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The Russian Gate with the Towers and Fortifications - the Complex of the Costructions, the XV century. Preservation #734 | Foto
It is located
on the right-bank belt of the canyon of the Smotrych River. Building of the
Russian Gate began in the XV century, was continued in the 30-40's of the XVI
century. According to the design it is analogical to the Polish Gate. The ensemble
consisted of 8 towers, barbican and the defensive walls, joining them, 230 m
long. They completely crossed the canyon, 90 m wide. There were sluices in the
wall in the place of the crossing of the river-bed. In the XVI-XVII centuries,
the coastal fortifications of the Russian Gate began to ruin as a result of
the frequent floods. At the end of the XVII century, one tower and a part of
another collapsed. In the beginning of the XVII� century, two more towers collapsed.
In the 50-70's of the XVIII century, the system of the branch ducts was created,
the walls were built along the coastal side, the stone walls were built near
the Coastal Tower. In the beginning of the XIX century,
the Russian Gate lost its defensive and hydroengineering function, and its rooms
began to be used as the storehouses.
Today, the Russian Gate consists of the Patrol Tower, the
Gate Tower, the Barbican, the
Overgate Tower with underground gallery, semitower, the
Coastal Tower, Casemate Curtain and the
defensive walls.
The Patrol Tower of the Russian Gate (the XV century) was
located on the rock, 12 m high. It is stone, two-tiered, round in plan, with
the diameter of 7 m. The wall thickness is 0,7-1 m. The entrance to the tower
is located from the side of the slope. The loopholes of the both tiers are with
the arched tier plates. The laying forms the stay-put belt on the front of the
tower between the tiers. The stone walls go aside from the tower along the edge
of the rock.
The Gate Tower of the Barbican of the Russian Gate was
built in the first half of the XVI century. It looks like a semicircular with
a diameter of 6.6 m. It is a four tiered, with a floor wall thickness of 1.1
m, the rock of the opposite side serves for the wall. There are two entrances
to the tower from the side of the yard of the barbican. All of the loopholes
of the tower are with the sides, widened in both directions, and have the three-centered
tie plates. In the second and forth tiers, their outside parts are made of white
stone. The stone cannon-balls are set into the laying from the floor side of
the elevation of the tower.
The Barbican of the Russian Gate (the XV-XVI, XVIII
centuries) is a leading fortification of the Gate Tower. It looks like a rectangular
yard with dimensions of 16.5 m - from the North to the South, and 10.6 m in
the diameter. It is surrounded by the two-tiered defensive walls from the North
and West. The Gate is located in the northern part. The barbican sides with
the Gate Tower by its southern side, and with the rock - by the eastern side.
The walls are made of stone, their thickness in the first tier is 2.2 m, and
0.5 m - in the second tier. The barbican is connected with the Overgate and
Gate Tower by means of the second tier.
The Overgate Tower of the Russian Gate (the XV-XVIII
canturies) is rectangular in its plan, with the axis of the passage of 8.2 m,
and the width of 7.3 m. It remained to the height of two tiers. The passage
is covered with the torispherical vault. The second tier consists of two rooms:
the northern one, that is connected with the gallery of the barbican and the
curtain of the Casemate, and the southern one is with two entrances. The Northern
elevation of the Tower is coated by the white stone slabs. The memorial plate
with the date of the repairs "1770" remained over the gate. The walls
are crowned with the white stone cornice. The Southern elevation was rebuilt
in the XIX century, and the loopholes were altered into the window-openings.
The semitower at the Northern gate of the Overgate Tower remained to the height
of one and a half tier.
The undeground gallery, L-type in its plan, is built on to the rock near the
southern gate of the Overgate Tower. There are two loopholes in it. The gallery
is connected with the Overgate Tower.
The Coastal Tower of the Russian Gate (the XV century)
is located on 24 m distance from the Overgate Tower and is connected with it
by the two-tiered Casemate Curtain. It is stone, five-tiered, square in its
foundation, with the side of 7.6 m, and round in the upper tiers. The first
tier is in the form of the arched corridor, 1.7 m wide. The coverings of the
upper tiers did not remain. The loopholes in the tower are with chambers and
fenestrations in the form of upturned keyhole; the fenestrations of the upper
tiers are in the form of small window openings. The remains of the thin stucco
are on the walls of the Tower.
The
Casemate Curtain (the XV-XVIII centuries) is located between the Overgate and
the Coastal Tower. It looks like two parallel defensive walls, that are located
at the distance of 4.2 m. The two-tiered buildings are located between them.
The North-eastern wall of the Casemate Curtain looks like a two-tiered wall
with a number of cannon loopholes. Two tiers of the Casemate Curtain are covered
with the stone vaults.
The defensive wall of the riverside of the Russian Gate
(the XV-XVIII centuries) begins from the southern part of the Coastal Tower.
It forms the L-type plan and consists of two walls of different times. A half
of the territory along the riverside is rather ancient. The second part of the
territory with the turn to the river dates from the XVIII century. The wall
of the XVIII century remained to the height of 5.5 m. Its thickness in the foundation
is 2.76 m. The loopholes within the area, parallel to the river, are with chambers
and the sides, widened in both directions. The loopholes of the wall, that perpendicular
to the river, are the cannon one and are extended to 2 m to the floor side from
the fenestration, 0.65 m wide. Near the defensive wall, crossing the river bed,
the area, 3 m long, remained near the rock of the left bank. There are the tracks
of the sluice devices there.
In 1959-1960, the conservation and restoration works were carried out in some
constructions of the ensemble. The towers and the Casemate
Curtain were covered with the roofs. The wooden gallery of the barbican
was restored.
The ensemble of the Russian Gate along with the analogical defensive and hydroengineering
system of the Middle Ages of the Polish Gate is the only example of the similar
constructions in the Eastern Europe.
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The Russian Gate, the XVI-XVIII centuries
The Russian population, which the Polish magnates forced out to the suburbs of the city because of rejection of adoption the Catholicism, built the defensive constructions. The Russian Gate is the most significant of them. It is situated in the south-western part of the city, and forms a separate fortress with 8 bastions and was the main entrance to the city from the South. Two towers are built near the rock, the third one sided with the Smotrych River in the place, where the sluice opened. The forth tower was situated in the far bank of the River. In spite of the Gate crossed the river bed, all of the towers were connected by means of the fortifications. In case of the alarm, the entrance to the Gate was closed by the grates, that pulled down from the second floor by means of the special mechanism. The last restoration of the Gate was carried in 1960.
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Translated
by Yana Anufriyeva
mail to: [email protected]
The Patrol Tower. Preservation #734/1
The Patrol Tower of the Russian Gate (the XV century) is situated on the rock at the height of 12 m. It is stone, two-tiered, round in its plan, with a diameter of 7 m. The thickness of its walls is 0.7-1 m. The entrance to the Tower is located from the side of the slope. The loopholes of the both tiers are with the arched tie plates. The laying forms the stay-put belt on the elevation of the tower between the tiers. The stone walls go aside from the tower in both directions along the edge of the rock.
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Russian Gate
In 1527, the Russian Gate was built in the south-western part of the city from
the side of the suburbs of Karvasary and the Rus'ki Fil'varky (Russian Farms).
Only four towers, two-storied building, and part of the walls remained till
today. Earlier, 8 towers and 100 m of the stone fortifications were included
to the Russian Gate.
The entrance to the Gate was located on the right bank of the Smotrych River.
It began with the oaken grates, located in the Overgate Tower. The entrance
was also protected by two rock towers and zahab.
The stone defensive walls with the loopholes connected the Overgate Tower with
the Rock one, and made up the 45 degrees angle westward in the direction of
the River. Two small towers were built on the shoals of the Smotrych River.
The stone plates, mounted into the towers, verify about their rebuilt and repairs.
One of these plates with the Latin inscription is saved in the local museum.
Its translation is the following: this Gate was built by efforts of the guard
of the Royal Majesty.
At the end of the XVIII century, the majority of the fortifications of the Russian
Gate was ruined by floods. The monuments, spared by water, later were ruined
by time, disorderliness of the Tsar governors and vandalism of the fascist invaders.
In 1980, the conservation and partial restoration of the Russian Gate.
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Translated
by Yana Anufriyeva
mail to: [email protected]