Pskov Kremlin. Destroyed and rebuilt. Kremlin Ensemble. Krom Pskov Kremlin history

The Kremlin was the last sight we saw in Pskov during our August trip. Usually tourists are introduced to the city from him, and we decided to do the opposite. First, we got acquainted with Pskov as a whole, felt its spirit, atmosphere, then moved on to the heart. The Kremlin, or as it is called by the Pskovians - Krom, is really the heart of Pskov, because it started from here, it has become a legendary symbol of the strength and nobility of the Russian spirit, and it is here that the main temple of the entire Pskov land, the Trinity Cathedral, stands.
The more I learn about the Pskov Kremlin, the more admiration and surprise it causes me. Powerful. Persistent. Unconquered. Not like any other. What is the peculiarity of the Pskov Kremlin, what is the difference from many other Kremlins? I invite you to talk about the Pskov Kremlin, its history and layout, and also take a walk with us through its territory.
At the end of the post, as usual, you will find useful information for tourists and travelers that will help make your trip to Pskov more pleasant and comfortable.

The Pskov Kremlin is not just a fortress, of which there were many in Rus'. For many centuries it has been an independent city, surrounded by a fortress, its own master and its own defender. Only at the turn of the 15th - 16th centuries did it lose political independence, became part of the Muscovite state and becameone offrontiers, outposts of Rus'.Krom is located on a rocky cape, where the Velikaya and Pskov rivers merge. In the old days, its location played an important role in terms of impregnability and protection from enemies. Today, priorities have changed. Reflecting in the waters of the rivers, the Kremlin seems to be floating in the air - beautiful and light. What a deceptive ease this is.

For several centuries (X - XIII) Pskov lived on the edge of Russian lands, was part of the Novgorod Republic. He had to cope with the constant enemy raids himself. In this regard, here for several centuries, from the 10th - 13th and up to the 18th, powerful walls and towers were built, rebuilt and strengthened (see the plans of the Kremlin of different centuries at the bottom of the article). Five rings of fortifications encircled the city. As a result, the Pskov Kremlin became the largest and most fortified fortress in Europe. The length of the Kremlin walls was 9 kilometers. The height of the walls is 12 meters, the width is 4 meters. The number of towers is 39.
The story of the heroic opposition of the inhabitants of Pskov to enemies and invaders is full of drama. And although the Mongol yoke of Pskov had passed, for many centuries the threat from the west constantly hung over the city. Whoever did not encroach on Pskov - Germans, Poles, Livonians, Lithuanians, Swedes ...
The Pskov Kremlin survived 26 sieges, none of them was successful for the enemy. Three times the Kremlin passed into the hands of enemies, but for different reasons. The first time was due to the betrayal of the boyar Tverdila, the second two already in the 20th century due to known circumstances - 1918 and 1941.
Nobody has ever lived in the Kremlin. It was an administrative, religious and cultural center, a place where the people's council met, where food supplies were stored.
The modern territory of the Kremlin consists of two parts: Krom, where the Trinity Cathedral is located, and Dovmontov city. In the Middle Ages, there were still such parts of the Kremlin as the wall of the posadnik Boris, the Roundabout city and the Field (Polonishche). Now only fragments remain of them.

I invite you for a walk around the Pskov Kremlin. You will see everything that we saw here - as detailed as possible.

So, we approach the Kremlin from the side of the Rybnitsa Gate Tower.

We go to the gate.

We find ourselves in the city of Dovmont.
Dovmontov city - a territory fenced around the perimeter with walls and towers, one wall, perseus, adjacent to Krom. It was named in honor of the Lithuanian prince Dovmont, who, as a result of internecine wars, fled to Pskov, where at that moment there was no prince. The people of Pskov, recognizing his talents and personal virtues, invited him to reign in the city. As a result, Dovmont (in baptism Timothy) reigned in Pskov for 33 years (1266-1299), earned fame and honor, and was canonized a hundred years later. Now his relics are now kept in the Trinity Cathedral of the Kremlin.

Dovmontov city is a unique building. On a small patch of land (one and a half hectares), about 20 churches, as well as civil buildings, stood side by side (see the figure on the right). And it would be hard to believe if in the last century there were no excavations here and the ancient foundations of these temples were not dug up. Now they have been put in order and mothballed so that they do not collapse from time to time.

Two questions arise - why were they built here in such numbers, and where are they now?
Built here because the city was constantly subjected to raids and sieges, and here the churches were safe.
Over time, the temples dilapidated and were dismantled in the 18th century. So no one deliberately destroyed them, did not "vandalize".
Dovmontov city with dozens of churches is another unique phenomenon, found nowhere else.

In ancient times, the walls and towers of the Kremlin were whitewashed for better preservation. Now only one tower is in white color.

Krom differs from other Kremlins in many ways. Take, for example, the wall that separates Krom itself from the city of Dovmont - the so-called Perseus. Even now she looks impressive. And in the old days it was even higher - 20 meters in height. Now the cultural layer of the earth, which has grown over the past centuries, has cut its height by several meters. There was a deep ditch in front of the Perseus, making the wall absolutely invincible.

An observation deck has now been set up on the Vlasiev Tower. We are still going to it. And while we move on.

We approach the "Pskov Pompeii" - excavations in the city of Dovmont.

There are enough of them. And at the Order Chambers,

And Perseus.

The surviving fragments of temples are signed.

I understand that they essentially collapsed from time to time, but it’s still a pity that we can’t see this multi-domed beauty.

We approach directly to Krom.

Above the entrance hangs the icon of the Holy Trinity.

Another Pskov invention is the zahab - a narrow passage, entering which any enemy was doomed, falling into a trap.

And this is the mighty Trinity Cathedral. It was and still is the main temple of Pskov and the Pskov land. This is the highest, 78 meters, building in the district. The temple that we see now was built in 1699, it is the fourth in a row. Before him, there were 3 more temples on the same place. The construction site of the Trinity Church was indicated by Princess Olga, after she received the Sign above.

Trinity Church is decorated with tiles. This is a trend of the Moscow architectural school.

Grandmother left the cathedral and is baptized on the cross, which stands on the site of the Annunciation Church destroyed in the 40s. In the Kremlin, in general, there are many believers, many excursion groups, and many walkers. Such a cool twist. For me personally, there is something unnatural in this, a certain discomfort - some are in a hurry to work, others are walking, others are hopping after the guide. Today we are one of those who walk in the Kremlin.

We pass the territory of Krom to the end.

Middle tower.

I look into the loopholes.

Picturesque...

We reach the Kutekroma tower and go back.

Dovmontov (Smerdya) tower

In the photo below - excavation of the wall of the fortress. You can see how high the layer of earth rose, how much higher the walls were. The difference between the bricks is also visible - lighter bricks are restoration, darker ones are the original.

Trinity Cathedral impresses with its size.

Compared to him, people are tiny.

Thoughts on the veche field ....

Trinity tower.

Bell tower.

Cross on the site of the Annunciation Cathedral destroyed in the 1940s.

Veche field in Krom.

Trinity tower. Zahab.

On the wall of Percy hangs a forged copper composition dedicated to the meeting of Alexander Nevsky by the Pskovites here, on the territory of the Dovmontov city. The meeting took place after the victory of Alexander Nevsky in the Battle of the Ice.
The composition united the banner (ensign, standard) with the image of the coat of arms and the plan of Pskov, as well as shields with the emblems of the cities that participated in the defeat of the German knights - Pskov, Novgorod and Vladimir. The symbol of victory is a sword hanging point down, on the hilt of which sits a dove, a symbol of peace. The composition is completed by ancient bells hanging from above.

Dovmontov tower - not original, reconstructed in the 19th century. on the site of the dismantled Corner Tower under the leadership of the capital's architect K. Ton.

Vlasievskaya tower.

2) In terms of the number of parts about one city, I will probably only have a hometown in the Bryansk region (there are still notes about it about the social life of a small provincial town).
Of the Russian regional cities, only Magadan, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk are smaller than Pskov, but this city itself, with a population of 207,000 people, is damn original.

3) Once upon a time, all the Kremlins had several external lines of fortifications (like Kitay-Gorod and the White City in Moscow), but these lines were demolished in the 18th-20th centuries, because. interfere with construction. The fortress completely survived only in Pskov, erected in the XIII-XV centuries. What is usually called the "Kremlin" is usually only a small inner citadel. In Pskov, this "citadel" unites Krom and Dovmontov city with a length of walls of about 1 km, their height is 6-8 m, and the height of the towers is up to 35 m. Krom itself is more reminiscent of the fortress walls of Tallinn in Estonia than similar Kremlin in Russia.

4) General view: in the foreground is the white wall of the city of Dovmont, behind which is the gray wall of Krom. The city of Dovmont adjoins Krom in front - this area appeared at the end of the 18th century, and was named after Prince Dovmont, or Daumantas, a baptized Lithuanian, under whom Pskov gained independence from Novgorod. It is surrounded by a separate wall, but from the outside, both areas look like a single whole. I was lucky all 3 days of my stay in the city to live in a hostel right opposite Krom, I constantly admired him all the days in different weather, trying to capture his "reality" through a photo.

5) Almost the entire Pskov Krom is the result of the restoration of the 50-60s. after the post-war destruction. After the Great Patriotic War, in accordance with the decree on the priority restoration of 15 ancient Russian cities, a design and restoration workshop was created in Pskov (in 1946). In 1952, a decree of the Council of Ministers "On measures to restore the Pskov Kremlin" was issued, and in 1953 restoration work began, which continued until 1972.
The restorer Alexei Khamtsov is definitely a hero, he should be given a medal for this along with respect and honor.

6) The Pskov Kremlin has withstood 26 sieges in its history.
In the picture - Vlasievskaya tower of the 15th century. the buildings. It got its name from the Church of Vlasiy, which was previously located here in 1373, near the Dovmont Wall on a gentle slope to the crossing over the Velikaya River. Over time, this road also became known as Vlasevsky Spusk.

7) At the moment, the Vlasyevskaya Tower itself is a remake, restored in 1966 after destruction during the Great Patriotic War under the guidance of the architect of the Central Scientific and Restoration Workshop of the Academy of Construction and Architecture of the USSR Alexei Khamtsov.

8) Rybnitsa tower. Rybniki is one of the shopping centers that existed on the banks of the Pskov River. The Rybnitsa gates were located in the wall of 1404, which closed the gap between the wall of the Dovmont city and the trading shops. The tower was dismantled no earlier than the 18th century. The current tower of the Holy Gates was built in 1971-1972 according to the design of the Moscow architect A.V. Vorobyov, as part of the implementation of a major plan for the post-war restoration of the Pskov Kremlin

9) So, to invite a lady and go with her to Pskov (for example) - that's it.

10) In the foreground, at the confluence of the Pskov River with the Velikaya River, a 14th-century Flat Tower built, which got its name for its squatness and its location in a lowland when viewed from all sides, which protected the waterways at the entrance to the city. The more accurate name of this tower is the Flat Tower at the Lower Lattice, since it was they who closed the entrance to the ships into the city during the siege.
Behind this tower is the northern tower of Kutekroma, built in 1400 and 30 meters high. The name of the tower comes from the ancient words kut (corner) and krom (kremlin). Thus, Kutekroma is “located on the corner of the Kremlin.” Along the top of the wall there is a combat platform with wide battlements, between which narrow loopholes are arranged.

11) Kutekroma Tower from the inside of the Kremlin, we will go inside again.

11) Embankment of the Velikaya River.

12) On the left - High Tower, in the center - Flat Tower and on the right - Kutekroma from the opposite bank of the Velikaya River.

13) Let's admire again.

14) On the right is the High Tower, behind it is the unrestored Varlaam Tower.
Cylindrical high tower built in 1500, erected together with the Flat Tower to protect the entrance to the Pskov River. Later, in 1537, a wooden wall with gates was built between them, the so-called Lower Bars, because upstream there were Upper Bars in the area of ​​the Gremyachaya Tower, blocking the entrance to the river from the other side.

15) Varlaam tower built in 1481.

16) Trinity Cathedral with a bell tower of the 18th century and on the right, the Middle Tower, built in 1419.

17)

18) Dovmontov city in front of the huge wall of Percy of the XIV century. At its foot there was once a ditch - Rowing. Dovmontov city did not remain a residential area for long - already in the 14th century the Middle City was built, and Dovmontov city was occupied by Buevishche - a cemetery of eminent Pskovites. Many churches were built on this cemetery, belonging to different boyar and merchant dynasties - there were 18 in total.
However, with the decline of Pskov due to the loss of defensive significance after the end of the Northern War and the founding of St. Petersburg, the temples were left without owners, gradually dilapidated and destroyed. In the 19th century, vegetable gardens already existed in the Dovmontov city

19) Cobblestone pavement. Replenishment to the collection of paving stones and cobblestone pavements in Russia.

20) The foundations of once existing churches.

21) Order Chamber of 1695.

22) In the bell tower of the Trinity Cathedral, a model of Krom with the Dovmont city with many churches that existed on its territory is exhibited. Pskov from this would only be more spectacular if you post photos of the panorama of the Pskov fortress on Instagram.

23) Before us is zahab - the entrance to the Kremlin.

24) Zahab is not a proper name. This is a rather ancient type of fortification, an artificial gorge behind the fortress gates. If the enemy managed to penetrate the fortress through the gate, in the zakhab he would come under fire and streams of boiling resin from the walls, remaining almost defenseless.
The word "zakhab" comes from the old Russian okhaben (which means "sleeve"), which, in turn, comes from the Arabic root "zakhaba" - to go, to go. Usually the zahab is a long and narrow corridor, really resembling a sleeve. As a rule, it connects the outer fortress gates in the tower with the inner gates leading inside the fortress. Zakhabs of Russian fortresses were 20-40 meters long, 3-5 meters wide and could be located both outside the fortress walls and inside. Very often the zahab had one or more turns to slow down the movement of the attackers while passing the zahab. It is interesting that in Arabic there is a verb ذهب ("Zahaba" - to go, go, go; leave, more meanings - disappear, die). Are there parallels here?

Once, while driving through Pskov, I noticed the walls of some fortress from the bridge, and since it was late at night, there was no point in stopping by and looking in more detail. But the thought was sown, and thoughts and dreams tend to come true, and here you are, a few years later, I again find myself passing through the glorious city of Pskov, and this time I did not miss the opportunity to get acquainted with the very fortress, which turned out to be the famous Pskov Kremlin.

Although, of course, I was a little unlucky with the weather, so the photos turned out to be dull, but as I said, in such weather, such ancient places seem to me even more majestic and mysterious.

The Kremlin (original name until the XIV century - detinets; other synonyms - krom, city; fortification) - the currently accepted name of the city fortifications in ancient Rus'; a city surrounded by a fortress wall with loopholes and towers. In many cities there were settlements located behind the Kremlin wall, for the defense of which additional external fortifications were often erected; in this case, the walled central part of the city was called the kremlin. In ancient Rus', only those settlements in which such fortresses were built were called cities.. Wikipedia.

So, the beginning of the construction of the Pskov Kremlin or Krom dates back to the thirteenth century. Since at that time Pskov was the outskirts of Russian lands, it became necessary to build an impregnable fortress.

Visual scheme.

Pskov Krom is the largest fortress in Europe. Its area is about three hectares, and the length of all the fortress walls reaches nine kilometers. It is located on a cape at the confluence of two rivers: the Pskov and the Velikaya, which, skirting the crome, served as a natural barrier to enemies.

The gates of Krom, over which the icon of the Holy Trinity hangs, are called Trinity or Great. Above them rises the Trinity Tower.

Zahab of the Pskov Krom.

Zahab is a fortification in medieval fortresses, a fortification that protected the fortress gates. The word “zakhab” comes from the ancient Russian “okhaben”, which means “sleeve”. Usually this is a long, narrow corridor, really resembling a sleeve. As a rule, it was a long, narrow corridor connecting the outer fortress gates in the tower with the inner gates leading inside the fortress. Zakhabs of Russian fortresses were 20-40 meters long, 3-5 meters wide and could be located both outside the fortress walls and inside. Very often the zahab had one or more turns to slow down the movement of the attackers while passing the zahab.
In addition to the actual function of additional protection of the gate, the zahab was also a defensive trap - breaking through the outer gate, the attackers found themselves in a narrow corridor not visible from the outside, under the crossfire of the fortress defenders, and, as a rule, were exterminated or suffered significant losses. Wikipedia.

Here you can just see how it was convenient to deal with the enemy who fell into such a trap from the walls of the fortress.

In the middle of the inner courtyard of Krom rises the Holy Trinity Cathedral. This is the fourth temple, which was built on this site in 1699, and, unlike its predecessors, has been perfectly preserved to this day.

The cathedral is complemented by a detached bell tower, built in the same architectural style as the main temple.

As written in the chronicles, the first temple on this site was built by order of the Grand Duchess Olga, after she had a vision in the form of three rays pointing from the sky to this place. That is why the cathedral was named after the Holy Trinity.

Surprisingly, photography is allowed in the temple, although strictly without a flash.

Inside, there is a seven-tier wooden carved iconostasis of incredible beauty.

The temple is also famous for its shrines: the relics of the holy princes Vsevolod-Gabriel and Dovmont-Timothy are kept here. There are also miraculous icons of the Mother of God.

Behind the cathedral is an administrative building.

On the territory of Krom there is a memorial cross erected on the site of the Annunciation Cathedral destroyed in the forties of the last century, behind which you can see the tower of Prince Dovmont or the Smerdya tower.

Next to it there was once the Smerdya Gate, near which Zakhab, now known to us, was also built. In the Middle Ages, the Dovmontov Tower looked different, but during the restoration of the Pskov Kremlin in 1866, it was remade in the Western European style. A forged weather vane depicting a Russian warrior is installed on top of its roof.

Each tower or other architectural monument is marked with a sign. In general, Pskov Krom at one time had about forty defense towers, but, unfortunately, not all of them have survived to our time.

And this is the famous tower - Kutekroma, whose name comes from the ancient word "Kut", meaning corner, and "Krom" - the Kremlin, which means a tower located on the edge of the Kremlin.

Vlasievskaya Tower, which had to suffer not only during the wars, but also in our seemingly calm and peaceful times. On April 27, 2010, the tower completely burned down, along with the restaurant and other premises located in it. The fire even spread to the neighboring Rybnitsa tower, where there was a souvenir shop.
Now both towers are completely restored.

The fortress walls, reaching a thickness of up to six meters and a height of up to eight meters, had walking platforms and a wooden roof for the convenience of soldiers when repelling an attack.

This is how they look from above.

Also, special conical windows for archers were provided in the walls.

Just in case, the holes in the walls are welded with bars.

The highest wall of the Pskov Kremlin is Persi, from the Old Russian word persi, which means chest.

Thanks to its impregnability and, of course, the strength and courage of Russian soldiers, Pskov Krom withstood about 30 sieges, and appears before us almost in its original form.

A prototype of the legendary Dovmont sword is posted on Persia.

The ruins of Dovmont's city, named after the Lithuanian prince Dovmont (baptized by Timothy), who ruled Pskov from 1266 to 1299. Archaeological excavations are constantly being carried out on these ruins. Prince Dovmont-Timofey was famous for his courage, he led about 10 military campaigns and successfully repelled enemy raids on the Pskov lands, for which he was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as a saint.

The walls of the Church of St. Alexei the Metropolitan, one of the eighteen once located on 1.5 hectares of the area of ​​​​Dovmontov city.

There is also a small souvenir market here.

The set of souvenirs is standard, but, of course, on the theme of the heroic glory of the Pskov Krom.

Holy Trinity Cathedral with a bell tower is the main landmark of the Pskov Krom location.

And finally, one more interesting fact from the history of Pskov: in the city center there is a monument to Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, called "The Poet and the Peasant Woman", although he is better known as a monument to the poet and his beloved nanny Arina Rodionovna.

February 13th, 2017 01:22 am

Today we will take a walk around the Pskov Kremlin. As you know, the Pskov Kremlin (Krom) is the core of the Pskov fortress. It is located on a narrow rocky cape at the confluence of the Pskov River with the Velikaya River. Therefore, we will walk along the banks of both rivers under its very walls, look at the walls and towers of the original Pskov fortress not only from the usual panoramic points, but also from the bottom up, truly feeling their power and impregnability.

The narrow rocky cape at the confluence of the Pskov River with the Velikaya River, where the Kremlin is located, is considered the birthplace of Pskov, which developed on the basis of an older Slavic settlement. In the chronicle of the XII century. it is said: "... but about Pleskov city from the annals, it is not remembered from whom it was created and by what people; only uvedohom, as if he was already at the time when the Princes Rurik and his brother came, from the Varangians in Slovene princes."

The data of archaeological excavations in the northern corner of the modern Kremlin indicate the presence there in the 8th century. wood-and-earth fortifications along the western border of the cape, and about a stone wall dating back to the 10th-13th centuries. The assumption about the presence of a stone wall is confirmed by the annalistic mention in 1065 of the unsuccessful siege of Krom by the Polotsk prince, who failed to destroy the wall with stone-throwing tools.

In general, the people of Pskov had to constantly fight from time immemorial, so the construction of reliable fortifications was a matter of vital importance for them. The fortress of Pskov was constantly expanding and by the 16th century it consisted of five fortress rings. The total length of the walls was almost 10 km, and the power of the fortress walls was strengthened by 40 towers. At that time, the Pskov fortress was one of the largest not only in Russia, but also in Europe.

Of course, much has not been preserved to this day, but to this day fragments of the outer ring of the fortress wall of the medieval city are very clearly visible in the modern city and, if desired, you can even bypass it. But today we will not do this, but will limit ourselves to the area around the Kremlin - Krom and Dovmontov city, which we see in this picture.

illustrationfrom here .

And this is what the Pskov Kremlin looks like from a bird's eye view.


photo from the internet. author unknown.

Photographer Alexander Ivanovich Chaika. Photofrom here .

We will start our walk from the Rybnitsa Tower (or the tower of the Holy Gates) and from there we will go towards the Velikaya River.
But first, a few words about this tower, the history of which is rather confusing...

In Pskov, from time immemorial, there was a fish market, which was located on the left bank of the Pskov River under the fortress walls, stretching from the Lower Grids to the Trinity Cathedral. This area, for obvious reasons, was called Rybniki. It is known that at the beginning of the 15th century, the Rybnitsa gate existed in the fortress wall that separated the Dovmont city from the trading shops, and at the end of the 15th century a tower was built above these gates, which naturally also became known as Rybnitsa. It was a quadrangular tower covered with a hemp, which became the first of its kind in Pskov. The image of the four-pitched tent of the Rybnitsa Tower has been preserved on icons with a view of Pskov. Erected above the Pskova River, the Rybnitskaya Tower protected the approaches to the city from Zapskovye. However, in the 18th century, when the tower had already lost its important strategic importance, it was dismantled.

The tower that exists today has no direct relation to that historical Rybnitsa tower, except for the name. It was built in 1970-1972 according to the design of the Moscow architect A.V. Vorobyov, which was completed without proper historical and architectural research. Moreover, the place under the tower was chosen by him arbitrarily. And then the name Rybnitskaya stuck to it. How such arbitrariness was allowed in those years with full state funding, I don’t know. But, nevertheless, this is what happened.

I must say that this tower has another name - the tower above the Holy Gates. In Soviet times, for obvious reasons, this name was not often used. And these gates themselves, through which one could enter the Kremlin, were immediately closed and for many years there was a souvenir shop in them. But after the fire in 2010, which destroyed her wooden tent, the store did not return there, and after the restoration of the tent, the gates themselves were opened.

Since we decided to bypass this part of the fortress from the outside, we will not enter the territory of the Kremlin. And after the conversation, we continue our journey and go to the Vlasievskaya tower.

The Vlasyevskaya Tower was built in Pskov in the 15th century at the same time as the Rybnitsa Tower. She, too, was over the gate and also had a serious strategic importance, because. defended the city from the west, from the Velikaya River. Through the Vlasiev tower, the only gates to the central part of Pskov led from the ferry crossing from Zavelichya, so they were very strictly guarded. The tower got its name from the church of St. Blaise, which stood nearby.

The tower that we see today was also rebuilt in the 60s of the XX century, because. Pskov during the war was almost completely destroyed. However, unlike the Rybnitskaya Tower, the Vlasyevskaya Tower was built according to the project of the architect A.I. Khamtsov, which was based on scientific, historical and archaeological research. So the modern tower was recreated on a historical foundation and in accordance with the descriptions and graphic materials of the 17th century. The only thing that had to yield to modernity was that the passage gate was moved from the tower and built next to it. And this was primarily due to the need to take into account the dimensions of modern transport, because. according to the plan, these gates were supposed to remain travel gates. However, now transport practically does not go here, and a restaurant has been opened in the tower itself. The tower was also badly damaged during a fire in 2010 and the return of the restaurant there was a big question. But later it was decided that the restored tent would be occupied by the Pskov Museum-Reserve, and the restaurant would remain in the tower itself. Now in the tent of the Vlasyevskaya tower there is an observation deck.

Continuing our journey, we turn right from the tower and walk along the embankment of the Velikaya River along the fortress walls. This part of the wall closes Krom and Dovmontov city from the west, from where the enemies usually liked to come to our land ...

Dovmontov or Smerdya tower. In the Middle Ages, a powerful round Smerdya tower stood here, through which Smerdya gates led to the territory of Krom. Neither the gate nor the tower survived. The tower was reconstructed in the middle of the 19th century according to the project of the famous Russian architect KV Ton. For some reason, they made it octagonal, outwardly very similar to the towers of the Baltic and German castles. Such towers have never been built in Pskov. Then it was renamed Dovmontova. So, looking at this tower, you need to keep in mind that it has nothing to do with historical Pskov.

If you look at the opposite bank of the Great River from here, you can see examples of old and new Pskov architecture - on the left is the Church of the Assumption from Ferry, built in the 16th century, and the Olginskaya Chapel, built in 2000.

Fortress wall with masonry from different times...

And this tower is named after Kutekroma

The Kutekroma Tower was erected on this site in 1400. Its name consists of two parts. "Kut" - corner, Krom (Kremlin) - the place where it was erected. It turns out that Kutekroma is a tower standing in the corner of Krom. But in the Middle Ages, the people of Pskov were not limited to only one name of this tower. She was also called Kutnyaya, Kromskaya, Kamennaya, Dozornaya and Krasnaya, i.e. "beautiful". And she is really very beautiful and folded very proportionately. The height of the tower is 30 meters and the diameter is 10.5. And this tower had one more name - Kutny bonfire. Well, with the word "kutniy" we have already figured out. But the word "bonfire" in Pskov in the old days was called wooden towers. And then this name was transferred to the stone towers. So it turns out that Kutekroma is generally the champion among the Pskov towers in terms of the number of names.

Kutekroma was badly damaged in 1615 during the siege of the city by the troops of the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf, when the enemy troops were constantly firing cannons at this part of the fortress from the opposite bank of the Great.

After the siege was lifted, the Pskovites restored it, of course. But in 1701, a more tragic fate awaited the tower, when it was half destroyed in preparation for Pskov's participation in the Northern War. The upper part of it was dismantled for the construction of the Petrovsky bastion, and the lower part was covered with earth and included in the bastion, called the Red Battery.

It was restored again in the 60s of the XX century, when large-scale restoration and restoration work was carried out in the Pskov Kremlin. And they restored it in its former form: five-tiered, with a wooden tent, a watchtower and a metal ensign.

This part of the fortress wall ends with the Flat Tower. Pskovians in the old days affectionately called her Plokusha. This is one of the towers of the Lower Lattices. Right behind it is the place where the Pskov River flows into the Velikaya River.

And before I dive into the secret fortress hole and go inside the fortress, I will show you some panoramic photos of what this part of the wall looks like from the river, for example. And I will also say a few words about the lower gratings.

Kutekroma Tower

And this is the Lower lattices, which form two towers - Flat, I already mentioned it and Voskresenskaya (or High).

Both of these towers were built in 1500 to protect the entrance to the Pskov River. Later, a wooden wall was built between them, and then a stone wall with water gates. These structures were called the Lower Lattices. Almost destroyed by the beginning of the 20th century, they were restored in 1968, during the complex restoration of the Kremlin.

And in order to better imagine what the Lower Grids were, I present here their graphic reconstruction created by Yu.P. Spegalsky (from his famous album "Across Pskov of the 17th century")

(It goes without saying that the city also had the Upper Bars, blocking the entrance to the Pskov River from the other side. They were located much higher upstream, in the region of Gremyachaya Gora. But we will get there some other time.)

And another panoramic shot...

But we keep walking. This passage leads inside the fortress, to the embankment of the Pskov River. That's where we're going...

And now we are already in the fortress ...

And we will continue to consider the towers of the Pskov Kremlin. Here is Kutekroma already known to us.

And now, with our heads up, we look at the Middle Tower. If you remove a couple of meters of late layers of earth under our feet, then the impression would be completely stunning.

This tower was placed in the eastern part of Krom over the banks of the Pskov River. It is believed that its name - Middle, comes from the fact that it was located in the middle of the eastern fortress wall, between the Kutekroma and Troitskaya towers. It was also called the Snetnaya tower. Here it was saved to snatch "to the dogs for poison", i.e. food for dogs that guarded this part of Krom, where there were cages with city food supplies, various goods, weapons and other goods were stored.
At the end of the 60s of the last century, the foundation of the Middle Tower was explored and in 1972 its restoration was completed. The tower is 30 meters high and 11 meters in diameter.

Trinity Cathedral and the bell tower also rise above the steep. (I plan to tell more about the Trinity Cathedral in one of the following publications, when we will walk directly around the territory of Krom and Dovmont city)

The bell tower was built on the site of an ancient tower "on Radchina vskhod". Square in plan, multi-storey, completed with tiered spans of bells, a decorative tier of clock towers and a spire with a cross. The upper tiers are built on at 18 - 19
centuries

Well, the last tower in the ring of fortifications of Krom, which we have not talked about yet, is the Trinity Tower, it was also called the Sentry, because. it housed the city clock. The descriptions of the 17th century say this about this tower: "... and over those Trinity Gates a round corner tower was made .., and a city clock was made on the same tower." The Trinity Tower collapsed at the end of the 18th century. And it was restored in our time - by 1988.

In the same period, the restoration of the contour of the fortress walls in the Kremlin was completed.

Middle tower

Trinity Cathedral, the bell tower and the Middle Tower. View from Trinity Bridge.

This is how the walk turned out...

When creating the publication, I used the materials of the sites -

Pskov

Located just a few hours southwest of St. Petersburg (250 km), modern, close to the border with Estonia, Pskov is a great place to relax and make excursions. Here you can not only breathe fresh air while walking in numerous parks, but also enjoy a walk among architectural monuments of medieval Rus'. Churches scattered throughout the city, the oldest in Russia, two male and one female monastery (Mirozhsky Monastery, Snetogorsky Monastery, John the Baptist Monastery), can also be found here.

Pskov Kremlin

The pearl of the city of Pskov is and has always been the Pskov Kremlin. Where the two Russian rivers Velikaya and Pskov meet, on a high cape for many centuries stands the largest in - Pskov. For more than 1000 years of its existence, the Pskov fortress was besieged 42 times, attacked by the Teutonic knights, Poles, was occupied by fascist troops. Given the strength of its defenses, it is not surprising that culture and art flourished in Pskov throughout its existence.

Construction Pskov Kremlin in the 13-14 centuries it was caused by the need to protect the outlying lands of Ancient Rus'.

Territory Pskov Krom, as the Pskovians call the Kremlin, once surrounded by five rings of powerful walls reinforced by 40 towers. The Trinity Cathedral and the square in front of it, where the veche gathered, were protected by the first wall of Percy - the chest. Krom includes the Dovmont wall, which is the second ring.

Prince Dovmont, who converted from Lithuania, converted to Orthodoxy with the name Timothy, was elected by the Pskovites to the principality in 1266 and ruled Pskov for 33 years. He repeatedly fought so bravely with the Lithuanians and Germans that there were legends about it. Before the battle, the prince from the porch of the Trinity Church turned to the Holy Trinity and the saints, asking them for help in the battle. And won more than once. Grateful residents called the territory behind the Kremlin the city of Dovmontov, which was later merged with Krom.

From the third fortress wall, erected in 1309, now nothing is left; it was dismantled by the people of Pskov themselves, when in 1375 they built the fourth ring of the city. Pskov continued to grow, and the last fifth wall, which closed the settlement with part of the Pskov River, made the fortress city virtually impregnable. Now the townspeople were not threatened with a long siege, since they had fresh water and fish.

The main symbol of the city is Trinity Cathedral Built in 1699 - the fourth one that has survived to this day. According to the legends, the first wooden one was built somewhere in 957 by order of the Grand Duchess Olga, burned down at the beginning of the 12th century. The next stone one was laid in 1138 by the holy noble prince Vsevolod-Gabriel, who is the protector and patron of the city. After the collapse of the vault, the third temple was founded on its foundation in 1365, which in turn was destroyed by the explosion of a powder store in 1609. Such is the military history of the Trinity Cathedral.

The free cities of Pskov and Novgorod ceased to exist in 1510, when Tsar Vasily III came to power in Moscow. In his struggle against feudal fragmentation, the veche was liquidated, three hundred wealthy families from Pskov were forcibly relocated to Moscow, and the grain granaries in the Kremlin were transferred into the possession of the Grand Duke.

Peter I at one time greatly changed the appearance of the Pskov Krom and the city itself. The tsar destroyed churches everywhere, erected new bastions in their place and installed artillery batteries. By order of the king, bells were removed from the belfries and melted down into cannons.

In the cruel 30s of the 20th century, an anti-religious museum was opened in the Trinity Cathedral, and the Annunciation Cathedral was destroyed as not of historical value. Only during the Great Patriotic War, the work of the Trinity Cathedral was resumed.