Kodak Fortress: A Historic Military Stronghold near Dnipro, Ukraine
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Country: Ukraine
Civilization: Unclassified
Remains: Military
History
Kodak Fortress is located near the modern city of Dnipro, in Ukraine. It was established in 1635 by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as a fortified military outpost intended to control the Zaporizhian Cossacks and restrict their access to the Black Sea. This strategic position was chosen following the 1634 peace treaty with Muscovy and was developed under the direction of Crown Hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski, with the assistance of French military engineer Guillaume Le Vasseur de Beauplan.
Shortly after its foundation, the fortress became a focal point of conflict. In August 1635, it was seized and partly demolished by Cossack forces led by Hetman Ivan Sulima, who also executed the fortress commander, Jean Marion. Despite this setback, the Polish Sejm approved reconstruction efforts in 1636. Work was completed in 1639 by Friedrich Getkant, a German-Swedish engineer, significantly enlarging the fortress to meet contemporary defensive standards inspired by the New Dutch fortification system. The updated stronghold could house a much larger garrison and defend against both raids and escapes to the nearby Zaporizhian Sich, earning it the nickname “the key to Zaporizhzhia.”
The fortress played a central military role during the Khmelnytsky Uprising. After enduring a siege lasting four months, it surrendered on October 1, 1648, to the Cossack army under Colonel Maksym Nesterenko (or possibly Prokop Shumeiko). Following its capture, Kodak transformed into a Cossack military base and eventually came under the authority of the Zaporizhian Sich around 1656. Throughout the later 17th and early 18th centuries, it was used as a logistical and strategic center during various Russo-Turkish conflicts. The rebel leader Kondraty Bulavin sought refuge within its walls during 1707–1708.
During the tenure of Hetman Ivan Mazepa, Kodak served as a lookout post to monitor activities of the Zaporizhian Sich. However, the fortress was ordered destroyed in 1711 according to the terms of the Treaty of the Pruth, along with several other fortifications in the southern region. Although partially rebuilt in the early 1700s, the fortress suffered further setbacks in the 1720s when Tatar forces captured and burned the site and the adjacent settlement, effectively ending Kodak’s function as a defensive fortress.
From 1734 to 1775, the area functioned as a Cossack settlement and administrative center known as the Kodak palanka. After the destruction of the New Sich in 1775, many displaced Cossacks resettled there, and the locality became known as Stari Kodaky. In 1910, historian Dmytro Yavornytsky advocated for commemorating the site with a memorial plaque, recognizing its historical importance.
The fortress ruins endured significant damage in the 20th century, especially beginning in 1938 when granite quarrying devastated much of the site. By the 1980s, approximately 90% of the structure had been lost despite efforts by local communities to protect it. Archaeological investigations have been carried out intermittently since Yavornytsky’s initial work in the early 1900s. Renewed excavations since 1990, including those led by archaeologists from Dnipro National University, uncovered remains such as the St. Archangel Michael Church, which had been destroyed in 1937. Plans were announced in 2013 aiming to preserve and partially reconstruct the fortress as a museum complex, incorporating surviving earthworks and revitalizing the site’s historic layout.
Remains
The original layout of Kodak Fortress reflected a quadrangular earthwork design established in 1635. It featured two half-bastions on the southern side, a defensive rampart surrounding the site, and a protective ditch. After reconstruction in 1639, the fortress expanded nearly threefold and was reshaped into a square measuring approximately 112.5 meters on each side. The design followed the New Dutch fortification system, which emphasized angular bastions and layered defenses suited to resist artillery attacks.
The earthen ramparts were substantial, measuring 24 meters wide at the base and rising about 7 meters in height. On top of these ramparts sat two rows of wooden palisades, serving as wooden fencing or stakes to provide an additional barrier. Surrounding the fortress on three sides was a broad, dry moat about 11 meters deep and 16 meters wide, designed to hinder attackers. The fourth side faced the steep cliffs of the Dnieper River, offering a natural defensive advantage.
Within the fortress grounds stood religious and residential structures, including a Catholic church with an adjoining monastery and an Orthodox church. Around sixty houses formed a small settlement complete with a market near the walls. The garrison grew to around 600 mercenaries equipped with artillery, supplemented by a large watchtower located roughly three kilometers away, enhancing the site’s surveillance capabilities. Some reports indicate that the fortress could accommodate more than 1,000 people.
Today, only portions of the northern earth ramparts survive, with much of the fortress’s fabric demolished due to extensive granite quarrying starting in the late 1930s. Archaeological efforts have identified cultural layers associated with the Cossack period, revealing insights into the fortress’s occupation and use. Excavations unearthed remnants of the St. Archangel Michael Church, a religious building that was destroyed in 1937 but confirmed to have stood within the fortress precinct.
Recent conservation proposals seek to restore surviving features, including the earthworks and moats. Plans include reconstructing sections of the wooden fortifications with palisades and drawbridges along the ramparts to give a clearer sense of the original defensive system. A museum complex is being designed on stilts above the quarry lake, aligning with the reconstructed outlines of the fortress as seen from the river, thereby reviving the silhouette of this once-critical military stronghold.