Keyword: «history of siberia»

Kuznetsk fortress is a fortification object of the beginning of the XIX century. The construction of the polygonal-bastion tracing. Most of the internal buildings are made in the style of classicism, widespread in the Russian Empire in the 18th century. The fortress is surrounded by a moat and earthen rampart with redans, a redoubt and two earthen half-bastions. At the same time, two more half-bastions have stone clothes made of wild stone. The complex includes an earthen four- bastion Sternschanz – “Swamp Citadel”. From a tactical point of view. Kuznetsk fortress is an amazing example of Siberian military engineering art of the beginning of the last XIX century. She crowned a whole stage in the development of Siberian fortification. The fortress was built in the right place at the right time. Her layout, location, device are of great interest. The fortress is completely atypical for Siberian fortification. It has too many individual features, compared with other Siberian fortresses. Based on many years of studying the fortress, the author concludes that the design of the fortress is individual, although the construction of standard linear fortifications was originally planned. Many factors had to coincide in order for the fortress to be created in this form – a long and serious military danger, the adventurousness of the corps commander, the militancy of the emperor, the experience of engineers, the economic crisis of the state, which cut short the further development of fortifications. All this together has led to the fact that the city of Novokuznetsk can now rightfully be proud of such an unusual monument of history and fortification.