A Brief History Of The Fortress Of Soroca, Republic of Moldova

The fortress (or fort) of Soroca is an imposing renovated medieval stronghold situated in the small town of Soroca in the north of the Republic of Moldova and in the historical region of Bessarabia (known in Romanian as Basarabia). This castle was built in 1499 by renowned Moldavian prince (or, as the title is known in Romanian, domnitor or domn) Stephen the Great (known in Romanian as Ștefan cel Mare). This castle was part of a series of fortifications that Stephen the Great built throughout the Principality of Moldavia during his reign. Other two notable ones are the Seat Fortress of Suceava, situated in Suceava County, in the historical regions of both Bukovina and Moldavia, north-eastern Romania as well as Neamț Fortress, situated in Neamț County, in the historical region of Moldavia, north-eastern Romania. However, unlike other medieval fortifications built by Stephen the Great during his reign throughout the Principality of Moldavia (e.g., Suceava Seat Fortress, Cetatea Albă, or Hotin/Khotyn), the fort of Soroca was intended to be a small military outpost that could keep the Tatars at a bay in case of a military incursion on their behalf. As such, the fort of Soroca was able to hold a garrison of 200 to 250 men.

Initially built in wood, the fortress of Soroca was fortified in stone during the reign of Moldavian prince Petru Rareș during the middle of the 16th century. It is possible that a wooden stronghold made of wood and earth was already in place during the early part of the 15th century, according to Genoese late medieval sources, overlooking the nearby Dniester (known in Romanian as Nistru) river. The castle was subsequently involved in several conflicts, namely the Great Turkish War, with the forces of Polish King John III Sobieski holding the fort against the Ottoman besiegers as well as Russo-Turkish wars of the early 18th century.

According to an inscription from within the castle, it is clearly known that it was built by a group of Transylvanian bricklayers led by a certain master bricklayer known as Iacob (Jacob). Also, judging by its architecture, the fort might have been probably designed by Western European or Transylvanian architects. Inside the fortress there is a well and several chambers.

Between 2013 and 2015, the castle underwent renovation works within the international project ‘Bijuteriile Medievale’ (i.e., Medieval Gems) meant for the medieval castles of Suceava (Romania), Khotin/Hotin (Ukraine) and (Soroca), supported by European Union (EU) funds and by the town hall of Suceava, the town hall of Soroca as well as the State History and Architecture Reserve of the Hotin Fortress. Nowadays, the fortress is open to visitors. Below you can watch two short YouTube videos depicting Soroca Fortress which is situated in the north-east of the Republic of Moldova.

Here’s an informative video with subtitles in English on the fort:

And here is a time-lapse-based short video on the fort as well:

Documentation sources and external links:

• Cetatea Soroca on www.wikipedia.org (in Romanian)
• Cetatea Soroca on www.visitmd.ro (in Romanian)
• Soroca Fort on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
• History of Moldova on www.britannica.com (Encyclopædia Britannica online)