The implementation of the plans of the young Peter I would have been impossible without a large open port, which would allow Russia to have maritime communications with European states. The textbook "History" (grade 5) tells about the conquest of Ingermanland, and this article provides some facts about the capture of the Swedish fortification, standing on the banks of the Okhta and Neva. The real, Swedish, name of the fort sounds like Nyuenkas, but in Russian historiography the fort is known as the Nyenschanz fortress.
Prerequisites for the emergence of the fortress
From the beginning of the XIV century and for almost three hundred years, the Swedish kingdom was engaged in the development of the B altic lands, which were transferred to it under the terms of the Orekhov peace. The Neva and Ladoga lands were not included in the circle of interests of this state. And only at the beginning of the XVII century it was decided to return the lost lands. To begin with, the government of Sweden chose a political way to solve the problem. One of the sons of Charles IX was given the opportunity to take the Russian throne. But this was prevented by a protracted war with Denmark, which ended in 1613. By this time, the opportunity to become the tsar of Russia had been missed - the young Mikhail Romanov ascended the throne. But Sweden's plans to gain a foothold onthe banks of the Neva were not forgotten, and Jacob de Lagardie, commander-in-chief of the Swedish army, suggested that the crown build a fortress to protect the already conquered territories.
Building a fortress
The idea of the commander-in-chief was approved by the king and supported by the Swedish parliament - the rikstag. In 1611, a fortress was built, which later received the name Nienschanz, which translates into Russian as "Neva fortification".
Certainly, the important position that the Nyenschanz fortress occupied was quite clear to the Swedish government. The entire 17th century was devoted to strengthening and modernizing the protective structures of this structure. In 1675, the plan for the transformation of the fort was approved by the Swedish king and began to be carried out. Every peasant in Karelia and Ingermanland had to work for a month modernizing the Nienschanz fortress.
By the beginning of the new 18th century, the fortification looked like a pentagon and was located on an artificial bulk shaft up to 19 m high. Two ravelins, five bastions and modern guns made the fort a serious defensive structure.
Rise of Nien
Neva is a trade route known to the Vikings, so it is not surprising that the city of Nyen arose and began to develop rapidly near the fortress.
This city, according to the projects of Sweden, was conceived as the capital of all its eastern lands - Ingermanland. The coat of arms of the city depicted a lion with a sword standing between two rivers, which was explained by the military presence of the Swedes at the mouths of the Neva and Okhta.
Convenient location attracted tothese edges of artisans and merchants from all over Europe. Finns, Germans, Russians, Izhorians, and Dutch lived compactly here. There were Protestant churches, a Lutheran church, and an Orthodox church adorned the left bank of the Neva. A ferry service circulated between the shores. Business and private correspondence was conducted in German and Swedish.
In addition to trading shops and warehouses, a hospital, a brick factory, a shipyard, a greenhouse and even a nursing home were built in Nyene. A ferry ran between the banks on which the city was built.
The flourishing of trade and competition among other B altic cities led to the fact that in 1632 the townspeople turned to the Swedish king with a request to grant them trading privileges, which were later granted to them.
The port became a free zone and was exempt from paying taxes. The increase in trade privileges has led to a revival of trade and the prosperity of the population.
For the Swedes, the fort was only the first sign in a network of powerful fortifications, which were intended to strengthen the lands of Ingermanland. But the outbreak of the Northern War prevented the implementation of these plans.
The Capture of Nienschanz
The history of the 17th century for Russia began with the declaration of the northern war. Peter I was well aware of the importance of the city of Nyen and the fortification adjacent to it. Therefore, one of the first military actions of the king was the capture of Nyenschantz.
Under the command of Field Marshal Sheremetev, the Russian army stood in Schlisserburg, and on April 23, 1703, set out from the city and, moving along the right bank of the Neva, approached the place where it wasNyenschanz fortress. For reconnaissance, a detachment of two thousand people was sent, who crossed Lake Ladoga in boats and approached the Swedes' fortress. A sudden attack crushed the outposts of the Swedish army, since the guards of the fortification were not prepared and few in number. On April 25, the bulk of the troops approached the fortress. Part of the army crossed the Okhta, and part was located behind, under the cover of the outer rampart. Surrounding the fortress, the besiegers began to dig trenches for the installation of artillery batteries. At night, mortars, cannons and shells were delivered from Shlisserburg by water.
On April 26, Tsar Peter and his retinue came to take part in the capture of the fortress. By April 30, all siege activities were completed, and an offer to surrender was sent to the commandant of the fortress. At 7 pm, fire was opened on the defenders of Nyenschantz. The Swedes fought back until five in the morning, after which they accepted the offer of surrender.
Surrender of the fortress
The capture of the fortress was fixed by a surrender agreement. Under the terms of the latter, all the defenders were given an exit from the fortress to Vyborg or Narva with banners and weapons. After the time expired, the captured fortress was renamed Schlotburg.
The Military Council, which took place soon after the consolidation of the Russian army on the banks of the Neva, decided the fate of Schlotburg. The city was too small and inconvenient. It was decided to expand the construction of a new fortress on Hare Island.
Peter personally observed that the Nyenschanz fortress was wiped off the face of the earth. The buildings were destroyed, broken, blown up, erasing the memory of the Swedish fortification. The city of Nyen also suffered during the siege, but some of the houses and the brick factory remained intact, and were subsequently used in the construction of the first buildings of St. Petersburg. On the site of the former fortress, the king ordered to plant the four tallest mast trees.
Nienschanz after capture
Contemporaries of the Northern War claimed that it would not take even 15 years for everyone to forget about Fort Nienschanz, but cartographers' data show that the remains of this defensive structure existed until the 10s of the 19th century. In 1748, on the site of the crown work of Nyenschanz, the ingenious Rastrelli laid the foundation of the Smolny Cathedral. The inner territory of the fortress will be occupied by the shipyards of the Petrovsky Plant a decade later.
Nienschanz Museum
In the early 90s. In the 20th century, St. Petersburg archaeologists carried out excavations on the banks of the Okhta near the mouth of the river. The collected finds made it possible to open a museum, the full name of which sounds like “700 years of Landskrona, Neva Estuary, Nyenschanz”. The museum can present planograms and models of the fortification. As well as finds that history has preserved. The 5th grade of a secondary school will noticeably increase their level of knowledge, getting acquainted with the valuable exhibits of this museum.
