Preobragenskaya Fortress: A Russian Road-Control Fortification in Dagestan
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.7
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Russia
- Primary era
- Modern
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- Russian
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Fort
On this page5 sections
History
Preobragenskaya Fortress, also known as the Preobrazhenskoye Bridgehead Fortification, was a Russian fortress in Botlikh, Russia, founded on 6 May 1859. Field Marshal Alexander Ivanovich Baryatinsky, a leading Russian military commander and imperial official in the Caucasus, established it beside the Andiyskoye Koysu River to control the only road through the river valley.
Severe climatic conditions and an outbreak of malaria led to the fortification being moved farther down the valley, to the newly constructed railway bridge. The relocation placed the military position along the same important route while shifting it to a less difficult setting.
By 1912, a company of the 207th Novo-Bayazet Regiment was stationed at the fortification. The fortress was apparently abolished after the Revolution of 1917, which brought an end to imperial rule, and it is no longer operational. It remains a regionally significant cultural-heritage site of the peoples of the Russian Federation.
Remains
Surviving fortification
The surviving remains are associated with the fortress’s position along the route through the Andiyskoye Koysu valley. The site includes a watchtower and the ruins of a combat tower, reflecting the defensive purpose of the former road-control fortification.
Watchtower
The watchtower forms one of the identifiable elements of Preobragenskaya Fortress. Its role was connected with observation along the valley route and the approach controlled by the fortification.
Combat tower
The combat tower survives in ruined form. It belonged to the defensive structures of the fortress and is preserved as part of the remains of the former fortification.
