Soroca Fortress, a medieval stronghold on the Dniester

Cetatea Soroca is a circular fortress with five towers on the bank of the Dniester, the border with Ukraine. Ștefan cel Mare had a wooden stronghold built here in 1499 to guard a ford; under Petru Rareș it was rebuilt in stone. It is one of the best-preserved medieval fortresses in Moldova and was recently restored with European funding.

What you see

The fortress is strikingly compact: an almost perfect circle just over 30 metres across, with walls about 3 metres thick. Four round towers and one rectangular gate tower stand at equal distances from one another. The round shape was a deliberate choice: from the towers, defenders could fire on the foot of the walls without any blind spots. Each tower has four levels, the lower two of which held artillery. Above the entrance gate was a small chapel, and a wall walk runs all the way round the top.

According to a curator who spoke to Radio Romania International, the fortress is some 70 to 75 per cent original and has never been a ruin. A curious detail: the round towers contain latrines with drains, unusual for medieval Moldavia.

History

The first mention appears in a peace treaty of 12 July 1499 between Ștefan cel Mare and the Polish king John Albert. The first fort was made of wood and earth and guarded the crossing over the Dniester against raids by the Crimean Tatars. The stone version is usually attributed to Petru Rareș and dated between 1543 and 1546; some historians believe a stone fort already stood here earlier.

The fortress played a part in the wars between Poland, the Ottoman Empire and Russia. Troops of John Sobieski held it against the Ottomans, and in 1711 it mattered during Tsar Peter the Great's Pruth campaign. Between 2013 and 2015 the gate tower was restored and all the towers were roofed again; between 2021 and 2023 the masonry was consolidated, both with funding from the European Union.

Tips for your visit

A visit to the fortress itself takes about an hour. Combine it with the Lumânarea Recunoștinței on the hill south of the town and with the eye-catching villas on the Roma hill. The fortress is in town, on Strada Independenței, close to the river.

The fortress closes in the cold season, so if you are travelling in winter, check beforehand. Soroca is more than 150 kilometres from Chișinău: as a day trip it makes for a long day, while an overnight stay also lets you make an excursion to Rudi Monastery.