Khotyn Fortress
The Khotyn Fortress was built in the 13th century on the site of an older fortification. This fortification was used as a defensive structure for major ferry and shipping traffic on the Dniester River and also secured the borders of Kyivan Rus. Later, the Khotyn Fortress became known as one of the most powerful defensive structures in eastern Europe. The height of its walls is almost forty meters, and their thickness – almost five. Six monumental towers reach up to 60 meters high. All this is surrounded by a deep moat.
For centuries, the fortress was the site of famous battles that shaped the fates of entire nations. In 1621, the Ottoman Turks reached the walls of Khotyn – the sultan had gathered an army of almost 160,000 mens, more than 300 cannons, a large number of camels, mules, horses, and even four war elephants. According to some estimates, the Turks outnumbered the combined Ukrainian-Polish-Lithuanian army by more than threefold. The battle was long and vicious, but the allies eventually prevailed and the Ottomans retreated. The key role in the defense was played by Cossacks, the independent warriors of Ukraine. Indeed, Ukrainians have always been capable of defending their land, not to mention the whole of Europe – the Turks were not planning to stop there, dreaming of conquering the entire Christian West.
The Khotyn Fortress was so robust that no one could ever take it by assault – it changed owners only after political agreements or long sieges when supplies ran low. Across various times, the fortification has been owned by the rulers of Rus, Galicia-Volyn, and Moldavian principalities; then the Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian empires. The new owners were constantly rebuilding it, so the modern Khotyn Fortress is a mixture of many epochs. The fortification was built under a European model, but over time, elements of Ottoman architecture were added to its decoration.
After Russia's defeat in the Crimean War in 1856, the Khotyn Fortress lost its importance as a military facility and was gradually falling apart. Its restoration was initiated only in the 1960s. The landmark was finally revived in the times of independent Ukraine after a Historical-Architectural Reserve was established there. In 2007, the complex was even included in the list of The 7 Wonders of Ukraine.
Currently, the Khotyn Fortress impresses not only with its history but also its scale. It occupies an area of more than 3 hectares, and its walls are almost 1.5 kilometers long.
Once a military fortification, the Khotyn Fortress is nowadays a witness to the complicated history of Ukraine and a tourist attraction, impressing visitors with the greatness of its ancient walls and the majestic view of the Dniester Valley.
Poly Chain
Poly Chain 1993, Kyiv
Project of Sasha Zakrevska, composer, dj, curator and graphic designer.
SHAPE Platform 2020 participant and part of the multidisciplinary research collective The Center of Spatial Technologies.