With this "stone belt of fortresses", the country’s borders were well protected. Soroca fortress was built at a Nistru River crossing on older fortifications. In 1499, at the order of Stefan cel Mare a square wooden fortress was built on the site of a former Genovesian fortress that was called Olihonia (Alciona).
From 1543–1546, when Petru Rares ruled the country, the fortress was completely re-built in stone, and in the shape that remains today – a circle with a diameter of 3.5 meter and 5 bastions situated at equal distances. When designing the fortress the builders incorporated the supreme law of harmony, which makes the fortress unique among examples of European defensive architecture.
Soroca fortress is also famous as being the place where the Moldovan army, commanded by the famous statesman Dimitrie Cantemir, and the Russian army, led by the Tsar Petru I, met and consolidated their forces during the Prut campaign against the Turkish hordes in 1711.
During the course of its history, the fortress has been visited by Bogdan Hmelnitski, Timush Hmelnitski, Alexander Suvorov, and others. The fortress is the only medieval monument in Moldova which has been preserved entirely as it was designed.
Above the entrance gate one can visit the small military church.
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Location: |
Petru Rares str., Soroca 160 km distance to Chisinau |
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Accessibility: |
10:00 – 18:00 Tuesday to Sunday |
