Belgorod Dnestrovsky is a small city 86 miles from the port city of Odessa Ukraine. The city's feature attraction is a 15th century castle. Belgorod Dnestrovsky city is a sleepy village of 50,000 people, located 20 kilometers from the Black Sea, along the bank of the Dniester River.

The fortress occupies almost four hectares. In cross section it resembles a closed polygon. The length of the outer wall is almost 2 kilometers. The wall stands 15 meters high and is up to 5 kilometers thick, while the walls, like the rest of the fortifications, are made out of local shell rocks.

The fortress is rung by thirty-four towers, with a moat 15 meters wide and eleven meters deep, although in the past the moat was much deeper. When the castle was threatened by attack, pipes could be opened and the moat would be filled with water, then the castle could only be accessed from the drawbridge.

Inside the massive fort, are three courtyards, separated from each other by thick walls. The first was the civilian cou

rtyard where the serfs lived, the second was the garrison's quarters, and the third, the oldest, smallest, and best fortified was the Citadel which housed the soldiers.

The remains of a mosque have been preserved in the first courtyard. The mosque was built by the Turks to replace a church they had destroyed on the same site.

The famous Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin visited this fort in December, 1821, and one of the tower's is named after him.

In the mid-19th century the fortress lost its military significance, but to this day it remains an impressive picture of past military might.

For the most comprehensive English guide to Odessa, Ukraine ever written, please visit http://www.2odessa.com.

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