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Issues of 2008

Fortresses of Ivangorod and Narva

Every day thousands of car travellers could admire two unique fortresses of Narva and Ivangorod situated on the opposite banks of the river Narva. Employees of the customshouse and check-point Narva ≈ Ivangorod at the Russian-Estonian border generously give an opportunity to take delight in outstanding monuments of the art of fortification almost gratis.

But what impresses the most is the view from the Ivangorod fortress. There is Narva, Estonia, Tall Hermann Tower just across the Narva river that flows into the Gulf of Finland. Narva ≈ the city and fortress ≈ is older than Ivangorod so at first let▓s talk about them.

View of Ivangorod Fortress. Postcard of the early XXth century. Private collection [zoom (45k)]

Narva▓s favourable location on the border and at the crossing of trade routes has enabled the town and its inhabitants to earn great wealth. However, in wars and conflicts, the location and wealth made Narva the first target. Therefore, most rulers, and Narva has had plenty of them over time, have made their contribution to fortification of the town. It mostly meant supplementing and reconstructing the existing structures but in several times also establishing new fortification systems. Through centuries, enormous resources were invested in fortification of Narva. This, however, could not prevent recurrent conquering of the town. An unconquerable town was actually an ideal at that time, which could even become true at one moment but broke due to development of weaponry (provoked by the town▓s unconquerability) at the next moment. Narva never achieved the ideal, even worse, it could not keep renewal of its defensive structures up to date. This was also the case in the Great Northern War at the beginning of the 18th century, when the extremely powerful bastion system established by the Swedes was, shortly before its completion, conquered by the Russian tsar Peter I. The survived fortifications of Narva are characterised by multi-layerness: fortification types used in different eras due to different weaponry have mixed there. We can also see rather pure-style fortification systems, for example, the bastions constructed by the Swedes. The fact that Narva Herman Castle has retained its medieval look despite the numerous reconstructions and wars is a little miracle. Only thanks to the ╚miracle╩ we can nowadays enjoy the extraordinary view on Narva Herman Castle and Ivangorod Castle, which seem to guard each other.

In European history Narva has been known as a traditional center of international trade. The waterway along the Narva River had already been utilized during the epoch of the Vikings (V√XI centuries) and represented an offshoot of the famous river waterway from the Baltic to the Mediterranean that was referred to in an ancient Russian chronicle as ╚The Way from Varangians to Greeks╩. Later (beginning from the XIII century) the land route from Tallinn to Novgorod via Narva had been intensively used. There, near the river crossing, a trade settlement sprang up in the XII century.

Medieval Narva played a great role in the trade system of the Baltics which had been formed under the aegis of the Hanseatic League, as well as that of the Germanic Order. From the end of the XV century (after the Novgorod Republic had been joined to Moscow) the historic role of intermediary in Russian and European trade relations which Novgorod had previously played was gradually shifted to Narva. In the second half of the XVI century, during the Livonian War, Narva was conquered by the armed forces of Russian Czar Ivan IV (the Terrible), and for about 20 years the town was the main center of the sea trade in the Baltics. Another (and the most important) flourishing of Narva as a commercial town occurred in the XVII century, when it belonged to the powerful Kingdom of Sweden. That period was the ╚Golden Age╩ for commerce in Narva.

Also contributing to the town▓s prosperity was the fact that trade routes were passing via Narva that linked the Baltics not only with Russia, but also with oriental countries such as Persia and Trans╛Caucasus.

The city of Narva got its name from the word ╚narvi╩ that means waterfall in the ancient Estonian language. There are also other opinions. For example, Russian historians see Slavic origin of the word and say it to come from ╚nerova╩ that means irregular, cataracted river-bed.

The fortification of Narva began in the 70▓s of the XIII century when the Danes laid down Narva Castle on a steep bank of the river. In the middle of the XIV century it passed to the Knights of the Germanic Order and was reconstructed into a type of fortification known as ╚House of the Convent╩, which was typical for the military architecture of the Order. The Castle acquired its finished look in the beginning of the XV century during the course of its military and architectural rivalry with Russia▓s Ivangorod Fortress. The architectural appearance of the Castle is characterized by a mighty tower (more than 50 meters in height) that has the name of Pikk Hermann (i.e. Tall Herman).

At the end of the XIV century the surrounding town wall was constructed and then fortified with towers. In the XV√XVI centuries, modernization of Narva▓s fortifications was under way because firearms had come into use. Due to this, the castle▓s medieval towers were reconstructed into artillery-fitted roundel towers. The Swedes were most active in improving Narva Castle in XVII century. In the first half of the century they constructed bastions of Italian and German types, whereas in the 80▓s of the XVII century they got involved in the grandiose construction of a new defensive line. This consisted of French-type bastions designed by the prominent Swedish military engineer and architect, Eric Dalberg. In this way, the fortification system of Narva Castle was finally formed. and essentially was preserved without any changes until the mid-XIX century.

Ivangorod Fortress. Nikolskaya church ≈ to the left, Uspenskaya church ≈ to the right. Photo by Leonid Amirkhanov. 2005 [zoom (67k)]

At present, the defensive and engineering works of Narva have no equal either in diversity or in state of preservation. Together with Ivangorod Fortress they form an historic architectural ensemble of European importance.

The most significant historic action related to Narva took place on November 19th, 1700. This is the well-known ╚Battle of Narva╩ during the Great Northern War. It was at this time that military forces from Sweden, led by the young King Carl XII, defeated the Russian army headed by Czar Peter I (whose forces were greater than those of the Swedes). This victory in Narva made Carl XII famous as a talented commander of his army. Yet the battle had been meaningful not only for Sweden, but for Russia as well, since it was the first battle held by the Russian regular army. The topography of the historic field of battle can still be recognized at the present time.

Then in 1704, the name of Narva rang out over the field of battle once again. This is when forces of Peter I stormed Narva Castle and captured it from the Swedes. The sites of these battles fought during the Great Northern War are marked with various monuments in the area surrounding Narva Castle.

Talking about Narva Castle we would like also to say few words about the sprawling complex of the coterminous Kreenholm Manufacture. This company was put into operation in the second half of the XIX century. At this time, it was one of the largest textile mills in Europe. Kreenholm utilized the cheap energy source of the falls and possessed technology that was highly advanced for that time. Fabrics manufactured there were of such high quality that they were granted the prestigious Grand-Prix award at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900.

The Kreenholm Manufacture was established as an integral ensemble, and included not only production facilities but administrative, dwelling, and social complexes as well. While building Kreenholm, the owners of the firm were implementing a philosophic as well as architectural idea of an industrial city of the future, which was popular in the sociology of the XIX century. The uniqueness of Kreenholm as an architectural monument had been brought about by the participation of talented architects from the Saint Petersburg Academic School. Additionally, the influence of English building traditions as realized by L. Knop, the founder of the Manufacture, was evident. The Kreenholm designers managed to create an original style all their own that clearly displays a link with the historic heritage of Narva▓s traditional architecture. Kreenholm is unique for Estonia as an historic and architectural monument, referring to the epoch of development of large-scale manufacturing industries, and takes a prominent place among monuments of this kind existing in the Northern Europe.

Ivangorod Fortress overlooks the Narva River opposite the Narva Hermann Castle and the Estonian city of Narva. The original castle was constructed in one summer, in the year 1492. It was named after Muscovite Grand Prince Ivan III. Its purpose was to fend off the Livonian Knights. The Ivangorod Fortress became the first in Russia citadel designed in the form of a regular rectangle (41.3 m on a side). The walls were raised to conduct offensive defensive. The main part of the Fortress, Bolshoy Boyarshy Town, was started in 1493 under supervision of Ivan Gundor and Mikhail Klyapin. By 1498 the Church of Sv. Nicola (St.Nicholas), ╚Dvor Namestnich╩ (Governor▓s Court), one priest▓s and four merchant▓s households were built in the fortress and its population numbered 121 people, mostly Novgorodian boyars exempted from taxes.

During the Russo-Swedish War, 1496√1499, the entire population inside the fortress was destroyed after a seven-hour siege by Swedish forces. However, the Swedes fled after they learned that Muscovite forces were approaching to retake the castle. Ivangorod was won back later in the year by Muscovite forces, under the command of Prince Ivan Gundar and Mikhail Klyapin. Three thousand troops arrived to retake the castle, rebuild it, and construct a new barracks and stronger bastions. For almost 10 years, the land around the castle was in constant warfare. The fortress and the land around changed hands repeatedly. The castle was reconstructed and fortified many times, becoming one of the strongest defensive structures in the 16th century. The castle was in development until the 17th century, becoming a large, sprawling fortress with several lines of defense.

Many fortress constructions were erected in 1507√1509, with the Castle and Peredny (Front) Town among them. The walls and towers of Bolshoy Boyarshy Town were built on, a secret well was arranged in the Well Tower to secure water supply and peculiar traps were added to the fence near the Proviantskaya (Provisions▓) Tower allowing the fortress defenders, by lifting special screens, to be completely isolated from those enemies who managed to reach the walls. In 1704, Peter the Great captured the castle from Swedish troops, putting the fortress back into Russian control. Inside the fortress, there are two churches ≈ one dedicated to the Virgin▓s Assumption (1496) and another one, dedicated to St. Nicholas (built in the late 16th century but later reconstructed).

View of Ivangorod Fortress from Estonia. Postcard of the early XXth century. Private collection [zoom (48k)]

After the early 18th century, the military role of the fortress dwindled due to the technological advance. In 1728 a review was carried out of the fortresses in this area, which concluded that the installations were in neglect condition and had a low fighting efficiency. An order was issued for restoration of Ivangorod fortress, but after the inspection of 1738 the fortress was designated not adequate for defence purpose.

In 1840 some improvements were carried out in the fortress (roofs were changed), further improvements took place in 1863 and 1911√1914. During World War I, the fortress was captured by Germans on 25 February 1918. From 1919 to 1940, the fortress belonged to Estonia. Despite of changing hands several times in the first part of the 20th century, the fortress played no significant role in the battles. Ivangorod and Narva suffered a lot in World War II. Fierce battles for Narva started in August 1941, resulting in German occupation of the neighbourhood which has lasted till July 1944. Endless artillery attacks and air bombardments reduced Ivangorod and Narva to ashes. Renovation of Narva Castle was begun in the 1950s, that of Ivangorod Castle in the 60s, and actually work in both castles is still continuing.

Today Narva▓s former military objects serve the town▓s inhabitants and visitors: the Narva Museum is situated in the castle, and the park established on the bastions is a beloved walking and recreation area. There are yearly musical festivals and celebrations, theatre seasons and youth camps organized in Ivangorod. In addition to the fortress itself one may also like to visit Merchant Orlov▓s House, whose permanent exhibition is dedicated to fortification and military architecture of north-western Russia and includes both historical documents, archaeological findings and scale models. The museum also houses art collections and exhibits of local tradition and lore. Nearby you▓ll find The Holy Trinity Church (1872), the family tomb of the Stieglitz barons, and Narova Waterfalls famous for their record amounts of water. The history and art museum of Ivangorod fortress exhibits paintings of Ivan Bilibin, Alexandra Pototskaya and other authors. As well, local history and tradition are explained by some of museum▓s exhibits, such as archeological finds encountered in the surrounding areas. There is a permanent exhibition devoted to the Northern War and the Livonian War. As well, there are models of fortresses in the surrounding region and armaments, and documents and letters related to famous people such as Fyodor Dostoevski, exhibited in the fortress museum.

These two unique architectural monuments should be studied in complex, at the same time and with united efforts of two parties.