Soroca Fortress

I visited the Soroca Fortress on my way back to Chişinău, Moldova from Lviv, Ukraine, during my 2021 European travel campaign. Moldova was my 64th country traveled. Soroca Fortress is a historic fort located in Moldova in the city of Soroca, which lies on the lovely Dniester River. The city has its origin in the medieval Genoese trade post of Olchionia, or Alchona. The Fortress was established by the Moldavian Prince Stephen the Great in 1499. During the Great Turkish War, John Sobieski’s forces defended the Fortress against the invading Ottomans. It was an important military post during the Pruth Campaign of Peter the Great in 1711. The Fortress was captured by the Russians in the Russo-Turkish War (1735-39). Soroca Fortress was a state-of-the-art fortress for its time. With respect to its unique architecture, the walls and towers were built in a curved shape rather than a straight shape, so that the structure would be more resistant to projectiles being fired at it. Also, the round towers allowed for defenders to shoot down more accurately with better angles at incoming troops who got near the Fort. This unique architecture of Soroca Fortress suggests that it was not designed by a Moldovans, but rather outsiders from western Europe or Transylvania. Today, the Soroca Fortress is one of Moldova’s main tourist attractions and is frequented by tourists and locals often every year. The inside of the Fort can be accessed every day except Mondays and Tuesdays, from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm: