Daugavgrivsky fortress

Until the second half of the XII century, the entire course of the Western Dvina (Daugava) belonged to the Polotsk princes , which were limited only to the collection of taxes from the local population. They did not influence their way of life and religion, therefore the pagan religion was preserved here for a long time.

Riga Archbishopric (1205-1305)

In the 1170s, a Bremen ship was brought into the mouth of the Zapadnaya Dvina , and from that moment permanent trade relations of the local population with the Germans ensued. After some time, the Bremen Archbishop sent here to preach Christianity the monk Meinhard (Meinghard), who founded a fortified German colony in Ikskile - the first stronghold for further conquests. When the local population began to rebel against German rule, 23 ships with soldiers under the command of Bishop Albert von Buxgevden (or von Appeldern) appeared at the mouth of the Daugava.

In 1201, Albert von Buksgevden founded the main stronghold of German rule in the Baltic states, the city of Riga, on the banks of the Western Dvina River, and thereafter, in 1205, laid the monastery of the brothers of the Cistercian Order at the mouth, on the right bank of the Dvina River, named after Dunamunde (mouth of the Dvina).

In 1208, the monastery, strengthened by a castle built inside the fortress, became a cover for Riga and merchant ships from Norman attacks, as well as a base for the Germans to further develop Baltic lands.

In 1228, the Curonian and Zemgale tribes, fearing with the strengthening of the Germans to lose their independence, approached in large numbers to Dunamunde and took a bold assault on the fortress, destroyed it to the ground and killed all the monks.

The beginning of a fierce struggle between knights, citizens and the archbishop for their rights and privileges dates back to the same era.

Riga, having joined the Hanseatic League in 1284, is getting richer, its trade value is increasing. She begins to be weighed down by the control and duties of the Livonian knights and begins a fight with them for the right to free trade. The bishop of Riga, in turn, seeks to preserve his rights and in this struggle passes to one side or the other.

Livonian Order (1305-1561)

After the defeat of the castle in 1228, the clergy could no longer hold Dunamunde in their hands without the support of the Livonian Order . On May 26, 1305, Riga's Bishop Frederick and the abbot of the hastily rebuilt Cistercian monastery, Liebert, sold him a castle for 4 thousand marks of Cologne silver . One of the reasons that prompted the knights to acquire Dunamünde Castle was that the long-tense relations between the inhabitants of Riga and the order turned into open struggle in 1297. On May 20, the knights were partially killed, partly expelled from Riga, the castle was destroyed and burned. To take revenge on the residents of Riga, the knights and their allies ests decided to starve the city, for which they locked all the transport routes and especially the main waterway - the Western Dvina, having seized the fortress for this.

Since the fortress of Dunamunde passed into the power of the order contrary to the agreement concluded by Abbot Wilhelm in 1263 with Riga, according to which he was obliged not to sell to anyone and not to transfer the fortress without the knowledge and consent of the City Council and the townspeople, the transfer of it to the knights gave rise to a number of misunderstandings between the archbishops of Riga and the Livonian Order. One of the archbishops even reproached the order for the forcible seizure of the monastery.

Since that time, a stubborn struggle began between the inhabitants of Riga and the order for the possession of the mouth of the Western Dvina, in other words, for the fortress Dunamunde. Pope Clement V also took part in this struggle, who demanded that the Livonian Order return the fortress to the clergy, who at that time was one with the townspeople, and even threatened to curse the entire order, but the knights stubbornly remained in the fortress. They fortified Dunamunde: on the site of the monastery destroyed by the Curonian tribe, they built a strong knight's castle. At the head of the castle was a new commandant. In 1316, the Sigulda Union was concluded between the Master of the Livonian Order Gerhard von York , the Riga Dome Chapter and the vassals of the Riga Archbishop.

In 1329, the inhabitants of Riga tried to take possession of Dunamünde, in order to finally give their trade free access to the sea. The castle was seized from the raid, the garrison was killed, and the money collected for the pass and guarding the ships went to the treasury of the city of Riga. The grandmaster of the order, Eberhard von Monheim , who did not want to lose influence on Riga's trade, immediately made an alliance with the Lithuanians who devastated Livonia at that time, and with their help returned the castle.

In 1435, on a landtag in the city of Valka, the archbishop of Riga finally recognized the rights of the order to Dunamunde castle and received 20 thousand marks for this, but in 1481 the struggle between the Livonian Order and Riga began again, this time over the throne of the Riga archbishop. The Master of the Order Borch put his cousin to this position, hoping so to influence the citizens of the city of Riga. Dad appointed Stefan Grube , recognized by the townspeople. The master, who decided to achieve his strength by force, ordered the commandant Dunamunde to block the entrance to the mouth of the Dvina River for merchant ships. The following year, Riga residents blocked the fortress and captured it in 1483, smashing the castle to the ground. In 1491, they again had to recognize the authority of the order under the Wolmar Treaty, and 6 years after that a strong knight's castle reappeared at the mouth of the river, blocking Riga's access to the sea. The castle was strengthened by 4 round towers with 5 rondels and a water moat. In 1550, the rondels were rebuilt into small bastions of the Italian style.

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1561-1621)

In 1561, the Knightly Order ceased to exist due to internal turmoil. The following year, after renouncing his last grandmaster of the Order of Gotthard Kettler , Livonia and Courland came under Polish rule.

In 1559, under the Vilnius Treaty, the lands belonging to Courland and Semigalia constituted the Duchy of Courland, the management of which was entrusted to the former Master of the Order Kettler . Livonia was entrusted to him with a residence in the fortress of Dunamunde, whose commandant was appointed by the Polish king.

The transfer of power into the hands of the Poles affected adversely the trade of Riga, which at that time received the right of a free city, and in 1565 its residents complained to King Sigismund Augustus about the commandant of the fortress Dunamünde Ostrovsky for violation of their rights.

In 1567, Dvina formed a new mouth, breaking through to the sea where the Ziemelupe River is now located, dividing the Daugavgriva Island in half. But over time, and it became shallow, and Dvina found access to the sea in a new place, where he is now. There was no need to defend the old shallowed mouth of the river, and the old castle began to lose its strategic importance.

Disagreements between Riga and Poles continued until 1581, when Riga, giving up the rights of a free city, surrendered to the Polish king Stefan Batory and received the right to free trade with Western Europe for this.

In 1582, Stefan Bathory personally inspected the fortress, appreciated its importance and ordered to rebuild and enlarge the small bastions, deepen the ditches and, in general, it is perhaps better to prepare it for defense.

In 1600, the Polish-Swedish war began . On August 1, 1608, the Swedes, led by the commander Count Mansfeld, captured the old castle of Dunamünde . Not risking to move further up the Dvina to take possession of Riga, Manfeld limited himself to a break in communication between Riga and the sea, for which he ordered the construction of a quadrangular Sternshanets in the corner formed by the left banks of the Western Dvina and Bullupe (then Bolder-Aa), which closed the southern channel of the river. With the construction of this trench, it became possible to dominate shipping both in the Western Dvina and in Lielupe (Aa Kurland). On September 19, Mansfeld set off for Sweden, leaving only a garrison of 250 men with commandant Niels Sternskyold and 29 falconet guns in the Neymund Trench. To distinguish it from the old fortress, Dunamünde was called the "Neymund Trench".

In 1609, Polish troops under the leadership of the governor Khodkevich were sent to Neymünde to take possession of the trench. Mansfeld came to the rescue, but was defeated, and the fortress passed to the Poles.

In 1617, the Swedish fleet appeared on the Riga raid. Taking advantage of the betrayal of the commandant of Forenbach, the Swedes on July 23 seize both the old fortress of Dunamünde and the Neymund trench. A month later, the Poles, under the leadership of the governor Radziwill and Khodkevich, again drove the Swedes out of Dunamunde, and the Riga people besieged the trench from the right bank, erected a series of fortifications on it from August 31 to September 2, and took possession of the trench.

Wanting to force Poland to abandon all claims to Livonia, the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf equipped an expedition in 1621 to capture Dunamunde and Riga. 150 Swedish ships and a strong landing under the command of Herman Wrangel approached the mouth of the Dvina. In August, a landing party landed on its right bank. Surrounding the fortress, the main forces of the Swedes moved to Riga. The Swedes occupied Riga, Dunamunde and the Neymund Trench.

The Age of the Subordination of the Fortress of Sweden (1621-1710)

In 1624, the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf arrived in the fortress destroyed by the Poles during the retreat and indicated what work should be done. There were 21 cannons in service in the trench, inside there were 6 barracks, several houses and a church (14 fathoms long, 4 fathoms wide).

On the armistice between the Swedes and the Poles on September 26, 1628, it was decided that Riga and Neymünde would remain with the Swedes. The Swedes decided to rebuild Neymyunde. The mere fact that the Dunamünde fortress is not mentioned in the acts of armistice suggests that it has lost its significance since that time due to the new channel. The Swedes decided to rebuild Neymyunde. In 1641, General Rothenberg was appointed the builder of all Livonia fortresses. According to his design, the fortress was rebuilt as a pentagonal bastion (the Dutch equivalent). In 1670, it was decided to rebuild the fortress into a fortress with six bastions according to the project of the French military engineer Marshal Vauban .

In 1680, the old Dunamünde castle began to be dismantled, and material was transported for the construction of a new fortress. The new fortress received the old name - Dunamunde. Work on the reconstruction of the fortress continued until the beginning of the Northern War (1700-1721) . The earthly escarp and counter-escarp were replaced by stone "clothes." In the curtains were built casemates and powder cellars. On the territory of the fortress was a two-story barracks and a small church. The fortress had six bastions (a bastion - a pentagonal fortification - consists of two faces in the form of an outgoing beam and two short flanks adjacent to curtains , curtains serve to defend the area in front of the bastions), five ravelins (ravelin - an auxiliary defensive structure in the form of an outgoing angle, with its apex facing the enemy ) - with glaciers . The bastions were named: Morgen Stern (Morning Star), Süder Stern (South Star), Cowachen (Kolvahen), Abend Stern (Evening Star or Harbor Star), Süder Sonne (South Sun), Nordpohl (North Pole). The defense is open everywhere, in places two-tier.

In 1697, the Russian Embassy visited the fortress, which included the Russian Tsar Peter I, who was keenly interested in the details of the construction of the Livonia fortresses.

North War. Joining Russia

In 1700, the Great Northern War began. Peter I decided to take possession of the Baltic states and form an access to the sea for Russia. He concludes an alliance with Poland and Denmark. Poland was to occupy Livonia and Estonia, Russia - Ingermanland, and Denmark - Holstein. The Polish king Augustus II occupied Dunamunde, but the Swedish king Charles XII knocked out Poles and Saxons from the fortress and forced Denmark to break the alliance with Russia, and he defeated the Russians under Narva. Charles XII was carried away by the pursuit of the Polish king, forgetting about Peter. June 27, 1709 Peter I defeated the Swedes near Poltava . It remains to seize Riga.

In 1709, the troops of Count Sheremetev moved to Riga. On this day, Peter the Great arrived in the army. The siege of Riga began , which lasted 9 months. ^[one]

In April 1710, Sheremetyev arrived in Bolderaa. He ordered the building of a redoubt on the island. A redoubt was erected at the very mouth of the Dvina. On the right bank of the Courland Aa (Lielupe, now Bulupe) guns were exhibited. Thus, the castle of Dunamunde was blocked from all sides. Famine began in the fortress, and an epidemic of plague broke out. The commandant of the Stackelberg fortress decided to surrender. On August 19, 1709, according to the conditions of surrender, the garrison of the fortress came out with weapons, loud music and unfurled banners. The fortress includes Russian troops. On June 30, 1711, the fortress was visited by Tsar Peter I and ordered to bring the fortress into combat condition.

The first Russian engineer of the fortress, Major de Coling, who was appointed to this post in 1712, strengthened the fortress. On March 27, 1721 Peter I visited the fortress. He inspects the fortress and gives instructions on what work still needs to be done. The first Russian commandant of the fortress was Colonel Kropotov, who was appointed to this post in 1729.

For 28 years the fortress was peaceful. By the decree of Empress Anna Ioannovna of September 26, 1738, the fortress was transferred to the defensive position, due to the expected complications, on the occasion of the appointment of Biron , the protege of Russia, the Duke of Courland .

In 1741 , during the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, the fortress was again transferred to the defensive position due to the war with Sweden.

The fortress was also used as a prison. So, at the beginning of 1742, the commandant of the fortress, Lieutenant Colonel Lavrov, was suddenly replaced by Lieutenant General Bibikov. The general’s appointment to the colonel’s position was explained by the fact that the fortress’s casemates would turn into a prison for very famous people. On December 13, 1742, Emperor John VI Antonovich and his parents, Anna Leopoldovna and Anton Ulrich Braunschweig, were overthrown by Elizaveta Petrovna from Riga Castle to the fortress. He was elevated to the throne at the age of two months and was on it for one year and 16 days (from October 18, 1740 to November 24, 1741). Here he was placed in the powder tower, located in the center of the fortress. John VI was in the fortress until December 31, 1743, when he was sent to Kholmogory (where he was under arrest until 16 years old), and his parents went to the Ranenburg fortress near Tula (see the Braunschweig family ).

In 1765, Comet Fort was built on the coast of the Gulf of Riga. Under Catherine II, the fortress is being modernized. In 1775, in the center of the fortress, on the site of a small Swedish church ( Ernst Gluck preached in it, who first translated the Bible into Latvian and raised young Martha Skavronska - future Empress Catherine I), the Church of the Transfiguration was built by the architect of St. Petersburg Alexander Vista. From 1783 to 1788, a dam was built linking the fortress with Fort Comet.

By the middle of the 18th century, the Dunamünde fortress, built near the sea and on the bank of the river, was out of work - it could suffer the same fate as its predecessor. The fortress remained in place, but sand deposits removed both the sea and the river by almost a kilometer.

Dunamunde could remain a defensive structure if a bold project were realized - the construction directly opposite the fortress, in the sea, of the breakwaters of the new port of Riga. "Plan of the Riga harbor near Dinamund", dated 1784, was excavated in the archives by the doctor of history Ieva Ose. The military, forest and two merchant harbors were to be guarded by a fortress. But the residents of Riga learned to clean the mouth of the Dvina, which is constantly being filled with sand, breaking through the fairway in it, and the need for Bolderiej malls disappeared.

In 1808, the construction of the Comet Dam and the deepening of Dunamunde Harbor were completely completed. In 1851, the harbor was still deepened and adapted for the winter parking of ships.

In 1852, a telegraph line was drawn to the fortress - the first not only in Russia, but throughout Eastern Europe.

In 1855, the batteries of the fortress repulsed attempts by English ships to enter the estuary of the Daugava.

On May 27, 1856, the fortress was visited by Emperor Alexander II .

In 1853, a bridge was built across the Aa River (Bulupe).

In 1863, bridges were built to connect with the ravelins.

In 1864, the first artesian well was dug. Water was found at a depth of 175 feet (about 53 m).

In 1870, the construction of the Ostesdambis-Riga railway began, with a length of more than 17 kilometers. Since heavy large vessels could not get to Riga along a shallow river, cargo had to be loaded onto light vessels, etc. With the opening of the railway on January 1, 1871, the speed of cargo delivery to Riga increased.

In 1887, a regulation on the management of the fortress was issued.

Until 1888, there was no executive authority in the fortress that combined the management of the engineering and artillery parts of the fortress. The head of the engineering department and the artillery commander obeyed the commandant only in matters of an external order. In the sense of training and conducting special classes, they were independent. Now everyone was subordinate to the commandant, and the headquarters of the fortress became the executive body.

The first commandant with "complete urine" was Major General Domoradsky - a man of tireless energy and strong will. The first chief of staff was Colonel Dagaev.

In 1893, the fortress was renamed Ust-Dvinsk.

During the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the accession of Riga to Russia, in 1910, the Emperor of Russia Nicholas II arrived in Riga on the yacht "Standard". During his stay in Riga, on August 4, he visited the Ust-Dvinsk fortress. Apparently, the emperor appreciated the strategically advantageous position of the fortress, because in 1911 the chief of the general staff, cavalry general Ya. G. Zhilinsky, arrived at the fortress. The result of this visit was a decision to modernize the fortress. Construction began in 1912. The work was led by a construction committee led by the commandant of the fortress, Lieutenant General Ivan Andreevich Mionchinsky. The committee also included the chief of staff of the fortress, Colonel of the General Staff G.I. Goncharenko, the chief of artillery, Colonel Tikhomirov, the chief of engineers of the fortress, engineer-colonel Bernard, the state inspector Dragnevich and the representative of the Ministry of War Bashlovsky.

A number of military engineers, heads of artels, foremen, builders, carpenters, stonecutters appeared in the fortress. The work was carried out from early morning to late evening. In a short time, the business moved so far that the fortress was transformed.

According to the developed plan, work was carried out far beyond the old fortifications, including on the right bank of the Dvina. Here fortifications were built for 6 artillery batteries, equipped with 6-inch guns such as the Kane Obukhov plant with warehouses for shells. In the same place, only a few deep in the island, 3 more batteries were built for 5.5-inch Vickers-type guns. And already on the right flank of Mangalsaly, 2 batteries were built for 10-inch guns (254 mm) of the Obukhov plant. Behind the ramparts on the left bank of the Daugava, new forts and 3 batteries of 6-inch guns were built. Along with batteries and forts, well-fortified casemates were created to shelter the fortress garrison and reinforced concrete weapon cellars. An entire network of underground telephone cables was also created. The mine town was moved to the right bank. For better communication with the right bank, the mine flotilla rowing boats were replaced by ten motor boats.

Much work was also carried out within the walls of the fortress, new premises for officers were built, access roads were fixed. The living conditions of the entire garrison improved. Gradually, the fortress began to take on the appearance of a long-term fortified fort, and soon and generally a fortified area, able to repel any attack, withstand shelling and siege.

Within two years, construction work was completed, and the fortress from the sea became almost impregnable. Moreover, due to the small depth of the Daugava fairway, ships with powerful artillery from a great distance could not suppress the fire of the fortress batteries. In addition, the mouth of the Daugava River was envisaged to be protected by a minefield. The leaders of the Ust-Dvinsk fortress conscientiously fulfilled their tasks of preparing it for the defense of Riga from the sea and turning the fortress into an impregnable bastion against the world's strongest German fleet at that time. It is especially important that all the main works were completed before the start of the First World War.

Note: In 1773-1776, the Holy Transfiguration Church was built in the Dunamunde fortress according to the project (1771) of the Senate architect Alexander Vista for the Russian garrison of the fortress. The stone cathedral was built on the site of an old wooden Orthodox church, erected here in 1735. The church, designed by Sigismund Siege von Laurenberg , under the direction of the construction business of master Christoph (Christopher) Haberland, was built not here, but in the fortress of the Riga Citadel (next to the Riga Castle, on the other side of the Daugava) ten years later - it was still the first surviving Riga Orthodox Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul (1781-1785), now the concert hall "Ave Sol".

World War One Fortress

About how the garrison of the fortress met the first day of the war, tells in his memoirs the chief of staff of the fortress G. I. Goncharenko . At the end of July, he was on vacation at the Riga seaside and immediately returned to the fortress as soon as a “special situation” was announced. In the garrison, he found the excited General Mionchinsky at the headquarters, who, with the help of the adjutant, tried to open a safe where documents governing emergency operations were stored. This plan prescribed the procedure for preparing the fortress for defense. Guns were being prepared for battle, cuts were cleared for gun salvos, and minefields were laid at the mouth of the Dvina and at sea. Additional observation posts were established, including at the lighthouse. Four days passed in busy work and in solving important defense issues. Everything happened calmly and busily and the approach of war was not particularly believed. However, on July 30, a telegram came from Petersburg from Minister of War General Sukhomlinov: “Count July 31 as the first day of mobilization,” General Mionchinsky crossed himself and signed the mobilization order. To strengthen the garrison, the Gdovsk Infantry Regiment with regimental artillery arrived in the fortress. The mobilization was led by Chief of Staff Colonel General Staff G. I. Goncharenko. 13 Latvian guardian companies were summoned to the fortress to form. They included experienced soldiers and non-commissioned officers, conscripts and instructors. Almost all reservists without exception are Latvians. Thus, Grigory Ivanovich was to form the first Latvian units, which in a year would become national formations: the famous Latvian arrows. But for now, these companies were distributed among regular regiments. But time will pass, and thanks to the high authority of these companies and the initiative of the Russian generals Potapov and Mionchinsky, historical documents will be signed: Order of the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief General Alekseev No. 322 of August 1, 1915 "On the Establishment of Latvian Battalions", and on August 8 of the same year - by order No. 688 of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich the Younger approved the “Regulation on the Establishment of Latvian Rifle Battalions”. The formation of these battalions will take place in the Ust-Dvinsk fortress. Experienced officers and Latvian generals will be involved in the command of these battalions, which will later be deployed in regiments: General August Misin , Colonels Karl Gopper , Joachim Watsetis , Andris Auzan , Janis Kalnin, Karl Zeltins, Friedrich Briedis , Gustav Francis and many others.

The fortress was given the task of ensuring its all-round defense. From land, I had to enclose the fortress with multi-row (up to 15 rows) barbed wire fence lines. In addition, a dam was built on the Hapaka-Gravis channel and Spilvskie meadows were flooded. In addition, new field batteries were installed in Bolderaa to ensure the rear of the fortress. It was hard to imagine that all this titanic work would be in vain.

By August 1917, the Socialist-Revolutionaries were in power in the Provisional Government. In their hands were key posts: A.F. Kerensky - Prime Minister, Minister of War - B.V. Savinkov. By their efforts, A. A. Brusilov was removed from the post of Supreme Commander-in-Chief and replaced by General L.G. Kornilov, who supported the Socialist Revolutionaries. The Socialist-Revolutionary supporters included the commander of the Northern Front, Klembowski, whose armies were located in Latvia, and the commander of the 12th Army, P. D. Parsky, whose corps defended the Riga fortified area. Most soldier committees were also controlled by the Social Revolutionaries.

Riga by that time was a front-line city, the front line ring was tightening around it. However, the situation of the city was far from hopeless. From the sea, it was reliably protected by the Ust-Dvina fortress and the naval forces of the Gulf of Riga, which confidently controlled the bay. Riga was defended from land by the forces of the 12th Army of the Northern Front: the 13th Army Corps held defense on the north coast, the 2nd and 6th Siberian Corps and two Latvian rifle brigades on the Riga bridgehead, the 21st and 43rd Army Corps on the east coast of Dvina. A total of 161,000 people and 1,150 guns, which exceeded the number of opposing German troops. The most sensitive defense site was Ikskulsky (Ikskilsky) bridgehead (from Dole Island to the mouth of the Ogre River). The pain point of this bridgehead was on the left bank in the Dvina bend in the Lielmuiži region. In 1915, during the retreat of the Russian troops, two companies clung to this coast, blocking the enemy’s path to the crossing. In the future, this site became the site of fierce confrontation between the Russian and German regiments. The trenches of the enemies were dug at a distance of 80 to 200 meters. This tete de ponne , popularly called the "Island of Death" due to countless losses on both sides, was held for 2 years.

The first thing that General Kornilov did, becoming the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, ordered General Klembovsky to surrender Ikskulsky bridgehead.

After thorough reconnaissance and serious training, the German command planned an offensive with the main strike in the Ikskul (Ikskile) area. The operation was to be carried out by the 8th German Army of General Guriev. The 2nd Guards Division was instructed to force Dvina in the area of ​​the "Island of Death", seize the bridgehead and expand it. The offensive should have been preceded by artillery preparation using chemical shells. The command of the 12th Army was well aware of all this. According to the representative of the headquarters of the Northern Front V. Stankevich, on the eve of the operation the information was delivered by an Alsatian defector.

On August 19, at 4 a.m., the German army launched a massive shelling of Russian positions in the Ikskul region. The 2nd Guards Division crossed the river without any problems and wedged into the defense of the 186th Infantry Division, but it did not succeed in expanding the bridgehead right away - 21 corps resisted the 14th Bavarian division when crossing the Dvina in the Ogre area. But, despite the awareness, the Russian regiments on the very first day of the Riga operation allowed the enemy to wedge into their defense and create a threat to the encirclement of units of the 12th army. Analyzing the failures of the 12th army, the chief of staff of the 5th army, General Svechin wrote: "The lack of a plan, determination, scatter and stretch of forces are the main features of the strategy of the Northern Front."

The environment did not happen, the 2nd Latvian brigade stopped the advance of the German guard. On the second day, the German offensive began to choke. The Siberian regiments, together with the 1st Latvian rifle brigade, stopped the advance of the 205th German division in the Beberbeki area, guns of the Ust-Dvinsk fortress were launched. There was an opportunity to keep Riga. But the Russian command, not having exhausted all the possibilities, gave the order to leave the line of defense on the Maza-Yugla River and go to reserve positions. And then, at the end of August 20, the commander of the 12th Army, General Parsky, in accordance with the Kornilov directive, ordered the retreat to the Venden (Cesis) positions. В ночь на 21 августа полторы сотни тысяч русских солдат и офицеров через Ригу ушли в направлении на Венден (Цесис) и Псков.

Комендант Усть-Двинской крепости генерал-лейтенант Миончинский 20 августа получил приказание оставить крепость. Трудно представить себе, что пережил в тот день генерал, которому предстояло своими руками уничтожить его детище: крепость, которая была способна обороняться и выдержать многодневную осаду, то есть именно то, к чему он 5 лет готовил свой гарнизон.

Спешно, в невероятно краткий срок предстояло взорвать форты и 15 батарей за валами крепости и на Мангальсале, арсенал в крепости и пороховые погреба на левом и правом берегах Двины. В течение суток нужно было уничтожить неприступную модернизированную Усть-Двинскую крепость! Гарнизон выполнил эту задачу. Рижская операция 19-21 августа (1-3 сентября) 1917 года окончилась сдачей неприятелю третьего по значимости промышленного центра России и ликвидации модернизированной крепости 2-го класса Усть-Двинск. Потери 12-й армии составили 25 000 солдат и офицеров, 273 орудия и около 500 миномётов, бомбомётов и пулемётов. Потери были относительно не велики, так как лишь некоторые части армии оказали неприятелю сопротивление.

В крепость вошли германские войска.

Первая Латвийская Республика и советский период

Во время военных событий 1919 года крепость несколько раз переходила из рук в руки: 3 января крепость заняли войска Советской Латвии (большевики), 23 мая крепость в руках латышских национальных войск, 11 октября крепость занимают войска генерала Бермондта ; 15 октября латышские войска отбили крепость, но бермонтовцы продолжали обстреливать крепость и Болдераю до 5 ноября.

В Латвийской Республике Усть-Двинская крепость была переименована в Даугавгривскую крепость. Здесь размещались подразделения Латвийской армии. Из башни церкви была устроена водонапорная башня.

В советское время в крепости размещался дивизион тральщиков и бригада подводных лодок. В 1947 году была предпринята попытка взорвать пороховой погреб, построенный в XVII веке шведами.

18 октября 1983 года постановлением Совета министров Латвийской ССР за № 595 Даугавгривская крепость была объявлена памятником архитектуры. Правда, позднее постановление было аннулировано, и крепость осталась за военными.

In the post-Soviet era

31 августа 1993 года российские войска оставили крепость, и она была передана вооружённым силам Латвии . В середине 1990-х годов военным предложили отдать крепость под строительство портового терминала, но Государственная инспекция по охране памятников культуры это предложение отклонила.

6 ноября 1995 года Кабинето министров Латвийской Республики принял постановление, согласно которому за крепостью закреплялся статус памятника архитектуры государственного значения.

В 1999 году комплекс строений крепости был сдан в аренду на 49 лет реставрационно-строительной компании Aumeisteru muiža , которая одновременно выполняет здесь восстановительные работы. Предполагается со временем превратить крепость в туристический центр, оборудовав здесь музеи, выставочные залы, смотровые площадки и зоны отдыха.

В начале 2000-х годов охранная зона вокруг исторического памятника была сокращена: часть территории была передана Рижскому свободному порту, часть — Военно-морским силам Латвии .

• «Крепость Усть-Двинск» — В. Е. ЖАМОВ (капитан генерального штаба). Краткий исторический очерк с 12 чертежами. РИГА. Издание штаба крепости. 1912 year.
• Устав Общего офицерского собрания крепости Усть-Двинск : [Утв. Feb 28 1901 г.] Вильна, 1901
• Прибалтийские русские: история в памятниках культуры . Рига: Институт европейских исследований, 2010. Ред. А. В. Гапоненко, 736 с. ISBN 978-9934-8113-2-6 — с. 108—110.

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