Izborsk Fortress (Izborsk). Route

Izborsk- one of the oldest Russian settlements. Now it is a large rural locality Pechora district, Pskov region - Old Izborsk. It is located near Lake Gorodishchenskoye and the Slovenian Springs, 35 km southwest of Pskov.

Already in the eighth - ninth centuries, these places were inhabited by the Slavic tribe - the Krivichi. According to legend, Izborsk was originally called by the name of its founder - Slovensky, and later received its current name. Izborsk was first mentioned in chronicles as the possession of the Varangian prince Truvor, the younger brother of the legendary Rurik. In Old Izborsk a settlement called Truvorov has been preserved. Ancient settlement Izborsk was located on a small pointed platform, steeply plunging from the side of Gorodishchenskoye Lake.

An important trade route for those times ran from Izborsk along the water system passing through Gorodishchenskoye and Malskoye lakes. To protect this trade route, the Izborians built several fortified points on the Obdekh River, located near the present villages of Zakhnovo, Lezgi and Gverston. In the 10th century, the importance of Izborsk as a center of trade gradually decreased, due to the increasing importance of Pskov, advantageously located on a large waterway along the Velikaya River.

The history of Izborsk is closely connected with the history of the Novgorod-Pskov lands. It was great military significance. In the twelfth century, German feudal lords invaded the Baltic states. In 1201, at the mouth of the Western Dvina (Daugava), the German crusaders founded the Riga fortress, which became an outpost of their penetration into the Baltic states. In 1202, the Order of the Sword Bearers was created, the goal of which was the Christianization of the population of the Baltic states. The seizure of the Baltic lands began. After the fall of Yuriev (Tartu) in 1224, only Izborsk remained on the path of the knights of the sword to Pskov and Novgorod. In 1232, Izborsk was captured by the Swordsmen, but was soon recaptured by the Pskovians.

In 1240, near Izborsk, a major battle took place between the combined forces of the Teutonic Order, the Dorpat (Yuriev) bishop, the Danish knights on one side and the Pskovites on the other, as a result of which the Pskov army was defeated and capitulated. Following Izborsk, Pskov was captured.

Taking advantage of the absence of the prince in Novgorod, the Germans took offensive actions against the Novgorod lands. Prince Alexander Nevsky, who returned to Novgorod, managed to gather an army, capture and destroy the fortress built by the Germans near Koporye. At the beginning of 1242, Vladimir regiments came to the aid of the Novgorodians. The Germans were expelled from Pskov and Izborsk. The Russians attempted to advance on Estonian lands, but their vanguard was defeated by the Germans.

This defeat forced the Russians to retreat to Lake Peipsi. On the morning of April 5, 1242, Russian regiments lined up on the ice of Lake Peipus. They were opposed by an army in which, in addition to the German knights, there was infantry (bollards), consisting of Livs, Letts and Estonians. At the head of the German army was the master of the Teutonic Order. The crusaders attacked the Russians with a wedge (as the chronicler put it, a “pig”), the tip and sides of which consisted of knightly cavalry, and inside the wedge there were infantrymen. Initially, the crusaders managed to break through the Russian army, but then the Russians struck the enemy’s flanks. The battle became fierce. In some places the ice began to break under the weight of heavily armed horsemen. The German knights were the first to fall into the water. Due to their heavy armor, they could not get out of the cold water on their own. The Russians pulled them out of the water with hooks, dragged them across the ice and captured them. The bollards were the first to not withstand the pressure and ran. Following them, the Germans also fled. The Russians pursued the enemy for seven miles. This battle went down in history as Ice battle.

The Izborsk fortress, which has survived to this day, was built in 1302-1330. It is located a quarter of a kilometer from the old settlement, on Zheravya (that is, Crane) Mountain. The first fortifications in the new location were wooden. Then the defensive power of the fortress was strengthened. This allowed in 1323 the Izborsk prince Eustathius (Ostafiy) to provide assistance to Pskov, besieged by the Germans.

In the second half of the fourteenth century and in the first half of the fifteenth century, the strengthening of fortifications continued. Stone towers that have survived to this day appeared in the fortress. Until the beginning of the sixteenth century, the renewed fortress withstood eight major sieges and was never taken by the enemy. For this, the German knights called Izborsk " iron city".

Sometimes one type of multi-tower fortress was enough. In 1406, a large army of the Livonian Order, led by the Master of the Order, approached Izborsk. Nearby villages were burned, but the Livonians did not dare to besiege the fortress.

In 1510, during the reign of Grand Duke Vasily III Ivanovich in Moscow, the Pskov Republic was liquidated. Izborsk, together with Pskov, was annexed to the Moscow state. But the role of Izborsk, as one of the border fortifications of the Moscow state, remained significant.

In 1569, a small Lithuanian detachment, whose soldiers dressed as guardsmen, managed to take Izborsk.

In the twentieth century, Izborsk was part of the Estonian state for twenty years, from 1920 to 1940. In Estonia, Izborsk had a different name - Irboska. From 1941 to 1944 Izborsk was under German occupation. Since 1945, Izborsk became part of the Pechora district of the Pskov region of Russia.

Walls and towers of the Izborsk fortress

As in ancient times, in Izborsk fortress guests enter through the Nikolsky Zahab. This is a specific defensive structure designed to strengthen the part that is most vulnerable to the enemy - the gate. Zahab is a narrow corridor between two high walls, ending with a second gate. Its functionality is obvious. If the enemy overcame the main gate, then he found himself in a cramped, curved space in front of a new barrier; arrows, boiling resin and a hail of stones were poured down from the walls on uninvited guests; it was impossible to escape from all this, in the absence of freedom of maneuver; here the attackers suffered huge losses and, as a rule, retreated.

Above the St. Nicholas Gate leading to the cathedral, as in the old days, an icon greets travelers.

Moving along the walls of the Izborsk fortress counterclockwise, we approach the Bell Tower. The name is not accidental. Just a hundred and fifty years ago, the tower was crowned by a belfry, on which a large “alarm” bell was installed, which rang when an enemy approached. This ringing echoed far throughout the area; it was allegedly heard even in Pskov, whose western outpost was Izborsk. So, apparently, the beautiful Izborsk legend about the Gremyachaya Tower had some basis.

The south-eastern section of the fortress wall adjacent to the Bell Tower recent years“decorated” with an absurd-looking covered gallery-passage. Although hundreds of years ago it was precisely such passages that crowned the walls, the remake looks absolutely out of place: what the Soviet restorers were able to accomplish when they raised the Pskov Kremlin from the ruins was not possible at all in the hasty Izborsk reconstruction. The gallery does not even try to imitate antiquity, presenting itself to the amazed travelers who had once seen the Izborsk fortress completely different, a simple overlap on ancient wall. Maybe (only “maybe”!), it will still serve its purpose, providing the masonry with some semblance of preservation, protecting it from rain and snow. Although, given the current attitude towards restoration work (giving “beauty” as main task), another outcome seems more likely: the “restored” wall will collapse along with the gallery. I really wouldn't want to.

The next counterclockwise tower of the Izborsk fortress with the touching name “Lukovka” is the most interesting. All Izborsk towers, as required by fortification art, protrude beyond the line of the walls. This is understandable - they are designed to provide not only shelling from a height, but also dagger flank fire against an enemy who has come close to the walls and, for example, is planning to create a tunnel. Everything - except Lukovka, which is located inside the ring of walls, as if surrounded by them. Why is this so? Well, firstly, this is the oldest tower of the Izborsk fortress; it was built in stone already when the entire fortress was still wooden. During the reconstruction and expansion of the fortress, it was included in the new defensive perimeter. And secondly, the tower served as an arsenal; it contained powder magazines - a very delicate institution, threatening, in case of careless handling or a stray hit by an enemy shell, to literally devastate the space surrounding it. Therefore, surrounding Lukovka from the outside with an additional protective barrier had its own logic.

The tower is now set up observation deck, from where you can take a look at the wonderful outskirts of Izborsk.

In the northwest corner Izborsk fortress The Talavskaya Tower rises. Now this is the only “flat”, that is, tetrahedral, tower of the Izborsk monument (the second “flat” was located above the Nikolsky Zahab, it has long been lost and is known only from descriptions). The shape is explained by the fact that the second gate of the stronghold was broken through in the Talav Tower. The narrow passage was bent in the shape of the letter L - another military trick that did not allow one to rush inside at full speed. And behind the tower there was (and has been preserved) its own, Talavsky, zakhab.

At the foot of the Talavskaya Tower the descent to. And nearby, on a hill, is the miniature Korsun Chapel, which looks ancient, although it is not ancient... It was built in 1931. Don’t let the date surprise you - at that time Izborsk was an Estonian possession, the atheistic hand had not yet reached here... In the chapel of the architect A. I. Vladkovsky, which harmoniously fit into the landscape, the Korsun Icon of the Mother of God was kept.

We continue to move along the walls of the Izborsk fortress.

Please note: from the west, the Izborsk fortress, in addition to Talavskaya, is protected by three more towers! This fortress wall took the first blow of the invaders, who, as a rule, came from the west. No wonder it was so powerful. The Vyshka tower (next after Talavskaya) was the tallest - even now, with the top dismantled, it is twenty meters “tall”. And in the old days, from its top it was possible to see the approach of the enemy in advance. When the enemy got closer, the Ryabinovka and Temnushka towers came into play, similar as twins, with the only difference being that at the foot of the latter there was a gate to the “hospitable” Nikolsky Zahab.

We made a full circle around the Izborsk fortress. Let's take another look at the ancient stone crosses that have grown into the ground like stocky mushrooms; and finally, let’s pay attention to the small but very unusual church of Saints Sergius and Nikander near the Bell Tower. This is the second half of the 18th century, a bizarre mixture of archaic and newfangled: with one foot (general layout, belfry-“wall”) the building seems to still remain in the stylistic space of Pskov architectural school, the other has already stepped into the Baroque, as evidenced by the playful vase head. About how they built on Pskov land in early XVIII centuries, you can get an idea if you go down to the miniature Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, once a monastery (the monastery was abolished in 1764), and now a parish.

On an early September morning, we leave the ancient city of Pskov and head towards the Pushkin Mountains... A very eventful day awaits us ahead - after all, we plan for this day, or rather for working hours explore all the iconic Pushkin places (Trigorskoye, Petrovskoye, Mikhailovskoye, Svyatogorsky Monastery....). IN last moment we decided to slightly increase the length of our route and along the way (making a small detour) to visit two more iconic places of the Pskov region - the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery and Izborsk...

If we had already heard about the monastery, then Izborsk for us, to our shame, was a “dark horse” ....

It turns out that Izborsk is one of the oldest Russian cities, which has been mentioned in chronicles since 862....

It received its name in honor of one of the sons of Prince Vandal (ruler of Novgorod) - Izbor....

With the emergence of the city of Pskov (903) and as it grew, Izborsk became a suburb of its powerful neighbor and the main outpost on the route of numerous enemy campaigns against Pskov...

It's about 9 am, our coordinates are N057 42.617, E027 51.697... and in front of us is a sketch map of Izborsk with all its attractions...

Due to the time limit, we understand that we are not able to examine everything that is presented in this diagram, and therefore we stop at the fortress and the adjacent territory...

The parking lot closest to the fortress is at the Izborsk hotel complex, where we leave our car....

Our further path to the fortress lies along a cozy (deserted at this time of day) street on which former merchant estates are located...

On one of the houses we notice a memorial plaque dedicated to academician V.V. Sedov... It was under his leadership that archaeologists managed to uncover many of the secrets of this ancient Russian city....

On the left, on one of the houses, you can see a bright colorful banner with the inscription “The most delicious place in Izborsk”,

and at its foot there is a mass of obviously ancient stone crosses....

On one of the cobblestones that serves as a fence, there is a sign attached, from which we learn that there is an ancient burial ground here...

You can’t walk on it, but you can have fun and feast at its foot (or on it itself - after all, we don’t know the true size of the burial)...

Business is business... Obviously local authorities didn't find any more best place for an establishment of this kind...

Let's not talk about sad things.... We turn right and the Izborsk Fortress appears in front of us.....

In terms of obtaining information, there are no problems here.... Before entering the fortress, we get acquainted with its history....

When we have filled the gap in our knowledge, it is time to familiarize ourselves with the plan of this ancient structure...

We got our bearings...

It turns out we are near the Temnushka tower, which guards the main entrance to the fortress...

Its height is about 15 meters, has 6 tiers of battle, but it most likely got its name because of the “intimate atmosphere” inside....

Along the wooden walkway we get to the next part of the fortress,

which is called Nikolsky Zahab... As it turned out, a Zahab is a fortification structure designed to protect the fortress gates...

This is a kind of trap for attackers: before breaking through to the gate, the enemy accumulates in a narrow corridor... He has nowhere to turn around, there is a crush and all this is under the crossfire of the defenders, which is fired from the walls and towers of the fortress...

The length of the Nikolsky Zahab is 90 meters....

Having overcome the trap, we find ourselves at the Nikolsky Gate,

through which we get to the territory of the fortress...

To our left is some kind of administrative building,

Well, on the right we see St. Nicholas Cathedral.....

Historians discovered the first mention of the cathedral in the chronicles of 1341, when German knights approached Izborsk and burned the wooden “house of St. Nicholas”....

Already by 1349, the cathedral was erected again and the Pskov prince Yuri himself arrived here with a retinue of high-ranking clergy, who illuminated the temple... In 1849, a bell tower was added to the cathedral.

St. Nicholas Cathedral is a cathedral and has been functioning since its consecration to the present time....

Along a wide pedestrian path laid along the fortress walls, we continue our acquaintance with one of the oldest fortifications in Rus' - the Izborsk fortress....

The fortress walls have quite impressive dimensions.... Multi-tiered towers are installed along the perimeter of the walls... Six such defensive structures have survived to this day....

Before us is the pentagonal, 5-tier Talab Tower....

The thickness of its walls is 1.8 m.....

The loopholes are staggered and expand inside... This feature made it possible to minimize the “dead space” when firing cannons....

Near the Talab Tower there was once a gate of the Talab Zahab, through which one could get into the fortress from the other side......

we get to the tower, which is called Lukovka....

It was from this tower that the construction of stone defensive structures of Izborsk began... Unlike other towers, Lukovka has thinner walls, its outer diameter at the bottom is 9.5 meters with a height of 13 meters... Another of its features is after the appearance firearms(in the first quarter of the 16th century) a basement was carved into the rock beneath it for storing weapons and ammunition....

Near the tower there are carts (on which the cannonballs were apparently transported) and a throwing apparatus....

This is where the entrance to the fortress wall begins. You can get there by buying a ticket... Since we were early in the morning, the ticket office was not open yet... There was nothing to do - we had to climb the wall "hares"....

The passage to one side of the fortress wall is closed (obviously for security reasons: there are no fences)...

Well, in the other - please, walk as much as you like...

As we already know, the Izborsk Fortress is located on Zheravya Mountain, so from the height of its walls there is a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding area....

Over there, in the distance (the optics allowed us to get quite close to the object) we can see Gorodishchenskoe Lake, on the left bank (from us) of which there is the archaeological park Truvorovo fortification (8-9 centuries) and the Slovenian springs (springs gushing out of a limestone cliff).. ..

If we look to the right, a modern settlement will appear before our eyes.

and picturesque water meadows...

From here you can clearly see the inside of the fortress...

Along the fortress wall we go to the next tower, which is called the Bell Tower...

Once upon a time in this tower there was a belfry with bells - hence the name... In the middle of the 19th century, the upper tiers of the tower were dismantled and the bells were removed...

The height of the tower is 12 meters and there are 4 tiers on it for combat... There is also an exit to the Nikolsky Gate, but at this morning it was locked (near it there is another ticket office selling tickets for the fortress wall). ..

There is nothing to do - we have to go back...

Let's get down from the wall

and continue our route below....

And here is the familiar Temnushka tower... The circle is closed...

You can already go out...

After the Nikolsky Gate we turn left (bypassing the Nikolsky Zahab) and the Church of Sergei of Radonezh (18th century) appears before us...

On the left is the Bell Tower,

and on the right are the ruins of some kind of fortification...

We are getting closer... In front of us is something like a large well....

But thanks to the information plaque, we learn that we were deeply mistaken...

It turns out that this place was the site of the Ploskaya Tower (16th century). Until the end of the 19th century, its ruins were visible above the ground, but after the collapse of part of the wall of the Nikolsky Zahab, they found themselves under rubble... Only in 2011, during regular archaeological research, the base of the tower, the original steps and loopholes of the lower tier were revealed... Wooden structures of the well frame, which was located inside the tower, were also discovered...

Well, now we are leaving this ancient fortress

and along the fence of the Cathedral of Sergius of Radonezh

We go out onto the road leading to the parking lot of our vehicles....

A few tens of meters later (on the right side) there is a souvenir shop..... (but for now it is still closed)...

We go out to the central square of Izborsk. Here are the estates of the merchants Anisimov and Belyanin.... (By the way, if you remove the burial ground against the backdrop of the restaurant from the plot, the square looks great...)

On the opposite side of the street there is the estate of G.V. Metlina

and the estate of the pharmacist R. Rein...

And here it is hotel complex"Izborsk" is where our car is parked....

Once upon a time, in the 9th-10th centuries, Izborsk gravitated towards Polotsk and was the center of the current Pskov region - even Pskov was only its suburb.
However, gradually Pskov turned into one of the main Russian cities, the situation changed to the opposite, and in the 10-12 centuries Izborsk turned into a backwater, similar to the current one: during this period there are no mentions of it at all.
And in 1237, the Livonian Order emerged, and regular campaigns of the Teutonic knights against Pskov began. In 1240, they even managed to take the city, but then Pskov was saved by the intervention of Alexander Nevsky.
From this time it begins new life Izborsk - the most powerful fortress for its time. And although Izborsk did not repulse all sieges, it was not for nothing that the Livonians called it the Iron City.

The current Izborsk fortress is unique in that it is considered the oldest in Russia - its fortifications have been preserved almost unchanged since the 1330s, while the vast majority of fortresses were reconstructed in the 16th and 17th centuries.

In the last part we stopped at the entrance to the fortress, in front of the barrier:

This entrance is paid, although you can enter the fortress from all other sides freely. However, in my opinion, it’s not a pity to pay for the entrance to the museum that protects this.

The main entrance is located at the foot of the Temnushka tower, from which the most powerful western wall begins (the Ryabinovka tower is visible further):

The length of the walls of the Izborsk fortress is about 850 meters, 7 towers are built into them. In plan, the fortress is an irregular “rounded” triangle, repeating the shape of Cape Zheravya Gora. Its western part, the widest and most open to attacks, is fortified by the 3 most powerful towers: Temnushka, Ryabinovka and Vyshka. The 19-meter Tower, the largest of the fortress towers, dominates the landscapes of the western part of the village - I have already shown it several times in the last part:

To the left of Temnushka began the Nikolsky Zahab - the southern entrance to the fortress. View from the tower, the gates of the zahab itself are clearly visible - a narrow passage between the walls in which the enemy found himself after breaking through the gates:

View in reverse side:

There are signs on the walls everywhere warning that climbing on the walls is prohibited. I suspect this is not for the safety of the fortress, but of tourists - the fortifications have become like natural rocks, moreover, overgrown with grass, and it is easy to fall off them.
Opposite the Nikolsky Zahab, in a ravine, stands the Church of Sergius and Nikandra, built at the beginning of the 18th century, but still with obvious remnants of Pskov architecture:

The entrance to the fortress now is not through the zahab, but through a hole in the wall:

The first building inside the fortress is St. Nicholas Cathedral, built in the 1330s, along with fortifications, but later rebuilt more than once.

Let the current modest appearance of the temple not be misleading: in fact, it was once one of the main cathedrals of the North-West: if Pskov was called the “House of the Holy Trinity,” then Izborsk was called the “City of St. Nicholas.” This cathedral is the “younger brother” of the Novgorod Sophia and the Pskov Trinity.

And this is what the fortress looks like from the inside - empty space, several private (!) houses, and immutable towers:

The Tower Tower from the inside of the fortress is no less impressive than from the outside:

But even more interesting is the Lukovka tower standing in the corner (17m, the second largest in the fortress):

What immediately catches your eye is that it is not built into the wall, but is located inside the fortress territory. And Lukovka’s appearance is very archaic even against the backdrop of the most archaic fortifications of Izborsk. Lukovka is the oldest building here, apparently built back in the 13th century, and most likely it was a stone donjon of a wooden fortress. In the 12th-13th centuries this was apparently not uncommon, but now Lukovka has only one clear analogue left - Belaya Vezha in Belarusian.
You can go into Lukovka (the hut in front of the tower is the ticket office) and climb up the fairly comfortable wooden stairs.

At the top of the tower is a secluded but spacious observation deck, open even in winter. However, the latter is not surprising: this is not a narrow cornice, but a PLATFORM, wide, round, lined with boards and protected by a fence. Once upon a time there were archers standing here - and they could see a lot!

Panorama of the fortress. In the background are the Vyshka tower and the Talavskaya tower with the zahab of the same name:

The northern wall of the fortress, more like some exotic form of weathering:

Talavskaya Tower and standing nearby with it is the Korsun Chapel (1929, that is, built under the Estonians):

St. Nicholas Cathedral:

And just a view through the tower parapet to the fortress wall (behind the trees is the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, early 18th century):

Now let’s look in the other direction - after all, the tower stands on the edge of the 30-meter Zheravya Mountain:

Here the height is completely different. Below lies the Malskaya Valley, stretching for 4 kilometers along a chain of lakes. Zheravya Mountain is not a hill, but a cape at the edge of this valley. At the bottom is Gorodishchenskoe Lake, the first and largest in the chain, and from the foot of the hills flow the legendary Slovenian springs - springs with the purest and, they say, healing water. In winter, this landscape is probably not as beautiful as in summer, but it is not without its charisma.

Houses on the outskirts of Izborsk:

A chapel above one of the Slovenian springs - most of them are located near the Truvorov settlement, but two are located to the side, closer to the village. It is believed that the water of each spring helps against diseases of certain organs. This one is, let's say, "eye":

In general, Lukovka is good. Either this is the energy, or the combination of solitude on the round platform and the spaciousness of the surrounding area, but you don’t want to leave here, and if it weren’t so cold, you’d probably want to sit down and think about the eternal...
...But if it weren’t so cold, the fortress wouldn’t be crowded with tourists! And this is not the last reason why I chose November to visit the Pskov region.

The northern exit from the fortress - there is no barrier here, or even just cashiers. Free admission!

View from the zahab:

The Talavskaya Tower is the only rectangular one in the fortress, for which it was originally called Ploskushka. I managed to look into this tower by sticking my camera under the gate. The views are quite interesting:

Fantastic! The landscape of Izborsk definitely lacks a living dragon.

Panorama of the northern wall over the ravine, and the already mentioned Korsun Chapel. The temple of 1929 is a rare case for Russia (within its current borders). You just need to understand: “built under the Etonians” and “built by Estonia” are not the same thing. The local Orthodox community built the chapel anyway.

The far end of the northern wall and the Lukovka tower above the ravine:

Judging by other people's photographs, very beautiful views open onto the Izborsk Fortress from the Malskaya Valley. But I was too lazy to go down there through snow drifts and under a small “grain” blizzard... Probably, if Izborsk had been “terra incognita”, it would not have scared me - but there is so much information about the Iron City on the Internet that views of the fortress from the valley and It’s not a problem to find photographs of the Slovenian Springs.
I went along a winding path, along the top, to the Truvorovo settlement, which will be the subject of the next post.

May 30th, 2016 , 05:34 am

1) The Izborsk fortress is unique in that it is considered the oldest in Russia - its fortifications have been preserved almost unchanged since the 1330s with a length of walls of about 850 m and 7 towers, while the vast majority of fortresses were reconstructed in the 16th-17th centuries.

2) The original city of Izborsk was not here, but 1.5 km from the current fortress in a place called Truvorov settlement, shown in the part before last. The current fortress stands on a hill called Zheravya Mountain. The city was moved to this place in the 14th century, which was dictated by the desire to strengthen the city, which was generally successful: if in the 13th century the Livonian knights managed to take the city twice, then in the 14th century both sieges - in 1342 and 1367 - ended in failure . In 1581, Izborsk was taken by the Poles under the command of King Stefan Batory (they failed to take either Pechora or Pskov), but gave it to the Russian kingdom a year later. But during the Time of Troubles, the city withstood the same Poles. The Livonians called Izborsk the “iron city,” although the city did not repel all sieges.

3) In plan, the fortress is an irregular “rounded” triangle, repeating the shape of Cape Zheravya Gora. Its western part, the widest and most open to attacks, is fortified by the 3 most powerful towers: Temnushka, Ryabinovka and Vyshka. The fortress was built under the leadership of the Pskov mayor Sheloga. The current area of the territory is 2.4 hectares, their height is from 7 to 10 m, the average thickness is 4 m. The diameter of the towers in plan is 10-12 m, height is 12-19 m, the average thickness of the tower walls is 3 m.

4) The walls and towers of the fortress are built from local limestone slabs with lime mortar. The walls on the outer and inner sides of the fortress are lined with a layer of regular masonry, and the inside is lined with clay mortar slabs.
In the foreground is the Korsun Chapel of the Mother of God, built in 1931, architect - Alexander Vladovsky.

5) General view fortresses Let's walk around the outside of the fortress.

6) Temnushka Tower, next to which the main entrance begins. Its height is 15 m with 6 tiers of battle. It probably got its name because of the small amount of light inside the tower.

7) From the Temnushka tower begins the Nikolsky Zahab - a narrow passage between the walls, in which the enemy found himself after breaking through the gate.

8) View in the opposite direction, the entrance to the inner part of the fortress.

9) Bell Tower, its height is 12 m, diameter is 11 m with 4 battle tiers. IN mid-19th V. its upper tiers were dismantled.

10) Living history.

11) Lukovka Tower (Kukovka) from the lowland - 1 stone building of the defensive system on Zheravya Mountain in the current fortress. The height of the tower is 13 m. Its location inside the fortress remains a unique phenomenon in the history of defensive architecture in the north-west of Rus', since all known fortresses began to be built in the most dangerous areas. The loopholes of this four-tiered tower looked both inside the fortress, so that if it was captured, they would continue to resist the enemy, and outside. The Lukovka Tower simultaneously served as the fortress's arsenal, which was located in the lower tier. The tier had a square shape, which is extremely rare in Russian architecture. In the inventories of the 16th-17th centuries. The “chamber” near Lukovka was also called the “zelenaya” (powder chamber). Muskets, wicks, and lead were stored here. Once, during a strong fire, Lukovka almost flew into the air, and only the stone vault over the “green” cellar saved her.

12) The same tower with opposite side.

13)

14) One of the entrances to the inside of the fortress.

15) Talavskaya Tower, the latest in construction in a fortress 15 m high, located on the edge of a cliff. The only rectangular tower in the fortress, for which it was originally called Ploskushka.

16) From it there is another entrance to the fortress - the Talavsky Zahab with a similar defensive function in the event of the enemy getting inside the besieged fortress.

17) View in the opposite direction.

18) Let's look again at the Talavskaya tower with the Korsun chapel.

19) Tower Vyshka - the highest and most powerful tower of the fortress - Vyshka. She occupied the most vulnerable and important place defense on the western, approaching side of the fortress (along with the Ryabinovka and Temnushka towers). Previously, this tower had an upper wooden extension - a guard hut, a watchtower. This is where its name came from. Its height is 19 m in present moment.

21) The foundation of the Flat Tower, which has not survived to this day, in front of the entrance to the inside of the fortress.

22) And now let’s take a walk in the fortress itself.

23) Immediately at the entrance to the St. Nicholas Gate there is a ticket office (ticket 100 rubles as of April 2015), on the left is St. Nicholas Cathedral, on the right is the entrance to the Bell Tower, a little further is a secret passage to the water in case of a siege.

24) St. Nicholas Cathedral - 1 building inside the fortress, built together with fortifications in 1330. Once it was one of the main cathedrals of the North-West: if Pskov was called the “House of the Holy Trinity”, then Izborsk was called the “City of St. Nicholas”. This cathedral is the “younger brother” of the Novgorod Sophia and the Pskov Trinity.

25)

26) A secret passage to water in case of siege with a depth of 16 m. The hiding place is a long inclined stepped trench, about 40 m long. The walls and vault are made of flagstone, and the top is filled with earth and turf, which is completely leveled with the ground and is not visible from the surface .