Smolensk: Fortress, Gardens and Cathedral

Smolensk combines the history of a fortified city with historic gardens, memorial sites and a cathedral that defines the city skyline. The start of fortress construction in the late 16th century, Lopatinsky Garden, laid out in 1873, and the construction phases of the Assumption Cathedral reveal different chapters in the city’s history. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Smolensk, these themes can help guide your decision about whether you are particularly interested in military architecture, gardens, memorial sites or the history of religious architecture during your stay.

A fortress and a garden on historic grounds

Construction of the Smolensk Fortress began following a decree issued by the tsar on 15 December 1595; the Smolensk Fortress Wall was completed in 1602. It is a monument to Russian military architecture. Lopatinsky Garden was laid out in 1873 on the grounds of the former Royal Fortress. Its ramparts and entrances to the underground chambers of the Royal Bastion are still there. It is named after Governor Alexander Grigoryevich Lopatin. The fortress wall and the garden offer different perspectives on the city’s history: on one hand, a monument to military architecture; on the other, a garden on former fortress grounds, with the ramparts and entrances of the Royal Bastion.

Two gardens, different names

In central Smolensk is the historic Blonye Garden. Its official name is M. I. Glinka Garden; residents of Smolensk usually call it Blonye. This gives you two different naming histories: Lopatinsky Garden is named after a governor, while Blonye Garden has an official name honoring M. I. Glinka alongside its commonly used local name. Including both gardens in your travel plans also gives you a chance to notice their different names.

Memorial sites commemorating 1812

Lopatinsky Garden is home to a monument to the defenders of Smolensk on 4 and 5 August 1812. It was unveiled in November 1841, based on a design by Antonio Adami. Another memorial site is Heroes’ Remembrance Square. It is home to a monument to the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812; its foundation stone was laid on 6 August 1912. Both sites relate to the same year of the war, but their monuments have different dates and roles: the monument in the garden is recorded as having been unveiled, while the monument in the square is recorded as having had its foundation stone laid.

The cathedral and its construction history

The Assumption Cathedral is a defining feature of Smolensk’s city skyline. The present-day cathedral was built to commemorate the heroic defense of Smolensk from 1609 to 1611, on the site of a cathedral of the same name dating from the 12th century. Its construction took place in two phases: first from 1677 to 1679, followed by completion between 1712 and 1740. It was designed by A. I. Shedel. At the same site, the memory of the city’s defense, the location of a medieval predecessor and the construction history of the later cathedral come together.

Museum buildings and civilian history

Smolensk’s civilian buildings offer a different perspective on the city. The building housing the “Gorodskaya Kuznitsa XVII veka” Museum is the oldest surviving civilian building in the city. The former “Russkaya Starina” Museum building was constructed to house a historical and ethnographic collection of more than 10,000 objects. The two accounts emphasize different things: the first concerns the building’s age and use as a museum; the second, the purpose for which the former museum building was constructed and the size of the collection.

If you would like to focus your holiday apartment search on a stay centered on the city’s history and architecture, choose Smolensk as your search destination.

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For the overview of the wider travel area: Smolensk Oblast.