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Ministerul Educații, Culturii și cercetarii al Republicii Moldova

Universitatea Tehnica
Facultatea Construcții, Geodezie și Cadastru

Referat
La: disciplina limba straina(engleza)
Tema: Monument architectural din republica Moldova

A elaborat:

A verificat:

Chisinau 2020

Soroca Fortress
Soroca Fortress (Romanian: Cetatea Soroca) is a historic fort in the Republic
of Moldova, in the modern-day city of Soroca.

The city has its origin in the medieval Genoese trade post of Olchionia, or
Alchona.[citation needed] It is known for its well-preserved stronghold, established
by the Moldavian Prince Stephen the Great (Romanian: Ştefan cel Mare) in 130.
The original wooden fort, which defended a ford over the Dniester
(Moldovan/Romanian: Nistru), was an important link in the chain of fortifications
which comprised four forts (e.g. Akkerman and Khotin) on the Dniester, two forts
on the Danube and three forts on the north border of medieval Moldova. Between
1543 and 1546 under the rule of Petru Rareş, the fortress was rebuilt in stone as a
perfect circle with five bastions situated at equal distances.
During the Great Turkish War, John Sobieski's forces successfully defended
the fortress against the Ottomans. It was of vital military importance during the
Pruth Campaign of Peter the Great in 1711. The stronghold was sacked by the
Russians in the Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739). The Soroca fortress is an
important attraction in Soroca, having preserved cultures and kept the old Soroca
in the present day.

The current building displays elaborate characteristics of late medieval


fortifications. This observation conveys the idea that the fort was perhaps built by
experts from Western Europe or Transylvanian people who traveled in Western
Europe and brought architectural ideas back to Moldova :
The walls are not built straight but in a curved shape to better resist
projectiles, as are the four outer towers.
One can also notice round towers which allowed the defenders to shoot from
better angles and thus protect the base of the walls.
The entire building has a diameter of 30 meters, and 4 meters for each tower.
Each tower has 4 levels, of which the first two lower ones were used for artillery.
The walls are 3 meters thick and we can find signs of a previous ditch. The main
entrance tower had 3 doors, amongst them a portcullis which was closed during
battles. The space saved at the upper level allowed the garrison to pray in a small
chapel.
Despite all these features the fort was obsolete after the end of the 14th
century because of the more widespread use of gunpowder.

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