| Bine ați venit la Castelul Soroca! The Soroca Fortress was built in the 15th century by Stephan the Great. This bold castle sits on the bank of the Nistru River in northern Moldova on the border of Ukraine. The structure that stands today was actually built by the son of Stephan the Great, who rebuilt it with stone. The castle was built to protect access routes across the Nistru River. This river is very hard to cross since its banks are so steep, so the castle was built at this low lying spot to protect one of the only accessible spots. So why build a castle on one of the only places to cross the river? Well Stephan the Great had always had to deal with the risk of Tartar invasion from the north so multiple garrisons like this were built on the river. The fortress is of circular construction and has a diameter of 123 feet. It has 4 circular towers and one rectangular tower. Under this rectangular tower is the main door that opens up to a main courtyard with three levels with windows. The 1st level (refer to the picture) is made up of several storage tunnels. The 2nd floor is primarily made up of the living quarters. The 3rd level is primarily made up of access routes to get to the towers for the guards. The fort soon became an important commercial and administrative center for the area. The defensive castle of Soroca could also protect traders going on the important trading route that goes across the river. Multumesc pentru vizita! |