Description of the attraction
The Kuznetsk Fortress is a historical and architectural complex, which is one of the main attractions of the city of Novokuznetsk. The museum is located on the territory of an ancient fortification, erected in the XVIII-XIX centuries. It, in turn, is located on Mount Voznesenskaya, which rises above the Kuznetsk region. The Kuznetsk Fortress is an example of Siberian military engineering art of the late second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries.
The museum was founded in 1991. The territory of the museum is 21 hectares. This includes the fortress itself and other historical and natural monuments, including a waterfall in a narrow canyon near the Verkhotomsky redoubt of the Kuznetsk citadel. The structure also includes over a dozen architectural and military fortifications that have survived to this day in varying degrees, as well as several archaeological sites of various types. The expositions of the museum tell visitors about the military history of the region, starting from ancient times, about the life and culture of the local population.
Along the perimeter of the citadel, which in its shape resembles an elongated rectangle, there is an earthen rampart with redans. Stone semi-bastions were erected at the corners of the fortress, two of them (Tomsk and Kuznetsk) were faced with sandstone slabs. Between the half-bastions there is a three-story brick drive-through tower, from where the road to Barnaul began.
The construction of the fortress began in 1800 and ended in 1820. The construction was part of a system of defensive fortifications, the main function of which was to contain the aggressive actions of Qing China. However, in 1846 the Kuznetsk fortress was removed from the balance of the War Ministry. After that, a prison for criminals was organized here. The prison functioned until 1919, after which it was burned down.
In June 1960, the Kuznetsk Fortress was given the status of a monument of republican significance. In 1998, large-scale construction began here. In 2011, the museum acquired the status of a museum-reserve.
