Akkerman fortress. Akkerman fortress: description, history

April 13th, 2015

The Ukrainian city of Belgorod-Dnestrovsky (Ackerman) is in the top ten ancient cities world and gained special fame thanks to the ancient fortress, which has become one of the most interesting and outstanding monuments of defensive architecture of the Middle Ages.

The history of the city begins at the end of the 6th century BC, when west bank Dniester, immigrants from the Asia Minor city of Miletus founded the city of Ophiussa - Tyra. For my thousand years of history Tira has changed a lot of names - the Romans called this city Alba-Yulia, the Cumans and Polovtsy - Ak-Liba, the Antes - Turis, the Venetians and Genoese - Mon-Kastro, the Moldavians - Chetatya-Albe, the Turks - Ak-Kerman, the Hungarians - Farievar. Slavic tribes - Ulich and Tivertsy - called it the White City.

By the end of the 14th century, the construction of a powerful fortress in the White City was being completed, which lasted almost 200 years. Some historians consider the fortress Moldavian, some Turkish, and the citadel - Genoese.

Let's find out more about it...

With its appearance at the end of the VI century BC. Belgorod-Dnestrovsky, then Tyre, is obliged to immigrants from the Ionian policy of Miletus. The city was founded at the intersection of major trade routes, which served as an impetus for its rapid transformation into a rich independent city-state, which, moreover, from the 4th century BC. starts minting its coin.

Even after joining in the 1st century AD. to the Roman province of Moesia, Belgorod-Dnestrovsky retained a significant part of its sovereign rights: minting coins, issuing laws, etc.

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With the weakening of the Roman Empire, after the withdrawal of the defensive garrison, Tira was captured in the middle of the III century by the Goths (a German tribe) and transformed into a major military-political center of the Black Sea Kingdom.

The rule of the Goths lasted a little over a hundred years and ended in 375 with the complete destruction of the city by the militant tribes of the Huns (an alliance of nomadic Turkic-speaking tribes) during their conquering Eastern European wars.

The favorable strategic position again provided the city in the 6th century with an objection already as the residence of the militant Antes tribe - one of the strongest Slavic tribes.

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However, in the 9th century, the city passed into the possession of the East Slavic landowning tribe of Tivertsy, who annexed it, already as Belgorod-on-Ust-Dniester, to the lands of the newly formed Kievan Rus. As part of the Old Russian state, the city is experiencing rapid growth and development due to its border location.

The XIII century turned out to be rich in historical events for the city: with the weakening of Old Russian domination, it passes in 1214 under the rule of the Kingdom of Hungary with the name Feger-Var, and already in 1241, at the entrance of the Western campaign of Batu (1227 - 1255/1256) joins the Golden Horde under the name of Ak-Libo. It is this period that is considered the beginning of the construction of the Belgorod-Dniester fortress in the form in which it remains today. Its construction continued for two centuries.

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The beginning of the XIV century was marked for the city by the arrival of the Genoese, who made the Golden Horde transfer the possession of this fortified shopping center(Moncastro) to expand the scope of their trade.

In 1362, the city, renamed Belgorod, again becomes Slavic as a result of the weakening of the power of the Golden Horde at the entrance of the Great Memory, when, after the murder of the twelfth Khan Berdibek (Tat. twenty-five khans.

The construction of a fortress on the territory of the city (the Moldavian name Chetatya-Alba) was completed under the rule of the Moldavian principality in 1438, although nominally the rights to the city belonged to the Polish crown under the Treaty of Lublin in 1412. The city, as before, plays an important role in world trade as a crossroads of trade routes of East and West.

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The city ended up in Turkish citizenship on the third attempt in 1484 after the defeat of the Moldavian troops by the army of Bayezid II (ref. Ottoman Empire by means of waging wars with border states. Thanks to the Turks, the city gets a new name - Akkerman ( White stone) And new system defensive structures in the spirit of the times.

Under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, the city was destined, despite desperate attempts Russian Empire on his release during the Russian - Turkish wars, last for 328 years. Only in 1812, Russian attempts were crowned with success and the city became part of Russia.

With the development of siege technology, powerful stone fortifications were not a guarantee of security. More and more more collisions began to be decided in open battles on the field. So gradually to XIX century Akkerman fortress is outdated as a fortification object. And in 1806 during the Russian-Turkish war of 1806-1812. Russian troops led by Richelieu took it virtually without a fight. And in 1832. the fortress was already officially abolished as a military-defensive object and it was transferred to the care of the city. From this time on old fortress for a long time there was no supervision: in the 60s of the 19th century, the city duma even decided to appoint auctions for the fortress walls, i.e. an attempt was made to dismantle it for building material. The Imperial Odessa Society of History and Antiquities intervenes in defense of the monument. And only in 1896. The Archaeological Commission manages, with the consent of the Minister of the Interior, to transfer the Akkerman fortress to the jurisdiction of this society, but despite this, the society did not have the funds to maintain the fortress.

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After the removal of the status of a military facility from the Belgorod-Dniester fortress in 1832, the city authorities dismantled internal buildings, but the walls, thanks to the strong mortar, withstood. The fortress had to resist human encroachments until 1896, when it was given the status of a historical and architectural monument. And in 1900, excavations of the first settlement, Tira, began on the territory adjacent to the fortress.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the main gate began to collapse, watch tower, which after digging and storms split. The walls on the side of the estuary were in particular danger, where, as a result of erosion and sampling of the clay on which the rock lies, the northeastern tower of the citadel and a large section of the walls collapsed. In 1927-1928, being the mayor, P. Nicorescu organized the restoration of the storage or guard tower, as well as the main gate, the roof of which had completely collapsed. Here the buttresses were restored and holes were patched up, new floor beams were installed to replace the rotten ones, the tiled roof was restored, for which tiles were collected from old city houses. But all these works were isolated.

In the period from 1918 to 1940, Akkerman was part of the Kingdom of Romania, which, with the collapse of the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires, expanded its borders at the expense of Banat, Bessarabia, Bukovina, Transylvania, Maramures.

The USSR did not abandon attempts to annex to its territories the lands lost during the collapse of the Russian Empire. His attempts were crowned with success in 1940, when on August 2, the victory of the Red Army, Akkerman County was included in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

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Less than a year later, on July 26, 1941, the city was captured by the combined Nazi and Romanian troops and until August 1944 was part of the occupied territories.

After the liberation by the Soviet troops, the city was returned to its Slavic name - Belgorod-Dnestrovsky - and was given the status of an architectural monument.

Akkerman fortress, built on a high rocky shore of the Dniester estuary, has always admired and surprised with its special power and inaccessibility. Local limestone was used as building material.

In plan, the fortress is an irregularly shaped polygon with an area of ​​just over 9 hectares. The length of the defensive walls is almost 2.5 km, their thickness is from 1.5 to 5 m, and the height is from 5 to 15 m.

WITH north side the fortress is washed by the waters of the Dniester estuary, and on the other sides it is surrounded by a deep moat carved into a rock. This ditch, previously filled with water, has a width of 14 m and a depth of about 20 m.

34 towers are built into the walls of the fortress, different in height and purpose. Some of them were hollow inside and were living quarters. Some of the towers have names associated with ancient traditions and legends: Dungeon, Treasury, Komendantskaya, Ovid and Pushkin towers.

From the side of the city, one could enter the fortress through the Main (Kiliya) gate, which was the most important object in the defense. At one time there was a drawbridge here, there were folding gates, two pointed gratings (gers), and on the second tier there were holes through which boiling water and resin could be poured.

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Inland territory Belgorod-Dniester fortress divided by defensive walls into 4 courtyards, each of which had a specific purpose and could independently withstand a siege.

The purpose of the Civil Court was to protect the population during the siege. The yard occupied the most large area- almost 5 hectares, and at that time residential buildings were located there. Today on the high place there is the highest Watchtower and the remains of a Turkish mosque built on the ruins of a Christian church of the XII-XIII centuries.

The next yard is Garrison, the area of ​​which is about 2 hectares. On the territory of this courtyard there were barracks, ammunition depots, stables. It was possible to get into the territory of the courtyard through special gates with a special protection system. Now a ring road is paved from this gate.

The port or economic yard, which was intended for warehousing and trade, was completely destroyed.

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The citadel (fortress within a fortress) is the oldest (end of the 12th century) and mysterious building. At the four corners there are 4 most powerful towers, the initial height of the walls of which is 20 m, and the thickness is 5 m. The courtyard, which occupied a little more than 300 square meters, was densely built up. IN commandant's tower the headquarters of the commandant was located, there was also the commandant's palace, the guards of the commandant were located, the city treasury was kept, there was a powder cellar. The citadel had all-round defense and was an impregnable castle.

Now the Belgorod-Dniester fortress is a monument of national importance and attracts many tourists. Despite many historical events, reconstructions and repairs, the fortress has retained its original structure.

Every summer, at the end of June, a youth music Festival"Fortress" and knightly battles.

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Address: Ukraine, Odessa region, Belgorod-Dnestrovsky.

Opening hours: from 8 to 21, seven days a week.

Films in which the fortress is involved: “ Knight's castle”, “Musketeers 30 years later”, “Fiery Roads”, “Othello”, “Devil's Dozen”, “At a High Price”, “At the Beginning of Glorious Deeds”, “Waves of the Black Sea”.

How to get there

By motor transport on the highway T 16 04 (through the city of Zatoka), T 16 10 (through the city of Sergeevka), T 16 26 (at the exit from the highway E 87).

Belgorod-Dnestrovsky is located 90 km. from Odessa, travel time in a minibus is about an hour and a half.
If you get on your own, it is most convenient to fixed-route taxi No. 560, which leaves every 10 minutes from the Odessa railway station (from the side of Privoz).

If you slowly go around the fortress, it will take from 3 to 5 hours, so it is better to take something to eat with you, as there are only small stalls with cookies, chips and beer in the area and on the territory of the fortress.

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Maiden's Tower– According to the legend, a Moldavian princess, the daughter of the Moldavian ruler Alexander the Good, was immured in this tower of the ball for cruelty and self-will.

Watchtower- from the open platform of the last tier of the tower, sentinels gave danger signals.

Minaret- this is all that remains of the Turkish mosque, which was built in honor of Sultan Bayezid Veli and bore his name. It was erected on the site of a Christian church of the 13th century.

Pushkin Tower- named after the great Russian poet A.S. Pushkin, who in 1821. visited our region and visited the Akkerman fortress.

Treasury Tower- according to legend, the treasury of Belgorod was kept in this tower. In 1888 most of the tower collapsed washed away by the waters of the estuary.

evacuation tower- was intended for defense and residence of the garrison. On the first tier there was an additional exit to the east.

Tower Dungeon- damp and gloomy served as a place of imprisonment for prisoners of war.

commandant's tower- it was the headquarters of the commandant of the fortress, and it was in it that in 1789. The Turks handed over the keys to the fortress to M.I. Kutuzov.

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During my second trip to Odessa, I had a little extra time, and the hotel in which I mistakenly checked into -. This is the next day I'll be moving in good hotel and go to the conference, thanks to which I came for free to this Pearl by the sea. And at that moment I decided not to waste time in vain and go to see something interesting.

While planning my trip, my eyes fell on Belgorod-Dnestrovsky, famous for its Akkerman fortress. As a traveler and historian, I could not pass by, and therefore, leaving my things at the hotel, I immediately went to the railway station, from where I took a bus to the city of Belgorod-Dnestrovsky in a few hours.

The most important part of the fortress is the citadel

There is not much to say about the city itself. Therefore, I immediately went to the outskirts, where the fortress itself is located.

In general, the fortress is called Akkermanskaya, because until 1944 the city of Belgorod-Dnestrovsky (which some manage to confuse with Belgorod, Belgrade, and even Bolgrad J) was called Akkerman, and even earlier - Chetatya-Albe. It was founded by ancient Greek colonists in the 6th century BC. It was called Ophius and Tyra.

In the 13th century, on the site of the ruins of a Greek settlement, the Golden Horde Khan Berke laid a fortress, which was called Ak-Libo. In the middle of the 14th century, it passed into the control of the Moldavian princes.

The fortress was repeatedly attacked. In the 15th century, it repulsed the attacks and sieges of the Ottoman Empire three times. And only in 1484 it was captured by the Turks, and even then, as a result of the betrayal of the elders of the city.

For three centuries, the Turks dominated here, and the Cossacks, led by Sirko, Paliya, etc. made raids and raids on it.

She did not remain aloof from the three Russian-Turkish wars. For example, Kutuzov was the commandant of the fortress for several months.

In 1812, these lands, together with Izmeilov, Kiliya, Tigin, Khotin, were ceded to the Russian Empire, and then included in the Ukrainian SSR. Now it is the territory of Ukraine.

As a military facility, the Belgorod-Dniester Fortress ceased its activities in 1832, and in 1963 it was declared an architectural monument. This is a unique historical and architectural monument of the Middle Ages, the largest fortress in Eastern Europe.

By the way, the incredible adventure film “Captain Nemo” was filmed here in 1975, which was then and now a huge success! I recommend that those who are not familiar with him watch this mini-series after reading the article.

Like everything related to the magnificent and exciting stories of Jules Verne, this movie based on the novel "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" riveted to the screen for the entire time of viewing!

Today, the fortress is easy to get to for inspection. The remains of the fortifications are in a civilized form and must be visited! total area fortress - 9 hectares! The length of the walls reaches 2.5 km. It is located on the rocky shore of the estuary.

Previously, it consisted of 4 courtyards, each of which not only had its own purpose, but could also conduct independent defense.

From the walls of the fortress, from some loopholes, a magnificent view of the Dniester estuary opens ... And if you look from the outside, I personally like to see this interweaving of eras ... When, against the backdrop of Soviet residential boxes, there is a medieval fortress ...

Knightly tournaments and themed festivals are often held on the territory of the fortress. And in "peaceful" time, you can look at samples of medieval weapons, although this is a bit different from looking at the real ones that survived in the Vienna Military History Museum.

Information for visiting:

You can visit the castle any day, all year round, without weekends and lunch breaks.

Working hours in summer: from 8:00 to 20:00 (excursions from 9:00 to 18:00).

IN winter period from 8:00 to 17:00

Official site http://www.akkerman-fort.org/

How to get there

The easiest way to get to the Akkerman fortress is from Odessa. From there, there are many options:

By bus. Buses and minibuses No. 560 depart directly from the entrance to the Railway Station. They go about every 15-30 minutes, and the road takes 1.5 - 2 hours. The final - Belgorod-Dnestrovsky railway station, from where to the fortress - about 15 minutes on foot.

On the train. From the Odessa railway station to railway station Belgorod-Dnestrovsky goes by train, which departs every 3-4 hours and travels about 2.5 hours.

By car. GPS coordinates 46.20111,30.35056

By taxi. If you have little time, you are a big company or just have extra money, then a great option is to call a regular taxi.

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In our article we want to talk about ancient fortress on the south of Ukraine. The city of Belgorod-Dnestrovsky is one of the ten oldest cities in the world. He gained fame thanks to a very old fortress, which is an outstanding monument of medieval military architecture.

Historical digression

The history of the city began at the end of the sixth century BC. At that time on west coast Dniester natives of Miletus founded the city of Ophiussa, later Tyra. For more than a thousand years of history, the city has repeatedly changed its name. The Romans called it Alba-Yulia, the Cumans and Cumans - Ak-Liba, the Genoese and Venetians Mon-Castro, the Turks Ak-Kerman, etc. But the Slavic tribes called it the White City.

At the end of the fourteenth century, the construction of a powerful fortress was completed in the city. Construction work has been going on for almost two hundred years. Historians even disagree about who actually built the fortress. Some consider the structure to be Moldavian, others to be Turkish, and still others to be Genoese.

The Appearance of Tyra

As we have already mentioned, the city of Thira appeared thanks to the Milesian settlers. The future Belgorod-Dnestrovsky was founded in a good place - at the crossroads of trade routes. Actually, convenient geographical position and became the impetus for the transformation of the young settlement into a wealthy and independent city-state. From the fourth century BC, they even began to mint their own coins. Even after the city was annexed to Moesia, one of the Roman provinces, Belgorod-Dnestrovsky still managed to maintain most their rights: issuing laws, minting the moment, etc.

The gradual weakening of the Roman Empire led to the fact that Tyre, in the middle of the third century BC, passed to the German Goths. During this period, the city was turned into the center of the Black Sea kingdom. The power of the Goths lasted a little over a hundred years, after which Tyra was practically destroyed by the gunas. Further, the Ants were in charge of the city.

The era of the domination of the Slavs

Later, in the ninth century, the city passed into submission to the Slavic tribe of Tivertsy, who annexed it as Belgorod at the mouth of the Dniester to the possessions of Kievan Rus. Having become part of the Old Russian state, the city experienced rapid development and growth due to its favorable geographical position.

But in the thirteenth century, the region became a participant in turbulent historical events. The weakening of the Old Russian state led to the fact that the city was under the rule of the Kingdom of Hungary, then under the Golden Horde. It is believed that it was during this turbulent time that the Akkerman fortress was founded.

In the fourteenth century, the city passed to the Genoese, who begged it for themselves from the Golden Horde to strengthen their trade. And in 1362 it was renamed Belgorod and again turns out to be Slavic due to the weakening of the Golden Horde. All these two hundred years, the construction of the Akkerman fortress went very slowly. And it was already completed by the authorities of the Moldavian Principality. The city, as before, continued to flourish, thanks to being on trade routes.

Turkish era

The city found itself in Turkish citizenship only after the third attempt. It was the Turks who renamed it Akkerman, which means White Stone. The fortress was converted into modern spirit that time. The power of the Ottoman Empire lasted 328 years. The Russian Empire during the Russian-Turkish wars repeatedly made attempts to annex the city to itself. In 1812 the city became part of Russia.

With the development of siege technology, stone fortifications could no longer serve as a reliable fortification. The main battles were fought on open fields. So gradually the significance of the Akkerman fortress as defensive structure lost all meaning. In 1832, the fortress was abolished and transferred to the care of the city council. Since that time, there has been no maintenance for the structures for a long time. At first, the city authorities wanted to sell the walls of the Akkerman fortress, and then dismantle them for building materials. But for defense ancient monument the Odessa Imperial Society of Antiquity and History arose.

First excavations

After the Belgorod-Dniester fortress lost the status of a military facility, the city authorities dismantled the internal structures. Surprisingly, the outer walls survived. After the recognition of the Belgorod-Dniester fortress architectural monument the first excavations of ancient Tyra were begun in the adjacent territory.

A new round of history

Unfortunately, at the beginning of the twentieth century, the main gate began to collapse, and behind them the watchtower also collapsed (as a result of digging). The walls located on the side of the estuary were in a very deplorable state due to the washing out of clay from under the rock. At this time, repair work was organized to restore the roof over the main gate, rotten beams were replaced and tiles were laid. But all these works were isolated. From 1918 to 1940, the Belgorod-Dniester fortress continued its history as part of Romania. And in 1940, after the victory of the Red Army, the city became part of the Ukrainian Republic.

Description of Akkerman fortress

The unique ancient complex deserves close attention. The fortress on the banks of the Dniester estuary strikes and delights with its impregnability and power. At one time, local white limestone was used for its construction.

In the drawings, the plan of the fortress resembles an irregularly shaped polygon. The area of ​​the Akkerman fortress is more than nine hectares. And the length of the walls is approximately 2.5 kilometers. It is difficult to imagine now, but at that time the thickness of the walls was from 1.5 to 5 meters, their height varies between 5-15 meters.

From the north, the fortress is washed by the waters of the Dniester estuary, and from the other sides it is surrounded by a deep moat, carved once in the rock. Previously, it was filled with water. The moat was 14 meters wide and 20 meters deep.

The walls of the fortress are decorated with 34 towers. All of them have different height and differ in purpose. Some of them were hollow inside and were used as living quarters. Some towers even have their own names associated with ancient legends: Komendantskaya, Treasury, Prison, Pushkin and Ovid towers.

From the side of the city, the fortress can be reached through the Kiliya (Main) gates. They were the most important object in the course of defense. Once there was even a drawbridge here, there were gates, and holes were provided at the top for pouring hot resin or boiling water.

The inner territory of the fortress

The inner courtyard of the fortress was divided by defensive walls into four separate courtyards. This was done for the reason that each yard had its own purpose. Each of them could independently withstand the siege.

The civil court was supposed to protect the population during the siege. He had largest area, about five hectares. In those distant times, there were residential buildings. At present, on the hill is the most high tower Watchtower, as well as the remains of a Turkish mosque, which was erected on the ruins of an ancient Christian temple.

The garrison yard had an area of ​​about two hectares. On its territory were barracks, stables and ammunition depots. It was possible to get here only through special gates, which were equipped with a special protection system. At present, there is a ring road near this gate.

The economic and port yards were intended for trade and warehousing, but, unfortunately, they were completely destroyed.

Citadel

The most mysterious and oldest structure of the fortress is the citadel. Four towers were built at its corners, their initial height reached five meters, the thickness of the walls was five meters. The courtyard is quite small, its area is not more than 300 square meters.

The commandant's tower served as the headquarters for the commandant, his guards were immediately located, the city treasury was preserved and there were powder warehouses. The citadel, in fact, had all-round defense and was impregnable castle in the castle.

Modern fortress

At present, the fortress is considered historical monument and attracts many tourists. Despite a turbulent history and frequent rebuilding, it has retained its original appearance.

The address of the Belgorod-Dniester fortress: Ukraine, Odessa region, the city of Belgorod-Dniester. Every year, a youth music festival is held on its territory, as well as knightly battles.

For many years, restoration work was carried out in the fortress. TO ancient complex there has always been a lot of interest. The fortress and filmmakers did not ignore. Thirty films were filmed on its territory: “Ships storm the bastion”, “Othello”, “At a high price”, “Eagle Island”, “Notches for memory”, “Salty Dog”, “The Legend of Siyavush”, “Fiery Roads”, "Captain Nemo", "Knight's Castle", "Musketeers Thirty Years Later", "Desert" and many others.

legends

Akkerman fortress in Ukraine is shrouded in secrets and legends. One of them concerns the tower located at the main gate. They call her "Maiden". Regarding the origin of this name, there is a legend that the Moldavian governor had a beautiful daughter. But at the same time, the girl had a tough character. She gathered a squad for herself, and in the absence of her father, who often went on campaigns, the soldiers robbed and robbed people in the district. One day the maiden Tamara asked her father for money for the temple. But she did not build a temple at all, but a powerful fortress, settled there with her henchmen and called herself an independent queen. The news of the robberies and fires that reigned in the district spread far beyond the Dniester and the Danube. When Alexander the Good returned from another campaign and learned the whole truth about his daughter, he stormed her fortress and dealt with the robbers. And he cursed Tamara herself. But as soon as she heard his words, she immediately fell asleep. The sleeping girl was placed in a tower and immured within its walls. Since then, the tower has been called "Maiden".

Tower of Ovid

Another addition regarding the same structure is associated with the name of the famous Roman poet Ovid. He is the author of such works as "Metamorphoses" and "Sciences of Love". The second work caused a storm of indignation from Augustus, who saw in the writings a threat to the morality of Roman society. Already at an advanced age, Ovid was exiled to the city of Moesia Inferior. But there is a legend that in the eighth year of our era, the disgraced poet arrived in Tire. He was incredibly kind and completely harmless.

In memory of Ovid, the estuary is called Lake Ovid. And on its eastern coast, directly opposite the fortress, is the village of Ovidiopol, which means the city of Ovid. In honor of the poet, one of the towers of the fortress is named after him.

Pushkin Tower

Opposite the Ovid tower there is also a Pushkin tower. This building has such a big name by right, since the great poet was really in the city. Many of Pushkin's freedom-loving works aroused revolutionary protests. For this reason, he was exiled by decree of Tsar Alexander Pavlovich to Southern edges Russia. The poet spent about three years of exile in Chisinau, after which he went to Odessa. It was during this period that he visited Ackerman, about which there are historical documents. The poet spent only three days in Belogorod-Dnestrovsky, he also visited the fortress. It was here that he came up with the idea of ​​creating epistles "to Ovid"

How to get to the city?

If you are going to visit Belgorod-Dnestrovsky, then the question will certainly arise how to get there. The city is located only 90 kilometers from Odessa. The taxi ride will take about an hour and a half. Minibus number 560 is best suited. Buses depart from the railway station in Odessa every ten minutes.

If you plan to see the fortress, then you will need at least 3-5 hours for a walk. Therefore, it is worth stocking up on food and drinks. On the territory of the fortress there are only stalls selling chips and beer.

Instead of an afterword

Akkerman fortress - amazing ancient building, shrouded in secrets and legends, which is interesting to see with your own eyes. The complex has difficult story. Many centuries have passed, but the fortress still rises on the shore of the estuary and amazes the guests of the city with its power. Indeed, even now one can judge what kind of fortification it once was, until it lost its direct purpose - to serve as protection for the city. And now the fortress only reminds of the old times and is an outstanding historical monument.

Belgorod-Dnestrovsky is one of the most amazing cities world, located at the crossroads of ancient trade routes. During its two thousand years of history, it managed to be Ackerman, and Ofiussoy, and Tiras, and Ak-Libo, and Chetatya-Albe, and Fegervar. In almost all languages, the word "white" appears in the name of the city in one way or another.

Fortress Akkerman, Belgorod-Dnestrovsky on Google Maps.

Akkerman fortress was built on the ruins ancient city Tira on the steep and rocky shore of the Dniester estuary. Fortifications were built over two hundred years by different peoples. The Turks, the Genoese, and the Moldovans had a hand in this. The work was not in vain: the fortress became an extremely durable military-technical complex. In plan, the outpost is an irregular polygon. By area (more than 9 hectares), it is the largest in Ukraine. Length The protective walls are almost 2.5 km long, the height of the walls and towers varies from 5 to 15 meters, and the thickness varies from 1.5 to 5 meters.

On the north side, the fortress overlooks the river, and on the other sides it is surrounded by a moat, 14 meters long and 22 meters deep. When this artificial canal was filled with water, the stronghold became almost impregnable.

The complex is divided into four courtyards by internal defensive walls. The oldest of them is the citadel, built in the 13th century. It is a kind of fortress within a fortress. It was believed that the structure, rectangular at the base, with high corner towers, was insurmountable for the enemy. It was this part of the Akkerman fortress that served as a dwelling for its commandants. The military headquarters was also located here. One of the towers of the citadel is named after the ancient hero Ovid.

All the walls of the Akkerman fortress are fortified with thirty-four towers with round, cylindrical, octagonal, with deep beer and hipped roofs. Each tower was intended for a strictly defined purpose and had a corresponding name: Dungeon, Commandant's, Treasury ... However, not all towers have survived to this day. The entrance to the fortress was protected by the strong Kiliya gates with a drawbridge and two gratings-gers.

Fortress Akkerman. Photo.

In August 1484, the 50,000-strong detachment of the Crimean Khan Mengli-Girey and the 300,000-strong army of Sultan Bayazet II surrounded the castle from the shore and estuary. The siege of the Akkerman fortress lasted 16 days, but the Turks captured the fortress and established their dominance here for a long 328 years. During the XVI-XVII centuries, the Cossacks repeatedly made trips to the walls of the Akkerman fortress. There were Semyon Paly, Ivan Sirko, and Grigory Loboda. During the 18th century, the fortress survived three Russian-Turkish wars. In 1770, 1779 and 1806, Moscow troops recaptured the city and the fortress from the Ottoman Horde, but the Turks stubbornly regained the fortification. During the Russian-Turkish confrontation, Akkerman was besieged several times by Russian troops. Moreover, during the hostilities of 1789, during the capture of the fortress, the advanced cavalry and part of the Don Cossacks were commanded by Major General M. Kutuzov. In 1790, he was appointed commandant of the Akkerman fortress with an order to organize reconnaissance and observation of the movement of Turkish troops and ships here.

In 1812, the south of Bessarabia with Akkerman became part of the Russian Empire, and after twenty years the fortress was losing its power. strategic importance. In 1896 it was declared a historical and architectural monument.

Guides tell vacationers and tourists about the treasures left in the fortress by the Turks, as well as about the stay here of Alexander Pushkin, Lesya Ukrainka, Konstantin Paustovsky and Adam Mickiewicz.

Take away the Belgorod-Dniester fortress, this amazing and unique monument defensive architecture of the Middle Ages, its fortifications, you can appreciate the picturesque surroundings by watching the video: “Akkerman Fortress”.

And in the unique Akkerman fortress, festivals of the so-called "historical reconstructions" are held annually. The work of the organizers of these festivals is worthy of attention and even a separate story. Guests come to these festivals not only from all over Ukraine, but also from neighboring countries, Europe and America. In the meantime, we offer to plunge into the atmosphere of antiquity and knightly tournaments by watching the video.

And… one more video… Enjoy watching!

Little is known about it in Ukraine, compared to other fortresses it is rarely visited by tourists and poorly monitored by those who should. Akkerman fortress is experiencing better times. But still, she's great. Under the cut - photos of the largest and one of the best preserved fortresses in Ukraine, as well as some shots of knightly battles.

Akkerman fortress is the largest in Ukraine. And one of the best preserved. Surprisingly, many do not even know about its existence. Khotyn and Medzhybizh are smaller, but much better promoted. classic look from the firth side.

At least they started to somehow engage in the fortress only last year. Enthusiasm did not last long - they equipped small hall with instruments of torture and sort of built new toilets. All. You can still shoot with a bow and from time to time watch small jousting tournaments. There is nothing else in the fortress but the walls.

Until recently, cannonballs could be seen in the outer walls. Everything was dug up and taken away.

View of the Dniester estuary from the fortress walls.

Goats graze below.

Colorful stones near the walls. They say that the fortress is slowly slipping into the estuary.

I can't imagine how these walls could be taken by storm.

Moss.

Walls with south side fortresses. All cracked, some as thick as a fist.

Opposite the fortress- shabby housewith Soviet posters.

Right next to the fortress walls - excavations of the ancient city of Tyre. In fact, Belgorod-Dnestrovsky is more than 2500 years old. During this time, he managed to change about 15 names. The most interesting part of Thira - a whole street with houses and running water - for some reason is inaccessible to tourists. You can only look at some indistinct ruins.

Fortress ditch. It must have once been filled with water. I wonder why now in the restored castles / fortresses the moats are not filled with water? It would be cool.

The main entrance to the fortress. plastic plate - chic)

One of the inner towers.

Several times a month, festivals of historical reconstruction are held in the Akkerman fortress.

Knights come from all over Ukraine, sometimes from neighboring countries. They live in the courtyard of the fortress in tents.

Buhurt. Perhaps the most spectacular type of battle is wall to wall. Fucking be healthy.

The armor shines in the sun - everything is as it should be.

Kitten Scribe)

Also knights, cho)

Medieval days.

Rider.

When knightly battles are not taking place in the Belgorod-Dniester fortress, there is absolutely nothing to do here.Unless you can climb the walls and take a walk in the courtyard. A couple of details.

Recently, a hall with medieval instruments of torture, traditional for any castle, was equipped here. An additional 10 hryvnias are required for entry there - I have never seen such redneck in any castle in Ukraine. The aunt did not want to pay and looks through the window. =)

Entrance to the citadel.

Let's turn around.

The yard itself. Cosy.

Something reminiscent of Medzhybizh.

Almost all towers are without roofs.

We climb the wall. ABOUTofficially you can’t walk on them, but everyone climbs, because there is simply nothing else to do here. The passages and stairs are very narrow, walking on top is really dumb.

Hence the fortress is very pleasant. Or is it just good light?