A country	Russia
Subject of the federation	Leningrad region
Municipal district	Lomonosovsky
Rural settlement	Koporskoe
Telephone code	+7 8137650
Timezone	UTC+4
Coordinates	Coordinates: 59°42′32″ N. w. 29°02′02″ E. d. / 59.708889° n. w. 29.033889° E. d. (G) (O) (I)59°42′32″ n. w. 29°02′02″ E. d. / 59.708889° n. w. 29.033889° E. d. (G) (O) (I)
Based	1237
Postcode	188525
Vehicle code	47
OKATO code	41 230 832 001

Koporye (Kaprio (Finnish Kaprio), Votic, Izhorian name - Koporie) is a village in the Lomonosovsky district of the Leningrad region. Administrative center of Koporsky rural settlement. Previously, it was an ancient Russian city in Novgorod land, the administrative center of Koporsky district in Vodskaya Pyatina.

Story

The fortress in Koporye was founded in 1237. It was first mentioned in the Novgorod chronicles in 1240, when the German knights of the Livonian Order built a wooden fortress in the Koporye churchyard.

In 1241, Alexander Nevsky recaptured the fortress from the German knights and destroyed it. The famous hero Gavrila Aleksich died during the assault. Sophia I Chronicle:

In 1280 Grand Duke Dmitry Alexandrovich built a stone city in Koporye, 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 15th - beginning of the 16th century it was rebuilt.

After being captured by the Swedes in 1581, Koporye returned to Russia only under the treaty of 1590.

However, according to the Stolbovsky Treaty of 1617, Koporye again went to Sweden. In 1656-1657, the Russian army unsuccessfully tried to return Koporye, which was returned to Russia only under Peter I, in 1703.

In 1708, Peter I transferred the fortress to Prince Menshikov, and in 1727 Koporye became part of the treasury.

In 1763, the Koporye Fortress was excluded from the list of defensive structures.

In the 18th century, Koporye was a district town in the St. Petersburg province.

During the Great Patriotic War, Soviet troops abandoned the Koporye fortress on September 1, 1941, but the enemy was stopped 7 km to the north near the Voronka River, where the border of the Oranienbaum bridgehead lay for more than two years. In January 1944, Soviet troops imitated activity in the Koporye area, diverting the main enemy forces here. Koporye was liberated in the second half of January during Operation January Thunder under the command of I. Fedyuninsky.

Attractions

The ruins of the fortress have been preserved: walls (about 2 m thick) and four corner towers (about 20 m high) - North, South (the citadel between them), Middle and Naugolnaya (the most destroyed). In the middle of the 20th century, the dilapidated Church of the Transfiguration was discovered in the center of the fortress. This small, single-apse, four-pillar stone church (1014 m) was built by Novgorod craftsmen in the first quarter of the 16th century. The underground passages have also been preserved. Two underground passages under the Northern and Southern towers of the fortress (lead to the torture casemates) and another passage behind the church, to the river.

Only since 2001 has a museum functioned in the fortress.

In addition to the fortress, in the village of Koporye there is a graveyard, an estate and a manor park of the 19th century, as well as a cultural center built in the 70s of the 20th century.

From the name of the area comes the name Koporka or Koporsky tea, which is obtained from fireweed (willowherb, Epilobium angustifolium). Here, from the 13th century to the First World War, fermented tea was made from the leaves of fireweed. Tea made from fireweed angustifolia was well known in England and other European countries, where it was simply called Russian tea. The widespread preparation of Russian tea and its export to Europe were known before the appearance of Chinese tea in Russia in the 17th century, so we cannot agree with the authors who describe Koporye tea as a surrogate of tea or its counterfeit. In recent decades, through the efforts of enthusiasts in Russia, the daily drinking of this healthy, fragrant herbal tea has been popularized.

In the Koporye rural settlement there is also a village at the Koporye station.

Koporye Fortress

Today is a story about the Koporye fortress, after which there will be no Russian fortresses in my LiveJournal for now, because the palace ensembles and sights of St. Petersburg, Peterhof, Gatchina, etc. are next in line, and only after 18 parts there will be a fortress in Staraya Ladoga.

In the center of the present village of Koporye, on a high rock, rise the walls and towers of an ancient fortress, one of the medieval fortifications preserved in the Leningrad region. Over the course of 60 years, 5 fortresses were built one after another on the rocky cape: wooden castles in 1240, 1241, 1279, stone castle 1280 and the stone city of 1297. Koporye at that time was the only outpost covering the enemy’s approaches to Novgorod from the north-west. But does everyone know that on this site stood a castle of the Livonian Order, built by the Crusaders?

Koporye (Lomonosovsky district) is the closest medieval fortress to St. Petersburg (3 hours by bus), less often visited by tourists than other fortresses, you can only get here by car or a long walk from the Koporye railway station.

So we set off by car, leaving the ruins of the Yam fortress in Kingisepp, and turned north-east, towards Koporye. I wrote about what happened along the way in August. Alas, circumstances brought us here after the fortress was closed (but according to the trip schedule it would not have been otherwise) and all that remained was to examine it from the outside.

During the preparation of the expedition, we did not find any decent maps of the area, either on sale or on the Internet. With Google maps, look at the situation:

We increase the scale and find that the zone border high resolution the map ran across Koporye (May 2008):

Fortunately, the fortress was located on the edge of this zone (visible on the map above), and here is an enlarged fragment:

Compare with the photo (from an airplane?):

Here's what visitors write about the fortress: We leave St. Petersburg on the M11 highway, Narva, to Tallinn. We follow it to the village of Begunitsy, where we turn directly to Koporye. Here the fortress is just a stone's throw away, about 20 km. A few rural landscapes, fields and woodlands and we are there. By the way, we almost missed the fortress itself, so don’t drive through the village. In front of the fortress bridge there is a traditional booth for cutting money. On the Booth there is a small sign telling us about the history of the Koporye fortress. In some towers it is quite dangerous due to the lack of inter-tier floors. http://almanachtur.ru/forum/showthread.php?t=153

The main distance from St. Petersburg to Koporye was driven along the E20 highway, the flight took 1.5 hours. The road is single lane, of average quality. Upon arrival, despite the bad weather, we were not the only visitors - a bus full of tourists arrived. Fortunately, they were grouped in the chapel, and we climbed the fortress almost alone. Entrance is paid; tickets are sold at a booth near the fortress bridge. There are several underground passages leading to the bases of the towers. No caretakers were seen that day, which we took advantage of by climbing all the available passages (we recommend taking a flashlight with you). http://forum.awd.ru/viewtopic.php?t=37309

Since we didn’t get inside, I offer for those interested this description of the impressions and several photographs of the inside of the fortress from the Internet (our photos in this post are in a wider frame, everything in a narrow frame is from the Internet):

The entrance ticket price is more symbolic than commercial - 20 rubles. It is also possible to conduct excursions, but they decided to refuse this. By the way, we were the first visitors to the fortress. As it turned out, the main flow of tourists begins after two o’clock in the afternoon, and the fortress closes for visits at 16.00, and tickets stop being sold at 3 o’clock. However, one hour is more than enough for a complete inspection. All outside entrances to the fortress are barred, and the desire to try on the role of a Swedish knight storming the Koporye fortress, when looking at the steepness of the ravines and the height of the walls, evaporates. We pass through the long tunnel of the gate inside. Immediately at the entrance there is a stone chapel and the burial place of the last owners of Koporye - the Zinovievs. The chapel inside is destroyed. The gravestone is divided into 2 parts. It turns out that in the troubled times of the early twentieth century. it was used as construction material, and not so long ago discovered in the foundation of one of the local houses, removed and returned to its place.

Let's start with the North Tower. It, like the Middle Tower, was restored at one time. We climb a narrow stone staircase to the top of the tower, from where marvelous views open up. All towers consist of several tiers, more precisely five. The lowest one has a stone vaulted ceiling, all the others have wooden flooring. If you have any good source of light with you, then by going down the dark passage to the lower tier you can inspect the masonry of the vaulted ceiling.

From the North Tower we will move to the South Tower. Everything is the same, but this tower has not been restored. The topmost tier is equipped wood flooring. When examining the surroundings from the South Tower, you need to be careful, because instead of loopholes there are failures. And in general, when walking around the fortress you need to constantly look where you are going! Although the organizers tried to build fences where possible or, as a last resort, put up colorful ribbons, there are still flowers at the Naugolnaya Tower.

From the South Tower there are wonderful views of the Koporka River canyon and the southern wall, which has been built since 1297. has not undergone any modifications. Of the levels of this tower, only the upper and lower tiers are accessible for inspection. Inside the tower you can only examine its structure over three tiers. However, you can look at the second tier after leaving the fortress. On the Koporka side there is a breach in the South Tower.

The second of the restored towers is the Middle one. You can explore all tiers and admire the views. From the Middle Tower to the Naugolnaya there is a section of the northern wall on which loopholes have been preserved. Apparently there was once a wooden floor along them. The most destroyed tower of the fortress is Naugolnaya. It cannot be recommended for inspection due to the real danger of falling off. From this tower there is a view of the forest sea stretching to the side Gulf of Finland.

Church of the Transfiguration. Built in the first decades of the 16th century. Today it is being restored quite actively. This is noticeable in the fresh masonry and stacks of bricks at the ticket offices located in front of the stone bridge to the fortress. Next to the restored church there is the largest hole in the fortifications of the fortress - part of the southern wall is missing, but the steepness of the Koporka canyon well covers this deficiency. This is clearly visible from the other side of Koporka. And if you are by car, then do not regret five minutes to move to the other side.

http://www.peterseldon.ru/travel/kopor0207/

Panorama from Koporka:

The silhouette of the fortress, which occupies a small 70x200 m area of ​​a rocky cape, is stern and picturesque. On the southern and western sides the cape is limited by a deep ravine of the small Koporka river. Repeating the configuration of the cape in plan, the wall is rounded, and on the outer convex part the few loopholes stand out especially clearly.

There is a version that Koporye was on the seashore, as the tectonic plate of the Baltic Shield rises and the Gulf of Finland retreats. Now from here to the sea it is 10-12 km (only over the last 2 centuries the sea has retreated 5 km to the north-east). The vast depression to the north-west was in the old days a convenient harbor (visible from the fortress walls, overgrown with spruce trees over the past centuries, at the bottom there was Lake Kopanskoye). But is it true? “In ancient times, the sea splashed near the walls of the fortress, and Koporka was plowed by Viking longships” - the legend was put into circulation by Pylyaev, but he noted that this is a legend in circulation among local residents. Further, Duzhnikov Yu.A. in the guidebook “Around the Izhora Upland” it already appears as a fact. Subsequently, this story appears almost verbatim in almost all materials about Koporye.

Despite the fact that the height of the Koporskaya rock allows you to see for many kilometers, the sea is not visible. In the books of 18th century authors. it is indicated that the sailors saw the Koporye fortress 40 versts away, i.e. was a kind of beacon.

From the north-west and north the cape is protected by ravines. Back in the 18th century. at the bottom of the ravines there was a reservoir of spring origin. On the northern side of the fortress there are 3 of the four towers. On the eastern side, the path is blocked by a deep and wide ditch, artificially dug into the rock.

We read that there is a hole in the fortress through which you can get inside. And they found him - he was a flimsy board thrown over an abyss, so unreliable in appearance that only boys could make their way along it. This board is visible at the bottom of the frame:

In plan, the fortress has the shape of an irregular triangle, stretched from E to W by almost 200 m. The length of the fortress walls, made of local limestone slabs, is more than 400 m. 4 powerful battle towers cylindrical, like the walls, have retained their original height almost everywhere. The fortress is the best preserved monument of ancient Russian fortification. The hand of the restorer almost never touched it. Only at the end of the 19th century. To prevent the collapse of the vaults, the gate part of the fortress was lined with brickwork and covered with a cement pad on top. Almost all of the stone cladding made of hewn slabs had crumbled, exposing the rubble part of the masonry, and in some places the Baltic winds had worn away the limestone slabs.

Bird's eye view:

In the fortress, centuries-old trees, thickets of lilac and bird cherry almost completely cover the walls. Almost in the center is the Transfiguration Cathedral (early 16th century). In the 17th-19th centuries. rebuilt several times. IN S-In the corner In the courtyard there are ruins of a large stone building - the remains of the commandant's office, built in the time of Peter the Great.

The toponym "Koporye" presumably comes from the verb "dig" - "dug up place." Koporye is one of the earliest Novgorod settlements; it existed even before the founding of the fortress, until the 13th century. There were fortified wooden and earthen settlements here (one of them - Kaibolovskoye - is located somewhat south of Koporye). The location of the fort can be seen on this map of 16th-century pogost centers. on the left side.

Koporye was first mentioned in chronicles during a difficult time for North-Western Rus', when the Novgorod army led by Alexander Nevsky repelled the blows of its northern neighbors, the Swedes and Western crusading knights. In the winter of 1240, the crusaders invaded the Novgorod and Pskov lands and occupied Pskov. Horse patrols of the Livonians appeared near Novgorod. “And in the Novgorod volost Lithuania, the Germans, the people, and drove all the horses and cattle across the Luga, and it was impossible for them to shout through the villages.” The lands of the Vodskaya Pyatina, where the most important trade routes connecting Novgorod with the west, were subjected to a devastating raid.

The Livonians built a wooden castle in Koporye in 1240. The appearance of this fortification near the sea put the Vodian land in a difficult situation: from now on, conquerors could arrive by sea. Traffic along the river was blocked. Plusse and Luge. By erecting the fortress, the crusaders made it clear that they were laying claim to dominance in the western borders of the Novgorod lands.

In 1241, the Novgorod army from detachments of Ladoga residents, Karelians and Izherians, led by Alexander Nevsky, moved to Koporye. “And the city was destroyed to the ground, and the Germans themselves were beaten,” the chronicler wrote about the Russian victory at the castle walls.

Life of Alexander Nevsky from the Litsevoy Chronicle Code (1560-1570), miniatures “Alexander Nevsky goes on a campaign against Koporye” and “Destruction of the Koporye fortress”:

On the site of the wooden castle of the crusaders in Koporye, the Novgorodians built a small wooden-earth fortress in 1241. In 1256, Alexander Nevsky visited here again, gathering the Novgorod army before going to the north. coast of the Gulf of Finland. This year, a Swedish detachment led by Dietrich von Kivel wanted to build fortifications on Narova, but upon learning of the approach of the Novgorod army, they fled.

Taking into account the strategic position of Koporye, the son of Alexander Nevsky, Prince Dmitry, invited by the Novgorodians to reign, built a new wooden fortress here in 1279, replacing it with a stone one in 1280. “Ask Prince Dmitry from Novgorod to build the city of Koporia, and go and cut it down yourself.” “To cut down” or “to lay down a city” meant to build a wooden or stone fortress. The chronicle tells rather sparingly about the appearance of the stone fortress, this important event in the history of the Novgorod lands: “Prince great Dmitry, with the mayor Mikhail and with the great men, they went to surround the stone city of Koporia." This was the first stone fortification of Northern Rus', built during the period of the Mongol yoke.

Archaeologists found that near the base of the stone wall there were the remains of a wooden structure in the form of decayed logs, partially extending under its base. During the fire, traces of which were visible, not only the wooden wall burned down, but also large reserves of grain stored in the premises inside the walls. Thus, archaeologists revealed the reason for such a rapid replacement of fortresses: it was a fire that destroyed a wooden fortress, information about which did not appear on the pages of the chronicles.

The construction of stone Koporye was carried out with the consent of Novgorod and in the presence of the Novgorod mayor and boyars, “big men”. Posadnik Mikhail (Mishinich), who was present at the foundation of the fortress in 1280, was a descendant of Misha-Novgorod, one of the heroes of the Battle of the Neva. The fortress was erected at the personal expense of Prince Dmitry with the condition that Koporye and its surroundings be transferred “to feed” him and his squad. The prince moved his family and treasury here, wanting to settle down forever.

Taking advantage of the fact that the prince was defeated in the internecine struggle with his brother Andrei, who received the label for the great reign, the Novgorodians decided to take Koporye from Dmitry. In 1282, Dmitry was forced to leave Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, captured by Andrei, and wanted to take refuge in Koporye. But the Novgorod regiments stood at Lake Ilmen and blocked the path. Previously, Dmitry's 2 daughters and his boyars were taken hostage. Provided that the prince's soldiers guarding Koporye left the fortress, the Novgorodians promised to return the hostages. Dmitry had no choice but to accept the condition. So in 1282 the Novgorodians took the fortress from the prince: “destroy the city and dig up the mountain” to the ground.

15 years later, in 1297, under Prince Andrei Alexandrovich, the Novgorodians again began construction in Koporye. “The Novgorodians built the stone city of Koporye,” the chronicle reports. This time it was no longer a question of a privately owned princely residence, but of a state fortress of the Novgorod land. Construction work completely destroyed traces of the defense work of previous years. The fortress became the military and administrative center of the Vodskaya land, the largest stronghold of the republic in the northwestern part of the Novgorod lands.

When archaeologists examined a stone wall near the so-called. “ruinous place” (a hole in the wall, made, according to legend, by Peter’s artillery before the assault on Koporye captured by the Swedes) it turned out that masonry almost 4 m wide, it consists of 3 parts: the middle ancient part, up to 2 m thick, and two side ones. This is how it was discovered stone wall late 13th century 24 m long and up to 2 m high. The masonry consisted of thick oblong untreated limestone blocks laid long sides not along, but across the wall. The internal space between them was filled with small slabs, cobblestones and abundantly filled with fastening mortar, giving the impression of cyclopean masonry.

Koporye late 13th century. - a typical monument of Russian fortification of the pre-gun period. This is evidenced by the curvilinearity of the fortress walls, designed for predominantly frontal shelling, and the absence of loopholes on the lower, so-called. "plantar" combat. The gate tower did not protrude beyond the spindle line and was not designed to conduct flanking fire along the fortress walls. The shooters could only fire from the platform combat progress- from embrasures made in the parapet. The walls had another characteristic feature of that time: the outer plane of the wall had a slight slope (the masonry was thicker at the bottom).

Archaeologists discovered an elbowed bend of the wall that accommodated spiral staircase. Judging by French medieval analogies, such a staircase led to a corner ledge. This is perhaps the first device in ancient Russian stone fortification - the predecessor of flanking towers. The flanking technique began to be used in the construction of Northern European fortresses in the last quarter of the 13th century.

At the end of the 13th century. Novgorod had the most dangerous strategic directions 2 stone fortresses - Ladoga on the north-east and Koporye on the north-west, built long before stone fortifications were erected in Novgorod itself. The Novgorod governor was constantly in the fortress, who took part in the military campaigns of Novgorod.

Since 1333, the Novgorodians invited the Lithuanian princes Gediminovich as governors to the border fortresses of Ladoga, Korela, Orekhov, Koporye, who with their squads were supposed to provide defense. In 1333, Prince Narimont received these fortresses for feeding. In Koporye for military service Narimont was given half of the income from the area.

With a short break (in the 15th century, the Smolensk youth Yuri Svyatoslavich was briefly invited to Koporye), the Lithuanian princes served until 1446. But the serving princes did not always fulfill their duties. When in 1338 the Livonians from Narva invaded the Vodian land, the Koporites sent to Narimont in Lithuania for help, but he never showed up. Having ravaged the surrounding area, the Livonians approached the walls of Koporye and laid siege. The fortress was successfully defended. A cavalry detachment led by Voivode Fyodor Vasilyevich that emerged from its gates defeated the enemy, who was forced to lift the siege and leave. During the battle, a horse near Fedor was wounded, and Mikhei Koporyanin was killed.

The leaders of Novgorod considered the Koporye fortress a reliable refuge during the unrest of the “black people”. In 1342 and 1350 Novgorod mayors Andrei and Fedor were holed up “in the town of Koporye”, fleeing from the rebels. In 1348, the Vodian land and Koporye repelled the attack of the Swedes led by King Magnus Erikson. The Novgorod militia, led by Ontsifor Lukich, expelled the enemy. Koporye military detachments also took part in this campaign. The Koporians, as part of the Novgorod army, took part in almost all major military events in Novgorod. In 1394, during the campaign of the Novgorodians against Pskov, one of the Koporye governors, Prince Ivan Koporsky, was killed under the city walls.

Novgorod Chronicle of the 14th century. mentions the Koporye princes, presumably representatives of the tribal Votic nobility, who served in Koporye. In the 14th-15th centuries. The dynasty of Koporye princes merged with the Novgorod boyar families. One of the representatives of the dynasty of Koporye princes was even a Novgorod mayor: in the 14th century. there was mayor Elisha Koporsky.

With the construction of the new stone fortress Yam in 1384, the fortress in Koporye became “the second echelon” of the defense of Novgorod. The fate of Koporye throughout almost the entire 15th century. absolutely not illuminated by written sources. Meanwhile, 15th century. - a time of change in history - the process of consolidation of Russian lands was completed and a new power, the Moscow State, entered the arena.

The description of Koporye at that time contains only 1 document, the Novgorod “Census quitrent book of the Votskaya Pyatina of 1500”: “In the Votskaya Pyatina, the city of Koporye is on the river on Koporye.” It is reported that there are only 4 courtyards in the fortress, in which there are residents, collars and police guards, i.e. service people. The courtyards of the Koporye governor, boyar Gavrila Velsky, stood empty (the boyar himself lived on his estate) and the “courtyard of the Grand Duke” (previously belonged to the Novgorod boyar Bogdan Esipov). Nearby there was a small settlement where both “city people”, associated with service with the fortress, and townspeople lived. The small size of the townsfolk population is striking, only 6 households with 6 families. Comparing Koporye with Yam is not in favor of Koporye: in Yam and in the settlement by 1500 there were 239 households with more than 1000 inhabitants.

At the end of the 15th century. Rus' returned the lands along the shores of the Gulf of Finland, securing the fortresses of Ivangorod with the construction. Subsequent reconstructions of Ivangorod in 1496 and 1507. took place during an alarming time for the Russian state, the rapprochement of the Livonian Order and Sweden. At the first stage of defense construction at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. The Yam fortress was reconstructed. Only after priority work was carried out in the 1st quarter of the 16th century, the Koporye fortress was reconstructed.

By order of the Moscow government, a new stone fortress was erected in Koporye, taking into account the development of military affairs of that time. The Novgorod fortress, which occupied the entire area of ​​the rock, was small. It was necessary to expand the territory of the courtyard in order to erect buildings to accommodate a large garrison, administrative and storage facilities. The planning solution for the fortress consisted of several local decisions based on the characteristics of the site. For example, access roads to a rocky cape could only be located on the E or S sides. It was in the north that the gates of the 13th century fortress were located. But for the enemy this path was also the most convenient.

They built 4 towers, the flanking fire of which caused damage to the enemy when approaching the walls. The eastern spindle of Koporye, enclosed between two towers, is the shortest: the length is approx. 25 m. Along a narrow stone bridge (preserved its appearance in the 19th century), the high arched spans of which are supported by powerful stone abutments, you can approach the gate.

There is no gate tower in Koporye. The opening leading inside the fortress was made right in the eastern wall. Nothing like this can be found in other 16th century fortresses. In Oreshka, Staraya Ladoga and other fortresses, the entrance is located in the lower floors of quadrangular towers. The entrance to the fortress is flanked by two cannon towers close together. The 15-meter partition between them is cut through by large and small gates. The gate threshold is raised above the ground by 7.5 meters.

The enemy, who found himself in front of the lowered iron gate grate, fell into a trap, becoming a target for fire from loopholes located in the center of the wall and in two powerful towers. Gersa guarded the entrance to a long, narrow, slightly curved corridor. There were 2 more gates in this corridor. In the premises of the gate part, sections of facing masonry have been preserved. Noteworthy is the careful carving of the stone and the fitting of the blocks to each other, especially when laying arched openings.

Another gate dates back to the original construction of Koporye. They are significantly narrower than the wide entrance arch and are located to the left of it. Probably, in ancient times this passage was blocked with stone masonry. Initially, he covered himself with an iron gersa.

There is a version that the design of the drawbridges of the fortress was based on the action of a counterweight. At the bottom of the gate, an iron axis was strengthened horizontally, on which a long wooden flooring was laid. In a horizontal position, the part of the flooring that protruded beyond the line of the fortress wall served as a temporary bridge. That part of the flooring that lay in the passage part of the gate also served as a bridge over the deep “wolf pit” - a trap for the enemy who broke through the gate. In the event of an enemy approaching, the bridge-yoke was set in motion using a mechanism - its outer part rose and closed the gate opening from the outside, and the other part fell down into the “wolf pit”. Similar designs of fortress drawbridges are known in the practice of European medieval defensive architecture. The gate device, towers and approach wall were built by highly qualified craftsmen sent from Moscow, and this happened, as it was possible to determine by analyzing the cuts of construction connections, in 1520-1525.

The number of towers is small; nowhere in North-West Russia will we find such long spans - spans of walls from one tower to another. There was no need for an abundance of towers at Koporye - the rock itself was a defense.

It should be noted bold decision, which was adopted during the construction of the eastern slope, the wall and towers were placed not on the crest of the slope, but at its foot. By placing the foundation of the structures there, the builders deliberately went to increase the volume stone works- in this part of the fortress the walls reach their maximum height in Koporye - approx. 20 m, and the towers exceeded this height by 3-4 m. The use of such a technique made it possible to increase the length of the eastern spindle and make it rectilinear in plan.

All towers are round in plan and had 5 battle tiers, only the Middle one has the shape of a truncated circle due to its location on the edge of a cliff. The battle passage of the wall of the Novgorod period was laid by the builders, and the masonry of the wall, increased by 1 m, ended with a new stone parapet. They increased the thickness of the wall, but only on the courtyard side, and left it “Novgorod” on the outside.

The powerful walls of the towers are cut through with loopholes of a unique design: the horizontal section of the loophole resembles the letter “X” - the inner and outer sides are hewn, and the middle is narrowed, which made it possible to conduct a wider shelling (not only perpendicular to the plane of the wall, but also at a significant angle to the sides). The Gremyachaya Tower of Pskov (1525) and the White Tower of Novgorod (1530) have similar loopholes. The design of the towers of these fortresses is also largely similar. This gives reason to assume that they were built by the same Russian masters of the 1st half. 16th century

The thickness of the walls of the Koporye fortress was increased to 5 m (below), the height to 15 m, and the towers to 20 m. This fortress has survived to this day.

In the northwestern part of the fortress yard there was a hiding place - a hidden exit from the fortress in the form of a narrow stone underground corridor. The cache allowed the besieged to leave the fortress for water (there was a lake in the hollow in the north) or for communication with the outside world. The existence of the cache is known from images of the fortress on plans of the 18th century. Currently, the entrance to it is covered with multi-ton masses of destroyed parts of the walls. There was a cache in the fortress of 1297, but on the south side of the wall.

Layout of towers and caches:

In 1558-81. There was the Livonian War, which ended in the defeat of Russia. While the bulk of the Russian troops were busy fighting the Polish troops, the Swedes captured Koporye in 1581, but were expelled in 1588. In 1590, the Russians liberated the fortress again. Now the fortress was garrisoned not by local militias, but by archers, for whom a settlement was built under the walls of the citadel. In the winter of 1591, the Swedes again burned all the villages around Koporye and took the inhabitants captive. It was terrible in these places at the end of the 16th century, there were ashes everywhere, abandoned settlements, lonely travelers taking refuge in the forests at the slightest danger. The Treaty of Tyavzin in 1595 gave a 16-year respite and assigned the Vodskaya Pyatina to Moscow.

By the way, when choosing historical illustrations about a monument, be careful. Nowadays, cases similar to how the author of this picture writes: “This is my attempt to create a “myth of Ingria”” http://edv-y.livejournal.com/28683.html. A flag like the one depicted in the picture simply did not exist in those days; it was an invention of the 20th century.

Below we will talk about Swedish rule in these places, Peter’s deeds, artists who glorified Koporye, the architecture of the cathedral and much more... The closer we get to our days, the more detailed written sources and evidence become, the more interesting episodes we can learn about the old fortress. Here everything is mixed up - both reality and legends, here they remember bloody battles and local tea, here royalty runs through the underground passages and the pestilence rages, artists walk through the ruins and indulges in dreams of “the darling of fortune, a rootless, semi-sovereign ruler”...

Briefly about the structure of the fortress, after which we will move on to its further history.

A guidebook written down from the words of a native of the village of Koporye, born in 1900.

"The entrance to the fortress is through the bridge under the arch, go through the arch - immediately the graves of the Zinoviev landowners. In the wall, where there are 3 arched windows, there was a chapel. From the chapel, walk along the dirt road for 30-40 m, on the right there are vaulted cellars. From the chapel on the left, as you enter the fortress , at the base of the wall there is an underground passage. It went obliquely down. This is a cache for water, it was already filled in in 1915-1916. To the left of the dirt road, a little further from the passage, there is a citizen’s cemetery. Nearby are the ruins of the Church of the Transfiguration. To the right of the church are 5 fir trees above the fraternal one the grave of the Red Army soldiers who died in 1919."

Gate complex. You can get inside the fortress through a single arched entrance, across a high bridge on stone supports. The bridge just before the entrance to the fortress had a drawable part, and the entrance arch, located in the thickness of the wall, was additionally protected by a lifting iron grating - gersa.

From the main wall with the entrance, the shortest and best protected, there are 2 long walls: NE and SE, which close inner space rock that became the foundation of the fortress. The defensive walls on the steep slopes of the rock were impregnable, and yet the Novgorodians strengthened them with two towers: one at the junction of the long walls, the other in the middle of the south-east slope.

Defensive walls. Along the perimeter of the defensive walls (walls), on their inner side, there was a battle passage with rectangular loopholes. Some of the loopholes have been preserved on the south-east and north-east walls. It is known that in the thickness N-E walls, between the North and Middle towers, there was an internal passage. On the Swedish plan of 1645 it is marked as one of engineering structures fortresses

Fortress towers. The towers, round in plan (except for the Middle one), were built with a large extension “into the field”, beyond the line of defensive walls. This technique allowed the defenders of the fortress to shoot through the space along the walls themselves, at their bases, if the enemy broke through from the side of the gate complex or from the south-east. The thickness of the tower walls, rising to a height of up to 20 m, reaches 4-4.5 m at their base. Each tower was divided into 5 battle tiers. The bottom bay was separated from the top by a vaulted ceiling. All upper tiers had log ramps. The fan-shaped layout of the loopholes in the towers made it possible to shoot through all the approaches to them. The loopholes themselves are arranged in oven chambers, tapering outwards. The towers ended with planked tents, which have not survived to this day.

Fortress gate. The design of the gate, despite numerous alterations during renovations in the 19th century, retained the knee-shaped passage, which allowed the defenders of the fortress to defend both the outer and inner sides of the wall. Behind the gate spindle there were guard and auxiliary rooms in 3 tiers. Above them there was a large “rollout” platform, from which the defenders could defend the wall, moving from tower to tower if necessary. The gate for raising the gersa was also located here.

From here

One source contains information that back in 1237 a wood-earth fortress was built in Koporye, which was destroyed by the Germans in 1240. http://www.aroundspb.ru/guide/west/koporje/koporye.php But there is no confirmation of this anywhere else found it.

Before I talk further, I want to draw your attention to one point! Many people, when talking about the theater of military operations, forget that no less devastating factor, and even more than the raids of rival armies, is the Black Death, which did not escape the places described... While collecting material for the post about the Plague Doctor, I collected material about plague epidemics in Russia and Livonia, which should be devoted to a separate post. A couple of quotes for now:

Johan Widekind:
Great devastation. After many skirmishes and real battles, after the siege of cities and castles, both sovereigns were left with the same thing that they had owned before: both sides were tired of a useless and difficult war, and the region, due to the lack of farmers, did not supply the necessities of life for either one or the other. the other side; Because of the war, a terrible famine began and a plague appeared.
http://vostlit.narod.ru/Texts/rus13/Videkind/text1.htm

In the spring of 1710, the plague was brought here. In the area affected by the plague epidemic, the mortality rate of the population was 50-75%. http://www.tuad.nsk.ru/~history/Europe/Latvia/LatvHist_1.html

In December 1590, the Swedes treacherously violated the truce and raided border areas Pskov region, ravaged Yam and Koporye. Taking advantage of the fact that Batory had actually cut off Livonia from Russia, the Swedish commander Baron Pontus Delagardie launched an operation to destroy isolated Russian garrisons in Livonia. By the end of 1581, the Swedes, having crossed the ice of the Gulf of Finland, captured the entire coast of the North. Estonia, Narva, Wesenberg (Rakovor, Rakvere), and then moved to Riga, taking Haapsalu, Pärnu, and then South. Estonia - Viljandi, Tartu, in a short period capturing 9 cities in Livonia and 4 in the Novgorod region. Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye, Korela were taken. Russian troops under the command of governor Pyotr Nikitich Sheremetev (large regiment) and Prince Vladimir Timofeevich Dolgorukov (advanced regiment) were defeated by the Swedes, and Dolgoruky was captured.

But active operations were carried out in the rear of the Swedish troops. Karelian peasants, despite the fact that the district was captured by Swedish invaders, continued the partisan war. Many facts testify to the patriotism of Karelians. For example, Jacob Delagardi sent (in 1610?) a detachment of 200 people from Korela to reinforce the Swedish garrison of the captured Ladoga fortress. Karel the guide informed Koporye in advance about the advance of the Swedish detachment and led the Swedes straight to an ambush organized by Russian soldiers, where almost the entire Swedish detachment was destroyed.

Russia again lost Koporye at the end of the Time of Troubles in 1612. Polish intervention in the beginning. 17th century brought ruin to many regions of the Russian state. For guard NW borders A Swedish corps was hired, led by Jacob Delagardie, the son of Pontus Delagardie. True, there were few Swedes in the corps, mostly representatives of other European countries. According to the agreement, Yakov Delagardi was supposed to guard Yam, Koporye, Gdov, for this the Korela fortress was given to Sweden. However, Delagardie's corps soon turned from an ally into an enemy. Having learned that the Swedes under the command of Jacob Delagardie were approaching Koporye, they locked themselves in the fortress for approx. 300 archers - demoralized, poorly understanding to whom they obey in the abyss of anarchy. The 2.5 thousand-strong Swedish detachment destroyed the fortress cannons with the fire of its superior artillery. There were no food supplies in the fortress for the siege and the garrison surrendered.

On February 23, 1617, in Stolbovo, 50 km from Tikhvin, a peace treaty unfavorable for Russia was concluded. The Izhora land and the cities of Ivangorod, Yam, Koporye, Oreshek, Korelsky district with the city of Korela went to Sweden. According to the agreement, Koporye remained in the possession of the Swedes for almost 100 years. The Swedes called the Russian Izhora land from the mouth of the Neva to the mouth of the Narova Ingria. Koporye and the district made up Koporye fief (together with Yamsky, Ivangorod and Noteburgsky).

Section under the Stolbovo Treaty:

In 1656-57. Russian troops tried unsuccessfully to retake Koporye. The Swedish governor of the region, S. Kelmfelt, assuming that attempts could be repeated, strengthened the garrison and strengthened the dilapidated walls.

Fortification plan 1645:

The Swedes considered the possibility of strengthening Koporye. Military engineer and fortifier Eric Dalberg, appointed in 1674 as director of management of all Swedish fortresses, reported to the king about the poor condition of Koporye and Yam. In September 1681, Dalberg, having examined Koporye again, expressed the opinion that it was necessary to blow up the fortress, because if captured, it could become a support for the Russian population in the fight against the Swedes. Gunpowder was prepared for detonation, but Dalberg suddenly convinced Charles XI to preserve the fortress, saying that it was not worth even 10 shots. I believe that the result was summed up by the report of the Governor of Ingria Otto Fersen to the King of Sweden that although Koporye is hopelessly outdated and there is no point in investing in its repair, it still should not be dismantled, because "The troops could feel safe there if necessary."

Fragment of a Swedish map from 1704:

The assessment of the fortress is understandable as a typical monument of defensive architecture of the 1st quarter. 16th century it corresponded to the nature of the battle at the fortress walls. With the development of artillery, which became one of the decisive factors in the struggle for a fortified point, the bastion system was recognized as the most rational.

Koporye 17th century on an engraving from the book by A. Olearius “Description of a Journey to Muscovy”:

The return of the fortress to Russia took place during the Northern War. The Russians carried out the assault on Koporye almost simultaneously with the founding of St. Petersburg. The assault was led by Field Marshal B.P. Sheremetev. Despite significant forces - noble cavalry and 5 infantry regiments, it was not possible to take the fortress at first. The reason was the weakness of the artillery - Sheremetev had only 5 light guns, unable to cause significant damage to the fortress walls. Having learned about this, Peter I sent 3 more regiments of soldiers and 3 mortars and 2 heavy howitzers from near Yamburg.

Sheremetev correctly chose the place for the upcoming assault - his guns began to destroy not the gates, to which the approach for the infantry seemed easiest, but the central section of the longest SE walls at the point of its maximum bending. The Russian soldiers had to climb an almost vertical cliff to reach the gap that had formed in the wall. But (this is clearly visible on the plan of the fortress) here was the only section of the walls that did not come under fire from the fortress towers. Sheremetev's mortars worked excellently - ten meters of the fortress wall was completely demolished - the Field Marshal General informed Peter I about this: "Thank God, Sovereign... mortars use bombs well, the Swedes are ready to dance and give away their fortifications..." Began on May 27, 1703 Intense artillery shelling of Koporye forced the enemy garrison to surrender.

So on May 28, 1703, after a 5-day siege (according to other reports, 2 days), the fortress was liberated. June 1, 1703 Peter together with A.D. Menshikov examined Koporye. The Tsar left a company of soldiers in the fortress led by Commandant Fyodor Ushakov, ordering him to begin immediate repairs to the fortress in case the Swedes returned. Since 1704, soldiers have carried out various “repairs” in Koporye.

On August 30, 1708, the Swedes transported a large military corps “across the Neva below Tosny, about three versts.” Moving along the hill through Dudorovo to Koporye, the Swedes plundered passing villages, “expecting to get enough food for themselves.” Russian troops overtook the enemy on the shore of the bay, where a fierce battle took place. Having lost over 900 people killed and leaving about 6,000 horses, baggage and guns on the shore, the remnants of the Swedish corps escaped on ships that arrived in time. It is no coincidence that the commandant of St. Petersburg, Major General R. Bruce, informed Peter I in 1708: “Only I have one fear that the enemy, with a strong cavalry party across the sea, which has become strong from the current frosts, in the Koporye district, will not cause such devastation due to the derogation of the local cavalry".

The following legends are known about the events of the Northern War in these places:

About the Golden Crown In the underground passage there is a room where the Swedish king Charles XII loved to eat. When the troops of Peter I took the fortress, Charles fled along this passage, and forgot his crown in the room. The crown is apparently gold. The legend was known in 1915. The passage went down, obliquely, under the corner tower. The breach in the wall of the fortress near the church was made by the troops of Peter I.
* * *
Once Peter I and the Swedish king Charles XII had an argument and decided: whoever of them would build the fastest road from his capital to the Koporye fortress would rule in Ingria. They bet on a huge bag of gold. The king began to build a cobblestone road from Stockholm through Finland to Vyborg. Many peasants mined stone and carried it on carts through forests and swamps. The king had to pay dearly for every mile of the journey, but when the road reached Vyborg, the Russian Tsar also found out about it. By that time he had already forgotten about the dispute and slept in Moscow on a golden bed. The king was afraid that he would lose the argument, and ordered his soldiers to lie down directly in the mud, jumped into the carriage and galloped over the soldiers' bodies to meet the king. The Tsar rushed from Moscow to Koporye faster than the wind and began to wait for the Swedish monarch.

When Charles XII arrived in Koporye, he realized that Peter had deceived him, became terribly angry and in his anger threw his hat on a bag of gold, uttering a curse: the hat will remain lying here, he will certainly return for it, and the Russians will not be in Ingria. Tsar Peter laughed, rushed to the bag of gold, and the bag along with his hat suddenly fell into the ground. The king searched for Swedish gold for a long time, but died without finding it. They searched for gold even after Peter. One Russian gentleman forced the serfs to shovel the entire road from Koporye to Vyborg. Another time, a certain priest dug up the entire fortress, walls and towers, and then he himself disappeared in the dungeons of Koporye.

In 1703, after a five-day siege, Russian troops captured the fortress. And it was then that Koporye had a second chance to enter the forefront of history. At that time, no one could yet say exactly in what place in the North-West the window to Europe would be cut. Apparently, the candidacy of St. Petersburg did not at all look like there was no alternative. In any case, for a long time the Izhora Chancellery was located not in St. Petersburg, but in Koporye. However, it never became the new capital. It gradually became clear that Koporye, far from the coast, was much inferior to St. Petersburg as a seaport.

http://www.rusfort.ru/encyclopedia/fort.php?name=koporje&part=legends
http://tymanka.ucoz.ru/forum/8-250-1

Until 1711, the commandant of Koporye was Ya.N. Rimsky-Korsakov, the composer's great-grandfather. The decrees of Peter I addressed to him indicate that on August 10, 1703, he was already in the position of commandant of Koporye, and the fortress itself served for some time as a military-administrative center. Traveling around the region liberated from the Swedes, Peter I stopped in Koporye on June 4, 1706 and several times at a later time. After the construction of St. Petersburg and the movement of the border far to the west, the fortress loses its military significance and is excluded from the existing fortresses.

The places around the fortress seemed to A.D. Menshikov was attractive and he hastily prepared documents for ownership of these lands. Sources report that Peter I appointed Menshikov as governor, and after that he began to build himself a wooden palace on the territory of Koporye.

1727 - Menshikov fell from grace, all his lands went to the treasury, from where Koporye was soon granted several times to different owners. So in 1731, Koporye, by decree of Peter II, was transferred to the Oranienbaum Palace. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna donated the manors and estates of Koporye to Count A. Razumovsky, but the fortress came under the jurisdiction of the St. Petersburg provincial chancellery.

There is a legend that under Tsarina Anna Ioannovna in 1739, wolves were caught in the Koporye forests for the royal menagerie in Alexandria, near Peterhof.

1763 According to the “schedule” approved by Catherine II, Koporye was excluded from the fortresses.

Incision corner NW towers of the Koporye fortress. Drawing 1st floor. 18th century

An interesting building was the Koporye Church of the Transfiguration. This small square (10x14 m) stone single-apse four-pillar temple was built by Novgorod craftsmen simultaneously with the fortress walls in the 1st quarter. 16th century In 1756, the St. Petersburg provincial office decided to “repair and rebuild” the Church of the Transfiguration. One of Rastrelli’s talented students, Semyon Volkov, compiled an estimate for restoration. From this document it is clear what the church looked like in those years that it was added. The building consisted of two parts: the church itself and a wooden extension-refectory. Soon they decided to build a stone refectory and a bell tower, for which 3 arches were made in the western wall of the stone building. The church, united with the refectory, was supposed to represent one large room. Archaeologists have confirmed that this is exactly what was done.

Of interest was the western wall of the original building, which was built in 1756–1758. converted into arcades. During archaeological excavations, among the brick crypts, the bases of telescopes and the lower part of the western wall, “literally cut down” in the 19th century, were laid dry, without a binding mortar, from large limestone slabs.

At the southern facade of the church, archaeologists discovered rubble of “painted plaster” - frescoes, probably knocked down at the end of the 17th century - beginning of the century. 18th century According to an eyewitness, large pieces of frescoes, covered with red, yellow, green and black paints, literally came to life when they were washed in water.

Construction ended in 1758, but soon defects in the brickwork were discovered: the seam connecting the old stone building with the newly added one gave a small crack and came apart, since the old and new masonry were not connected by masonry. I had to carry out additional work. At the same time, the “Synodal Department painter” Ivan Kolokolnikov and his team gilded 2 crosses with “apples” with red gold.

On the night of November 21, 1854, the Koporye church burned down. Icons and manuscripts were lost in the fire. The church was restored, but with some changes. In one of the paintings by artist G.P. Kondratenko (1854–1924) “Koporye Fortress in Summer” the “apple” on the dome of the bell tower peeks out from behind the fortress wall. Unfortunately, the talented landscape painter G.P. Kondratenko is now known only to specialists. And he, by the way, was also the organizer of the “St. Petersburg Committee of Trustees for the Sisters of the Red Cross” in 1882.

Another painting by the artist dedicated to Koporye:

In the 18th century Koporye was a district town in the St. Petersburg province.

One of the first explorers of the fortress was Fyodor Tumansky, a St. Petersburg lover of antiquities, who compiled it in 1789-90. note "An experience of narration about the actions, position, state and division of the St. Petersburg province, including peoples and villages from ancient times to the present, divided into 3 sections with additions." He visited Koporye, left a description of the state of the fortress and an inaccurate plan of the fortress. “The walls are all made of slabs and are still strong, 2 arshins wide, so you can safely walk behind the parapet,” at the same time, traces of destruction and neglect are already clearly visible - on two of the three towers the “wooden covers” have collapsed and collapsed. According to the locals, he wrote down that in the “lower cellar” (1st floor) of the middle tower there should be an iron board with inscriptions, but, as the researcher noted with regret, he “could not be in it, because due to winter time it is impossible to dig through the collapsed move".

In 1793, according to other sources, in 1809, Senator Vasily Nikolaevich Zinoviev bought the estate from Lev Razumovsky, the owner of 14 surrounding villages. Zinoviev chose a place for the estate on the Koporka River, including the former manor of a Swedish pastor. In the 1820s. architect V.I. Beretti built a manor complex. Wood manor house and services for it were set up in the depths of the park. Two diagonal alleys led to them from the road, one of which, the western one - the driveway, was then lined with linden trees. The greenhouse complex is located along the same line with the utility yard, near the road.

Zinoviev’s son, Dmitry, continued the improvement of the estate: he increased the area of ​​the park, built new service buildings, horse and cattle yards. The Zinovievs set up a school for peasant children, built a church in the cemetery, and repaired the Transfiguration Cathedral in the fortress. The Zinoviev family owned Koporye for more than a century. During the revolution they emigrated to England.

One of the Zinovievs came up with the idea of ​​knocking down a hewn stone from the walls of the ancient Koporye fortress. facing tiles and sell it to local residents for household needs. Before he could begin to implement the idea, higher authorities found out about this, from where Zinoviev received a threatening notice from the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, F. Epgel, that “it is strictly forbidden to destroy such ancient buildings.”

In 1858-60. architect E.V. Lomov adapted part of the gate rooms of the fortress into a chapel, decorating its façade with granite trim. This chapel served as the family tomb of the Zinoviev family.

The Russian portrait artist Orest Adamovich Kiprensky (1782-1836) spent his childhood in Koporye. His name was taken from the ancient Greek tragedy of Euripides "Orestes", his patronymic was given by his adoptive father, and his surname was the village of Koporye (the original surname of the artist Koporsky). The artist was very fond of the Koporye Fortress, with which his first childhood impressions were connected.

In 1908, P.P. Pokryshkin, a major expert on Russian architecture and restorer, visited here: “The fortress is narrow, the side towards the old riverbed is protected by 4 towers and a well-built wall, and the opposite side is poorly built, mainly because there is a large cliff and not Why was it necessary to defend the fortress especially carefully?

In 1913, at a meeting of the Russian Military Historical Society, a decision was made on the need to conduct research in the fortress, make architectural measurements of the walls and towers, and the remains of stone structures inside. But the work was not carried out. There are still no detailed measuring drawings of the entire fortress.

Fragment of the 1868 map:

By the way interesting fact: from the name of the area Koporye comes the name Koporka or Koporye tea, which is obtained from fireweed (willowherb) angustifolia (fireweed), Epilobium angustifolium. Here, from the 13th century. Before the 1st World War, fermented tea was made from fireweed leaves. Tea made from fireweed angustifolia was known in England and other European countries, where it was simply called Russian tea. The widespread preparation of Russian tea and its export to Europe are known before the appearance of Chinese tea in the 17th century. in Russia, therefore we cannot agree with the authors who describe Koporye tea as a surrogate of tea or its counterfeit. You can read more about tea.

There is a legend about tea and the artist Kiprensky:

In the 18th-19th centuries. Koporye was considered a deep province and was known, in general, for “Koporie tea.” Its production was considered illegal, since since the time of Ivan the Terrible, Muscovy had a state monopoly on Chinese tea imported from England. The state prohibited the production of "Koporo tea", but local population persistently engaged in a profitable business. The components of “Koporo tea” are lungwort and fireweed (fireweed). In the autumn and spring, during the deep muddy roads, under the cover of darkness, “Koporie tea” arrived to the tea merchants of St. Petersburg. The color and taste of the tea infusion was no different from the Chinese one.

The birth story of the famous artist Orest Koporsky, better known under the name Kiprensky, is also connected with Koporye and Ivan tea. The great Pushkin said about his portrait, the work of Kiprensky: “You flatter me, Orestes!” This portrait has long become a textbook. According to archival data, the father of Orest Kiprensky was a serf peasant named Schwalbe from the village of Koporsky. But historians still argue whether Schwalbe was his natural father or his adopted one. It is believed that Kiprensky was the son of a landowner and was only brought up in a peasant family.

On April 18, 1919, the Decree on the Protection of Cultural Monuments was adopted. In 1925, under the State. The Academy of the History of Material Culture created a commission to register architectural monuments subject to protection, which decided to take the fortress under state control. protection as a “monument of great artistic and historical significance.”

In May 1919, soldiers of the 166th Infantry Regiment of the 6th Division of the Red Army settled in the towers of the fortress and held back the onslaught of the White Guard landing of the Ingermanland battalion on the side of Yudenich's army, which landed in the rear of the Red Army, broke through the defenses at Yam and rushed to Petrograd.

There are also legends about this time:

To the left of the dirt road are the ruins of a red brick church. The priest who was attached to the church renounced after 1917 and went to work as a shepherd in the Koporye region. There are 5 Christmas trees to the right of the church. His father planted Christmas trees over the mass grave of the Red Army soldiers. They were buried by their father and coachman Ivan Stepanovich on the orders of the landowner. Battle with the White Guards in 1919, about 10 people. And they began to put them in the ground. Rubble slabs were placed over the head so that the earth would not fall on the face; it was a pity to bury without coffins. Koporye changed hands 6 times.
* * *
In May 1919, the Ingermanland battalion landed in Koporye Bay, speaking under the slogan of creating an independent Ingermanland Republic. But the Red Guard detachments under the command of Trofimov and Afanasyev repelled the onslaught of the Whites. The battalion moved to the Soykinsky Peninsula, where it was replenished with Swedish, Finnish and Estonian volunteers. A few days later the Bolsheviks were driven out of Koporye. But the further offensive failed due to disagreements between the Ingrians and the command of the White Guard Northwestern Army.

The reputation of the “Red Marshal” Klim Voroshilov collapsed near Koporye. Sent to Leningrad to save the situation, he demonstrated personal courage and a complete lack of strategic talent: in the battle of Koporye, he personally led the 5th Marine Brigade with bayonets. The Germans opened fire with mortars, and the attack fizzled out. Voroshilov was wounded in the arm, and the details immediately reached Stalin. And soon “Legendary Klim” lost his position. After this episode, Koporye never appeared on the pages of Russian history.

As you can see, the legend above is not true, because another important page of history is connected with Koporye:

In August 1941, Soviet troops fought fierce battles with the German invaders near Koporye. The Nazis used aircraft to bomb the troop positions near Koporye, incl. and the garrison of the fortress, which was then badly damaged. In the center of the fortress courtyard there now stands a monument to Soviet soldiers who died in the battles for Koporye. On September 1, Soviet troops were forced to retreat. Having established a foothold 12 km from the fortress on the river. Voronka, they blocked the way for the enemies, playing an important role in the defense of the bridgehead, which went down in history as the Oranienbaum “piglet”.

During World War II, the fortress had no military significance. The fortress Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral, converted into a club during Soviet times, was converted by the Germans into a cinema. Koporye was liberated in the 2nd half. January 1944

In 1962, the Transfiguration Cathedral burned down. In general, centuries slowly but inevitably did their job - they turned into dust and everyone disappeared wooden elements fortresses, the upper parts of the towers and walls fell into disrepair and collapsed.

In the 1970s Work began to study and restore the fortress. In the summer of 1970, an expedition organized by Len. Department of the Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and Leningrad. The regional branch of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Monuments, with the support of the historical department of the LU, began archaeological excavations. Before this, archaeological research had not been carried out on the territory of the fortress.

The systematic study and restoration of Koporye began. Architects I.L. Khaustova, M.L. Dementieva and candidate of art history M.I. Milchik conducted a historical study of the fortress, carried out a project for restoring the bridge and a project for restoring other parts of the ensemble. In 1979-83 According to their project, conservation of one of the towers of the gate complex and part of the defensive wall with a tower occupying the middle of a long shaft was carried out.

V.V. Kostochkin proved that Koporye is a monument of the early 16th century, and for the first time suggested the prospects of searching within the fortress walls of the early 16th century. individual parts fortresses of the late 13th century.

In 1979-83 conservation work was carried out on part of the fortifications, namely the South, North and Middle towers. But further restoration requires a lot of money and time... Quite a lot of traces of conservation attempts are noticeable - iron reinforcement bars are hammered into the walls, cement is smeared in some places and covered with red brick. However, since this was a long time ago, these marks have already become covered with the patina of time and rust and therefore do not hurt the eye.

When I first arrived in Koporye in 1994, entry was very difficult. The bridge had not been fully restored, and just before the entrance it was necessary to make one’s way over logs lying at a height of several meters. This corresponds to ancient descriptions stating that the bridge ended in a failure, which was closed by a lowering drawbridge door (an element not very common in Russian architecture). Today the bridge has been reached to the wall and entry into the fortress is free.
http://www.towns.ru/other/koporye.html

The fortress received museum status in 2001 and opened to visitors in May 2002. The infrastructure around the fortress is not developed, the museum is not electrified. In the summer, the fortress hosts festive events for children's summer camps, organized jointly with the cultural center of the village of Koporye. On the last Sunday of July, the Koporye Fun holiday is celebrated, dedicated to the Russian soldier. The colorful costume performance ends with fireworks.

In 2003, St. Petersburg State University held the “Day of Russian Classical Music” holiday. Historical clubs hold knightly tournaments and games. The Living History Festival “Summer Holiday 2009”, according to tradition, will be held in the Koporye Fortress on July 16-19, 2009 and cover the period 1190-1300. Newlyweds often come to the fortress, drink champagne, take pictures at the sunset and leave.

Currently, no noticeable work is being carried out in the fortress. Except that some Orthodox Christians ruined the appearance of the fortress this year. What could have been done neater and more attractive. Opinion from the Internet:
The newly built building, clearly visible through the gap in the “ruined place” and reminiscent of a new Russian bathhouse or a “24 hours” store, is an attempt to restore the Transfiguration Cathedral. The author of this creator has not yet been identified. Definitely, these are not restorers, since the appearance of the fortress is already completely ruined.

But in general there are problems: A unique monument of ancient Russian architecture - the Koporye fortress - was under threat of destruction. Just 20 years ago, her condition did not inspire concern. However, no one specifically monitored the safety of the ancient walls. And now the stone cladding began to crumble.

For architect Irene Khaustova, the Koporye Fortress is a subject of special professional pride and concern. A quarter of a century ago, she led restoration work at the site. In the 80s, this unique monument of ancient Russian architecture did not suffer from lack of attention. Every summer season a team of students - graduates of construction universities - worked on strengthening the walls, clearing passages, stairs and interior spaces.

The traditions of medieval French, German and Italian fortification are mixed in Koporye. Some architectural fragments of the fortress have been preserved in Russia in the singular - such as a forged portcullis from the 16th century.

The problems are obvious: the last fortification work in Koporye was carried out a quarter of a century ago. No one doubts the significance of the monument, but there is no support from the center. An optimistic assessment of the state of the fortress is based on the standard statement: “Enough for our lifetime.” Indeed, these walls lasted for 7 centuries. Architect Khaustova makes his conclusion based on the processes of recent years.

About once a year, adventurers break from the walls of Koporye. There is no one in the museum to look after these Koporye “icars”. Just like there is no one to guard the territory of the fortress. Perhaps there will be fewer accidents when the walls of Koporye collapse to the level of natural rock. No monument - no problem.

http://www.mk-piter.ru/2003/07/09/038/

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Meaning of the word Koporye

spear in the crossword dictionary

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998

spear

ancient Russian city of the 13th-18th centuries. (now a village in Lomonosovsky district, Leningrad region). First mentioned in 1240. A fortress that defended the Novgorod land from the Swedes. Ruins of fortress walls and towers.

Koporye

ancient Russian city of Novgorod land (now a village in the Lomonosov district of the Leningrad region). K. was first mentioned in 1240, when German knights built a fortress in the Koporye churchyard, which was destroyed by Alexander Nevsky (1241). In 1280, the Novgorodians built a stone city in K., which they destroyed two years later, as a result of a feud with their prince, who sought to capture K. The fortress was built again in 1297, and at the end of the 15th - early 16th centuries. it was rebuilt. According to the Treaty of Stolbovo in 1617, Sweden went to Sweden and was returned to Russia in 1703. In the 18th century. K. was a district town, later a village. The ruins of the fortress walls (about 5 m thick) and towers (up to 20 m high) have been preserved.

Wikipedia

Koporye (village, Leningrad region)

Koporye(, Izhor., water. Kabrio) - a village in the Lomonosovsky district of the Leningrad region, located 12 km south of the Koporskaya Bay of the Gulf of Finland.

Administrative center of Koporsky rural settlement. This settlement also includes the village at Koporye station.

In the Middle Ages - an ancient Russian city in the Novgorod land, the administrative center of Koporsky district in Vodskaya Pyatina.

Koporye

Koporye- toponym in Russia:

• Koporye is a village in the Sudislavsky district of the Kostroma region.
• Koporye is a village in the Lomonosovsky district of the Leningrad region.
• Koporye is a fortress in the Lomonosov district of the Leningrad region, a monument of Russian medieval defensive architecture.
• Koporye is a village near the station in the Lomonosovsky district of the Leningrad region.
• Koporye - railroad station in the Lomonosov district of the Leningrad region on the St. Petersburg-Baltiysky - Kotly line.
• Koporye is a village in the Nekrasovsky district of the Yaroslavl region.
• Koporye is a village in the Rostov district of the Yaroslavl region.

Koporye (village near the railway station, Leningrad region)

Koporye- a village near the station in the Koporsky rural settlement of the Lomonosovsky district of the Leningrad region.

Koporye (station)

Koporye- freight station Oktyabrskaya railway in the Lomonosov district of the Leningrad region on the Kalishche - Weimarn line.

Located near the village of Koporye.

As part of the railway infrastructure, a village arose at the Koporye station.

Examples of the use of the word koporye in literature.

The prince first took Koporye, The German town broke, German bollards in Priozerye Whom he killed, who he caught.

He owned a principality in Silesia and six cities in Russia: Oranienbaum, Yamburg, Koporye, Ranenburg, Pochep and Baturin.

Narva, recaptured with great loss for the Russians, the Swedes saw the impossibility of continuing the war with success and on February 25 concluded a truce for one year, ceding Yama, Ivan-Gorod and Koporye, promising to concede more at the future ambassadorial congress.

Prince Yuri was given thirteen cities to feed himself and his squad: Rusu, Ladoga, Oreshek, Tiversky town, Korelsky, Koporyu, Torzhok, Volok Lamskoy, Porkhov, Vyshegorod, Yamu, Vysokoye, Kokshin Gorodets - almost all the outlying Novgorod strongholds.

Created over centuries, by the end of the Middle Ages it included powerful stone fortifications of Novgorod and Pskov, Porkhov and Ostrov, Izborsk and Pechora, Gdov, Ivangorod, Yamgorod, Koporye, Oreshka, Korely, Ladoga.

On Koporye, Ivangorod, Kolyvan, Yuryev, Rakover, ancient Russian settlements on the southern bank, to which the Livonian knights gave their names, the troops of Ivan the Fourth marched.

Noteburg, Yam, Koporye, Oreshek, Ivangorod,” Ievlev read, “make up the keys of Livonia and block the Baltic Sea from Russia.

Dmitriev's boyars had already liberated Koporye, and the Novgorod army with master masons went there to break down and demolish the fortress to its very foundation before spring.

Village Koporye- the center of the rural settlement of the same name, located 12 kilometers from the bay of the same name in the Gulf of Finland. The settlement is located in the southwest of the region. It is 75 kilometers away from the regional center. There is a railway station of the same name nearby.

Story

In 1237, a fortress was founded in Koporye. The first mentions of it date back to almost the same period. In the Novgorod Chronicles from 1240 there is a record of the German knights of the Livonian Order who built a wooden church in the Koporye churchyard. Subsequently, Alexander Nevsky captured it and destroyed it.

In 1280, a stone city appeared within Koporye. But two years later it was destroyed by the Novgorodians, who were in conflict with Grand Duke Dmitry Alexandrovich. A new fortress appeared in 1297. At the turn of the 15th-16th centuries it was rebuilt. Koporye became part of Sweden in 1581 and only 9 years later returned to Russia.

According to the Stolbovsky Treaty of 1617 locality and the fortress again went to Sweden. Koporye returned to Russia only during the reign of Peter I, in 1703. Five years later, the fortress became the property of Prince Alexander Menshikov, the closest ally of Great Peter. In 1727, the fortress again passed into the treasury.

In the 18th century, Koporye had the status of a district town in the St. Petersburg province. The fortress was excluded from the list of defensive structures in 1763. After 20 years, a wooden church was built in the village in honor of the Assumption Holy Mother of God. Since 1838, the village was called the Prigorodnaya settlement. At that time it belonged to State Councilor Yuryeva.

In 1860, there were 45 households in Prigorodnaya, two churches were opened, there was a volost administration and a rural school. Fairs were held every August. At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, the village was part of the Peterhof district. In 1905, the settlement belonged to the court councilor Dmitry Zinoviev. To this day, the ruins of an ancient fortress, as well as an estate and landscape park of the 19th century, have been preserved in Koprorye.

Material from Letopisi.Ru - “Time to go home”

Fortress
Koporye Fortress
Status	protected by the state
A country	Russia
Village	Koporye
Coordinates	59°42′33″ n. w. 29°1′56″ E d. (G)
Founder	Prince Dmitry - son of Alexander Nevsky
First mention	1240, as a fortress of the Livonian Order
Construction	1280-1297

Location of Koporye Fortress

Koporye Fortress is located on the territory of the village of the same name, located 87 km southwest of St. Petersburg and 23 km south of Sosnovy Bor. Here, 12 km from the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland on the right bank of the river. Koporki has a steep ledge that closes northwestern flank of the Izhora Upland.
Address of Kapor Fortress:
188525, Leningrad region,
Lomonosovsky district, village. Koporye

Characteristics of the Koporye Fortress

The fortress occupies small area rocky cape 70x200m, surrounded by two ravines. The walls and towers of the fortress were built from local limestone. The thickness of the walls is 5m, the height of the walls is 15m, the height of the towers is 20m. Four powerful cylindrical battle towers, which, like the walls, have retained their original height almost everywhere, are monumental. The gate complex with an arched entrance through a high drawbridge is one of the attractions of the fortress. At the gates of the fortress, the only one in the north-west of the gers has been preserved - a lifting lattice closing the gate.

History of the Koporye Fortress

The first fortifications were founded in 1240 by the knights of the Livonian Order. In 1241, Alexander Nevsky, during the liberation of the Novgorod lands, destroyed the German fortress and expelled the invaders of their Kaporye. In 1279, the son of Alexander Nevsky, Prince Dmitry, “begged” permission from Novgorod and erected a wooden fortress on the Izhora Hill, and a year later - a stone fortress.

Key dates in the history of the Koporye fortress

Its main historical dates are as follows:

• 1237 - a wooden-earth fortress was built.
• 1240 - destroyed by the Germans.
• 1241 - a new wooden fortress was built.
• 1270 - fire during reconstruction.
• 1297 - foundation of a capital structure and radical reconstruction of a new defensive complex.
• End of the 15th century - additionally powerful fortifications of the walls were built taking into account new requirements with the use of firearms.
• 1581 - end Livonian War. The fortress was captured by the Swedes for 10 years.
• 1590 - Russian garrisons again in the fortress.
• 1617 - Peace of Stolbov. The Swedes have the fortress again.
• year - in the spring, a corps of Russian troops under the command of B.P. approached the walls of the fortress. Sheremetev and forced the Swedish garrison (and it was headed by Opalev, a descendant of Russian nobles who became Swedish subjects) to surrender after a bombardment from mortars on May 27.
• Beginning of the 18th century - A.D.’s wooden mansions appear Menshikov and the building of the commandant's office. The ruins of this stone building have survived to this day.
• 1763 - officially excluded from the fortresses and is a museum.
• year - at a meeting of the Russian Military Historical Society it was decided that it was necessary to hold it in the Koporye Fortress research papers, make architectural measurements of walls and towers, remains of stone structures inside the fortress.
• year - in May, in the Koporye area, soldiers of the 166th Infantry Regiment of the 6th Division of the Red Army held back the onslaught of the White Guards, who broke through our defenses near Yamburg and were moving towards Petrograd.
• year - a decision was made to take the Koporye fortress under state protection as a “monument of great artistic and historical significance”, thanks to Doctor of Historical Sciences V.V. Kostochkin, who brilliantly proved that Koporye is a monument early XVI century.
• year - a fortress among the Germans behind the defense line of the Oranienbaum bridgehead.