
From klod5 at virtualtourist.com
14th century
Belgorod-Dnestrovsky fortress is very well preserved
and worth a day trip.
How
to get to Belgorod-Dnestrovsky:
- Buses
go daily from the bus station at Panteleimonovskaya
61 (Пантелеймоновская) and
- Marshutkas
(mini-vans) from the west side of the train station.
Belgorod-Dnestrovsky
is located 86 kilometers Southwest of Odessa. It is
a town of 50,000 people, located 20 kilometers from
the Black Sea, on the right bank of the wide liman
formed by the Dniester River.
History:
Like Odessa, the town changed its name many times.
In the
6th century BC Greek colonists founded the
town of Opheususon which is located on the
site of present day Belgorod-Dnestrovsky.
In the
5th century BC it was named Tyras.
In the
4th century BC it became a major trading
center, occupying and area of more than twenty hectares.
In the
1st century Tyras became part of the Roman
Empire.
In the
3rd century, as the Western Roman Empire declined
so did the importance of Tyras.
In the
9th century Black Sea Slavs rebuilt the town
and called it Belgorod.
During
the 13th century the Mongols pillaged the city.
It was later rebuilt.
In the
last of the 14th century and the first half
of the 15th century Belgorod was part of the Moldavian
Empire. At this time the present day fortress was
built to protect the town from the Ottoman Empire
and marauding tribes. The city was one of the largest
in the Moldavian empire.
In 1484
the Ottoman Empire plundered Belgorod. It was renamed
Akerman.
In 1812
after the Turko Russian wars the Bucharest peace treaty
gave the town to Russia.
From 1918-1940
Romanians occupied the territory.
In 1940
The Soviet Union retook the territory through pressured
negotiations with the Romanians.
In August
1944 the Soviets again showed how much they
loved to change names and confuse locals and foreigners
alike by renaming Akerman to the old name of Belgorod.
Since Belgorod was the current name of another Russian
city, the Soviets added " Dnestrovsky" to
the name.
During
World War two, like Odessa, it fell to the Nazis.
Belgorod-Dnestrovsky
fortress
The fortress covers an area of almost four hectares
and the length of the wall is almost 2 kilometers,
with thirty four towers.
The fortress
is made of shell rock. The walls are 15 meters
high and are an incredible 5 meters thick.
The moat
circling the fortress is 14 meters wide and 11
meters deep. When an enemy approached, the sluices
could be opened and the moat would fill with water.
The fortress
has three courtyards separated with thick walls.
The first courtyard was for the civilians.
The second courtyard was the garrison's sleeping
structure
The third courtyard was for the garrison
In the
first courtyard are the remains of a mosque
built by the Turks after they destroyed the church
that stood on the same site.
At the
entrance to the second courtyard is a tower
which served as a warehouse for weapons and food.
The following pictures below are from klod5 at
virtualtourist.com:

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