State Museum 'Smolensk Fortress'

About museum

Smolensk Fortress is a unique treasure of Russia, a symbol of its history and statehood. In the early 17th century a fortress wall more than 6.5 km long with 38 towers was built. Today 14 original towers and 4 rebuilt ones have been preserved. The length of the curtain walls is about 3 km; they encompass the central part of Smolensk. The State Museum 'Smolensk Fortress' was established in 2020. Attempts to turn the fortress into a museum were made from the early 19th century. In the 1930s the first successful efforts to convert several towers into museums took place. In 1987 the exhibition "Smolensk — the Shield of Russia" was opened in the Gromovaya Tower, and in 2017–2020 it housed a museum of military history. In 2018 the exhibition "Smolensk Ornaments" was opened in the Makhovaya (Mokhovaya) Tower.