Fortress Koporye (Fortress in Koporye, Koporskaya Fortress) - a monument of Russian medieval defensive architecture - located in the southwest Leningrad region, on the edge of the Izhora Upland, in the village of Koporye. The fortress is located 12 km south of Gulf of Finland and occupies a small platform of a high rocky promontory.
In its lifetime, the fortress was rebuilt several times and several times passed into the hands of the Swedes, then returned back to Russia. Current state The fortress is far from ideal, restoration work was almost not carried out. On the other hand, this made it possible to keep the architecture of the last version of the fortress unchanged and create a special atmosphere of the fortress itself.
From the name of the area came the name of the drink made from Ivan-tea, "Koporsky tea".
Story
The fortress in Koporye was founded in 1237. First mentioned in Novgorod annals in 1240, when the German knights of the Livonian Order built a wooden fortress in the Koporsky churchyard.
In 1241, Alexander Nevsky recaptured the fortress from the German knights and destroyed it. Died during the assault famous hero Gavrila Aleksich. Sofia First Chronicle:
| In the same summer, after the return, the victory of the great Alexander Yaroslavich, the same winter came from the Western country of Nemtsi and Chud to Vod. And you fought everything, and laid tribute on them, and cut down the city in Koporia in the fatherland of the Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich.<…>That same summer, Prince Oleksandr went to the Germans, to the city of Koporye, from Novgorod and took the city, and the Germans brought it to Novgorod. |
In 1280 Grand Duke Dmitry Alexandrovich staged in Koporye stone city, which two years later was destroyed by the Novgorodians as a result of a conflict with the prince. The fortress was built again in 1297, and at the end of the XV - early XVI century was rebuilt.
After the capture by the Swedes in 1581, Koporye returned to Russia only under the treaty of 1590.
However, according to the Stolbovsky Peace of 1617, Koporye again went to Sweden. In 1656-1657 Russian army unsuccessfully tried to return Koporye, which was returned to Russia only under Peter I, in 1703.
In 1708, Peter I handed over the fortress to Prince Menshikov, and in 1727, after his disgrace, Koporye passed into the treasury. In 1763 Koporskaya Fortress was excluded from the list of fortifications.
In 1919, during civil war soldiers of the Red Army, using the fortress, successfully repulsed the attack of the White Guard landing force, which landed in the rear of the Red Army.
On September 1, 1941, Koporye was abandoned by the Red Army. In January 1944, Koporye was liberated.
In 1962, the fortress church burned down from an accidental fire.
In 2001, the fortress received the status of a museum.
On April 4, 2013, the fortress was officially closed to the public due to an emergency condition.
The architectural ensemble of the fortress
The fortress includes:
- defensive walls
- gate complex
- Bridge, the last part which used to be lifting
- Church of the Transfiguration
- Chapel, family tomb of the Zinovievs
The "soldiers' apartments", the food warehouse, the stable, the command chamber and the people's quarters have not survived to this day.
fortress towers
- north tower
- south tower
- Middle tower
- Naugolnaya tower
Gallery
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One more fortress of the North-West is to be seen today. There were already Novgorod, Pskov, Pechora, Izborsk, Korela, Shlisselburg, but those were fortresses turned into museums, and in Koporye you have to look dying fortress- ruins, our descendants may not even see this, but this is the history of Russia ... On the way to Koporye we pass another of our sights - a huge boulder, which received the name Rusich. It can already be seen from the road, standing in the middle of the field such
a hulk with a huge house in size.
Glacial boulder "Rusich" has an impressive size - 5 meters in height and 7-8 meters in diameter at its widest point. The stone is granite, overgrown with moss. According to the legends of the ancient Slavs, the stone has magical powers - if you touch it with your hand, strength will increase, well, if you press your forehead and your mind will come, of course, we did not fail to do both, but suddenly! 
You estimate the size of a boulder when people are standing under it - our organizer Artur Grigoriev is not small, but next to him he looks short. 
The village of Lomaha lives near the boulder, so the boulder has another name - Lomaha stone. Somewhere near the river Lomoshka flows, but we did not see it 
We are going to the Koporskaya fortress. At this time of the year, getting inside is unrealistic: the gates are closed, and it is slippery to get to the openings. We are satisfied with the outside view. The closest to the city and the least visited, as it is difficult to get there alone.
Like all fortresses, Koporskaya had an old and interesting story. A wooden fortress was built in 1240 by the Crusaders, who destroyed the churchyard of Koporye (graveyards used to be called small settlements). The place was chosen very well - a high impregnable rock surrounded by the Koporka River, which was more full-flowing in those days, and deep ravines. 
The crusaders intended to take over all the surrounding lands, but their dreams were not destined to come true, and still the same Alexander Nevsky became an obstacle to them. Having defeated the Swedes on the Neva by this time, Alexander led his troops to Koporye and completely destroyed and burned the fortress of the crusaders. Assessing strategic importance places, the Novgorodians built their fortification on it. A few decades later, the son of Alexander Nevsky Dmitry built, instead of militarily not very strong buildings, a new wooden fortress. In 1280, Dmitry offered the Novgorod authorities to rebuild the fortress into a stone one at his own expense, which he did, moving his house here. The freedom-loving Novgorodians did not like this and they expelled the prince, destroying the fortress. This played into the hands of the neighbors - the Germans, the Swedes, the Livonians, who had always encroached on these lands, their raids became more frequent. Realizing their mistake, the Novgorodians began to rebuild the fortress in 1297. This was already the fourth construction - two wooden and two stone fortresses were built in just 60 years. We see the walls of the latter today, though not in the best condition.
The fortress is not like others, at least in that it does not have a gate tower, like others. In general, there are only four towers built around the entire perimeter of the fortress. The fact is that the fortress stands on a high impregnable rock in the valley of the Koporka River, the shape of the rock has become the shape of the fortress itself - it is an irregular rounded triangle in plan. (Figure from the Internet). 
Now the bridge is the only one leading to the entrance, all stone, earlier one of the spans was wooden and had a lifting device. All loopholes and towers, and walls are directed towards the bridge, so that the enemy was under fire from all sides. 
The bridge is arched and very high. 
Down the ravine runs the bed of the Koporka River, there are even waterfalls, but it’s almost impossible to approach them now - it’s slippery and steep, and “waterfalls” is said too loudly, I know this from Sablinsky. 
The history of these towers and walls is long and interesting, you can read on the portals and where the whole history of the fortress is described in great detail and in an interesting way. After reading it, you will definitely want to see it with your own eyes. 
Dogs followed us everywhere, cute, good-natured and, apparently, homeless, and therefore hungry. 
We cuddled up to everyone, here is our youngest participant in the trip, Vanechka, even stroked ... 
We are not leaving Koporye, we are waiting for the St. Nicholas Church, which is a sad ruin. The brick one-domed church in the Russian-Byzantine style was built in 1857-1861. The author of the project is unknown. The church was closed in 1920 and has been abandoned ever since. 
One of our girls called these openings an angel, I looked and it really looks like I flew into the opened dome, and stayed here to live and guard ... 
Different people they come here: some paint the walls, no, not with frescoes, but with their stupid drawings, while others put up icons and candles - a place that has been prayed for for more than five centuries. 
Not far from Koporye, we visit the ancient village of Kotly, whose name comes from "boilers" - pits in which resin was boiled, or maybe from an area rich in hollows, in which rich deposits of "bog ore" were found, from which resin was expelled. The temple of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, built on the site of wooden church that has existed since 1500. From 1881 to 1888 a new stone church was built in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, designed by architect N.N. Nikonov. The temple was built at the expense and labor of parishioners. Upon completion of construction, the temple was consecrated by the great Russian righteous St. rights. John of Kronstadt.
In 1937 the temple was closed. From 1941 to 1942, a concentration camp was organized by the Germans on the territory of the village of Kotly, and Soviet prisoners of war were kept in the premises of the temple and nearby buildings.
In December 1959, the temple was closed, and from 1960 to 1991 it housed a village club. In May 1991, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was given to believers and restored.
Filmed inside the temple, having received the permission and blessing of the minister. 
In Kotly, not far from the temple, there are another ruins - n Beginning in 1730, the Albrechts' estate was located in Kotly, which was repeatedly rebuilt. The crumbling building with several outbuildings and the pitiful remains of the once beautiful park that can be seen today in Kotly dates back to 1820. This stone two-story estate with a belvedere was built for the Albrechts by the famous architect A.I. Melnikov (he also built, for example, the Nikolskaya Edinoverie Church in St. Petersburg). 
"
The Albrechts' estate in Kotly, Leningrad Region, is one of the remarkable manor and park ensembles of the 18th-19th centuries" - that's what I read in one of the descriptions. There is neither the estate itself, nor the park, nor outbuildings, solid ruins...
The Kotelsky manor belonged to the Albrechts since 1730. All buildings, including Lutheran and Orthodox Church were originally made of wood. At the beginning of the 19th century, under I. L. Albrecht, the estate was expanded and rebuilt, parks were created, in 1820 a two-story stone house with a large six-column portico was built. Since the 18th century, the Albrecht family tomb, built of limestone slabs, has been in the park. The manor yard was surrounded by a fence of large limestone stones, a gatehouse was set up at the gate and garden pavilion. The unity of style in the planning of the estate made it one of the most remarkable in the province.During the years of the Great Patriotic War the complex was badly damaged, especially the house and garden. After restoration work in the 50s, he again passed into the hands of a military unit. Later, the estate housed a boarding school, after its closure, the buildings began to collapse.Now partially preserved manor house and some outbuildings. ().The coat of arms of the Albrecht family is placed on the portico.
More positive impressions awaited us, but more on that later.
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Koporskaya Fortress, located in the northwestern borders of Russia, fifteen kilometers from the Gulf of Finland, is a real treasure for lovers of Russian antiquity and history. Judge for yourself: a fortress founded in 1237 by German knights from Livonian Order, repeatedly passed from the Russians to the Swedes, then back, until it finally became owned by Russia under the winner of the Swedes, Peter the Great in 1703.
After the foundation of the fortress by the Livonian knights, the fortress was besieged and destroyed in 1241 by the Novgorod prince Alexander Yaroslavich (Nevsky), in the course of his struggle against the expansion of the knights into Russia.
Due to the strategically important position, the fortress in Koporye was either demolished, then rebuilt or rebuilt more than once (as always happens with significant fortification objects).
In 1280, the son of Alexander Nevsky Dmitry Alexandrovich founded a stone city in Koporye, which, of course, was also destroyed, but already by the Novgorodians in 1282. The fortress was rebuilt in 1297. After that time, the fortress changed owners more than once during numerous Russian-Swedish military conflicts. It was rebuilt in the late 15th - early 16th century. The village of Koporye and the fortress finally went to Russia under Peter the Great.
The history of the Koporye fortress is unique for the Russian northwest. The fact is that this fortification was built in 1240 not by the Novgorodians, and not by the Moscow state, but by the knights of the Livonian Order. As hard as it is to believe, but at that time Koporye stood right on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, and seagulls soared over the towers of the fortress. Only later, the sea receded from these places by 10-12 kilometers.
Having settled in Koporye, the crusaders began to run into Novgorod lands and rob caravans passing along the Luga and Plyussa rivers. If the knights met resistance, they immediately retreated under the protection of the fortress walls.
What happened caused grief in the Lord Veliky Novgorod. To force the western neighbors to peace, Prince Alexander Nevsky was urgently invited to the city, who zealously began to justify the high trust. In 1241, the winner of the Swedes "from Novgorod and Dadozhani, and from Korelo, and from Izherina ... arrived ... to the city of Koporya and erupted from the base, and the Germans themselves were beaten ...".
The success of Alexander Yaroslavich was facilitated by the fact that the Germans did not have time to build stone fortifications in Koporye. Their fortress was made of wood.
The Novgorodians took into account the mistake of their enemies, and in 1280 they built the “town of Koporia Kamen” on the site of the Livonian fortress. The initiator of the arrangement of the fortress was the son of Alexander Nevsky - Dmitry Alexandrovich. He turned to the Novgorod boyars and asked for permission "to set up the city of Koporye", and take the surrounding lands for his own feeding. Novgorod went to meet the newly-minted feudal lord, but when Dmitry Alexandrovich transported his family and treasury to Koporye, the Novgorodians suspected the prince of separatism and sent him a “black mark”.
In 1282, Dmitry was expelled, and the fortifications of Koporye were demolished, but this had a negative impact on the security of border lands. Soon, Swedish warships appeared on the banks of the Narova. Already in 1297, the Novgorodians were forced to rebuild the fortress.
In the following decades, Koporye became important element defensive system of the Novgorod feudal republic. The fortress was considered the second most important citadel after Staraya Ladoga. In turn, the enemies of Novgorod repeatedly tested the walls of Koporye for strength. The chronicle reported that in 1338 "... a German came ... to fight neither Toldog and then at least to the Vodskaya land and did not take anything ... but when the koporyans came out with Fyodor Vasilyevich and bisha them." In 1348 Koporye unsuccessfully attacked swedish king Magnus Erickson.
The defense of Koporye was led by both invited princes and "well-born people" from among local residents. After being built in late XIV century of the Yam fortress, the importance of Koporye is falling, but in the wars of the middle of the 15th century, the fortifications of the old fortress continue to be in demand. Novgorodians are reconstructing the Koporye fortifications, as well as erecting the Transfiguration Cathedral in the castle.
It's curious that Novgorod boyars considered Koporye a safe haven during popular unrest. Twice - in 1342 and 1350 - Novgorod posadniks Andrey and Fedor sat behind the stone walls "in Koporye town", fleeing from the "black people".
In 1478 the Novgorod lands were annexed by Moscow. The new owners began to modernize the fortresses inherited from the Novgorodians, taking into account the use firearms. In the first quarter of the 16th century, Koporye was rebuilt, and in its main features, acquired its current appearance.
The fortress rises on a cape 70x200m, surrounded by two ravines. The walls and towers of Koporye are built of local limestone. The thickness of the walls is 5m, the height of the walls is 15m, the height of the towers is 20m. At the gates of the fortress, the only gersa in the north-west of Russia has been preserved - a lifting grate that closes the gates of the castle. The fortifications of the gate are generally considered one of the most important sights of Koporye. They were covered on both sides by two towers, and in order to approach them it was necessary to move along the fortress walls under the fire of archers, and in front of the gate to risk getting a helmet with a cobblestone or boiling tar.
Few people know that two underground passages. Of course, they lead to the torture chamber.
During the unsuccessful for Moscow Livonian War, in 1581, Koporye was captured by the Swedes. But the Scandinavians did not triumph for long. In 1590, Boris Godunov organized a pathos against the Swedes. military expedition, and Koporye again returned under the rule of the double-headed eagle. The Moscow garrison was housed in the castle, and a streltsy settlement appeared next to the fortress.
But the enemies of Russia did not doze off. In 1612, at the height of the Time of Troubles, European hordes again invaded the lands of the Russian northwest. Koporye was besieged by two and a half thousand Swedes. They were opposed by two hundred Moscow soldiers. Only after the Swedish mortars silenced the Koporye cannons, and the ammunition and food were depleted, was the Koporye garrison forced to surrender. The Peace of Stolbov in 1617 secured the entry of Koporye into Sweden.
During Russian-Swedish war In 1656-1657, the Russians tried to recapture Koporye, but the garrison heroically resisted the attack. Worried about what had happened, the Swedish governor of Ingermanland, S. Kelmfelt, demanded that the crown rebuild the fortifications of Koporye and send reinforcements. On the other hand, the outstanding Swedish fortifier Eric Dahlberg considered the state of the Koporye fortress so deplorable that he even suggested dismantling it. As a result, the point of view of the governor Otto Fersen prevailed, who suggested that King Charles XI keep Koporye where "... the troops could, if necessary, feel safe there ...".
During Northern war On May 27, 1703, a detachment of Field Marshal Sheremetyev, consisting of noble cavalry, five infantry regiments and five cannons, approached Koporye. Soon another detachment from near Yamburg joined the Russians - three regiments of soldiers, three mortars and two howitzers. After three days of shelling, a huge gap appeared in the southwestern wall of the fortress and Koporye surrendered. Sheremetyev reported to Peter I: "Thank God, sovereign, ... mortars play well with bombs, the Swedes are much more willing to dance and give away their forts ...".
To celebrate, Peter I presented Koporye, his favorite, A.D. Menshikov, for whom a wooden palace was built in the fortress, which has not survived to this day. After the Peace of Nienstadt, Koporye completely lost its military value. In 1748 - 1750. By decision of the Senate, Koporye was transferred to the control of the St. Petersburg Provincial Chancellery, and in 1763, according to the “schedule” approved by Catherine II, it was excluded from the composition of the fortresses.
The old defensive buildings became private property and passed from one landowner to another. The Zinoviev clan was especially distinguished, whose graves are still located on the territory of Koporye. The noble nobles decided to arrange a trade in hewn slabs on the territory of the fortress. They were stopped only by the conclusion of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs F. Epgel, who, taking into account the historical value of Koporye, concluded: "... it is strictly forbidden to destroy such ancient buildings ..."
In the 19th century, lovers of picturesque landscapes came to Koporye. So the painter brothers G. G. and N. G. Chernetsov painted here the painting “Koporsky Fortress with procession". The surrounding landscape with picturesque ruins, a deep river canyon, and a stone fortress bridge created a romantic mood among contemporaries.
In 1919 Koporye last time used as a fortification. Behind its walls, the Red Army men fortified, who repulsed the attacks of the White Guards landing on the shore of the Gulf of Finland.
Koporye acquired the status of a historical monument in 1944, but only in 1970 did a systematic study of the old fortress begin. In 1979-1983, a part of the fortress wall and one of the towers of the gate complex were conserved.
Today, the prospects for Koporye, in contrast to the generally prosperous fate of Izborsk, Staraya Ladoga and Oreshok, remain rather vague. Opened in the early 2000s on the territory of the fortress, the museum was closed in 2013. The reason for the closure was an incident when a two-year-old girl fell into a hole in the floor of one of the tiers of the northern tower. The child received bruises and a concussion and survived only by a miracle. The gates of Koporye remain closed, and the ancient fortifications continue to collapse.
