Smolensk Kremlin

The partially preserved fortress wall was built between 1595 and 1602, during the reigns of the tsars Feodor I and Boris Godunov.

Smolensk historically had a great significance for the defence of Russia, and this is why Russian rulers paid considerable attention to its fortifications.

In the spring of 1554, Tsar Ivan the Terrible ordered to build a new tall wooden fortress.

In the summer of 1597 long and heavy rains flooded all the trenches and ditches, and the construction workers had to strengthen the landslide soil by piles.

In 1600, because of the heat and heavy rains, a large number of crops was lost in Russia, causing a famine.

1912 photo of the Smolensk Wall by Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky .
Scheme of the Smolensk Kremlin, the remaining parts of the walls are shown in blue
Monument to Fyodor Kon, the architect of the Smolensk Kremlin
The walls of Smolensk in winter
Another view of the Smolensk Kremlin