Unknown facts of the Koporye fortress. Outpost on a rocky cape

The second part of the story about the Koporye fortress. The closer we get to the present day, the more detailed written sources and evidence become, the more interesting episodes we can learn about the old fortress. Here everything is mixed up - both reality and legends, here they remember bloody battles and local tea, here royalty runs through the underground passages and the pestilence rages, artists walk through the ruins and indulges in dreams of “the darling of fortune, a rootless, semi-sovereign ruler”...

Briefly about the structure of the fortress, after which we will move on to its further history.

A guidebook written down from the words of a native of the village of Koporye, born in 1900.

"The entrance to the fortress is through the bridge under the arch, go through the arch - immediately the graves of the Zinoviev landowners. In the wall, where there are 3 arched windows, there was a chapel. From the chapel, walk along the dirt road for 30-40 m, on the right there are vaulted cellars. From the chapel on the left, as you enter the fortress , at the base of the wall there is an underground passage. It went obliquely down. This is a cache for water, it was already filled in in 1915-1916. To the left of the dirt road, a little further from the passage, there is a citizen’s cemetery. Nearby are the ruins of the Church of the Transfiguration. To the right of the church are 5 fir trees above the fraternal one the grave of the Red Army soldiers who died in 1919."

Gate complex. You can get inside the fortress through a single arched entrance, across a high bridge on stone supports. The bridge just before the entrance to the fortress had a drawable part, and the entrance arch, located in the thickness of the wall, was additionally protected by a lifting iron grating - gersa.

From the main wall with the entrance, the shortest and best protected of the others, there are 2 long walls: NE and SE, which close the internal space of the rock that became the foundation of the fortress. The defensive walls on the steep slopes of the rock were impregnable, and yet the Novgorodians strengthened them with two towers: one at the junction of the long walls, the other in the middle of the south-east slope.

Defensive walls. Along the perimeter of the defensive walls (walls), on their inner side, there was a battle passage with rectangular loopholes. Some of the loopholes have been preserved on the south-east and north-east walls. It is known that in the thickness of the north-east wall, between the Northern and Middle towers, there was an internal passage. On the Swedish plan of 1645 it is marked as one of the engineering structures of the fortress.

Fortress towers. The towers, round in plan (except for the Middle one), were built with a large extension “into the field”, beyond the line of defensive walls. This technique allowed the defenders of the fortress to shoot through the space along the walls themselves, at their bases, if the enemy broke through from the side of the gate complex or from the south-east. The thickness of the tower walls, rising to a height of up to 20 m, reaches 4-4.5 m at their base. Each tower was divided into 5 battle tiers. The bottom bay was separated from the top by a vaulted ceiling. All upper tiers had log ramps. The fan-shaped layout of the loopholes in the towers made it possible to shoot through all the approaches to them. The loopholes themselves are arranged in oven chambers, tapering outwards. The towers ended with planked tents, which have not survived to this day.

Fortress gate. The design of the gate, despite numerous alterations during renovations in the 19th century, retained the knee-shaped passage, which allowed the defenders of the fortress to defend both the outer and inner sides of the wall. Behind the gate spindle there were guard and auxiliary rooms in 3 tiers. Above them there was a large “rollout” platform, from which the defenders could defend the wall, moving from tower to tower if necessary. The gate for raising the gersa was also located here.
From here

One source contains information that back in 1237 a wood-earth fortress was built in Koporye, which was destroyed by the Germans in 1240.
http://www.aroundspb.ru/guide/west/koporje/koporye.php
But I couldn’t find confirmation of this anywhere else.

Before I talk further, I want to draw your attention to one point! Many people, when talking about the theater of war, forget that no less devastating factor, and even more than the raids of rival armies, was the Black Death, which did not escape the places described... While collecting material for the post about, I collected material about plague epidemics in Russia and Livonia, to which a separate post should be devoted. A couple of quotes for now:

Johan Widekind:
Great devastation. After many skirmishes and real battles, after the siege of cities and castles, both sovereigns were left with the same thing that they had owned before: both sides were tired of a useless and difficult war, and the region, due to the lack of farmers, did not supply the necessities of life for either one or the other. the other side; Because of the war, a terrible famine began and a plague appeared.
http://vostlit.narod.ru/Texts/rus13/Videkind/text1.htm

In the spring of 1710, the plague was brought here. In the area affected by the plague epidemic, the mortality rate of the population was 50-75%.
http://www.tuad.nsk.ru/~history/Europe/Latvia/LatvHist_1.html

In December 1590, the Swedes treacherously violated the truce, raided the border areas of the Pskov region, and ravaged Yam and Koporye. Taking advantage of the fact that Batory had actually cut off Livonia from Russia, the Swedish commander Baron Pontus Delagardie launched an operation to destroy isolated Russian garrisons in Livonia. By the end of 1581, the Swedes, having crossed the ice of the Gulf of Finland, captured the entire coast of the North. Estonia, Narva, Wesenberg (Rakovor, Rakvere), and then moved to Riga, taking Haapsalu, Pärnu, and then South. Estonia - Viljandi, Tartu, in a short period capturing 9 cities in Livonia and 4 in the Novgorod region. Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye, Korela were taken. Russian troops under the command of governor Pyotr Nikitich Sheremetev (large regiment) and Prince Vladimir Timofeevich Dolgorukov (advanced regiment) were defeated by the Swedes, and Dolgoruky was captured.

But active operations were carried out in the rear of the Swedish troops. Karelian peasants, despite the fact that the district was captured by Swedish invaders, continued the partisan war. Many facts testify to the patriotism of Karelians. For example, Jacob Delagardi sent (in 1610?) a detachment of 200 people from Korela to reinforce the Swedish garrison of the captured Ladoga fortress. Karel the guide informed Koporye in advance about the advance of the Swedish detachment and led the Swedes straight to an ambush organized by Russian soldiers, where almost the entire Swedish detachment was destroyed.

Russia again lost Koporye at the end of the Time of Troubles in 1612. Polish intervention in the beginning. 17th century brought ruin to many regions of the Russian state. To protect the northwestern borders, a Swedish corps was hired, led by Jacob Delagardie, the son of Pontus Delagardie. True, there were few Swedes in the corps, mostly representatives of other European countries. According to the agreement, Yakov Delagardi was supposed to guard Yam, Koporye, Gdov, for this the Korela fortress was given to Sweden. However, Delagardie's corps soon turned from an ally into an enemy. Having learned that the Swedes under the command of Jacob Delagardie were approaching Koporye, they locked themselves in the fortress for approx. 300 archers - demoralized, poorly understanding to whom they obey in the abyss of anarchy. The 2.5 thousand-strong Swedish detachment destroyed the fortress cannons with the fire of its superior artillery. There were no food supplies in the fortress for the siege and the garrison surrendered.

On February 23, 1617, in Stolbovo, 50 km from Tikhvin, a peace treaty unfavorable for Russia was concluded. The Izhora land and the cities of Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye, Oreshek, Korelsky district with the city of Korela went to Sweden. According to the agreement, Koporye remained in the possession of the Swedes for almost 100 years. The Swedes called the Russian Izhora land from the mouth of the Neva to the mouth of the Narova Ingria. Koporye and the district made up Koporye fief (together with Yamsky, Ivangorod and Noteburgsky).

Section under the Stolbovo Treaty:

In 1656-57. Russian troops tried unsuccessfully to retake Koporye. The Swedish governor of the region, S. Kelmfelt, assuming that attempts could be repeated, strengthened the garrison and strengthened the dilapidated walls.

Fortification plan 1645:

The Swedes considered the possibility of strengthening Koporye. Military engineer and fortifier Eric Dalberg, appointed in 1674 as director of management of all Swedish fortresses, reported to the king about the poor condition of Koporye and Yam. In September 1681, Dalberg, having examined Koporye again, expressed the opinion that it was necessary to blow up the fortress, because if captured, it could become a support for the Russian population in the fight against the Swedes. Gunpowder was prepared for detonation, but Dalberg suddenly convinced Charles XI to preserve the fortress, saying that it was not worth even 10 shots. I believe that the result was summed up by the report of the Governor of Ingria Otto Fersen to the King of Sweden that although Koporye is hopelessly outdated and there is no point in investing in its repair, it still should not be dismantled, because “The troops could feel safe there if necessary.”

Fragment of a Swedish map from 1704:

The assessment of the fortress is understandable as a typical monument of defensive architecture of the 1st quarter. 16th century it corresponded to the nature of the battle at the fortress walls. With the development of artillery, which became one of the decisive factors in the struggle for a fortified point, the bastion system was recognized as the most rational.

Koporye 17th century on an engraving from the book by A. Olearius “Description of a Journey to Muscovy”:

The return of the fortress to Russia took place during the Northern War. The Russians carried out the assault on Koporye almost simultaneously with the founding of St. Petersburg. The assault was led by Field Marshal B.P. Sheremetev. Despite significant forces - noble cavalry and 5 infantry regiments, it was not possible to take the fortress at first. The reason was the weakness of the artillery - Sheremetev had only 5 light guns, unable to cause significant damage to the fortress walls. Having learned about this, Peter I sent 3 more regiments of soldiers and 3 mortars and 2 heavy howitzers from near Yamburg.

Sheremetev correctly chose the location of the upcoming assault - his guns began to destroy not the gates, to which the approach for the infantry seemed easiest, but the central section of the longest south-east wall at the place of its maximum bend. The Russian soldiers had to climb an almost vertical cliff to reach the gap that had formed in the wall. But (this is clearly visible on the plan of the fortress) here was the only section of the walls that did not come under fire from the fortress towers. Sheremetev's mortars worked excellently - ten meters of the fortress wall was completely demolished - the Field Marshal General informed Peter I about this: "Thank God, Sovereign... mortars use bombs well, the Swedes are ready to dance and give away their fortifications..." Began on May 27, 1703 Intense artillery shelling of Koporye forced the enemy garrison to surrender.

So on May 28, 1703, after a 5-day siege (according to other reports, 2 days), the fortress was liberated. June 1, 1703 Peter together with A.D. Menshikov examined Koporye. The Tsar left a company of soldiers in the fortress led by Commandant Fyodor Ushakov, ordering him to begin immediate repairs to the fortress in case the Swedes returned. Since 1704, soldiers have carried out various “repairs” in Koporye.

On August 30, 1708, the Swedes transported a large military corps “across the Neva below Tosny, about three versts.” Moving along the hill through Dudorovo to Koporye, the Swedes plundered passing villages, “expecting to get enough food for themselves.” Russian troops overtook the enemy on the shore of the bay, where a fierce battle took place. Having lost over 900 people killed and leaving about 6,000 horses, baggage and guns on the shore, the remnants of the Swedish corps escaped on ships that arrived in time. It is no coincidence that the commandant of St. Petersburg, Major General R. Bruce, informed Peter I in 1708: “Only I have one fear that the enemy, with a strong cavalry party across the sea, which has become strong from the current frosts, in the Koporye district, will not cause such devastation due to the derogation of the local cavalry".

The following legends are known about the events of the Northern War in these places:

About the golden crown
In the underground passage there is a room where the Swedish king Charles XII loved to eat. When the troops of Peter I took the fortress, Charles fled along this passage, and forgot his crown in the room. The crown is apparently gold. The legend was known in 1915. The passage went down, obliquely, under the corner tower. The breach in the wall of the fortress near the church was made by the troops of Peter I.

* * *
Once Peter I and the Swedish king Charles XII had an argument and decided: whoever of them would build the fastest road from his capital to the Koporye fortress would rule in Ingria. They bet on a huge bag of gold. The king began to build a cobblestone road from Stockholm through Finland to Vyborg. Many peasants mined stone and carried it on carts through forests and swamps. The king had to pay dearly for every mile of the journey, but when the road reached Vyborg, the Russian Tsar also found out about it. By that time he had already forgotten about the dispute and slept in Moscow on a golden bed. The king was afraid that he would lose the argument, and ordered his soldiers to lie down directly in the mud, jumped into the carriage and galloped over the soldiers' bodies to meet the king. The Tsar rushed from Moscow to Koporye faster than the wind and began to wait for the Swedish monarch.

When Charles XII arrived in Koporye, he realized that Peter had deceived him, became terribly angry and in his anger threw his hat on a bag of gold, uttering a curse: the hat will remain lying here, he will certainly return for it, and the Russians will not be in Ingria. Tsar Peter laughed, rushed to the bag of gold, and the bag along with his hat suddenly fell into the ground. The king searched for Swedish gold for a long time, but died without finding it. They searched for gold even after Peter. One Russian gentleman forced the serfs to shovel the entire road from Koporye to Vyborg. Another time, a certain priest dug up the entire fortress, walls and towers, and then he himself disappeared in the dungeons of Koporye.

In 1703, after a five-day siege, Russian troops captured the fortress. And it was then that Koporye had a second chance to enter the forefront of history. At that time, no one could yet say exactly in what place in the North-West the window to Europe would be cut. Apparently, the candidacy of St. Petersburg did not at all look like there was no alternative. In any case, for a long time the Izhora Chancellery was located not in St. Petersburg, but in Koporye. However, it never became the new capital. It gradually became clear that Koporye, far from the coast, was much inferior to St. Petersburg as a seaport.
http://www.rusfort.ru/encyclopedia/fort.php?name=koporje&part=legends
http://tymanka.ucoz.ru/forum/8-250-1

Until 1711, the commandant of Koporye was Ya.N. Rimsky-Korsakov, the composer's great-grandfather. The decrees of Peter I addressed to him indicate that on August 10, 1703, he was already in the position of commandant of Koporye, and the fortress itself served for some time as a military-administrative center. Traveling around the region liberated from the Swedes, Peter I stopped in Koporye on June 4, 1706 and several times at a later time. After the construction of St. Petersburg and the movement of the border far to the west, the fortress loses its military significance and is excluded from the existing fortresses.

The places around the fortress seemed to A.D. Menshikov was attractive and he hastily prepared documents for ownership of these lands. Sources report that Peter I appointed Menshikov as governor, and after that he began to build himself a wooden palace on the territory of Koporye.

1727 - Menshikov fell from grace, all his lands went to the treasury, from where Koporye was soon granted several times to different owners. So in 1731, Koporye, by decree of Peter II, was transferred to the Oranienbaum Palace. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna donated the manors and estates of Koporye to Count A. Razumovsky, but the fortress came under the jurisdiction of the St. Petersburg provincial chancellery.

There is a legend that under Tsarina Anna Ioannovna in 1739, wolves were caught in the Koporye forests for the royal menagerie in Alexandria, near Peterhof.

1763 According to the “schedule” approved by Catherine II, Koporye was excluded from the fortresses.

Section of the corner NW tower of the Koporye fortress. Drawing 1st floor. 18th century

An interesting building was the Koporye Church of the Transfiguration. This small square (10x14 m) stone single-apse four-pillar temple was built by Novgorod craftsmen simultaneously with the fortress walls in the 1st quarter. 16th century In 1756, the St. Petersburg provincial office decided to “repair and rebuild” the Church of the Transfiguration. One of Rastrelli’s talented students, Semyon Volkov, compiled an estimate for restoration. From this document it is clear what the church looked like in those years that it was added. The building consisted of two parts: the church itself and a wooden extension-refectory. Soon they decided to build a stone refectory and a bell tower, for which 3 arches were made in the western wall of the stone building. The church, united with the refectory, was supposed to be one large room. Archaeologists have confirmed that this is exactly what was done.

Of interest was the western wall of the original building, which was built in 1756–1758. converted into arcades. During archaeological excavations, among the brick crypts, the bases of telescopes and the lower part of the western wall, “literally cut down” in the 19th century, were found to be dry-built, without binding mortar, from large limestone slabs.

At the southern facade of the church, archaeologists discovered rubble of “painted plaster” - frescoes, probably knocked down at the end of the 17th century - beginning of the century. 18th century According to an eyewitness, large pieces of frescoes, covered with red, yellow, green and black paints, literally came to life when they were washed in water.

Construction ended in 1758, but soon defects in the brickwork were discovered: the seam connecting the old stone building with the newly added one gave a small crack and came apart, since the old and new masonry were not connected by masonry. We had to carry out additional work. At the same time, the “Synodal Department painter” Ivan Kolokolnikov and his team gilded 2 crosses with “apples” with red gold.

On the night of November 21, 1854, the Koporye church burned down. Icons and manuscripts were lost in the fire. The church was restored, but with some changes. In one of the paintings by artist G.P. Kondratenko (1854–1924) “Koporye Fortress in Summer” the “apple” on the dome of the bell tower peeks out from behind the fortress wall. Unfortunately, the talented landscape painter G.P. Kondratenko is now known only to specialists. And he, by the way, was also the organizer of the “St. Petersburg Committee of Trustees for the Sisters of the Red Cross” in 1882.

Another painting by the artist dedicated to Koporye:

In the 18th century Koporye was a district town in the St. Petersburg province.

One of the first explorers of the fortress was Fyodor Tumansky, a St. Petersburg lover of antiquities, who compiled it in 1789-90. note "An experience of narration about the actions, position, state and division of the St. Petersburg province, including peoples and villages from ancient times to the present, divided into 3 sections with additions." He visited Koporye, left a description of the state of the fortress and an inaccurate plan of the fortress. “The walls are all made of slabs and are still strong, 2 arshins wide, so you can safely walk behind the parapet,” at the same time, traces of destruction and neglect are already clearly visible - on two of the three towers the “wooden covers” have collapsed and collapsed. According to the locals, he wrote down that in the “lower cellar” (1st floor) of the middle tower there should be an iron board with inscriptions, but, as the researcher noted with regret, he “could not be in it, because due to winter time it is impossible to dig through the collapsed move".

In 1793, according to other sources, in 1809, Senator Vasily Nikolaevich Zinoviev bought the estate from Lev Razumovsky, the owner of 14 surrounding villages. Zinoviev chose a place for the estate on the Koporka River, including the former manor of a Swedish pastor. In the 1820s. architect V.I. Beretti built a manor complex. The wooden manor house and its services were built deep in the park. Two diagonal alleys led to them from the road, one of which, the western one - the driveway, was then lined with linden trees. The greenhouse complex is located along the same line with the utility yard, near the road.

Zinoviev’s son, Dmitry, continued the improvement of the estate: he increased the area of the park, built new service buildings, horse and cattle yards. The Zinovievs set up a school for peasant children, built a church in the cemetery, and repaired the Transfiguration Cathedral in the fortress. The Zinoviev family owned Koporye for more than a century. During the revolution they emigrated to England.

One of the Zinovievs came up with the idea of knocking down hewn facing tiles from the walls of the ancient Koporye fortress and selling them to local residents for household needs. Before he could begin to implement the idea, higher authorities found out about this, from where Zinoviev received a threatening notice from the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, F. Epgel, that “it is strictly forbidden to destroy such ancient buildings.”

In 1858-60. architect E.V. Lomov adapted part of the gate rooms of the fortress into a chapel, decorating its façade with granite trim. This chapel served as the family tomb of the Zinoviev family.

The Russian portrait artist Orest Adamovich Kiprensky (1782-1836) spent his childhood in Koporye. His name was taken from the ancient Greek tragedy of Euripides "Orestes", his patronymic was given by his adoptive father, and his surname was the village of Koporye (the original surname of the artist Koporsky). The artist was very fond of the Koporye Fortress, with which his first childhood impressions were connected.

In 1908, P.P. Pokryshkin, a major expert on Russian architecture and restorer, visited here: “The fortress is narrow, the side towards the old riverbed is protected by 4 towers and a well-built wall, and the opposite side is poorly built, mainly because there is a large cliff and not Why was it necessary to defend the fortress especially carefully?

In 1913, at a meeting of the Russian Military Historical Society, a decision was made on the need to conduct research in the fortress, make architectural measurements of the walls and towers, and the remains of stone structures inside. But the work was not carried out. There are still no detailed measuring drawings of the entire fortress.

Fragment of the 1868 map:

By the way, an interesting fact: from the name of the Koporye area comes the name Koporka or Koporye tea, which is obtained from fireweed (willowherb) angustifolia (fireweed), Epilobium angustifolium. Here, from the 13th century. Before the 1st World War, fermented tea was made from fireweed leaves. Tea made from fireweed angustifolia was known in England and other European countries, where it was simply called Russian tea. The widespread preparation of Russian tea and its export to Europe are known before the appearance of Chinese tea in the 17th century. in Russia, therefore we cannot agree with the authors who describe Koporye tea as a surrogate of tea or its counterfeit. You can read more about tea.

There is a legend about tea and the artist Kiprensky:

In the 18th-19th centuries. Koporye was considered a deep province and was known, in general, for “Koporie tea.” Its production was considered illegal, since since the time of Ivan the Terrible, Muscovy had a state monopoly on Chinese tea imported from England. The state prohibited the production of “Koporo tea,” but the local population persistently engaged in profitable fishing. The components of “Koporo tea” are lungwort and fireweed (fireweed). In the autumn and spring, during the deep muddy roads, under the cover of darkness, “Koporie tea” arrived to the tea merchants of St. Petersburg. The color and taste of the tea infusion was no different from the Chinese one.

The birth story of the famous artist Orest Koporsky, better known under the name Kiprensky, is also connected with Koporye and Ivan tea. The great Pushkin said about his portrait, the work of Kiprensky: “You flatter me, Orestes!” This portrait has long become a textbook. According to archival data, the father of Orest Kiprensky was a serf peasant named Schwalbe from the village of Koporsky. But historians still argue whether Schwalbe was his natural father or his adopted one. It is believed that Kiprensky was the son of a landowner and was only brought up in a peasant family.

On April 18, 1919, the Decree on the Protection of Cultural Monuments was adopted. In 1925, under the State. The Academy of the History of Material Culture created a commission to register architectural monuments subject to protection, which decided to take the fortress under state control. protection as a “monument of great artistic and historical significance.”

In May 1919, soldiers of the 166th Infantry Regiment of the 6th Division of the Red Army settled in the towers of the fortress and held back the onslaught of the White Guard landing of the Ingermanland battalion on the side of Yudenich's army, which landed in the rear of the Red Army, broke through the defenses at Yam and rushed to Petrograd.

There are also legends about this time:

* * *
In May 1919, the Ingermanland battalion landed in Koporye Bay, speaking under the slogan of creating an independent Ingermanland Republic. But the Red Guard detachments under the command of Trofimov and Afanasyev repelled the onslaught of the Whites. The battalion moved to the Soykinsky Peninsula, where it was replenished with Swedish, Finnish and Estonian volunteers. A few days later the Bolsheviks were driven out of Koporye. But the further offensive failed due to disagreements between the Ingrians and the command of the White Guard Northwestern Army.

The reputation of the “Red Marshal” Klim Voroshilov collapsed near Koporye. Sent to Leningrad to save the situation, he demonstrated personal courage and a complete lack of strategic talent: in the battle of Koporye, he personally led the 5th Marine Brigade with bayonets. The Germans opened fire with mortars, and the attack fizzled out. Voroshilov was wounded in the arm, and the details immediately reached Stalin. And soon “Legendary Klim” lost his position. After this episode, Koporye never appeared on the pages of Russian history.

As you can see, the legend above is not true, because another important page of history is connected with Koporye:

In August 1941, Soviet troops fought fierce battles with the German invaders near Koporye. The Nazis used aircraft to bomb the troop positions near Koporye, incl. and the garrison of the fortress, which was then badly damaged. In the center of the fortress courtyard there now stands a monument to Soviet soldiers who died in the battles for Koporye. On September 1, Soviet troops were forced to retreat. Having established a foothold 12 km from the fortress on the river. Voronka, they blocked the way for the enemies, playing an important role in the defense of the bridgehead, which went down in history as the Oranienbaum “piglet”.

During World War II, the fortress had no military significance. The fortress Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral, converted into a club during Soviet times, was converted by the Germans into a cinema. Koporye was liberated in the 2nd half. January 1944

In 1962, the Transfiguration Cathedral burned down. In general, centuries slowly but inevitably did their job - all the wooden elements of the fortress turned into dust and disappeared, the upper parts of the towers and walls became dilapidated and collapsed.

In the 1970s Work began to study and restore the fortress. In the summer of 1970, an expedition organized by Len. Department of the Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and Leningrad. The regional branch of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Monuments, with the support of the historical department of the LU, began archaeological excavations. Before this, archaeological research had not been carried out on the territory of the fortress.

The systematic study and restoration of Koporye began. Architects I.L. Khaustova, M.L. Dementieva and candidate of art history M.I. Milchik conducted a historical study of the fortress, carried out a project for restoring the bridge and a project for restoring other parts of the ensemble. In 1979-83 According to their project, conservation of one of the towers of the gate complex and part of the defensive wall with a tower occupying the middle of a long shaft was carried out.

V.V. Kostochkin proved that Koporye is a monument of the early 16th century, and for the first time suggested the prospects of searching within the fortress walls of the early 16th century. separate parts of the fortress of the late 13th century.

In 1979-83 conservation work was carried out on part of the fortifications, namely the South, North and Middle towers. But further restoration requires a lot of money and time... Quite a lot of traces of conservation attempts are noticeable - iron reinforcement bars are hammered into the walls, cement is smeared in some places and covered with red brick. However, since this was a long time ago, these marks have already become covered with the patina of time and rust and therefore do not hurt the eye.

When I first arrived in Koporye in 1994, entry was very difficult. The bridge had not been fully restored, and just before the entrance it was necessary to make one’s way over logs lying at a height of several meters. This corresponds to ancient descriptions stating that the bridge ended in a failure, which was closed by a lowering drawbridge door (an element not very common in Russian architecture). Today the bridge has been reached to the wall and entry into the fortress is free.
http://www.towns.ru/other/koporye.html

The fortress received museum status in 2001 and opened to visitors in May 2002. The infrastructure around the fortress is not developed, the museum is not electrified. In the summer, the fortress hosts festive events for children's summer camps, organized jointly with the cultural center of the village of Koporye. On the last Sunday of July, the Koporye Fun holiday is celebrated, dedicated to the Russian soldier. The colorful costume performance ends with fireworks.

In 2003, St. Petersburg State University held the “Day of Russian Classical Music” holiday. Historical clubs hold knightly tournaments and games. The Living History Festival “Summer Holiday 2009”, according to tradition, will be held in the Koporye Fortress on July 16-19, 2009 and cover the period 1190-1300. Newlyweds often come to the fortress, drink champagne, take pictures at the sunset and leave.

Currently, no noticeable work is being carried out in the fortress. Except that some Orthodox Christians ruined the appearance of the fortress this year. What could have been done neater and more attractive. Opinion from the Internet:
The newly built building, clearly visible through the gap in the “ruined place” and reminiscent of a new Russian bathhouse or a “24 hours” store, is an attempt to restore the Transfiguration Cathedral. The author of this creator has not yet been identified. Definitely, these are not restorers, since the appearance of the fortress is already completely ruined.

But in general there are problems:
A unique monument of ancient Russian architecture - the Koporye fortress - was under threat of destruction. Just 20 years ago, her condition did not inspire concern. However, no one specifically monitored the safety of the ancient walls. And now the stone cladding began to crumble.

For architect Irene Khaustova, the Koporye Fortress is a subject of special professional pride and concern. A quarter of a century ago, she led restoration work at the site. In the 80s, this unique monument of ancient Russian architecture did not suffer from lack of attention. Every summer season, a team of students - graduates of construction universities - worked on strengthening the walls, clearing passages, stairs and interior spaces.

The traditions of medieval French, German and Italian fortification are mixed in Koporye. Some architectural fragments of the fortress have been preserved in Russia in the singular - such as a forged portcullis from the 16th century.

The problems are obvious: the last fortification work in Koporye was carried out a quarter of a century ago. No one doubts the significance of the monument, but there is no support from the center. An optimistic assessment of the state of the fortress is based on the standard statement: “Enough for our lifetime.” Indeed, these walls lasted for 7 centuries. Architect Khaustova makes his conclusion based on the processes of recent years.

About once a year, adventurers break from the walls of Koporye. There is no one in the museum to look after these Koporye “icars”. Just like there is no one to guard the territory of the fortress. Perhaps there will be fewer accidents when the walls of Koporye collapse to the level of natural rock. No monument - no problem.
http://www.protoart.ru/ru/main/news/chronics/news_current.shtml?2008/05/20080520-15751.html

In the meantime, artists find inspiration in Koporye (2001) http://www.rusart.ru/gal/view.php?sort_avt=weight&sort_prev=weight&per_page=32&quality=2&avt=1&type=avt&genre=&paint=19&sec=i1:

Chronicle texts where Koporye is mentioned http://www.aroundspb.ru/history/wricorela/letopis.php
http://wiki.regionavt.ru/moin/NW/47/1
http://wiki.regionavt.ru/moin/NW/47/2
http://www.mk-piter.ru/2003/07/09/038/

Koporye Fortress

Today is a story about the Koporye fortress, after which there will be no Russian fortresses in my LiveJournal for now, because the palace ensembles and sights of St. Petersburg, Peterhof, Gatchina, etc. are next in line, and only after 18 parts there will be a fortress in Staraya Ladoga.

In the center of the present village of Koporye, on a high rock, rise the walls and towers of an ancient fortress, one of the medieval fortifications preserved in the Leningrad region. Over the course of 60 years, 5 fortresses were built one after another on the rocky cape: wooden castles in 1240, 1241, 1279, a stone castle in 1280 and a stone city in 1297. Koporye at that time was the only outpost covering the enemy’s approaches to Novgorod from the north -west. But does everyone know that on this site stood a castle of the Livonian Order, built by the Crusaders?

Koporye (Lomonosovsky district) is the closest medieval fortress to St. Petersburg (3 hours by bus), less often visited by tourists than other fortresses, you can only get here by car or a long walk from the Koporye railway station.

So we set off by car, leaving the ruins of the Yam fortress in Kingisepp, and turned north-east, towards Koporye. I wrote about what happened along the way in August. Alas, circumstances brought us here after the fortress was closed (but according to the trip schedule it would not have been otherwise) and all that remained was to examine it from the outside.

During the preparation of the expedition, we did not find any decent maps of the area, either on sale or on the Internet. With Google maps, look at the situation:

We zoom in and find that the border of the high-resolution map zone ran across Koporye (May 2008):

Fortunately, the fortress was located on the edge of this zone (visible on the map above), and here is an enlarged fragment:

Compare with the photo (from an airplane?):

Here's what visitors write about the fortress: We leave St. Petersburg on the M11 highway, Narva, to Tallinn. We follow it to the village of Begunitsy, where we turn directly to Koporye. Here the fortress is just a stone's throw away, about 20 km. A few rural landscapes, fields and woodlands and we are there. By the way, we almost missed the fortress itself, so don’t drive through the village. In front of the fortress bridge there is a traditional booth for cutting money. On the Booth there is a small sign telling us about the history of the Koporye fortress. In some towers it is quite dangerous due to the lack of inter-tier floors. http://almanachtur.ru/forum/showthread.php?t=153

The main distance from St. Petersburg to Koporye was driven along the E20 highway, the flight took 1.5 hours. The road is single lane, of average quality. Upon arrival, despite the bad weather, we were not the only visitors - a bus full of tourists arrived. Fortunately, they were grouped in the chapel, and we climbed the fortress almost alone. Entrance is paid; tickets are sold at a booth near the fortress bridge. There are several underground passages leading to the bases of the towers. No caretakers were seen that day, which we took advantage of by climbing all the available passages (we recommend taking a flashlight with you). http://forum.awd.ru/viewtopic.php?t=37309

Since we didn’t get inside, I offer for those interested this description of the impressions and several photographs of the inside of the fortress from the Internet (our photos in this post are in a wider frame, everything in a narrow frame is from the Internet):

The entrance ticket price is more symbolic than commercial - 20 rubles. It is also possible to conduct excursions, but they decided to refuse this. By the way, we were the first visitors to the fortress. As it turned out, the main flow of tourists begins after two o’clock in the afternoon, and the fortress closes for visits at 16.00, and tickets stop being sold at 3 o’clock. However, one hour is more than enough for a complete inspection. All outside entrances to the fortress are barred, and the desire to try on the role of a Swedish knight storming the Koporye fortress, when looking at the steepness of the ravines and the height of the walls, evaporates. We pass through the long tunnel of the gate inside. Immediately at the entrance there is a stone chapel and the burial place of the last owners of Koporye - the Zinovievs. The chapel inside is destroyed. The gravestone is divided into 2 parts. It turns out that in the troubled times of the early twentieth century. it was used as a building material, and was recently discovered in the foundation of one of the local houses, removed and returned to its place.

Let's start with the North Tower. It, like the Middle Tower, was restored at one time. We climb a narrow stone staircase to the top of the tower, from where marvelous views open up. All towers consist of several tiers, more precisely five. The lowest one has a stone vaulted ceiling, all the others have wooden flooring. If you have any good source of light with you, then by going down the dark passage to the lower tier you can inspect the masonry of the vaulted ceiling.

From the North Tower we will move to the South Tower. Everything is the same, but this tower has not been restored. The topmost tier is equipped with wooden flooring. When examining the surroundings from the South Tower, you need to be careful, because instead of loopholes there are failures. And in general, when walking around the fortress you need to constantly look where you are going! Although the organizers tried to build fences where possible or, as a last resort, put up colorful ribbons, there are still flowers at the Naugolnaya Tower.

From the South Tower there are wonderful views of the Koporka River canyon and the southern wall, which has been built since 1297. has not undergone any modifications. Of the levels of this tower, only the upper and lower tiers are accessible for inspection. Inside the tower you can only examine its structure over three tiers. However, you can look at the second tier after leaving the fortress. On the Koporka side there is a breach in the South Tower.

The second of the restored towers is the Middle one. You can explore all tiers and admire the views. From the Middle Tower to the Naugolnaya there is a section of the northern wall on which loopholes have been preserved. Apparently there was once a wooden floor along them. The most destroyed tower of the fortress is Naugolnaya. It cannot be recommended for inspection due to the real danger of falling off. From this tower there is a view of the forest sea stretching towards the Gulf of Finland.

Church of the Transfiguration. Built in the first decades of the 16th century. Today it is being restored quite actively. This is noticeable in the fresh masonry and stacks of bricks at the ticket offices located in front of the stone bridge to the fortress. Next to the restored church there is the largest hole in the fortifications of the fortress - part of the southern wall is missing, but the steepness of the Koporka canyon well covers this deficiency. This is clearly visible from the other side of Koporka. And if you are by car, then do not regret five minutes to move to the other side.

http://www.peterseldon.ru/travel/kopor0207/

Panorama from Koporka:

The silhouette of the fortress, which occupies a small 70x200 m area of a rocky cape, is stern and picturesque. On the southern and western sides the cape is limited by a deep ravine of the small Koporka river. Repeating the configuration of the cape in plan, the wall is rounded, and on the outer convex part the few loopholes stand out especially clearly.

There is a version that Koporye was on the seashore, as the tectonic plate of the Baltic Shield rises and the Gulf of Finland retreats. Now from here to the sea it is 10-12 km (only over the last 2 centuries the sea has retreated 5 km to the north-east). The vast depression to the north-west was in the old days a convenient harbor (visible from the fortress walls, overgrown with spruce trees over the past centuries, at the bottom there was Lake Kopanskoye). But is it so? “In ancient times, the sea splashed near the walls of the fortress, and Koporka was plowed by Viking longships” - the legend was put into circulation by Pylyaev, but he noted that this is a legend in circulation among local residents. Further, Duzhnikov Yu.A. in the guidebook “Around the Izhora Upland” it already appears as a fact. Subsequently, this story appears almost verbatim in almost all materials about Koporye.

Despite the fact that the height of the Koporskaya rock allows you to see for many kilometers, the sea is not visible. In the books of 18th century authors. it is indicated that the sailors saw the Koporye fortress 40 versts away, i.e. was a kind of beacon.

From the north-west and north the cape is protected by ravines. Back in the 18th century. at the bottom of the ravines there was a reservoir of spring origin. On the northern side of the fortress there are 3 of the four towers. On the eastern side, the path is blocked by a deep and wide ditch, artificially dug into the rock.

We read that there is a hole in the fortress through which you can get inside. And they found him - he was a flimsy board thrown over an abyss, so unreliable in appearance that only boys could make their way along it. This board is visible at the bottom of the frame:

In plan, the fortress has the shape of an irregular triangle, stretched from east to west by almost 200 m. The length of the fortress walls, made of local limestone slabs, is more than 400 m. 4 powerful battle towers of a cylindrical shape, like the walls, have retained their original height almost everywhere. The fortress is the best preserved monument of ancient Russian fortification. The hand of the restorer almost never touched it. Only at the end of the 19th century. To prevent the collapse of the vaults, the gate part of the fortress was lined with brickwork and covered with a cement pad on top. Almost all of the stone cladding made of hewn slabs had crumbled, exposing the rubble part of the masonry, and in some places the Baltic winds had worn away the limestone slabs.

Bird's eye view:

In the fortress, centuries-old trees, thickets of lilac and bird cherry almost completely cover the walls. Almost in the center is the Transfiguration Cathedral (early 16th century). In the 17th-19th centuries. rebuilt several times. In the north-east corner of the courtyard are the ruins of a large stone building - the remains of the commandant's office, built in the time of Peter the Great.

The toponym "Koporye" presumably comes from the verb "dig" - "dug up place." Koporye is one of the earliest Novgorod settlements; it existed even before the founding of the fortress, until the 13th century. There were fortified wooden and earthen settlements here (one of them - Kaibolovskoye - is located somewhat south of Koporye). The location of the fort can be seen on this map of 16th-century pogost centers. on the left side.

Koporye was first mentioned in the chronicles during a difficult time for North-Western Rus', when the Novgorod army led by Alexander Nevsky repelled the blows of its northern neighbors, the Swedes and Western crusading knights. In the winter of 1240, the crusaders invaded the Novgorod and Pskov lands and occupied Pskov. Horse patrols of the Livonians appeared near Novgorod. “And in the Novgorod volost Lithuania, the Germans, the people, and drove all the horses and cattle across the Luga, and it was impossible for them to shout through the villages.” The lands of the Vodskaya Pyatina, where the most important trade routes connecting Novgorod with the west, were subjected to a devastating raid.

The Livonians built a wooden castle in Koporye in 1240. The appearance of this fortification near the sea put the Vodian land in a difficult situation: from now on, conquerors could arrive by sea. Traffic along the river was blocked. Plusse and Luge. By erecting the fortress, the crusaders made it clear that they were laying claim to dominance in the western borders of the Novgorod lands.

In 1241, the Novgorod army from detachments of Ladoga residents, Karelians and Izherians, led by Alexander Nevsky, moved to Koporye. “And the city was destroyed to the ground, and the Germans themselves were beaten,” the chronicler wrote about the Russian victory at the castle walls.

Life of Alexander Nevsky from the Litsevoy Chronicle Code (1560-1570), miniatures “Alexander Nevsky goes on a campaign against Koporye” and “Destruction of the Koporye fortress”:

On the site of the wooden castle of the crusaders in Koporye, the Novgorodians built a small wooden-earth fortress in 1241. In 1256, Alexander Nevsky visited here again, gathering the Novgorod army before going to the north. coast of the Gulf of Finland. This year, a Swedish detachment led by Dietrich von Kivel wanted to build fortifications on Narova, but upon learning of the approach of the Novgorod army, they fled.

Taking into account the strategic position of Koporye, the son of Alexander Nevsky, Prince Dmitry, invited by the Novgorodians to reign, built a new wooden fortress here in 1279, replacing it with a stone one in 1280. “Ask Prince Dmitry from Novgorod to build the city of Koporia, and go and cut it down yourself.” “To cut down” or “to lay down a city” meant to build a wooden or stone fortress. The chronicle tells rather sparingly about the appearance of the stone fortress, this important event in the history of the Novgorod lands: “Great Prince Dmitry, with the mayor Mikhail and with great men, went to surround the stone city of Koporia.” This was the first stone fortification of Northern Rus', built during the period of the Mongol yoke.

Archaeologists found that near the base of the stone wall there were the remains of a wooden structure in the form of decayed logs, partially extending under its base. During the fire, traces of which were visible, not only the wooden wall burned down, but also large reserves of grain stored in the premises inside the walls. Thus, archaeologists revealed the reason for such a rapid replacement of fortresses: it was a fire that destroyed a wooden fortress, information about which did not appear on the pages of the chronicles.

The construction of stone Koporye was carried out with the consent of Novgorod and in the presence of the Novgorod mayor and boyars, “big men”. Posadnik Mikhail (Mishinich), who was present at the foundation of the fortress in 1280, was a descendant of Misha-Novgorod, one of the heroes of the Battle of the Neva. The fortress was erected at the personal expense of Prince Dmitry with the condition that Koporye and its surroundings be transferred “to feed” him and his squad. The prince moved his family and treasury here, wanting to settle down forever.

Taking advantage of the fact that the prince was defeated in the internecine struggle with his brother Andrei, who received the label for the great reign, the Novgorodians decided to take Koporye from Dmitry. In 1282, Dmitry was forced to leave Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, captured by Andrei, and wanted to take refuge in Koporye. But the Novgorod regiments stood at Lake Ilmen and blocked the path. Previously, Dmitry's 2 daughters and his boyars were taken hostage. Provided that the prince's soldiers guarding Koporye left the fortress, the Novgorodians promised to return the hostages. Dmitry had no choice but to accept the condition. So in 1282 the Novgorodians took the fortress from the prince: “destroy the city and dig up the mountain” to the ground.

15 years later, in 1297, under Prince Andrei Alexandrovich, the Novgorodians again began construction in Koporye. “The Novgorodians built the stone city of Koporye,” the chronicle reports. This time it was no longer a question of a privately owned princely residence, but of a state fortress of the Novgorod land. Construction work completely destroyed traces of the defense work of previous years. The fortress became the military and administrative center of the Vodskaya land, the largest stronghold of the republic in the northwestern part of the Novgorod lands.

When archaeologists examined a stone wall near the so-called. “ruly place” (a hole in the wall, made, according to legend, by Peter’s artillery before the assault on Koporye captured by the Swedes) it turned out that the stonework, almost 4 m wide, consists of 3 parts: the middle ancient part, up to 2 m thick, and two side ones. This is how a stone wall from the late 13th century was discovered. 24 m long and up to 2 m high. The masonry consisted of thick oblong untreated limestone blocks, laid with their long sides not along, but across the wall. The internal space between them was filled with small slabs, cobblestones and abundantly filled with fastening mortar, giving the impression of cyclopean masonry.

Koporye late 13th century. - a typical monument of Russian fortification of the pre-gun period. This is evidenced by the curvilinearity of the fortress walls, designed for predominantly frontal shelling, and the absence of loopholes on the lower, so-called. "plantar" combat. The gate tower did not protrude beyond the spindle line and was not designed to conduct flanking fire along the fortress walls. The shooters could fire only from the combat movement platform - from the embrasures made in the parapet. The walls had another characteristic feature of that time: the outer plane of the wall had a slight slope (the masonry was thicker at the bottom).

Archaeologists discovered an elbowed bend in the wall that housed a spiral staircase. Judging by French medieval analogies, such a staircase led to a corner ledge. This is perhaps the first device in ancient Russian stone fortification - the predecessor of flanking towers. The flanking technique began to be used in the construction of Northern European fortresses in the last quarter of the 13th century.

At the end of the 13th century. Novgorod had 2 stone fortresses in the most dangerous strategic directions - Ladoga in the north-east and Koporye in the north-west, built long before stone fortifications were erected in Novgorod itself. The Novgorod governor was constantly in the fortress, who took part in the military campaigns of Novgorod.

Since 1333, the Novgorodians invited the Lithuanian princes Gediminovich as governors to the border fortresses of Ladoga, Korela, Orekhov, Koporye, who with their squads were supposed to provide defense. In 1333, Prince Narimont received these fortresses for feeding. In Koporye, Narimont was given half of the income from the area for military service.

With a short break (in the 15th century, the Smolensk youth Yuri Svyatoslavich was briefly invited to Koporye), the Lithuanian princes served until 1446. But the serving princes did not always fulfill their duties. When in 1338 the Livonians from Narva invaded the Vodian land, the Koporites sent to Narimont in Lithuania for help, but he never showed up. Having ravaged the surrounding area, the Livonians approached the walls of Koporye and laid siege. The fortress was successfully defended. A cavalry detachment led by Voivode Fyodor Vasilyevich that emerged from its gates defeated the enemy, who was forced to lift the siege and leave. During the battle, a horse near Fedor was wounded, and Mikhei Koporyanin was killed.

The leaders of Novgorod considered the Koporye fortress a reliable refuge during the unrest of the “black people”. In 1342 and 1350 Novgorod mayors Andrei and Fedor were holed up “in the town of Koporye”, fleeing from the rebels. In 1348, the Vodian land and Koporye repelled the attack of the Swedes led by King Magnus Erikson. The Novgorod militia, led by Ontsifor Lukich, expelled the enemy. Koporye military detachments also took part in this campaign. The Koporians, as part of the Novgorod army, took part in almost all major military events in Novgorod. In 1394, during the campaign of the Novgorodians against Pskov, one of the Koporye governors, Prince Ivan Koporsky, was killed under the city walls.

Novgorod Chronicle of the 14th century. mentions the Koporye princes, presumably representatives of the tribal Votic nobility, who served in Koporye. In the 14th-15th centuries. The dynasty of Koporye princes merged with the Novgorod boyar families. One of the representatives of the dynasty of Koporye princes was even a Novgorod mayor: in the 14th century. there was mayor Elisha Koporsky.

With the construction of the new stone fortress Yam in 1384, the fortress in Koporye became “the second echelon” of the defense of Novgorod. The fate of Koporye throughout almost the entire 15th century. absolutely not illuminated by written sources. Meanwhile, 15th century. - a time of change in history - the process of consolidation of Russian lands was completed and a new power, the Moscow State, entered the arena.

The description of Koporye at that time contains only 1 document, the Novgorod “Census quitrent book of the Votskaya Pyatina of 1500”: “In the Votskaya Pyatina, the city of Koporye is on the river on Koporye.” It is reported that there are only 4 courtyards in the fortress, in which there are residents, collars and police guards, i.e. service people. The courtyards of the Koporye governor, boyar Gavrila Velsky, stood empty (the boyar himself lived on his estate) and the “courtyard of the Grand Duke” (previously belonged to the Novgorod boyar Bogdan Esipov). Nearby there was a small settlement where both “city people”, associated with service with the fortress, and townspeople lived. The small size of the townsfolk population is striking, only 6 households with 6 families. Comparing Koporye with Yam is not in favor of Koporye: in Yam and in the settlement by 1500 there were 239 households with more than 1000 inhabitants.

At the end of the 15th century. Rus' returned the lands along the shores of the Gulf of Finland, securing the fortresses of Ivangorod with the construction. Subsequent reconstructions of Ivangorod in 1496 and 1507. took place during an alarming time for the Russian state, the rapprochement of the Livonian Order and Sweden. At the first stage of defense construction at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. The Yam fortress was reconstructed. Only after priority work was carried out in the 1st quarter of the 16th century, the Koporye fortress was reconstructed.

By order of the Moscow government, a new stone fortress was erected in Koporye, taking into account the development of military affairs of that time. The Novgorod fortress, which occupied the entire area of the rock, was small. It was necessary to expand the territory of the courtyard in order to erect buildings to accommodate a large garrison, administrative and storage facilities. The planning solution for the fortress consisted of several local decisions based on the characteristics of the site. For example, access roads to a rocky cape could only be located on the E or S sides. It was in the north that the gates of the 13th century fortress were located. But for the enemy this path was also the most convenient.

They built 4 towers, the flanking fire of which caused damage to the enemy when approaching the walls. The eastern spindle of Koporye, enclosed between two towers, is the shortest: the length is approx. 25 m. On a narrow stone bridge (preserved its appearance in the 19th century), the high arched spans of which are supported by powerful stone abutments, you can approach the gate.

There is no gate tower in Koporye. The opening leading inside the fortress was made right in the eastern wall. Nothing like this can be found in other 16th century fortresses. In Oreshka, Staraya Ladoga and other fortresses, the entrance is located in the lower floors of quadrangular towers. The entrance to the fortress is flanked by two cannon towers close together. The 15-meter partition between them is cut through by large and small gates. The gate threshold is raised above the ground by 7.5 meters.

The enemy, who found himself in front of the lowered iron gate grate, fell into a trap, becoming a target for fire from loopholes located in the center of the wall and in two powerful towers. Gersa guarded the entrance to a long, narrow, slightly curved corridor. There were 2 more gates in this corridor. In the premises of the gate part, sections of facing masonry have been preserved. Noteworthy is the careful carving of the stone and the fitting of the blocks to each other, especially when laying arched openings.

Another gate dates back to the original construction of Koporye. They are significantly narrower than the wide entrance arch and are located to the left of it. Probably, in ancient times this passage was blocked with stone masonry. Initially, he covered himself with an iron gersa.

There is a version that the design of the drawbridges of the fortress was based on the action of a counterweight. At the bottom of the gate, an iron axis was strengthened horizontally, on which a long wooden flooring was laid. In a horizontal position, the part of the flooring that protruded beyond the line of the fortress wall served as a temporary bridge. That part of the flooring that lay in the passage part of the gate also served as a bridge over the deep “wolf pit” - a trap for the enemy who broke through the gate. In the event of an enemy approaching, the bridge-yoke was set in motion using a mechanism - its outer part rose and closed the gate opening from the outside, and the other part fell down into the “wolf pit”. Similar designs of fortress drawbridges are known in the practice of European medieval defensive architecture. The gate device, towers and approach wall were built by highly qualified craftsmen sent from Moscow, and this happened, as it was possible to determine by analyzing the cuts of construction connections, in 1520-1525.

The number of towers is small; nowhere in North-West Russia will we find such long spans - spans of walls from one tower to another. There was no need for an abundance of towers at Koporye - the rock itself was a defense.

It is impossible not to note the bold decision that was made during the construction of the eastern slope; the wall and towers were placed not on the crest of the slope, but at its foot. By placing the base of the structures there, the builders deliberately increased the volume of stone work - in this part of the fortress the walls reach their maximum height in Koporye - approx. 20 m, and the towers exceeded this height by 3-4 m. The use of such a technique made it possible to increase the length of the eastern spindle and make it rectilinear in plan.

All towers are round in plan and had 5 battle tiers, only the Middle one has the shape of a truncated circle due to its location on the edge of a cliff. The battle passage of the wall of the Novgorod period was laid by the builders, and the masonry of the wall, increased by 1 m, ended with a new stone parapet. They increased the thickness of the wall, but only on the courtyard side, and left it “Novgorod” on the outside.

The powerful walls of the towers are cut through with loopholes of a unique design: the horizontal section of the loophole resembles the letter “X” - the inner and outer sides are hewn, and the middle is narrowed, which made it possible to conduct a wider shelling (not only perpendicular to the plane of the wall, but also at a significant angle to the sides). The Gremyachaya Tower of Pskov (1525) and the White Tower of Novgorod (1530) have similar loopholes. The design of the towers of these fortresses is also largely similar. This gives reason to assume that they were built by the same Russian masters of the 1st half. 16th century

The thickness of the walls of the Koporye fortress was increased to 5 m (below), the height to 15 m, and the towers to 20 m. This fortress has survived to this day.

In the northwestern part of the fortress yard there was a hiding place - a hidden exit from the fortress in the form of a narrow stone underground corridor. The cache allowed the besieged to leave the fortress for water (there was a lake in the hollow in the north) or for communication with the outside world. The existence of the cache is known from images of the fortress on plans of the 18th century. Currently, the entrance to it is covered with multi-ton masses of destroyed parts of the walls. There was a cache in the fortress of 1297, but on the south side of the wall.

Layout of towers and caches:

In 1558-81. There was the Livonian War, which ended in the defeat of Russia. While the bulk of the Russian troops were busy fighting the Polish troops, the Swedes captured Koporye in 1581, but were expelled in 1588. In 1590, the Russians liberated the fortress again. Now the fortress was garrisoned not by local militias, but by archers, for whom a settlement was built under the walls of the citadel. In the winter of 1591, the Swedes again burned all the villages around Koporye and took the inhabitants captive. It was terrible in these places at the end of the 16th century, there were ashes everywhere, abandoned settlements, lonely travelers taking refuge in the forests at the slightest danger. The Treaty of Tyavzin in 1595 gave a 16-year respite and assigned the Vodskaya Pyatina to Moscow.

By the way, when choosing historical illustrations about a monument, be careful. Nowadays, cases similar to how the author of this picture writes: “This is my attempt to create a “myth of Ingria”” http://edv-y.livejournal.com/28683.html. A flag like the one depicted in the picture simply did not exist in those days; it was an invention of the 20th century.

Below we will talk about Swedish rule in these places, Peter’s deeds, artists who glorified Koporye, the architecture of the cathedral and much more... The closer we get to our days, the more detailed written sources and evidence become, the more interesting episodes we can learn about the old fortress. Here everything is mixed up - both reality and legends, here they remember bloody battles and local tea, here royalty runs through the underground passages and the pestilence rages, artists walk through the ruins and indulges in dreams of “the darling of fortune, a rootless, semi-sovereign ruler”...

Briefly about the structure of the fortress, after which we will move on to its further history.

A guidebook written down from the words of a native of the village of Koporye, born in 1900.

From here

One source contains information that back in 1237 a wood-earth fortress was built in Koporye, which was destroyed by the Germans in 1240. http://www.aroundspb.ru/guide/west/koporje/koporye.php But there is no confirmation of this anywhere else found it.

Before I talk further, I want to draw your attention to one point! Many people, when talking about the theater of war, forget that no less devastating factor, and even more than the raids of rival armies, is the Black Death, which did not escape the places described... While collecting material for the post about the Plague Doctor, I collected material about plague epidemics in Russia and Livonia, which should be devoted to a separate post. A couple of quotes for now:

In the spring of 1710, the plague was brought here. In the area affected by the plague epidemic, the mortality rate of the population was 50-75%. http://www.tuad.nsk.ru/~history/Europe/Latvia/LatvHist_1.html

Section under the Stolbovo Treaty:

Fortification plan 1645:

Fragment of a Swedish map from 1704:

Koporye 17th century on an engraving from the book by A. Olearius “Description of a Journey to Muscovy”:

The following legends are known about the events of the Northern War in these places:

About the Golden Crown In the underground passage there is a room where the Swedish king Charles XII loved to eat. When the troops of Peter I took the fortress, Charles fled along this passage, and forgot his crown in the room. The crown is apparently gold. The legend was known in 1915. The passage went down, obliquely, under the corner tower. The breach in the wall of the fortress near the church was made by the troops of Peter I.
* * *
Once Peter I and the Swedish king Charles XII had an argument and decided: whoever of them would build the fastest road from his capital to the Koporye fortress would rule in Ingria. They bet on a huge bag of gold. The king began to build a cobblestone road from Stockholm through Finland to Vyborg. Many peasants mined stone and carried it on carts through forests and swamps. The king had to pay dearly for every mile of the journey, but when the road reached Vyborg, the Russian Tsar also found out about it. By that time he had already forgotten about the dispute and slept in Moscow on a golden bed. The king was afraid that he would lose the argument, and ordered his soldiers to lie down directly in the mud, jumped into the carriage and galloped over the soldiers' bodies to meet the king. The Tsar rushed from Moscow to Koporye faster than the wind and began to wait for the Swedish monarch.

http://www.rusfort.ru/encyclopedia/fort.php?name=koporje&part=legends
http://tymanka.ucoz.ru/forum/8-250-1

There is a legend that under Tsarina Anna Ioannovna in 1739, wolves were caught in the Koporye forests for the royal menagerie in Alexandria, near Peterhof.

1763 According to the “schedule” approved by Catherine II, Koporye was excluded from the fortresses.

Section of the corner NW tower of the Koporye fortress. Drawing 1st floor. 18th century

Another painting by the artist dedicated to Koporye:

In the 18th century Koporye was a district town in the St. Petersburg province.

In 1858-60. architect E.V. Lomov adapted part of the gate rooms of the fortress into a chapel, decorating its façade with granite trim. This chapel served as the family tomb of the Zinoviev family.

Fragment of the 1868 map:

There is a legend about tea and the artist Kiprensky:

There are also legends about this time:

To the left of the dirt road are the ruins of a red brick church. The priest who was attached to the church renounced after 1917 and went to work as a shepherd in the Koporye region. There are 5 Christmas trees to the right of the church. His father planted Christmas trees over the mass grave of the Red Army soldiers. They were buried by their father and coachman Ivan Stepanovich on the orders of the landowner. Battle with the White Guards in 1919, about 10 people. And they began to put them in the ground. Rubble slabs were placed over the head so that the earth would not fall on the face; it was a pity to bury without coffins. Koporye changed hands 6 times.
* * *
In May 1919, the Ingermanland battalion landed in Koporye Bay, speaking under the slogan of creating an independent Ingermanland Republic. But the Red Guard detachments under the command of Trofimov and Afanasyev repelled the onslaught of the Whites. The battalion moved to the Soykinsky Peninsula, where it was replenished with Swedish, Finnish and Estonian volunteers. A few days later the Bolsheviks were driven out of Koporye. But the further offensive failed due to disagreements between the Ingrians and the command of the White Guard Northwestern Army.

As you can see, the legend above is not true, because another important page of history is connected with Koporye:

But in general there are problems: A unique monument of ancient Russian architecture - the Koporye fortress - was under threat of destruction. Just 20 years ago, her condition did not inspire concern. However, no one specifically monitored the safety of the ancient walls. And now the stone cladding began to crumble.

http://www.mk-piter.ru/2003/07/09/038/

Russian-Swedish war 1590-1595.

The cause of the next conflict between the Moscow State and Sweden was Russia’s desire to return the fortresses of Rugodiv (Narva), Ivangorod, Yam and Koporye with their counties lost during the Livonian War. Initially, the Russian government sought to achieve the return of the Baltic territories through peaceful means, but King Johan III was not going to give in and sought to conclude a peace treaty that would de jure recognize the new eastern borders of his kingdom. Otherwise, he overly self-confidently threatened Moscow with a renewal of the war. Apparently, Johan III counted on the help of his eldest son Sigismund Vasa, who became the Polish king after the death of Stefan Batory (December 2, 1586), while he was not embarrassed by the 15-year Warsaw Truce concluded by Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on August 26, 1587 .

In an effort to intimidate the Russian authorities, the Swedes organized a series of attacks on border towns. In July 1589, their detachment came to the Kandalaksha volost, where they burned several settlements, killing 450 people. In the fall, another Swedish detachment, numbering 400 people, ravaged the Keretsk and Kem volosts.

War with Sweden became inevitable, and it had to be started immediately, until the position of the newly elected king Sigismund III was strengthened in Poland and Lithuania. In June 1590, part of the regiment under the command of Prince I.I. was transferred to Novgorod from Aleksin. Golitsyn. On August 10, 1590, the army of princes B.K. set out on a campaign to the Swedish borders. Cherkassky and D.I. Khvorostinin, consisting of 5 regiments. In Novgorod, two regiments from this army were transferred to Pskov, to strengthen the border with Swedish Estland. The troops advanced to the northwestern border covered the border and ensured its reliable defense in the conditions of the planned invasion of enemy territory by the main Russian army led by Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich. The advanced units of this army, led by the okolnichy P.S. Lobanov-Rostovsky and the Duma nobleman R.M. The Pivovoy set out from Moscow on October 1, 1589. A day later, on December 3, the tsar “released before him” the second detachment of Prince M.F. Kashin and D.A Zamytsky. On December 14, at the head of the main forces “against his disobedient king of Sweden, Yagan, to the city to Rugodiv and to Ivangorod, and to Koporye, and to Yama,” the Russian sovereign himself set out. The purpose of the campaign was formulated very specifically: Moscow was going to return by force the cities conquered by the Swedes during the Livonian War.

On January 4, 1590, the army assembled for the invasion concentrated in Novgorod, where the distribution of governors among regiments took place, which caused parochial scores between military leaders that had become common. On January 6, having dealt with the grievances and claims of his commanders, the tsar sent detachments led by Sh. Koltovsky and I. Bibikov “for tongues” to Yam-gorod. On January 11, the horse hundreds of Zh. Saburov, I. Milyukov and T. Gryashov set out “to war” (to ravage and burn enemy villages). The rest of the 35,000-strong army moved to Yam on January 18. The next day, a detachment of A. Pisemsky and L. Khryshchov separated from the army and was ordered to begin the siege of Koporye.

On January 26, 1590, the main Russian army arrived at Yam (Yamburg). The next day, the Swedish garrison, numbering 500 people, surrendered the city and, under the terms of surrender, was released to their side. Some of the German mercenaries switched to Russian service. Leaving the detachment of governor L.I. in Yam-gorod. Aksakov and the Streltsy head F. Papin, Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich with the main forces set out for Ivangorod and Narva, where he ordered the delivery of battered wall artillery coming from Pskov.

The advanced Russian regiment under the command of Prince. M.P. Katyrev-Rostovsky and D.I. Khvorostinina reached Ivangorod on January 30. Under its walls, Russian troops were attacked by a 4,000-strong Swedish corps covering the border. In a heavy battle, the Swedes were defeated and retreated to the city of Rakvere. On February 2, the remaining regiments of the Russian army arrived at Ivangorod and Narva, beginning siege operations. On the night of February 4–5, the guns mounted on the batteries began bombarding the fortresses. Detachments of Russian cavalry were sent to ravage villages in the vicinity of Rakvere, where the main Swedish forces were located, led by the commander of the royal troops in Estland, General G. Baner.

The Swedes repelled the assault on Narva and Ivangorod on February 19 with heavy losses for the Russian side. Prince I.Yu died during the attack near Narva. Tokmakov, M.G. was injured. Saltykov and Prince. I.P. and G.P. Romodanovsky. The number of those killed, according to the clearly exaggerated report of the Pskov Chronicle, reached 5 thousand people. Just over 5,730 men took part in the assault, and it is unlikely that 87% of all attackers would die in the ditches and under the walls of Narva. Having retreated, the Russians resumed their bombardment. Unable to withstand the intense shelling, on February 20, the day after the assault, the Swedes requested a truce for negotiations. “They called” about this “from Rugodiv from the breach place where the okolnichy and governor I.I. stood with his outfit. Saburov, but they asked for an interpreter.” So, on the initiative of the stadtholder of Narva K.Kh. Peace negotiations began at the Horn. Congresses of parliamentarians took place on the river. Narov, and every time the negotiations reached a dead end, Russian artillery resumed shelling the fortress. Moscow was first represented at these congresses by the Duma nobleman I.P. Tatishchev, and then clerk F.P. Petelin's squad. They took a firm position, demanding from the opposite side the concession of the “sovereign estates”: Rugodiv, Ivangorod, Koporye and Korela (Russian troops had already occupied Yam by that time, and its fate was not even discussed at the negotiations). However, the approach of spring made the Russians more accommodating, and they agreed to limit themselves to transferring three cities to the Moscow side: Yama, Ivangorod and Koporye. On February 25, 1590, in the Russian camp near Narva (near Ivangorod), a preliminary truce was signed for a period of 1 year, according to which the above cities were transferred to Russia. If King Johan III agreed to end the war peacefully, Narva (Rugodiv) and Korela (Kexholm) were subject to return. However, the truce was not recognized by the Swedish king. As a result, Field Marshal K.H. Gorn was sentenced to death. G. Bayer, because he did not come to the aid of the Narva garrison in time, was dismissed, replacing him with Field Marshal K. Fleming, who took command of the army directed to the eastern borders of the kingdom, the number of which was increased to 18 thousand soldiers.

At the beginning of October, the parties attempted to start peace negotiations, but a “gathering” organized on the bridge from Ivangorod to Rugodiv (Narva) ended in vain. According to Russian sources, “the ambassadors did not carry out any peaceful resolution at that time.”

In November 1590 The Swedish command decided to break the truce with Russia and, taking advantage of the surprise of the attack, to capture Ivangorod. The attack was repulsed. Pursuing the retreating, Russian troops besieged Narva, but on orders from Moscow they lifted the siege and retreated beyond their borders. In December 1590, the Swedes attacked the border areas of Pskov, ravaging the outskirts of Yamgorod and Koporye.

On January 10, 1591, the defector informed the governors stationed in the village of Tesovo about the offensive of the 14,000-strong army of the governor of Estliaidia, General Yu.L., on Koporye. Boye. An army under the command of Prince D.A. set out to meet the Swedes from Tesovo to the border. Nogtev Suzdalsky and M.M. Krivoy Saltykov, consisting of 3 regiments. A detachment of Prince F.A. approached them from Oreshek to join (“to gather”) with them. 3 Venigorodsky. The fighting in Koporsky district lasted 3 weeks. As a result, the Swedish detachments of Yu. Boye and M. Green, who came to his aid, were unable to advance further than the Dudarovsky churchyard, and in February 1591, they “went out of the woods.”

A new attack followed in the summer of 1591. It was timed to coincide with Gazi-Girey’s campaign against Moscow, agreed with the Swedish side. The enemy attacked Novgorod and Gdov places. After receiving news of this invasion of the “Svei Germans” from Veliky Novgorod, an army under the command of governor P.N. set out on a campaign. Sheremetev (in the Big Regiment) and Prince I.T. Dolgorukov (in the Advanced Regiment). In the battle that took place in the Gdov district “near the Most Pure Mother of God in the Fields,” the Russian Advanced Regiment was defeated by an unexpected blow from the Swedes, and the governor Dolgorukov was captured. Among the killed soldiers of the Advanced Regiment was the head of F. Naumov. In the discharge book of the Pozharsky princes, this message is supplemented with an interesting explanation: the Russians were defeated “because Prince Volodymyr Dolgoruky from the Bolshoy and Sentry Regiment from Peter Sheremetev went forward about ten miles away and there was no one and it was impossible to help.”

Retaliatory measures on the Russian side were taken after the defeat of the ally of the Swedish king, the Crimean Khan Gazi-Girsya, whose huge army attacked Moscow in June-July 1591, but then fled from near the Russian capital. On August 29, 1591, Prince S.M. set out from Moscow to Novgorod with reinforcements. Lobanov-Rostovsky, who was supposed to replace the captured Prince V.T. Dolgorukov. Soon (September 1, 1591) an army of 3 regiments under the command of the boyar Prince T.R. was sent there. Trubetskoy and Prince I.V. Great Gagin. In Novgorod, the regiments of Trubetskoy and Sheremetev united. The army of 5 regiments was led by the governors, princes T.R. Trubetskoy and I.V. Great Gagin. P.N. Sheremetev became the first governor of the Advanced Regiment. At the same time, the garrisons of the border fortresses of Ladoga and Oreshek were replenished. These measures strengthened the cover of Russian borders, making it difficult for the enemy to respond in the Karelian direction.

A characteristic feature of the war of 1590-1595. There began to exist, in addition to the Karelian and Estonian, a third front of struggle - in the Russian North and in Pomerania, where Swedish troops were rushing. The enemy's activation in this area was, of course, connected with the establishment of regular sea communications between Russia and Western Europe around Scandinavia. The Swedes sought to seize the coast of the White Sea and completely isolate the Moscow state.

The first information about the actions of the “Svei Germans” in Lapland and Pomerania dates back to the summer of 1590. The governor of the province of Osterbothnia, P. Bagge, became the commander-in-chief of the Swedish troops in this direction. On July 18, 1590, in an instruction sent to him, Johan III proposed preparing and carrying out an attack on the Northern Russian lands, destroying them, and delivering all prisoners and all the loot to Kexholm district. In a letter dated April 17, Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich liberated the volosts of the Keretsky district located “in Dikaya Lopi, on the Cold Sea,” which suffered from the attack of the Swedes. From this document it is clear that, having come to the Russian North along the river. Kovde, the enemy detachment destroyed “the churches of God and every church building, they burned out their courtyards and barns, and crossed their peasants and children, and caught others in full, and plundered their bellies.”

In the winter of 1590/1591 there was a new raid. This time, the North Swedish peasant militia led by Vesainen crossed the border. The Swedes made a trek through the Kola Peninsula beyond the Lapland Mountains and reached the White Sea. Having reached the coast, the militia besieged and captured the Pechenga Monastery. Among those killed were 51 monks and 65 laymen who tried to hide from the enemy behind the monastery walls. Then the “German people” unsuccessfully besieged the Kola fortress, ravaged the surroundings of the fortress, and then returned to their territory. Attacks by enemy detachments continued subsequently. So, in August 1591, “German people” led by X. Pearson devastated the Kem volost, came to the Sumy fortress, besieged Kola. In the hot battles that took place in the Russian North, the Swedish army, numbering 1,200 people, suffered significant losses and was forced to stop the campaign.

In September 1591, the army of S. Peterson crossed the Russian border. The goal of his campaign was the Sumskaya volost, which belonged to the Solovetsky Monastery. A report by S. Peterson has been preserved, in which he reports the destruction of the Sumy fort, burned by his soldiers “to the ground,” the capture of 14 saltpeter maidans, the same number of “barns filled with white salt to the very roof, 2 ships loaded with salmon,” etc. P. In reality, the enemy failed to capture the Sumy fort. The Swedes burned out only an unfortified settlement, and then plundered the White Sea coast. Perhaps the enemy acted according to a single plan, since at the same time the main Swedish army of Field Marshal K. Fleming, deployed in Karelia, began an offensive. His troops crossed the Pskov line and ravaged the outskirts of Pskov.

In Moscow, the increased enemy activity caused alarm. The governors, Princes Andrei and Grigory Volkonsky, were sent “with a large army” to the Solovetsky Monastery, and with them the heads: Second Akinfiev and Elizariy Protopopov. The arrival of these troops allowed the Russian government to oust Swedish troops from its territory, and subsequently launch a decisive counter-offensive against the Swedes and devastate the border enemy volosts of Oloy, Linelu, Sig and others. “In the same year in winter,” noted in the discharge books, “the sovereign’s troops walked Voivodes Prince Ondrei Romanov, son of Volkonskaya, and Prince Grigory Konstantinov, son of Volkonskaya, from Solovetsky Island fought the Kainsky Germans from the Sveiskovo king of the land, and with them were the sovereign’s people, archers and Cossacks, and the Germans fought on the Kainsky land, and came out with all the people, God willing, great.” .

The response to the summer expeditions of the Swedes to the Novgorod and Pskov places, their attacks on the northern volosts was the Vyborg campaign of the Russian army under the command of the governor, Prince. F.I. Mstislavsky and Prince. F.M. Trubetskoy. On December 15, 1591, an army consisting of six regiments set out from Moscow to Novgorod, where it arrived by Christmas (December 25, 1591). On January 6, the regiments of Mstislavsky and Trubetskoy moved to the Swedish line and crossed it under the Oreshkoy fortress. Already on January 30, 1592, the Moscow army approached Vyborg. Here the advanced Russian units were attacked by garrison troops emerging from the fortress. But after a short battle, the Swedes could not withstand the blow of the Ertoul regiment, reinforced by Cossack and mounted streltsy hundreds, and hastily retreated. Pursuing the enemy, Russian soldiers “trampled all the German people in the city and beat many and caught their tongues.” Having fired at the city gates from the regimental "outfit", the Russian governors lifted the siege by the end of the day. Refusing to meaninglessly stand under the walls of the well-fortified Vyborg fortress, the Moscow governors along the Gamenskaya road "the same night went past to Lavritsy and began to fight without number, the war was great . And many towns on the river were caught, and the Germans were beaten, and in full they were caught without number." This brief message is clarified by the discharge book of the Pozharsky princes. The sovereign boyars and governors came to the Lavritsky churchyard on February 4, 1592. The day before, on February 3, the head of Tretyak Velyaminov with the Tatar detachments was sent to fight the “Gamenskie places”, “and that parcel went into war, God willing,” having ravaged the entire district, the “corrals” already on February 7 united with the main army that marched to Kexholm (Korel). were also ravaged by detachments under the command of Zh. S. Saburov, after which on February 14, 1592, the Russian army, following along Lake Ladoga, reached its side of the border, stopping for two days in Oreshka. From there, M.B. was sent to Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich “with a speech and a letter of enumeration.” Saburov, “and with a large authentic letter they sent Nelyub Ogarev from Oreshek to the sovereign of February on the 15th day.”

The military actions of the winter of 1591/1592 could not but affect the Russian North, where the fighting took place with particular intensity. In January 1592, a large detachment of the governor, Prince, set out on a campaign from the Sumy fort. G.K. Volkonsky, reinforced with artillery. Having crossed the line, the Russians ravaged the Swedish border places and returned safely: “Prince Grigory Volkonskaya, having gathered with his military men, went to the Cain land and destroyed many places and the floodplain was full of many people, and came to the Solovetsky monastery with great wealth.” The retaliatory attack of the Swedes on the Sumy fort occurred at the end of the summer of 1592. However, this time the enemy was defeated by the army of G.K. Volkonsky.

On January 20, 1593, Russia and Sweden concluded a two-year truce, during which time Swedish attacks on adjacent Russian territories continued. The situation became tense in the spring of 1594. In March, Swedish troops invaded Novgorod, and in April - into Lop churchyards and volosts. However, the Moscow government sought to normalize relations with the Swedish state and did not take retaliatory actions.

Under these conditions, negotiations began in the village of Tyavzino in the vicinity of Ivangorod. Russian representatives (the okolnichy and governor of Kaluga prince I.S. Turenin, the steward and governor of Elatoma boyar E.M. Pushkin, clerks G.I. Klobukov and P.D. Lodygin) had clear instructions - to make peace subject to the return of the cities of Rugodiv by the Swedes (Narva) and Korela (Keksgolma). As a last resort, the ambassadors were allowed to promise to the representatives of the then head of the Swedish state, Duke Karl of Südermanlad: the Governor of Estonia, Yu.N. Boye, Commandant of Narva A.E. Stolarm, State Councilor of Estonia J. Berndes, Secretary H.E. Krahn as compensation for Narva up to 50 thousand. Hungarian gold ducats. Only in the event of a threat of a breakdown in negotiations and a resumption of war (in Moscow they were most afraid of the troops of the Polish king Sigismuid III speaking on the side of Sweden, who retained the rights to the Swedish throne and tried to influence the course of negotiations that began in Tyavzin) were the ambassadors allowed to give in to Korel and promise a truce to the Swedes for this for 12 years. But even in this case, Russia did not renounce its rights to Narva. For their part, the Swedish representatives agreed to cede only the city of Kexholm (Korelu) to Russia for the fantastic sum of 400 thousand rubles. Negotiations dragged on. The parties reluctantly made concessions, approaching a compromise solution that could suit both Russia and Sweden.

The Tyavzin “eternal” peace was signed only on May 18, 1595, the Russian side recognized the rights of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Principality of Estland with all the cities and castles: Narva, Revel, Weisenstein, Wesenberg, Padis, Tolsborg, Neishlot, Borkholm, Gapsal, Lode, Leal, Fikel, having also ceded part of the Karelian territory up to Top Lake and Vyg Lake, the Swedish representatives, for their part, agreed to return to Russia the fortress of Kexholm (Korelu) with the district and recognized the cities taken by Russian troops at the beginning of the war during the campaign of 1590 as ceded to the Moscow state .: Ivangorod, Yam and Koporye. The cities of Oreshek (Noteburg) and Ladoga were recognized as belonging to Russia. The Swedes pledged not to attack Pskov, Kholmogory, Dvina land, Kola “castle”, Svinsk, Kargopol and Solovetsky monastery, other border fortresses “with all their tracts and sea shores and no military force, no more, no less, no “water, do not send any land against them.” The parties agreed to release “without any ransom or exchange” all prisoners captured during the war.

Thus, the Russian-Swedish war of 1590-95. was provoked by a Swedish attack on the border Novgorod volosts. Defending the border lands, the Moscow authorities were able to regain their northwestern fortresses: Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye, lost at the last stage of the Livonian War. The Swedes' attempts to break into Pomerania in order to interrupt Russia's sea communications with Western Europe around Scandinavia were unsuccessful.

IN CAPTURE OF THE SWEDES

In the first half XVI century, the Moscow state intensified its policy in the Baltic states, having on its borders powerful stone fortresses, reconstructed according to the latest military engineering art. In 1533, the Russian army - cavalry, foot and ski troops - moved from Moscow, Novgorod and Pskov to the lands of the Livonian Order, which for several centuries carried out an economic blockade of Russian lands and constantly raided Rus'.

The Livonian War, which began in 1558, initially brought brilliant victories to Russian weapons: in the battle of the Livonian fortress of Viljandi in 1559, the order was dealt a crushing blow, after which it virtually ceased to exist.

The entry into the war in 1561 of Lithuania and Sweden, and later Poland, complicated the position of the Russian state. Swedish troops conducted military operations in the west (in 1581, detachments led by Delagardi occupied Narva) and on the northern borders (in Karelia, as well as in the areas of Kola, Kem and the Sumy fort).

In 1582, in the Koporye district, occupied by the Swedes, two mounted Swedish regiments were stationed, and in the fortress there was a garrison of 500 soldiers led by commandant Alaf Erikson. In lean years, feeding so many soldiers was a difficult task for Russian peasants (the Swedes were stationed with 5 people for every 2 peasant households). Extortions for the maintenance of the Swedish army caused peasant unrest, and the Swedes were forced to withdraw all military forces from the Koporye district, leaving only a garrison.

Other heavy duties were also imposed on the peasants. So, for a plot of land, a peasant had to pay 1 ruble in money, 5 barrels of flour, 4 barrels of hops, 9 barrels of oats and half a barrel of wheat. Fearing the economic oppression of the occupiers, many peasants fled co their lands, and those who remained began to create partisan detachments to fight the invaders. In 1583, the leaders of the Russian partisan detachments, boyars Leonty Kuntotmin and Esipov, were captured and taken to Koporye. Difficulties with food and the flaring up partisan struggle in the Koporye district caused concern among the Swedish command. Back in 1581, the commandant of Narva, Karl Horn, sent a report to King Johann III that the dissatisfaction of the local population with Swedish extortions could make it easier for the Russian Tsar to return the cities of the Izhora land.

In 1583, peace negotiations began in the village of Plusse. The Swedish side was led by Pontus Delagardie. Fate spared this warrior in many battles, but he died by accident: during diplomatic negotiations, he drowned in the Narova River. According to the Truce of Plus in 1583, the Russian state had to cede to the Swedes almost the entire coast of the Gulf of Finland, as well as the fortresses of Ivangorod, Yam and Koporye.

The conquerors were faced with the problem of creating a strong defense of the conquered lands and strengthening the defense capability of the fortresses in which Swedish garrisons were located.

In 1586, the royal secretary Henrik Khutut summoned skilled craftsmen and ordered them to make wooden models of the fortresses of Koporye and Yam. There is no doubt that the modelers had accurate plans of these cities at their disposal. In 1587, the news of the death of Ivan the Terrible and rumors of a large Russian army preparing to march to the Izhora land forced the Swedes to rush with repair work. In 1588 King Johann III ordered to strengthen the border fortresses and build wooden buildings in them in case of his arrival: the king was preparing to make an inspection trip.

Bronze signet rings with the image of swans. XVI - XVII centuries.

However, only in 1589 did a military council meet in Narva, at which the issue of strengthening Koporye and Yama was again discussed. The council was attended by the commandants of the conquered Russian fortresses, including the commandant of Koporye Georg Horn. Construction activities were planned that would increase the defense capability of Koporye. In particular, special attention was paid to improving the water supply to the fortress - there was only one well, which froze to the bottom in severe frosts and could not provide the garrison with water in the event of a siege. The council decided to repair the Koporye fortress. In the summer and autumn of the same year, building materials were brought to Koporye, and repair work began.

In January 1590, a large Russian army led by governors set out from Novgorod in the direction of Narva. The entire Russian army was led by Tsar Fedor, the son of Ivan the Terrible. Boris Godunov, who actually held all power in his hands, played a major role in organizing the campaign. Godunov also took part in this campaign.

As a result of the successful operation near Narva and the capture of Yamgorod by the Russian militia, a large Swedish army under the command of Governor Gustav Banier retreated. Izhora land was liberated. In a letter sent to the Danish king, the Russian tsar reported: “Sowing the winter of his fatherland, the Novgorod lands of the cities of Ivan-gorod, Yama, and Koporya were taken.” Individual raids by the Swedes did not bring them success. So, in January 1591, a large Swedish detachment of 14 thousand people, led by Yuri Boy, again approached the Koporye fortress, but was forced to retreat. The victory of Russian weapons was secured by the “eternal peace” concluded in 1595 in Tyavzin.

Talented Russian writer and prominent political figure XVII century Abraham Palitsyn described the events of the end XVI century in his work “History in memory of the previous generation”: Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich “went to war against the Livonian Germans, and the Germans made peace with the sovereign and gave him the Moscow cities: Ivan-Gorod, Yama and Koporya.”

With the departure of the Swedes from Koporye in 1590, the fortress again turned into one of the strongholds on the northwestern border of Rus'. The fortress housed a garrison, and food supplies were stored in Koporye granaries.

At the very beginning of the XVII century in the Koporye district, by decree of Tsar Boris Godunov and according to the letters of the Novgorod governors, road work was carried out. In the documents preserved in the files of the Secret Order it was noted that “in Koporok district the bridges are thin”, that in some places there is “great mud”. Road construction in an alarming time for the Russian state was of strategic importance: good roads were needed for the transportation of cavalry, infantry, military convoys, and artillery. Road work was simultaneously carried out in other counties - Ivangorod and Yamgorod. Koporye governor Vasily Beleutov in 1602 allocated 200 people “with horses and axes” from the palace villages and Koporye zemstvo to repair roads.

View of Koporye in the 17th century.

Engraving from the book by A. Olearius “Description of a Journey to Muscovy.”

Polish intervention at the beginning XVII century brought ruin to many regions of the Russian state. Polish-Lithuanian troops burned and plundered villages and towns. To protect the northwestern lands, a Swedish corps was hired, led by Jacob Delagardie, the son of Pontus Delagardie. The Swedish corps was only in name - its ranks included soldiers from many European countries. According to the agreement, Jacob Delagardi had to ensure the protection of Yama, Koporye, Gdov, and “not to bring those cities to the Sveisky (state - Author).” For this help, Sweden was given the Korela fortress.

Taking advantage of the difficult situation in Rus', Delagardie's corps turned from an ally into an enemy: in the summer of 1611, the Swedes captured Novgorod, and the following year - Koporye. The Russian garrison in Koporye, numbering about 300 archers and Cossacks, was unable to resist the Swedish corps. And although the Swedes were not confident in their success, believing that Koporye “would require a lot of gunpowder,” the fortress surrendered.

The Swedes captured Oreshek, Ladoga, Yam, Ivangorod, Staraya Russa, Gdov, Porkhov. The military successes achieved by the Russian state in 1590-1595 were reduced to nothing. The Treaty of Stolbovo (named after the place of negotiations - the village of Stolbovo near Ladoga), signed in 1617, was very difficult for the Russian state. Novgorod, Staraya Russa, Porkhov, Ladoga, Gdov were returned to Russia, but Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye, Oreshek, Korela along with their districts remained under Swedish occupation. The loss of the commercial port of Ivangorod and the fortress at the mouth of the Neva - Oreshok - was especially difficult for the Russians. Access to the sea turned out to be tightly closed for the Russian state. An almost 100-year period of Swedish rule in Izhora began.

The Russian Izhora land - the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland from the mouth of the Neva to the mouth of the Narova - the Swedes called Ingria. These lands became a special government-general in the possessions of Sweden. Koporye and the district made up the Koporye fief (Ingria included three more fiefs - Yamskaya, Ivangorodskiy and Noteburgskiy). The residence of the Governor General was located in Narva. Within two weeks after the conclusion of the Stolbovo Peace, Russian nobles and townspeople (townspeople) were allowed to leave Ingermanland. Peasants were prohibited from leaving. While maintaining the previous division of the conquered lands into counties and churchyards, the Swedish king distributed entire counties to his associates for service and for rent. For example, Jacob Delagardi received the Orekhovsky and Karelian lands in 1618 for military successes, and Yam, Koporye and Ivangorod with the counties were leased to the governor - the former Revel merchant Bogislav Rosen.

The lands taken from the original owners were distributed to Finnish and German colonists, who were invited by the Swedes, thus creating a significant layer of Protestants in the Russian population.

Census books of the Izhora land have been preserved in the Stockholm archives, including the “Census Book of Koporye County and Taxes of the Rental Years 1618-1623.” The Swedish scribal book of the Koporye district was created on the basis of previous Russian censuses, it mentioned villages that still exist today, retaining their names - Zabolotye, Podozvanie, Podmoshye, Sistopalkyano, Ivanovichi, Lomokha and many others.

Swedish records took into account how long the peasant had lived on the land, the number of horses, cows, and birds for each farmer. Taxes were collected in kind - wheat, rye, barley, oats, hops, dried and dried fish, peas, crackers, hay, sheep, flax, linen, hemp. Even the Governor-General of Ingria Gustav Horn had to admit that “both law and justice have been forgotten” here.

A partisan movement broke out in the occupied lands. One of the forms of resistance to forced Germanization was the flight of the Russian population to the “Russian side.” Over the 30 years of Swedish rule, the Russians paid the Swedes 190 thousand rubles for defectors.

In addition to economic oppression, the Russian population also experienced severe religious persecution: Orthodox churches were closed, priests were forbidden to take payment for services, and stables were set up in churches. Russian townspeople who traded in the largest cities of Ingria, if they refused to convert to Lutheranism, were evicted to smaller shopping centers, for example in Koporye.

Sweden tried with all its might to prevent the strengthening of the Russian state. In the war that began in 1654 for the liberation of the ancient Russian cities of Smolensk, Kyiv and the Dnieper left bank, Sweden took the side of Poland and Lithuania. Sweden's violation of the peace treaty gave rise to the Russian army to cross the border of Ingria. With the support of the local population, Russian military detachments made an attempt to recapture some of the fortresses. In 1656, according to the Novgorod chronograph XVII centuries, the royal commanders and “many military people came to the cities of Yam and Koporye and Korela, and there were many standing there near the city, but they did not take the cities.”

In Koporye district, detachments led by Ivan Poltev successfully operated, attacking the Swedes, destroying food and fodder supplies, and engaging in battles with the Swedish regular army. In January 1658, military operations began near Koporye. Shchetinin's detachment stood at the walls of the fortress for 5 days, but could not take it. The Russian-Swedish war of 1656-1659 ended in peace on the same terms that were enshrined in the Stolbovo Treaty.

Until recently, some historians believed that the Swedes carried out significant construction work in the conquered Izhora fortresses, which significantly changed the appearance of these fortresses. Archaeological research carried out in recent years in the ancient Russian fortresses of Oreshka and Yam, as well as a thorough study of archival materials, completely refuted these assumptions. The data obtained indicate that Swedish construction work in the Izhora fortresses was mostly limited to minor repairs.

Koporye was one of the Swedish strongholds in the conquered lands. The commandant was at the head of the fortress, although in the first quarter XVII there was no permanent Swedish garrison in it for centuries. The fortress at that time represented a formidable force. The traveler Petrey de Erlesund, who visited Ingermanland in 1620, wrote: “Koporye is a strong stone fortress.”

However, already in 1622, the commandant of Koporye received special instructions to improve the Koporye fortifications. In a return report, he reported that Koporye, like Yam, was in such poor condition that “they are not worthy to be called fortresses.”

In 1665-1668, according to Swedish sources, some construction work was carried out in the fortress according to the design of the Swedish military engineer Jan Stahl. It is difficult to judge the volume of repair work carried out at that time. At least, Erik Dahlberg, the famous Swedish fortifier, appointed in 1674 as the director of management of all fortresses in Sweden, reported to the king about the poor condition of Koporye and Yam, which gives grounds to assert that the measures taken did not affect the strengthening of the military potential of the fortress.

In September 1681, after Eric Dahlberg's inspection trip to the fortresses in Koporye, a meeting was held with his participation. At this meeting, it was decided to destroy the Koporye fortress, since if it was captured by the Russians, it could become a support for the Russian population in the fight against the Swedes. Gunpowder has already begun to be prepared for the explosion of fortifications. When in February 1682 the Swedish king signed a decree on blowing up the fortification, the fate of Koporye seemed to be decided.

In 1688, a royal decree again confirmed the order to blow up the fortress. However, the fortress was not blown up either in 1688 or later. In 1697, Dahlberg himself began to convince Charles XI save Koporye: “The fortress can be equipped with four- or five-pound cannons - hoses ... as well as 20-30 soldiers, or take as many peasants inside as there is enough space.” However, he also noted that “the fortress is not worth even 10 cannon shots.”

Koporye. Swedish plan of 1645. Published for the first time.

This unflattering assessment of the Koporye fortress by a fortification specialist has its own explanation. Koporye is a typical monument of defensive architecture of the first quarter XVI century. At one time, the fortress, built during a period of widespread use of firearms, corresponded to the caliber of fortress artillery, the method of organizing fire, and the nature of the battle at the fortress walls. IN XVII century, when military engineering thought stepped forward, when an artillery duel became one of the decisive factors in the struggle for a fortified point, and the quantity and quality of guns used by both sides increased sharply, the bastion system was recognized as the most rational.

Bastions are high and vast platforms in the form of elongated pentagons, built of earth and lined on the sides with turf or stone. Since the bastions extended far beyond the line of the fortress walls, the artillery batteries placed on the bastions were not limited to the firing sector, as in stone loopholes. The bastions also provided good fire maneuver: practically the sector of fire of the bastion artillery was approaching 180°. A significant number of guns could be concentrated on one bastion, providing a high density of fire. It is quite natural that the Koporye Fortress in XVII century, especially at the end of the century, no longer met the requirements of military science and was naturally considered by the Swedes to be an outdated fortification.

Now researchers know four plans of the Koporye fortress, drawn up by Swedish architects over the course of XVII century. The most interesting of them are the image of a fortress with a church in the center on a handwritten Swedish map of 1677-1678 and a detailed parade ground from 1645.

Treasure of silver coins of the end XVI - early XVII centuries,

found by archaeologists in the Koporye fortress.

On this plan, stone structures are highlighted in dark colors - the walls and towers of the fortress itself, as well as a small single-apse church standing in the fortress courtyard. The rest of the fortress buildings - the house of the Koporye governor, the food warehouse, the soldiers' barracks - are wooden, they are located along the fortress walls.

The plans of Koporye can be of great help when carrying out restoration work in the fortress, since they depict many details of the fortress that have now collapsed.

Of great interest are also the full-scale sketches of the Koporye fortress, made by artists from the retinue of the famous traveler A. Olearius, who visited Koporye in 1634.

Archaeological work carried out in the fortress in 1970-1973, analysis of images of the fortress on Swedish plans and, finally, field research of the walls and towers prove that during the entire occupation of Koporye the Swedes did not carry out, in essence, any stone construction work related to the alteration or modernization of defensive structures. Copper Swedish coins, fragments of clay smoking pipes, stove tiles depicting allegorical figures symbolizing water and fire - each tile has the inscription “ aqva" (water) or "ingis “(fire) - this is, perhaps, all that remains from the hundred-year stay of the Swedes in Koporye.

Stretching from the southern outskirts of St. Petersburg in a westerly direction for a good hundred kilometers. Its contours can be easily seen with the naked eye without leaving St. Petersburg: from the southwestern and southern parts of the city there is a beautiful view of the towering ridge of hills bordering Northern Palmyra. The highest of them is Orekhovaya Mountain, 179.5 meters high, which is also the highest point of the entire hill.

Orekhovaya Mountain is the highest point of the Izhora Upland.

As is known, the general landscape of the Leningrad region is a flat plain, slightly rising above sea level, covered with wooded and marshy lands. In this regard, the Izhora Upland, being relatively small compared to the total area of the Leningrad region, differs very significantly from it in its diverse natural landscape, as well as the fertility of its soils. These circumstances largely predetermined the attention of people who, from time immemorial, began to arrange their homes here. Evidence of this are numerous reminders in the form of mounds, burial grounds, remains of military fortifications, military memorials and, of course, estates. The abundance of noble estates here is not at all an accident: the landscape of the Izhora Upland is so diverse that sometimes it seems as if nature itself made sure that gardens and parks were laid out here. Picturesque hills give way to natural terraces, they are replaced by valleys formed by once deep rivers; on flat surfaces, mixed forests replace fields. The water accumulated in the karst rocks of the Izhora Upland makes its way to the surface in the form of springs, thereby giving rise to numerous streams and rivers. Directing their waters down to the Gulf of Finland, along the way they feed with their water the ponds and lakes located at the foot, on the basis of which the magnificent architectural and park ensembles of the coastal road were created.

The cliff offers magnificent panoramic views. In the photo: view from the Koporye Fortress towards the Gulf of Finland.

Thus, being a geological monument in itself, the Izhora Upland consists of a large number of memorable corners of nature. Here you can find outcrops of ancient geological rocks, radon lakes, and huge boulders and, of course, enjoy the beautiful landscapes that open to the observer standing on the edge of the cliff. Indeed, the Baltic-Ladoga ledge, like the crest of a wave, soared high above the endless blue-green sea of forests. It is not without reason that in literature one can find the description of the Izhora Upland as a “Museum of Picturesque Landscapes”...

Standing on the edge of the Izhora Upland, the observer has beautiful views of endless forests.

A lot of time has passed since man developed these lands. Gradually, military fortifications began to be built among the pristine nature, roads were built among forests and fields, and villages, hamlets and estates began to appear on dry, elevated places. Having absorbed numerous evidence of bygone eras, the Izhora Upland, in addition to its natural originality, acquired an extensive historical and cultural layer that requires serious and careful study. And we hope that by making this journey with us, our readers will better understand the beauty of the places described and will once again be convinced of how beautiful our land is and how many interesting secrets it holds...

Russian stronghold on a rocky cape

In search of one of the most amazing sights of the Izhora Upland, the Leningrad region, and, perhaps, the entire North-West of Russia, it is worth driving about 80 kilometers west of St. Petersburg to the ancient village of Koporye. It is here, on the very edge of the Izhora Upland, on a high cliff that the stone walls of the ancient Koporye fortress have been rising for several hundred years - one of the most famous monuments of ancient Russian military architecture.

Koporye Fortress is one of the most famous sights of the Leningrad region and the entire North-West of Russia

Located 12 km from the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, Koporye served as a good reference point for sailors; it is no coincidence, according to F.O. Tumansky, “those traveling by sea can see Koporye 40 miles away”. However, the proximity to the coast only further enhanced the land importance of Koporye. Ownership of Koporye meant not only control over the roads, but also over the Izhora Upland, which nature itself made convenient for agriculture. These circumstances determined the role of Koporye as a militarily strategic point and as an administrative and economic center of the district.

From time immemorial, the Izhora Upland was full of roads and trade routes that needed to be protected.

Throughout its long and rich history, the Koporye Fortress was the most important component of the defensive system of Russian fortresses, which time after time stood in the way of the invasion of the knights of the Livonian Order and Swedish troops. And even in the 20th century, when her glorious “military career” seemed to have irretrievably sunk into the past, the fortress walls had to witness the fierce battles of the Civil and Great Patriotic Wars. All this explains the interest that is steadily maintained in the fortress both among specialists and on the part of numerous tourists and antiquity lovers.

Koporye Fortress serves as a place of pilgrimage for tourists and various celebrations. In the photo: a fragment of the annual holiday “Koporie Fun”

The first thing that strikes visitors is the relatively small size of the fortress, which fits very well into the natural features of the area. In fact, the fortress is located on a small area of a rocky cape (about 70x200 meters), and the walls, made of flagstone, seem to grow out of the steep slopes of the area. On two sides - southern and western - the cape is bordered by a deep ravine, formed due to the flow of the once full-flowing, and now small, Koporka river. Looking down from the fortress walls at the natural ravine, the thought inevitably comes to mind, as if nature itself had taken due care to protect these sides of the fortress better than others. From these sides, the fortress wall smoothly follows the contours of the cape, giving the facade an additional highlight.

Now Koporka is a very small river, the former greatness of which is evidenced by the deep canyon that encircles the fortress on the south side.

Somewhere down there Koporka carries its waters. View from the south side of the fortress.

Like many small rivers originating in the Izhora Upland, Koporka carries its waters towards the Gulf of Finland.

From the northwest and north, the fortress is also protected by ravines, although less deep. They were formed as a result of the drying out of the lake that once existed here. The greater vulnerability to enemy attacks necessitated the construction of more serious defensive fortifications: it is on the northern side of the fortress that three of its four towers stand. Thus, the features of the relief predetermined the division of the fortress fronts into rear and approach.

View of the fortress moat from the north side.

On the eastern side, the approach to the fortress is blocked by a deep and wide ditch dug into the rock. Here, in the eastern part of the fortress wall, there is a gate, to which a narrow arched stone bridge leads.

The only entrance to the fortress is through the original fortress bridge.

From a bird's eye view, the fortress has the shape of an irregular triangle, stretching from east to west for almost 200 meters, with four cylindrical battle towers. The total length of the fortress walls is more than 400 meters, and all of them are basically made of local limestone.

View of the Koporye Fortress from above. The towers, the curved southern wall, and the Transfiguration Cathedral are clearly visible in the center. Source: http://www.koporiemuseum.ru/about/

Today, the Koporye Fortress is rightly considered one of the most authentic monuments of ancient Russian fortification. Throughout its history, the fortress has never undergone a comprehensive restoration. Only at the end of the 19th century the gate part of the fortress had to be lined with brickwork and covered with a cement cushion on top in order to prevent the collapse of the vaults.

Much less evidence of history is located inside the fortress. Of all the buildings, only the one located in the very center of the fortress courtyard remains relatively intact to date. In the north-eastern corner of the courtyard, the ruins of a large stone building rise above the ground - these are the remains of the commandant's office, built in the time of Peter the Great.

The Transfiguration Cathedral is perhaps the only surviving building inside the fortress courtyard.

Before taking a closer look at the fortress itself, let’s take a short trip into the past, into the history of Russia, because the reasons for the appearance and history of the construction of the Koporye fortress itself are inextricably linked with it.

"Grad Kamen"

Koporye first appears on the pages of Russian chronicles in 1240, during a difficult time for the Novgorod Republic, when the Novgorod army, led by the outstanding Russian commander Alexander Nevsky, was forced to repel the fierce blows of the Swedes and Livonian knights. In conditions of time pressure and threats from both sides at once, it was necessary to choose a proven strategy of action to suppress enemy encroachments on the lands of North-Western Rus'.

The first major success of Alexander Nevsky’s squad was the victory over the Swedes in 1240.

The “Swedish problem” was the first to be solved, which made quite a strong impression on the Russian people. But the defense of Russian land from enemy invaders did not end there.

For a long time, the Livonian Order remained one of the main sources of danger for Northwestern Rus'

Almost simultaneously with the Swedish one, an equally serious threat “materialized”: Northwestern Rus' was attacked by German knights who were developing an attack on the Pskov land. At the first stage, they planned to take Pskov, and, having gained a foothold in it, then move on to seize the lands of Veliky Novgorod. Their invasion began in the winter of 1240. The lands of the Vodskaya Pyatina of Veliky Novgorod, through which the most important trade routes connecting Novgorod with its western neighbors passed, were primarily subjected to the devastating raid of the crusaders.

And in the Novgorod volost Lithuania, the Germans, the people, and drove all the horses and cattle across the Luga, and it was impossible for them to shout through the villages.”“- the chronicler complained, describing the events of those difficult years.

It is to this period that the first information about the construction of a wooden castle by the Livonians on the remains of the ancient Russian churchyard of Koporye, which they destroyed during the campaign in the Novgorod land, dates back to. The Germans came to Vod and Chudya, and you fought and laid tribute on them, and the city was established in the Koporya churchyard... you established the city of Koporia"). The appearance of an enemy fortified stronghold near the Gulf of Finland (at a distance of 12 kilometers) complicated the already difficult task of the defenders: now the enemy could transfer reinforcements by sea.

For centuries, the Livonian Order remained a very restless neighbor. Source: http://rushist.com/images/kiev-rus/livonia.jpg

The German army was numerous; in addition to the knights, residents of the cities of Dorpat, Odense and Fellin were also mobilized. The enemy unexpectedly attacked the city of Izborsk and took it by storm. The news of the capture of Izborsk by the Germans quickly reached Pskov. The entire city opposed the invaders. A big battle took place near Izborsk: and fought with them. - says the chronicler, “and the slaughter was great between them” ‘). The hastily formed Pskov militia was defeated numerically by an enemy several times superior. The knights, pursuing the remnants of the militia, burning and destroying everything they came across on the way, approached Pskov, but could not take the well-fortified city by storm. The besieged in the city did not surrender. But there were traitors from among the boyar elite. Negotiations began, as a result of which Pskov accepted the terms of the order. Betrayed, or, as the chronicler writes, “ Tverdilo Ivankovich and others let them down" This traitor Tverdil became a mayor: “ It’s time to own Pskov with the Germans" Some " Pskovites ran to Novgorod with their wives and children».

Alexander Nevsky had to make a lot of efforts in order to stop external threats to the Novgorod Republic.

While the dramatic events described above were developing on Novgorod land, Alexander Nevsky was no longer in Novgorod. Soon after the Neva victory, he left for Pereyaslavl, not finding a common language with the ruling boyar elite. However, fear of a formidable enemy and the demands of the people forced the boyars to begin negotiations on the return of Alexander Nevsky to the princely table. Realizing the danger of the situation and having overcome past grievances, the prince returned to Novgorod in 1241 and immediately began to form a militia, which, in addition to the Novgorodians, included Ladoga residents, Karelians and Izhorians. And the first goal of the princely army was Koporye, a stronghold of the Livonian Order in the Novgorod land. “...And the city was destroyed to the ground, and the Germans themselves were beaten,” - The chronicler wrote about the victory of the Russian army at the walls of Koporye.

Capture of Pskov by Alexander Nevsky. Miniature. Source: Life of Alexander Nevsky.

With the capture and destruction of this Koporye fortification, the Novgorod land was cleared of invaders. But external threats had not yet been completely removed from the agenda: Pskov remained in the hands of the order. Immediately after the victory at Koporye, Alexander, who returned to Novgorod, strengthens the militia units, preparing to expel the knights from the Pskov land. The assault on Pskov took place in the same year 1241. Despite the stubborn resistance of the German garrison, the city was taken. The knights suffered heavy losses, many were taken prisoner, including the order's governors.

The subsequent defeat of the crusaders on the ice of Lake Peipsi, and later the victory in the battle of Rakovor in 1268, were able to stop German aggression on the Novgorod lands for almost two centuries...

The outcome of the battle on the ice of Lake Peipsi cooled the warlike ardor of the Livonian Order for a long time. Source: http://www.kirochnoe.ru/prazdniki/den_voinskoj_slavyi_rossii_ledovoe_poboishhe_1242.html

Returning to the events of 1241, we can conclude that already in those days the Koporye fortress, located near the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, was already of great strategic importance for Novgorod. In fact, Koporye, on the one hand, played the role of a border fortress of Novgorod, and on the other, the center of a tribal association of leaders. The strategic role of Koporye is further emphasized by the events of 1256. It was then that Koporye was appointed as a gathering point for the Novgorod army led by Alexander Nevsky before marching into the land of the Finnish tribe Em, who lived on the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland. This campaign was directed against the Swedes, who seized the Emi lands in 1249 and threatened the Novgorod lands from the conquered territory. So, in 1256 they made an attempt to fortify themselves on the Narova River: a Swedish detachment led by Dietrich von Kivel wanted to build a fortified point on the Narova, but upon learning of the approach of the Novgorod army, they fled.

The desire of Catholicism to expand its influence to the east invariably encountered severe resistance from the Russian principalities. Semiradsky G.I. Alexander Nevsky receives papal legates. 1876

As part of the Novgorod Republic

In the winter of 1256, the Novgorod army marched into the land via the shortest route - through the Gulf of Finland. The raid on the ice of the bay was difficult. The Novgorod chronicler wrote about this campaign: “ and the path was evil, but they saw neither days nor nights, and there was destruction for many men...“The campaign was a success: the Swedes were defeated, Russian influence among the local tribes was restored for some time.

Subsequently, after the death of Alexander, the Novgorodians several times invited his son, Prince Dmitry, to reign. In 1279, Prince Dmitry asked Novgorod for consent to build a wooden castle in Koporye: “Ask Prince Dmitry from Novgorod to build the city of Koporia for yourself, and cut it down yourself.” And the very next year, on the site of the wooden castle, the same Dmitry, but with the participation of Novgorod, built a stone fortress; in 1280 " Grand Duke Dmitry with mayor Mikhail (descendant of the famous Misha of Novgorodone of the heroes of the Neva Battle with the Swedes in 1240)Andwith great men, they marched and surrounded the city of Koporya with stones" It is possible that the reason for such a quick replacement of the wooden fortress with a stone one was a fire that destroyed the princely residence, information about which did not appear on the pages of the Novgorod chronicles.

It was to Prince Dmitry Alexandrovich that Koporye owed the appearance of the first stone fortress. Drawing by V.P. Vereshchagin.

Being the second stone military-defensive structure built on the outskirts of the Novgorod land after Ladoga, this first stone fortress, like its wooden predecessors, also did not exist in Koporye for long. However, in the same year, Prince Dmitry removed Mikhail from the posadnichestvo, replacing him with his protege, Semyon Mikhailov, who had previously been a mayor in Ladoga. The relations between the Novgorodians and the princes have always been difficult since the 12th century. Observing the priority of the grand ducal power (the prince who received the Tatar label for the great reign was invited to the Novgorod table), the Novgorod “big men” vigilantly ensured that the prince did not settle too firmly on Novgorod land. It was also undesirable for them to strengthen Dmitry’s power when he received the Koporye stone castle, villages and hamlets into his personal possession.

And just 2 years later, taking advantage of the fact that the prince was defeated in an internecine struggle with his brother Andrei, who received the label for the great reign, the Novgorodians decided to take Koporye from Dmitry. In 1282, Dmitry was forced to leave Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, captured by Andrei, and wanted to take refuge in Koporye Castle. However, the Novgorod regiments stood at Lake Ilmen and blocked his path. Somewhat earlier, two daughters of Dmitry and his boyars were captured as hostages. Provided that the prince’s soldiers, the “Dmitriev men” who guarded Koporye, leave the fortress, the Novgorodians promised to return the hostages. Dmitry had no choice but to accept this condition and withdraw his soldiers from Koporye. A sad fate awaited Dmitry's castle: “The Novgorodians destroyed the city and excavated the mountain" Judging by the description, this fortress was a combination of earthen fortifications and stone superstructures, characteristic of Russian defensive buildings of the early Middle Ages.

It seems, however, that soon enough the Novgorodians regretted their impulsive decision to destroy the Koporye fortifications. “Restless” neighbors continued to disturb their possessions, and the Koporye Fortress was the only outpost covering the enemy’s approaches to Novgorod from the north-west from the Vodskaya Pyatina. As a result, just 15 years after the events described, the Novgorodians, already under Prince Andrei Alexandrovich, built a new stone fortress in Koporye: in 1297 “ supplies Novgorod city Koporyu", the chronicle reports. Apparently, the construction work of 1297 completely destroyed traces of the defense work of previous years.

In fact, Koporye was not only a military fortress that served as a base for active operations against the Germans and Swedes, but also a trade and craft city, which was the administrative center of Votskaya land. For this reason, the presence of a well-fortified point here corresponded to the very logic of the existence and development of the Novgorod Republic. The construction of the Koporye fortress in 1297, along with the construction of the Ladoga stone Kremlin at the beginning of the 12th century, testifies to the great importance that the Novgorod Republic attached to strengthening the defense capability of its borders.

Map of the Kargalsky churchyard of Vodskaya Pyatina. Completed by Archimandrite Sergius in 1905 based on data from the census books of the Vodskaya Pyatina. Source: Yuzhakova O. “Koporye. Stone guardian of Rus'.”

Thus, the oldest period in the construction biography of the Koporye fortress turned out to be the most “prolific”: in a short period of time (18 years), three fortresses replaced each other on the Koporye rock: in 1279 - the wooden castle of Prince Dmitry, in 1280 - the stone castle of Dmitry and in 1297 - the Novgorod stone city. The importance of the fortress in Koporye for Novgorod was difficult to overestimate. Built on the routes connecting it with the Baltic Sea, it turned into the largest stronghold of the Novgorod Boyar Republic in the north-west, which for a whole century (before the foundation of the Yam fortress) not only controlled traffic along the important river arteries of the Novgorod region - Luga and Plus, and was also a stronghold of the entire Vodskaya Pyatina of Veliky Novgorod.

In fact, already at the end of the 13th century, Novgorod had two stone fortresses - Ladoga in the northeast of the capital of the veche republic and Koporye in the northwest. These two ancient Russian stone fortresses appeared in the most dangerous strategic directions for the northwestern Russian lands. It is not for nothing that they were built long before the stone fortifications were erected in Novgorod itself. In the following centuries, the stone fortresses Yam and Oreshek were added to them, thanks to which Novgorod acquired a strong defensive barrier on the path of Livonian and Swedish aggression, strengthening its authority and security.

Subsequently, the Novgorodians began to invite the Lithuanian princes Gediminovich as governors to their border fortresses, who with their squads were supposed to ensure their defense. In 1333, Prince Narimont received these fortresses for feeding. In Koporye, Narimont was given half of the income from the Koporye district for military service. It is possible that in this way the Novgorodians not only acquired allies in the fight against the Germans and Swedes, but also tried to pursue a special political course during the period of increasing influence of the Moscow Principality since the time of Ivan Kalita. With a slight interruption, the Lithuanian princes served in border fortresses until 1446.

However, the serving princes did not always conscientiously fulfill the duties assigned to them. For example, when in 1338, detachments of Livonians from Narva invaded the Vodskaya land and the Koporites sent to Prince Narimont in Lithuania for help, he never showed up with his squad. Having ravaged the surrounding settlements, the Livonian detachment approached the walls of Koporye and besieged it. The fortress was successfully defended. A cavalry detachment led by Voivode Fyodor Vasilyevich that emerged from its gates defeated the enemy. The Germans were forced to lift the siege and leave the Vodskaya land.

The degree of reliability of the Koporye fortress is evidenced by the fact that the boyar leaders of Novgorod considered it a fairly reliable refuge during the unrest of the “black people” in the capital of the veche republic. Twice - in 1342 and 1350 - Novgorod mayors Andrei and Fedor holed up behind stone walls “in the town of Koporye”, fleeing from the rebels.

In 1348, Koporye was again forced to repel an attack by enemies: this time a Swedish army led by King Magnus. The fortress was successfully defended, and the Novgorod militia, led by Ontsifor Lukich, soon expelled the enemy.

By the end of the 14th century, the Koporye Fortress was experiencing its “finest hour”, being a major military and administrative center of the Vodskaya Pyatina. But from that moment the situation began to change. The reason for this is the construction in 1384 of a new fortification on the Luga River - the Yam stone fortress. The new fortress, placed on one of the important trade routes from Narva to Novgorod, controlled navigation along Luga and gradually turned into the largest trade, craft and administrative center of the Vodskaya Pyatina. The Koporye fortress, thus, became the “rear” in the defense system of the Novgorod lands, and in administrative and economic terms it took a modest position as the center of the Kargalsky churchyard. It was in this status that Koporye entered the 15th century, which brought decisive changes in the history of not only the northwestern, but also all Russian lands. Having begun under the sign of the next round of confrontation with the Livonian Order, the century passed under the sign of the political process of consolidation of Russian principalities and lands. By the end of the 15th century, a new powerful power emerged on the international scene - the Moscow State. The next stage of modification of the Koporye fortress is connected with the unification of Russian lands around Moscow.

Fragment of the map of Novgorod Pyatyn in the 16th century. showing cities and churchyards. Compiled by K. Nevolin. 1853

Vodskaya Pyatina. Fragment of the map of Novgorod Pyatyn in the 16th century. showing cities and churchyards. Compiled by K. Nevolin. 1853

In the first half of the 15th century, the Livonian Order, having recovered from the defeats of the time of Alexander Nevsky, again began to threaten the western borders of the Novgorod land. Having united with the Swedes, the Livonians in 1445-1448 besieged the new military-administrative center of the Vodskaya land, the city of Yam. But they failed to take the fortress. By that time, the Novgorod army already had large-caliber firearms, which could be used both in field battles and in naval battles. In addition, the boyar republic gradually reconstructed its old fortresses, taking into account the emerging introduction of firearms of various calibers into the practice of military operations.

At the final stage of Novgorod's independence in the mid-15th century, the stone walls of the Ladoga Kremlin, the Yam fortress and the Novgorod Detinets itself were “corrected”. The veche republic did not have time to transform the Koporye fortress. In the 70s of the fifteenth century, a decisive event occurred in the process of political unification of the Russian people - the independence of Novgorod the Great was eliminated and the consolidation of Russian lands around Moscow was completed. From this period of time, the formation of the external defensive system of the young Moscow state begins its countdown.

As part of the Moscow State

By this time, the Koporye fortress, which had existed for more than 200 years, was not only very outdated, but also significantly dilapidated. Thus, it is clear why, having included Koporye among the border outposts of the Russian state, Moscow completely rebuilt its defensive structures.

The “Census quitrent book of the Votskaya Pyatina of 1500” gives some idea of what Koporye looked like: “ In Votskaya Pyatina the city of Koporye on the river on Koporye" The Koporye population is surprisingly small: in the fortress itself there are only 4 courtyards, in which there are residents, these are police officers and guards, that is, service people. The courtyards of the Koporye governor, boyar Gavrila Belsky, stood empty (the boyar Velsky himself lived on his estate) and the “courtyard of the Grand Duke” (in the past it belonged to the Novgorod boyar Bogdan Esipov). Near the fortress there was a small settlement where both “city people”, associated with the service with the fortress, and townspeople lived. The population of the townspeople is also small - only six households and six families in them.

The census quitrent book of Vodskaya Pyatina is a unique source of information about the past of our region.

The “city people” in the settlement belonged to a larger group of households: in 11 households lived the tiun (official), the pishchalnik Senka Ivashkov, the saddlenik Omos, Savka Makushkin the Cossack, Ivashko Levkov the cap-maker and others.

This information confirms the modest position of Koporye by the end of the 15th century. For comparison: in the Yam city and in the settlement by 1500 there were 239 households, in which more than a thousand people lived.

In part, the small number of Koporsky Posad can be explained by the high level of economic development of the settlements located in the urban district. According to the scribe book of 1500, Koporye was surrounded by villages (some of them have survived to this day), in which lived not only farmers, but also artisans - blacksmiths, brewers. The courtyards of the patrimonial estates located near the fortress had their own developed subsistence economy.

In the Kargalsky churchyard there were land holdings of large feudal lords - Bogdan Esipov, Zakhar Ovinov and others. In 1483, by royal decree, 88 families of Novgorod boyars were sent from Novgorod to Vodskaya Pyatina. This was done in order to weaken the Novgorod boyars after the annexation of the Novgorod Republic to the Moscow centralized state and at the same time populate the Votic lands.

The iron ore industry was well developed in the district: the raw material was swamp ore, from which iron was smelted in smelters. It was not only used by local blacksmiths, but also exported to Novgorod. There were especially many domnitsa in the area of the villages (now tracts) of Lasuna and Kostivtsovo, which were a kind of center of iron smelting and iron processing.

This is what the Koporye fortress looked like, which occupied an important place in the defensive lines of the Moscow state. Source: A.N.Kirpichnikov. “Stone fortresses of the Novgorod land”

By the end of the 15th century, a tense situation remained on the northwestern borders of the Russian lands. It was now the Moscow government’s turn to take measures to strengthen its western borders. Evidence of the efforts was the construction in an unprecedentedly short time of the first stone fortress in Novgorod and the renovation of the stone fortress. The aggravation of relations with the Swedes led to the reconstruction of the fortress at the mouth of the Neva - Oreshek, as well as the Ladoga fortress. Construction work was also carried out in other regions of the Russian state: in 1508, by royal decree, the foundation was laid grad kamen Novgorod Nizhny", in 1520 a stone fortress in Tula, in 1523 - in Kolomna. As a result, at the end of the 15th century, the construction of the stone Moscow Kremlin began. Such a wide scope of military construction was combined with the use of the latest technical achievements of European military architecture, since European, especially Italian, masters took a large part in this. Only after these priority works were carried out, in the first quarter of the 16th century, was the Koporye fortress reconstructed.

With the construction of the fortress in Ivangorod, the forward defensive line shifted to the west.

Having significantly strengthened its defensive lines, in the first half of the 16th century the Moscow state intensified its policy in the Baltic states. In 1533, Russian troops moved into the lands of the Livonian Order, which for several centuries carried out an economic blockade of Russian lands and constantly raided Rus'.

Capture of Narva by Ivan the Terrible. B.A. Chorikov. 1836 Source: http://tellis.ucoz.ru/_pu/3/23139498.jpg

At first, the course of the Livonian War was very successful for the Russian army: in the Battle of Viljandi in 1559, the order was dealt a crushing blow, after which it virtually ceased to exist. However, the entry into the war in 1561 of Lithuania and Sweden, and later Poland, complicated the position of the Russian state. As a result, the Livonian War ended in 1581 with the defeat of Russia. A number of Russian territories, including Narva and Koporye, came under Swedish control.

In 1582, two Swedish cavalry regiments were stationed in the Koporye district, occupied by the Swedes, and the fortress was garrisoned by 500 soldiers led by commandant Alaf Erikson. In lean years, feeding so many soldiers was a difficult task for Russian peasants (the Swedes were stationed with 5 people for every 2 peasant households). Extortions for the maintenance of the Swedish army caused peasant unrest, and the Swedes were forced to withdraw all military forces from the Koporye district, leaving only a garrison.

Koporye 16th century. Reconstruction by A.K. Filippov. Source: O.V. Ovsyannikov. “Koporye”.

Difficulties with food and the flaring up partisan struggle in the Koporye district caused concern among the Swedish command. Back in 1581, the commandant of Narva, Karl Gorn, sent a report to King Johann III that the dissatisfaction of the local population with Swedish extortions could make it easier for the Russian Tsar to return the cities of the Izhora land.

In 1583, peace negotiations began in the village of Plusse. According to the Truce of Plus, the Russian state had to cede to the Swedes almost the entire coast of the Gulf of Finland, as well as the fortresses of Ivangorod, Yam and Koporye.

According to the Truce of Plus, Koporye was assigned to the Swedes for the first time.

The conquerors were faced with the problem of creating a strong defense of the conquered lands and strengthening the defense capability of the fortresses in which Swedish garrisons were located.

In 1586, the royal secretary Henrik Khutut summoned skilled craftsmen and ordered them to make wooden models of the fortresses of Koporye and Yam. In 1587, the news of the death of Ivan the Terrible and rumors of a large Russian army preparing to march to the Izhora land forced the Swedes to rush with repair work. In 1588, King Johann the Third ordered the strengthening of the border fortresses and the construction of wooden buildings in them in case of his arrival: the king was preparing to make an inspection trip. However, at the end of the 80s. Russian troops liberated the fortress again. Now the fortress was garrisoned not by local militias, but by archers, for whom a settlement was built under the walls of the citadel. The area continued to be the scene of fierce clashes between the warring parties. In the winter of 1591, the Swedes again burned all the villages around Koporye and took the inhabitants captive. Surely at that time the area along the cliff presented an extremely unpleasant sight: destroyed villages, ashes. The Treaty of Tyavzin, concluded in 1595, gave a small respite, securing the Vodskaya Pyatina and Koporye to the Moscow state.

Title page of the Tyavzin Treaty. According to it, Koporye and a number of other lands returned to the bosom of the Russian crown. Source: RGADA F. 96. Op. 3. L.7

Muscovy is the largest grand duchy. Dutch map 1593 Antwerp. Authors: Antony Jenkinson and Gerard de Jode. Source: http://www.karty.by/2014/03/12/moskoviya-1593-g-antverpen/

Koporye was finally lost during the Time of Troubles. The Swedes, taking advantage of the Polish intervention, took control of vast territories in the North-West of Rus'. These conquests were consolidated by the Stolbovo Peace Treaty of 1617. According to it, the Izhora land with the cities of Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye, Oreshek, Koreloy remained in the possession of the Swedes. The newly formed Swedish province was named Ingria. Koporye and the district made up Koporye fief (together with Yamsky, Ivangorod and Noteburgsky).

Ratification of the Swedish king Gustav Adolf to the Stolbovo Treaty on Perpetual Peace between Russia and Sweden. Parchment. May 1, 1617. Source: RGADA. F. 96. Op. 3,

The fate of the local nobility developed differently. After the signing of the Stolbovsky Peace, the nobles were allowed to leave for the Russian side within two weeks. Those who owned estates outside Ingria left the Izhora lands. Those who did not have time to leave had to take an oath of allegiance to the Swedish crown and perform government duties. The same fate befell the Moscow guardsmen, who did not have estates in the central part of the Moscow state, and they were forced to go into the service of the Swedes in order to preserve their estates.

After the seizure of the Neva lands, Sweden became the most influential state in Northern Europe.

As part of Ingria

Boguslav Rosen is one of the owners of Koporye in the 17th century. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bogislaus_von_Rosen.jpg

While maintaining the previous division of conquered lands into counties and churchyards, the Swedish crown introduced the rental principle of distributing Russian lands for service. Koporye went to the former Revel merchant Boguslav Rosen, whose family owned Koporye for 18 years. During this time, roads were built from the parish of Tyuro (now Oranienbaum) to the parish of Kattila (Kotly) and stone stables. During the reign of Boguslav Rosen, Koporye reached its peak, reaching the same level of income as Vyborg. The fortress was defended by a well-armed garrison.

The evidence of the traveler Adam Olearius, who described his stay in Koporye, has been preserved:

When Narva was taken from the Russians, then this city was conquered. There is a manor nearby, inhabited by Russians, who, along with the fortress, are subjects of His Royal Majesty the Swedish. Here we were given new horses, on which on the 29th. m. we rode on horseback 6 miles to the Koporye fortress, where we were wonderfully greeted with salute shots, and the governor, Mr. Boguslav Rosen, wonderfully treated us, feeding us that same evening with 48 dishes and various wines, honey and beer. The next day there were no less treats and feasts, but even more plentiful and with the addition of music and other fun. At 3 o’clock after lunch, we were sent onward with fireworks and fresh horses.”

Excerpt about the visit of Adam Olearius to Koporye. “Description of a trip to Muscovy”

A much less idyllic picture was happening on the conquered Izhora land among ordinary citizens. The indigenous inhabitants from among the local peasants were under strong tax pressure. The Russian population also experienced religious persecution: Orthodox churches were closed, priests were forbidden to take payment for services, and stables were set up in churches. Russian townspeople who traded in Ingria had to accept Lutheranism, otherwise they were deprived of the right to trade and were evicted to outlying churchyards. Even the Governor-General of Ingria admitted that the law has been forgotten here. This situation provoked tension in the occupied lands and created the basis for the partisan movement. Armed resistance was expressed in an attack on Swedish troops, destruction of food supplies and fodder.

The situation in the new Swedish province was closely monitored in the Russian state, for which the loss of access to the Baltic shores was a heavy blow. It was quite obvious that Russia would make attempts to regain its territories, which were of key importance for its further development. Such an attempt was made during the Russian-Swedish war of 1656-1658. During the military operations, Russian troops managed to win a number of local victories, but attempts to return Koporye were unsuccessful. The subsequent conclusion of the Kardis Peace Treaty preserved the border established by the Stolbovsky Treaty of 1617.

Siege of Riga in 1656 by Russian troops. Engraving 17th century.

Nevertheless, the intentions of the Russian tsars to regain access to the Baltic were very transparent, which forced the Swedes to take a fresh look at the state of their Ingrian fortresses. In particular, the Swedish governor S. Kelmfelt, assuming that attempts could be repeated, strengthened the garrison and strengthened the dilapidated walls. And a little later, military engineer and fortifier Eric Dalberg, appointed in 1674 as director of management of all fortresses in Sweden, reported to the king about the poor condition of the Koporye fortress. In September 1681, Dalberg, having examined Koporye again, expressed the opinion that it was necessary to blow up the fortress, because if captured, it could become a support for the Russian population in the fight against the Swedes. Gunpowder was already prepared for the explosion, but at the last moment the decision was canceled. It is possible that the report of the Governor of Ingria Otto Fersen to the King of Sweden that Koporye must be left as a stronghold for the safe safety of the Swedish troops played a role.

Koporskaya Fortress. Swedish plan of 1645