How was a 16th-century fortress assembled on Sviyazhsk Island in just 24 days?
Sviyazhsk was supposed to become a Russian outpost against Kazan Khanate. It stands at the confluence of the Sviyaga River into the Volga River.
All wooden structures were first built in the town of Myshkin, 800 km away from Sviyazhsk, and, in 1551, with the onset of spring, they were shipped down the Volga to the island. The fortress was assembled in just 24 days. The construction involved a whopping 75,000 people!
After the capture of Kazan in 1552, the Sviyazhsk fortress gradually lost its importance. However, trade and handicrafts began to flourish there. The walls of the fortress itself were dismantled at the beginning of the 18th century, but the complex of the Assumption Monastery with its strong walls, as well as the unique wooden Trinity Church, built in the mid-16th century, during the time of Ivan the Terrible, have been preserved on the island.
In 2017, UNESCO included Sviyazhsk on the World Heritage List.
Nowadays, Sviyazhsk is a village with a population of 200 people. It mainly attracts enthusiasts of Russian history.
