Address: Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, between the Storeroom and the Powder Towers
Start of construction: 1372 year
Completion of construction: 1511 year
Coordinates: 56 ° 19'37.3 "N 44 ° 00'20.7" E
Content:
Brief history and description
The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin consisted of 13 towers, in the 18th century one of them - Zachatyevskaya - was completely destroyed by a landslide, but by now the regional government has already approved a project to restore the monument.
The Dmitrievskaya (Dmitrovskaya) tower is rightfully considered the symbol of Nizhny Novgorod, the vaulted gates of which lead to the central square of Minin and Pozharsky... Being the main stronghold in the defense of the upland section of the Kremlin, the Dmitrievskaya Tower was built in the center of the upper settlement, where in the old days the Moscow highway passed.
View of the tower from st. Barbaric
The Laurentian Chronicle reports that the fortification was erected in 1372 by the Grand Duke Dmitry Konstantinovich, planning to rebuild a wooden fortress in stone. According to another version, the tower got its name not from the name of Prince Dmitry, but in honor of the church of St. Dmitry Solunsky, who was nearby. Initially, the formidable fortification stood as if on an island, surrounded by a fortress moat with water and a system of additional fortifications.
In front of the Dmitrievskaya gate, there was a diversion arrow connected to the Dmitrovskaya tower by a drawbridge. Strelnitsa, which served as a bridgehead, had two tiers. The lower tier was occupied by loopholes and a driveway arch, and the upper floor, surrounded by battlements, was used as a battleground.
View of the tower from Minin and Pozharsky square
In the 1660s, the Dmitrievskaya Tower surpassed all mountain fortifications in its firepower. 63 fortress guns and 7 arquebuses, which were in service with the soldiers, made it possible to effectively fire at the enemy. In the 18th century, the Dmitrievskaya Tower lost its defensive significance, so the bridgehead fortifications were destroyed, and the moat was covered with earth. Within the walls of the ancient building there was a garrison school, and later - the Nizhny Novgorod provincial archive. In the 1830s, this archive was visited by A.S. Pushkin, collecting materials for the "History of Pugachev"... Some documents, such as reports and a report of the Kurmysh governors who surrendered to Pugachev, the great playwright grabbed from the archive and used them when writing the story. In 1896, the All-Russian Trade and Industrial Exhibition was held in Nizhny Novgorod, and in honor of this significant event, the Dmitrievskaya Tower was renovated, turning it into an art-historical museum. The building was crowned with an iron tent, and a glass lantern was installed over the roof (not preserved).
View of the tower from the monument to Kuzma Minin
In 1965, the city's coat of arms in the form of a gilded weather vane-shield with the image of a walking deer was erected on the spire of the tower. In 1994, in the icon case, above the passable arch, the gate icon of the Blessed Prince Yuri (Georgy) Vsevolodovich, who founded the first Nizhny Novgorod fortress in 1221, was placed. Currently, the Dmitrievskaya Tower houses the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin exhibition hall, which belongs to the regional museum-reserve.
