(I would like to thank B. Nilsson
for his kind permission to use his materials. The post is based on his thesis
presented at the conference hold in the Artillery Museum in S.Peterburg on 17
May 2012).
 |
Geometrisch Plaan af Fästningen Nöteborgh Anno 1697
(Swedish Kriegsarkivet)
|
Swedish Quartermaster General Erik
Dahlbergh made in autumn of 1681 an inspection of the Karelia, Ingria &
Baltic provinces fortress. He visited Noteborh on 20 October 1702. In his
report presented to Carl XI Dahlbergh claimed that Noteborg had not been
repaired in the last 30, 40 or more years and was in danger of total collapse.
(This statement can however be questioned, as the garrison commander
Jacob Sprengtport in the same year presented a detailed list of the repairs
made during the previous five years, see Krigsarkivet. Krigskollegiets
brevböcker 1681-82, P. 341 ff.). In Dahlbergh’s opinion Nöteborg was a very important position and
“the key to the Ladoga”, but the damage caused to walls and towers by rain and
water were so great that it would be very expensive and time consuming to bring
the fortress into an adequate state. The so called “Svarta Rundeln” (Black
Tower) was particularly poor, with major cracks running from the top to the
foundation. It was, Dahlbergh concluded, necessary to tear down the tower and
rebuild it entirely. (Dahlbergh’s observation is corroborated by a testimony
from the summer of 1679, when Johan Staël von Holstein informed the Governor
General in Narva that there were five major cracks in the tower, see RA.
Livonica II, vol. 360). Another problem was the many wooden buildings inside
the fortress as any fire could have devastating consequences. Something should also be done about a few
small islands on the southern side of the fortress, particularly the so called
“Kyrkholmen” where according to Dahlbergh siege batteries had been placed during
the Swedish-Russian war in the late 16th century.
Dahlberghs
report caused an immediate reaction. Two days after the Quartermaster General
had briefed Charles XI, the latter instructed Governor General Schultz in Narva
to make sure that “Kyrkholmen” was removed, the moat surrounding the castle
cleaned up and stone brought to Nöteborg so that necessary repairs could be
carried out.
In 1697 Governor General of Ingria,
Field Marshal Otto Wilhelm von Fersen replied on 7 June. As far as
Nöteborg was concerned Fersen noted that “Svarta Rundeln” was practically
restored to its former strength and height. It was therefore not necessary to
do more in that area, but the wall near the garrison commander’s house was in
need of repairs and the walls should be given a protective roof, a work von
Fersen already had begun.
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List of Stuart's report, 10 June 1699
Лист из отчета Стюарта
(kindly provided by B. Nilsson) |
In 1699 Carl
Magnus Stuart was sent on a tour of the Baltic provinces. He spent 8 days in
Nöteborg and made several drawings of the fortress and maps of the surrounding
area. He also began the
construction of new fortifications. On 10 July he even wrote an instruction for
the defense of the fortress, a document of considerable interest as it was
later presented during the investigation of the circumstances surrounding the surrender
of Noteborg in 1702. Stuart pointed out that no regular siege was
possible, so regardless of how the enemy would go about attacking the fortress
everything would in the end be decided by the ability of the garrison to
withstand a direct assault. The very high walls and towers would make such an
attempt difficult. One key point was the gate. Should it be damaged or ruined
by artillery fire from the northern shore of the Ladoga this could be countered
by filling the entire area with stone and soil, thereby making any entrance
impossible. The main danger
was instead, Stuart believed, an attempt to force Noteborg to surrender by
closing all supply routes. It was consequently imperative to make sure
that gunpowder, ammunition, provisions and the garrison itself were protected
from enemy bombardment. This could best be done in the newly rebuilt “Svarta
Rundeln”, which was constructed to withstand such fire. The bottom floor of other
towers could also be used as storage areas if the towers were strengthened by
filling one of the floors above with soil and timber and the underlying vaults
strengthened by vertical wooden stanchions in great numbers. If everything was done properly Stuart believed
Noteborg could hold out for a long time.
Состояние крепости
Нотебург к 1700 г. (по отчетам Э. Дальберга и К.М. Стюарта)
(Я
хотел бы поблагодарить Б. Нильссона за разрешение использовать его материалы в
своем блоге. Печатный вариант его статьи смотри также в 3 томе материалов
конференции «Война и оружие: новые исследования и материалы», прошедшей 16-18
мая в Арт музее в С-Петербурге (ВИМАИВиВС). В его докладе были использованы
материалы и иллюстрации, невошедшие в печатный вариант, но приведенные в
материале ниже. Обратите внимание, что английский и русский варианты поста не
совпадают, я не делал дословного перевода, плюс в русском варианте использовал
цитаты из статьи Кирпичникова).
В отношении
Нотебурга накануне Великой Северной войны сохранились 2 уникальных шведских
документа, описывающих его состояние и анализирующих возможность обороны
крепости. Один – инспекционный отчет Э. Дальберга 1681 г. (материалы
использованы в статье Кальюнди Е.А., Кирпичников А.Н. в 1975 г.), второй -
отчет К. М. Стюарта 1699 г. (материалы приведены в докладе Б. Нильссона на
конференции в Арт музее 16-18 мая 2012 г.)
