- Korela Fortress
Korela Fortress (Russian: Корела, Finnish: "Käkisalmen linna", Swedish: "Keksholms fästning"), at the town of
Priozersk , was founded by theKarelia ns who named the place "Käkisalmi."It was first mentioned in a
Novgorod ian chronicle of 1143 as "Korela". Indeed, archeological digs have revealed a layer belonging to the 12th century. Swedish chronicles first reported of the settlement of "Keksholm" in 1294. Until the 16th century, the fortress belonged to theNovgorod Republic , followed byMuscovy . Novgorodians built the current stone bastions and towers in1364 after a fire destroyed the original wooden fortress.Soon after their seizure of Korela in 1580, the Swedes rebuilt the fortress following a Western European pattern of
bastion fortifications. During theTime of Troubles , Korela was a prize promised byVasily IV of Russia toJacob De la Gardie for helping him fight the Poles. As a result, the fortress remained with Sweden for 100 years, untilPeter the Great recaptured it during theGreat Northern War .In the mid-18th century, the fortress was turned into a political prison of
Imperial Russia . Some participants of theDecembrist Revolt (1825) were confined there.External links
* [http://www.enlight.ru/camera/144/index_e.html Photos of the fortress]
* [http://www.nortfort.ru/keksgolm/index_e.html Detailed information]Template group
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