The North Tower is the round tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. Located in the upland part between Tainitskaya and Clock towers. Contrary to the name, the tower is not the northernmost structure in the Kremlin, but the fortress wall, stretching from the Tainitskaya tower towards the North, coincides with the direction to the north.
| North tower | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Nizhny Novgorod |
| Kremlin | Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin |
| Year of construction | XVI century |
| Tower base shape | round |
| Other names | Ilyinskaya, Angular |
 | Object of cultural heritage, Object No. 5210024011 |
Description
In historical documents of the XVII century, the North Tower was also called the Angular Tower, since it occupied the corner of the fortress wall, sharply turning from the Pochain ravine to the slope of Watch Mountain. Later, the current North Tower was known as Ilyinskaya because of its proximity to the Church of St. Elijah the Prophet , located on the opposite side of the ravine. According to legend, in 1505 the Kazan khan Magmet-Amen , collecting a huge army of Tatars and Nogais , went to war in Nizhny Novgorod . Pushkar Fedya Litvich volunteered to shoot the Tatars from the cannon, and hit him so well that with one shot he destroyed the tent of the leader of the Nogais. According to the chronicler, the Tatar hordes, having lost their leader, took to flight, were outraged by “like (frightened) bird herds” and did not fight with Nizhny Novgorod. On the site of the tent built Ilyinsky church.
The North Tower is similar in design to Tainitskaya: it had 4 tiers with combat windows. Through the passage, equipped in the thickness of the wall, it was possible to go down to the lower tier, where there was a small room with a staircase and "small exit doors" leading to the city. These gates played an official role: through them passed messengers and fighters, replenishing the army during the siege of the fortress. In the XVIII century, the North Tower was occupied by the military warehouse of the provincial company, and in 1827 it was converted into the storehouse of the police department.
In the XIX century, there was a rumor among the townspeople that Nicholas I had ordered that a royal residence be built within the walls of the North Tower. The tradition is not without meaning: in 1835 - 1841 , after the visit of Nicholas I to Nizhny Novgorod, the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin was improved, having cleaned it of private houses and built new buildings ( governor's house , etc.). At the same time, an estimate was made for the repair of the North Tower in the amount of 150 thousand rubles, but this project was not implemented.
Literature
- Agafonov S.L. Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. Architecture, history, restoration . - Gorky: Volga-Vyatka Publishing House, 1976. - 136 p.
- Kiryanov I.A. Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. Essay on the history of the Kremlin in the city of Gorky. - Gorky: Gorky Book Publishing House, 1956. - 116 p.
Links
- North Tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin - The Road-Road Website
- North tower on the site of the Museum of the Nizhny Novgorod State University Lobachevsky