Koporye: fortress with a history

Curious tourists can not miss Koporye - the fortress, which is an excellent monument of Russian defensive architecture. It is located on the Izhora Upland in the Leningrad Region. Only twelve kilometers must be crossed to the south of the Gulf of Finland in order to face a small platform on a rocky promontory.

Koporye is an ancient fortress, although unknown to many. However, this is an amazing architectural work of the masters of our country. During its history the fortress was repeatedly rebuilt, changed by the owners, passed from hand to hand as a trophy. Today, it is almost not restored, which allowed the building to preserve its original architecture, a special atmosphere of the romantic distant medieval period.

History and modernity

Koporye (fortress) was laid in the thirteenth century. On the lands of the tribe of the Vod, who paid tribute to Great Novgorod, there was a small churchyard. He was burned in 1240 by the Knights of the Livonian Order, who marched to conquer new territories. At this point they erected a small wooden fortress, which was later repulsed by the army of Alexander Nevsky. His son Dmitry, who inherited the throne, ordered the construction of a more reliable structure to protect the borders. Therefore, according to the Novgorod chronicle, Koporye - fortress - appeared on the map in 1279. First the fortifications were made of wood, and a year later they were built of stone.

However, the fortress of Dmitry was destroyed during the reign of his brother Andrew. By the end of the thirteenth century, it was rebuilt again, as the threat of foreign conquest escalated. This structure stood up to the fifteenth century. Koporye (fortress) lost its importance with the construction of a new stronghold - Yam on the Luga River. The population was constantly decreasing, and this lasted until the territory became part of the Moscow Principality. Koporye thoroughly rebuilt: take into account the features of the terrain and the development of firearms. Even foreign masters were attracted to work.

In the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries the fortress became a repeated battlefield between Russian troops and Swedish forces. Strengthening was at the mercy of one or the other, the opponents did what they tried to bring back to themselves. However, it remained at the disposal of the Russian Empire. Catherine II expelled Koporye from the fortresses, but forbade him to disassemble it. Only in the twentieth century battles began again here: between the Red Army and the White Guard, and then between Soviet troops and fascists. In the eighties of the last century, historians drew the attention of the authorities to the monument of architecture, so conservation and conservation work began here. And in 2001 the fortress received the status of a museum, which is open daily.

How to get there?

The fortress of Koporye can be visited by everyone. The best route lies through St. Petersburg. An electric train departing from the Baltic Station will take you to Kalishche Station, and then you need to transfer to a fixed-route taxi. You can also go by car along the Tallinn, Peterhof or Hostitski Highway.