Most people associate the most impregnable fortress in the world with Troy, which, besieged by a huge army, was taken only in the 10th year of the siege and only with the help of a trick - the Trojan horse.
The higher, the safer
What should be an impregnable citadel? What are the requirements for it? It can be easily assumed that it should be on a hill, because from its walls in this case it is easier to survey the surrounding area and notice the approach of the enemy.
Yes, and it is more difficult and dangerous for the enemy to climb the slope. Inaccessibility, obviously, implies not only strong and high walls, but also possible fortifications on the way to them.
The main requirement is inaccessibility
In the old days, almost every impregnable fortress was surrounded, if not by a river (preferably from both sides, like the Moscow Kremlin or Notre Dame), then by all means a moat filled with water. Sometimes inventive owners of castles allowed animals dangerous to human life, such as crocodiles, or a “wolf pit” of pointed stakes was arranged at the bottom of the moat. Where a ditch was dug, there was usually always an earthen rampart,which, as a rule, was poured in front of a water barrier. The area in front of the castle should be deserted and vegetation low.
Fortification tricks
The fortress was built to protect the owners from attack. To be truly impregnable and withstand many months of sieges, such as Mortan Castle (6 months), it had to have its own source of water and, of course, food supplies. The impregnable fortress was created taking into account many tricks and subtleties of fortification art. So, the crest of the shaft was often supplied with a palisade - a palisade of pointed stakes. The road leading to the castle was laid in such a way that the attackers had an open right side, uncovered by a shield.
Even the bottom of the moat had a certain shape - V- or U-shaped. The ditch could be both transverse and crescent-shaped - it always went along the wall of the fortress. The tricks used by the builders made digging impossible. For this, most often fortresses were built on rocky or stone ground.
Only a citadel could provide a peaceful life
Each impregnable fortress was created for some specific purpose. They all belong to the Middle Ages, to an era when there was still no artillery, and powerful walls could protect the owner. In those distant times, the states were weak and could not protect individual feudal lords who were raided not only by foreign enemies, but also by envious neighbors.
Each era has its own methodswarfare, methods of attack and defense. And when building castles, the owner, who could afford such construction, naturally applied the latest achievements of fortification art.
The foundation of the foundations - the bridge and the walls
The bridge connecting the inhabitants of the fortress with the outside world played a big role in protecting the castle. As a rule, it was either retractable or lifting. The impregnable fortress had walls that were difficult to overcome, which, as a rule, were erected on an inclined plinth with a deep foundation. They are one of the most important reasons for the impregnability of a fortress or a castle. And it's not just the height, width and material from which the walls are made. Their design played a huge role. After all, even inside, every meter of the fortress was built taking into account the conduct of the battle with the conquerors who had broken through. Everything was calculated in such a way that the defenders were invulnerable for as long as possible, and the attackers were always in sight.
San Leo
An interesting fact is that the impregnable fortresses of the world, emerging on different continents, were built according to the same rules - an open area in front of a castle standing at a considerable height, a rampart, a moat, walls with loopholes, containers with resin, and so Further. The fortress of San Leo (Saint Lion, Italy) can fully serve as the embodiment of impregnability. It stands on a sheer high rock, located at the confluence of two rivers - San Marino and Marecchia. The only narrow road cut through the rock leads to it. This citadel, mentioned by Dante in The Divine Comedy, was also known as one of the most terrible prisons in the Vatican. In it he spent his last yearslife of Count Cagliostro. He died in the cellars of the fortress.
Valetta
Most often, such fortifications cannot be taken by storm, but only by cunning. The most impregnable citadel is the fortress of Valletta, the capital of M alta. It began to be built as a symbol of the invincibility of the Order of the Knights, after the troops of Suleiman the Great failed to take M alta (in 1566) and retreated. Erected according to all the rules, the fortress is recognized as the most impregnable in the world, primarily because of the shape and location of its bastions, which give the highest defensive effect.
Indian Citadel
The list of "The most impregnable fortresses of the world" includes the unique Janjira Fort, standing right in the sea not far from the coast of India. It has been under construction for over 20 years. Twelve-meter walls, standing on 22 deep arches, made the fortress impregnable for enemies for 200 years. The fort itself is about 5 hundred years old.
It was also made impregnable by powerful artillery, some fragments of which still exist today. The impossibility of digging, the existence of a unique freshwater well in the center of the island - all this contributed to the fact that the defenders could hold positions for a long time.
More likely the sky will fall to the ground…
The impregnable Turkish fortress of Izmail fell thanks to the military genius of A. V. Suvorov. This brilliant victory of the Russian arms, when, in violation of all the laws of the attackers, an order of magnitude fewer died than the besieged, the hymn “Thunder of Victory,give out! The fortress, surrounded by a high rampart, followed by a wide and deep (10.5 m) ditch, with 11 bastions with 260 guns placed in them, with a garrison of 35 thousand people, neither N. V. Repin nor I. V. Gudovich, nor P. S. Potemkin. A. V. Suvorov prepared for the assault for 6 days, then sent an ultimatum to the commandant of the fortress demanding to surrender voluntarily within 24 hours, to which he received a haughty response.
Two days of artillery preparation for the assault, which ended 2 hours before it began. After 8 hours the fortress fell. The victory was so brilliant and incredible that even now there are Russophobes who call the assault a "spectacle." Despite everything, the capture of Ishmael will remain in history as one of the glorious pages of Russian history.
Once impregnable, now heavily visited
As noted above, impregnable castles and fortresses are scattered all over the world. The most famous is Pingyao (China), built in 827-782. BC and still exists today, and in good condition. The visual embodiment of impregnability is the Arg-e Bam fortress (Iran), built in 500 AD, and the Pena Palace in Portugal, standing on a sheer cliff.
Castles of the White Heron in Japan, Frontenac in Canada, Chenonceau in France, Hohenwerfen in Austria and some others are among the twenty most impregnable fortresses in the world. The history of each of them is incredibly interesting, and each of them is unusually beautiful and unique.
