not dare to take the castle by storm and, after short unsuccessful attempts to take it through sabotage, he simply passed by with his army. The Ottoman Empire also failed to take the Old Castle in 1672 - they managed to break through the bastions of the New Castle, but they were unable to defeat the defenders in the ancient medieval fortress. The Turks simply paid for the castle, but the carriage with the gold, according to legend, fell from the Castle Bridge, drowned, and has not been found to this day. The Turkish occupation lasted less than 30 years, and soon the old fortress of Kamenets-Podolsky again went to Poland, but did not appear in any significant battles.

The museum on the territory of the fortress was organized in 1928 and is still in operation. However, during festivals, which happen several times a year, it will be impossible to enter its territory without a ticket directly to the festival. The entrance price to Kamenets-Podilskyi Castle is low - about 20 hryvnia last year.

Within the castle itself there is the opportunity to visit a wide variety of places. So, almost immediately near the entrance, visitors are greeted by a debt pit with a debtor sitting inside:



To the right of the entrance you can get into a tower called “The Well”, precisely because the main castle well was located in it, which you can look at. By the way, it has not yet been cleared to the very bottom. The following descent leads to the well:

This is what the well itself looks like:

You really can't see the bottom:

On the second floor you can see the reconstructed well gate:

And climb to the upper terrace of the castle wall:


From it you can go to the lower external terrace:

There you can see the descent into the dungeons. Some of them are simply blocked, and some are barred and are simply additional entrances to museum exhibitions:

This is the Lantskoronskaya Tower, on which the remains of the coat of arms can be seen:

Inside the castle, in the Karmalyuk Tower or in the Papal Tower, there is a pottery workshop where you can make your own pot or plate under the guidance of a master:

And a little higher, sits Karmalyuk himself, who, according to legend, was imprisoned in this very tower and managed to escape from it. Although, according to another legend, he failed to escape - he was caught a few minutes after his escape.

Inside the castle courtyard there are many souvenir shops, authentic medieval cuisine and other tourist attractions. In general, most of the souvenirs are similar to those on display in the center of the Old Town, but they are more expensive, and we didn’t find anything particularly interesting there, except for such funny, although not particularly historical, mini-crossbows:

The courtyard itself of the old fortress of Kamenets-Podolsky, as can be seen from the photo, is quite spacious:

There is an opportunity to walk through the galleries on the walls:

After a short walk, we went to the internal exhibition of the museum, consisting of wax figures in the dungeons:

The quality of their performance, of course, is several times worse than in ...







But some are still quite good:

After viewing such an exhibition, we decided to walk inside the castle walls:

After which all we had to do was take pictures of the area from different angles, being on the towers and walls of the castle:

Some openings are barred to prevent overly enthusiastic tourists from accidentally falling out:

Here is a view of the New Castle, which we will talk about a little later:

And here are the views of the canyon and the Table of Concord, which we will also talk about separately:

In general, the castle is more beautiful for its appearance and history than for its museum exhibition. Thus, in Medzhybizh and Khotyn the museum part of the castles, despite the fact that it is quite small, is still much larger than in Kamenets-Podolsky. But everyone should visit it at least once. And yes, be sure to look at the castle’s lighting at night - it’s worth a look!

Vladimir Dergachev


The old fortress is located at the entrance to the city of Kamenets, located in the loop of the canyon of the Smotrich River. Castle Bridge stands in the very place where the river loop forms a thin isthmus separating the peninsula and connects the Old Town with the fortress.

Medieval fortress of Kamenets-Podolsky, standing on a high stone plateau, was impregnable to invaders for several centuries. The first wooden buildings of the citadel date back to the times of Kievan Rus, and the main fortifications were erected in the 16th - 17th centuries. The defensive fortifications of Kamenets are considered an example of the best fortifications in Eastern Europe. The border citadel had important geopolitical significance on the border of Christian and Muslim cultures, played the role of a shield in saving Europe from Mongol-Tatar raids.

The stone castle was built by the Lithuanian princes Koriatovichi. From 1362 to 1434 the fortress with the city's defense structures became the main Lithuanian outpost, and from 1434 to 1793. - Polish power in Podolia, and played a significant role in repelling the Turkish-Tatar campaigns to the West. The fortress was first mentioned in 1374 in a charter from Prince Yuri Koriatovich, one of the four brothers who owned Podolia. It was under them that the city became the capital of the region (and the appanage principality), and the fortress became a strategic citadel.

In the 15th century, Podolia was captured by the Poles. Kamenets-Podolsky became the center of the voivodeship, an important border outpost of the defense of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, “the extreme bastion of Christianity.” In the mid-16th century, all the wooden fortifications of the fortress were replaced with stone ones. Since that time, the castle has acquired its modern appearance. The fortress is surrounded by high walls with towers. To the left of the eastern gate is the Papal Tower, followed by Kolpak, Tetchinskaya, Lyashskaya, Dnevnaya, Novaya Zapadnaya, Malaya Zapadnaya, Rozhanka, Komendantskaya, Lyantskoronskaya and Novaya Vostochnaya. The Vodnaya Tower is located near the river.

In 1672, the city of Kamenets-Podolsky was captured by the Turks, who reconstructed the citadel and the Castle Bridge. Therefore, subsequently the fortress and bridge were often called Turkish.

At the end of the 17th century, the castle was returned to Poland, and a little later, during the division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, it went to the Russian Empire. In the 19th century, Kamenets-Podilskyi Castle lost its military significance. In 1923, by the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the Ukrainian SSR, the Old Fortress was declared a state historical and cultural reserve.

Polish writer and Nobel laureate Henryk Sienkiewicz ( 1846 - 1916) in the novel “Pan Volodyovsky” described in detail the heroic defense of Kamenets-Podolsky, which ended with the surrender of the fortress and the suicide of one of the main defenders, Colonel Michal Volodyovsky. Indeed, its historical prototype, captain Jerzy Volodyovsky, died during the defense of Kamenets. But romantic love for Kristina (Krzysa) is fictional. A true nobleman was poor in his youth. According to established tradition, proud nobles found salvation from poverty in marrying a rich widow, usually not of the first youth and beauty. Jerzy was no exception and married a widow who had already buried three husbands. The real Volodyovskaya was a prudent, selfish woman, and during the defense of Kamenets, she was one of the first to leave the city and her husband, and as they write, “preferring flight and shame to the glory of a devoted wife, ready to share the danger with her husband” (Roman Belousov From the genealogy of book heroes, 1974 ).

Modern view of the fortress

Illumination of the Old Fortress in the evening


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Entrance to the main courtyard of the castle

Corner tower Rozhanka(14th - 16th centuries). Of interest for the history of the fortification of the connection is the presence of stone caps that form the roof (nowadays wooden). Similar fortification techniques are no longer found in Ukraine. The old castle has three towers of this type.

On the left are the Lyashskaya (White) and Day Towers, on the right is the Rozhanka Tower.

The Lantskoronskaya Tower was founded at the end of the 14th century by the Krakow voivode, sent to Kamenets-Podolsky as the prince of the Podolsk land. In 1672, during the storming of Kamenets by the Turkish army, its upper part was destroyed.

On the right is a miniature Commandant (?) tower

Below is the East Tower (1544) with a powder magazine, on the left is the Castle Bridge.

The eastern tower of the castle was built over a well, 40.7 meters deep. To facilitate the rise of water, huge wooden wheels are installed.

Rozhanka Tower, internal view

The Papal Tower of the Old Fortress was built at the expense of the popes and later became a prison. In it in 1814-1823. The robber Ustim Karmalyuk was imprisoned three times and escaped three times. The tower houses a prison exhibition.

Ustim Karmalyuk(1787 -1835) - noble robber, in 1813-1835 the leader of the rebels in Podolia who opposed the lords. He is also called the “Ukrainian Robin Hood”. Ustim Karmalyuk, aka a highway bandit, robbed both rich and poor. The Soviet government appointed him a people's hero.

Expositions of the prison museum

Stone and earth bastions of the New Fortress, 1617 - 1621.

Near the Old Castle-Fortress on a hill next to the cross there is a sculptural composition "Table of Agreement" symbolizing the cultural diversity of the city of Kamenets-Podolsky. The monument (sculptor A. Ignashchenko) was erected in 2001 after the first international festival “Seven Cultures”. The concrete millstone in the center of the composition symbolizes the city, and the metal pipe with a bend in the shape of a crown symbolizes the fortress. The stones around the millstone symbolize the seven peoples who created the Podolsk pearl: Ukrainians, Poles, Russians, Lithuanians, Armenians, Turks and Jews. At some distance there is an eighth stone, acting as a sign of the transience of existence and the variability of fate, which in the future may make another people the creator of the new history of Kamenets.

City power plant near the Castle Bridge

Such traces of devastation and desolation today, unfortunately, are found in many places in Ukraine

The fortress houses a pottery workshop, souvenir kiosks and catering places.

Since 1914, Kamenets-Podolsky has been the location of 25 films, including “The Old Fortress” (1937, 1972), “Shchors” (1938), “D’Artagnan and the Three Musketeers” (1979), “The Nine Lives of Nestor Makhno” ( 2005) and “Taras Bulba” (2007).


Kamenets-Podolsk Fortress located on the rocky banks of the Smotrich River, the height of which reaches 25 meters, a narrow 9-meter isthmus led to its gates, which naturally predetermined its military and defense significance.


The first buildings of the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress combined wooden towers and earthen embankments. They were rebuilt and destroyed more than once. IN XIII - XIV centuries, stone structures were erected, which laid the foundation for the castle, which has survived to this day.


Since 1362, the fortress acquired the status of an outpost of the Principality of Lithuania. Russian-Lithuanian chronicles have preserved legends that the castle was built by the brothers princes Koriatovich on the site of a wooden fortress. The brothers ruled the Principality of Podolsk in the 60-90s XIV century. The Kamenets-Podolsk fortress was built to protect the city from enemy attacks and at this stage consisted of 2 gates, stone walls and several towers. The first mentions in history also date back to this period - for example, in the charter of Yuri Koriatovich (1374) “on soils and various rights” in the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress. IN XV century, a number of other structures appeared: a complex of towers and loopholes of the Polish Gate.


In 1434, the fortress became part of Polish rule in Podolia. The first description that has survived to this day is dated 1492, it says that the castle in Kamenets-Podilskyi consists of Northern and Southern gates, towers and stone walls made of limestone stone on limestone mortar. During this period, Podolia was subjected to Tatar raids 28 times.


XVI century, the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress was supplemented with the defensive complex of the Russian Gates, as well as a number of towers: Papskaya, Kolpak, Tenchinskaya, Lyatskaya, Novaya Zapadnaya, Rozhanka, Lyanskorunskaya, Vodnaya, Chernaya. Thus, the fortress began to include 11 towers connected by ramparts and 1 water tower, as well as stone ramparts and walls, powder magazines and barracks. The main task of the Old Castle was to protect the city; it was characterized by close combat. European architects such as I. Kamilius, I. Pretfus, T. Schombert were invited to design the castle. IN XVI century, the fortress was attacked by Tatar hordes 18 times.


Early XVII century, the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress met as part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Due to the threat of a Turkish and Tatar attack, reconstruction was carried out again - the New Castle complex was being completed next to the Old Castle, which involved the use of artillery weapons (long-range guns, cannons, firearms) in defense.


In 1672-1699, the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire - during this period, all the destruction was restored and new buildings were erected - gunpowder warehouses, mosques, minarets.


B X VIII century, the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress is increasingly used by the Polish government as a prison. Its prisoners were the Cossack colonel Abazina, the rebel leader Cleophas, the three-year contender for the Polish throne Stanislav August, the conspirators Peshinsky and Frackenberg, who tried to kill King Stanislav August, the stepson of the same king A. Grabovsky, many of them were executed here. In 1793, the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress was already part of the Russian Empire. The castle serves as a prison, and the fortress itself lost its military and defense significance during this period.


In the XIX century, in connection with the Patriotic War of 1812, Russian troops were constantly stationed in the fortress. The leader of the anti-feudal movement in Podolia in the first third was a prisoner of the fortress several times XIX century, national hero Ustim Karmalyuk (1787 - 1835). During this period, the Papal Tower received a second name - Karmelyukova, when Ustim Karmelyuk was planted in it. One of the most devastating attacks was the raid of Turkish troops under the command of Abaza Pasha in 1833. All these attacks created the glory of the fortress in Europe as an impregnable outpost.


In 1906, 67 political prisoners were kept in the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress (N.G. Kozitsky, V.K. Chernyavsky, S.A. Ilnitsky and others). XX The century ended the prison era and secured the status of a historical monument for the fortress. In 1923, the Kamenets-Podolsk Fortress with its Old and New Castles, according to the resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the Ukrainian SSR, received the status of a State Historical and Architectural Reserve. In 1937, a museum-reserve was organized on the territory of the fortress. In 1948, the fortress was included in the state register of historical and architectural monuments of all-Union significance.

 

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