Description of the attraction
The Vlasyevskaya Tower is located on the territory of the Pskov Kremlin and is one of the city's defensive towers. It was built in the 15th century. The tower has a high tent and an observation deck (attic). She performed the function of protecting the line of the fortress walls at the descent to the Velikaya River. The Vlasyevskaya tower got its name from the Vlasiy temple (1372-1373) at the Dovmont wall, on a sloping descent to the crossing over the Velikaya river.
If we consider the location of the gateway Vlasyevskaya tower in time, until the end of the 17th century, we can see that the historical complex around it was constantly growing, and the role of the tower was increasing. To the immediate function of protecting the Kremlin and Dovmont's city, the defense of the prince's court and the trading square was added. In addition, the battle tower protected the waterway from the Velikaya River and the crossings from the west.
In the 15th century, the Vlasyevskaya Tower was one of the 4 main gate towers of the city. Powerful squeaks (ground cannons) were installed near 4 gates, each of which had its own name. To top it off, two cannon tents were erected near the Vlasyevskaya Gates on the Torgovaya Square, in which a considerable cannon outfit was kept. Opposite the Vlasyevsky gates, in a tent, there were 2 squeaks; on one of them was an image of a serpent (craftsman - A. Chokhov), on the other - an image of a bear (craftsman S. Dubinin). In the second tent, near the Dovmont wall, there was a large Ranomyzhskaya cannon. There were also 3 squeaks (Nightingale, Bars and Faceted) and 16 galanok cannons, decorated with inscriptions in Latin and images of herbal ornaments, crosses and animals.
In 1682 there was a devastating fire that damaged the Vlasyevskaya tower. It was not repaired for a long time. And only in 1699 a new one (made of pine) was erected on the site of the burnt tower. In the 18th century, during the Northern War, the practically new Vlasyevskaya Tower gradually fell into disrepair. The approaches from the Velikaya side were reinforced with earthen ramparts. At the entrance to the tower, a small bastion was poured, a barrier and a guard were set up at it. In 1778, after the redevelopment of Pskov, the tower was an obstacle to the descent to the river. The Zavelichye area was a promising part of the city, traffic on the floating bridge increased, and passage through the cranked gates became very inconvenient. By the 1820s, the tower was dismantled, and a small Vlasyevskaya chapel, which existed in the 20th century, was installed in its place.
Currently, the Vlasyevskaya tower is a copy, recreated in 1966 on the site of the tower of the late 15th century. Reproduction of the Vlasyevskaya tower was planned as part of the plan for the restoration of the Kremlin in 1952. The reconstruction plan was created by 1957, at the same time large-scale work began in the Kremlin, and the turn of the tower came to the 1960s. The architect A. I. Khamtsov carried out archaeological excavations to uncover the foundations of the tower. On the basis of descriptions and graphic materials of 1694, a project was developed for the reconstruction of the Vlasyevskaya tower.
A. I. Khamtsov in his work took into account the need for passages to the embankment, when the tower was no longer in volume: he decided to leave the wide Vlasyevsky descent, and the passage through the tower was not used. By the way, when the tower was just being erected, the building of the Oktyabr cinema was already erected, which blocked the main visual communications from the city to the Vlasyevskaya tower, which turned out to be “in the pit”.
On April 27, 2010, a terrible tragedy happened: the Vlasyevskaya tower caught fire, its tent collapsed. After a while, the fire overtook the Rybnitsa Tower of the Kremlin, its tent was also almost completely burned down. In addition, the premises located in the tower and the fortress walls near the Vlasyevskaya tower were damaged. At present, the Vlasyevskaya and Rybnitskaya towers have been completely restored, new tents have been erected and ensigns have been installed.
