Volokolamskiy Kreml'

Volokolamsk, Russia, Russia

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Volokolamskiy Kreml' refers to the historic earthen ramparts and ruins of the medieval fortress in Volokolamsk, Moscow Oblast, Russia, first mentioned in chronicles from 1135 as a key Novgorod trading post on the portage route between the Lama and Ruza rivers. Wooden fortifications from the 12th century evolved into a stone citadel by the 15th century under Moscow's influence, featuring the white-stone Resurrection Cathedral (1462-1494) with Dionysius fresco fragments, a multi-tiered 19th-century bell tower, and administrative buildings like the 19th-century Presence Chambers amid defensive ditches. Serving as a frontline against Lithuanian and Tatar incursions during the Time of Troubles and World War II occupation, its surviving earthworks and museum complex now preserve regional history from the 4th century BC through Soviet times.