Mokhovaya Tower of the Suma Stockaded Fort

The only wooden battle tower surviving in the European part of Russia.

The original fort was built in the 1580s, on the White Sea coast lands owned by Solovetsky Monastery. When a century later this old complex fell into disrepair, a new wooden one started to be constructed by the Tsar’s order. Its task was to protect North Russian lands. The fort repelled several Swedish attacks and in 1613, stood a siege of the ‘Circass’, - remnants of the troops of False Dimitry II that came north – all without being ever taken.

In the XVII century, Mokhovaya Tower was one of the six towers of the Suma Stockaded Fort. It has three levels and passages to the wall. The towers made the fort structure safer and helped to maintain more effective defense.

In 1931, Peter Baranovsky initiated transportation of the old Mokhovaya Tower to Kolomenskoe. The studies showed that the tower had not once been reconstructed so it took the scientists a long time to restore its original appearance. Only in 2008, it was successfully reassembled with the help of experts from Arkhangelsk who mastered the old techniques of log construction.

Please note that the Mokhovaya Tower is open only in the summer season, from 16 May to 1 October.

The permanent exhibition arranged today in the tower describes the fort’s history in the XVI – XVIII centuries. On the first level, you can see everyday life items of the guardsmen who defended the fort. The display on the second level focuses on the military pages of its history. On the upper level, you will learn more on the entire North Russian forts system.