Oreshek Fortress

The Oreshek Fortress (Russian: Крепость Орешек; Schlüsselburg Fortress, Russian: Шлиссельбургская крепость) is one of a series of fortifications built in Oreshek (now known as Shlisselburg) on Orekhovy Island in Lake Ladoga, near the modern city of Saint Petersburg in Russia. The first fortress was built in 1323. It was the scene of many conflicts between Russia and Sweden and changed hands between the two empires. During World War II, it was heavily damaged. Today it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.

Text adapted from “Oreshek Fortress” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Oreshek Fortress ranks #434 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #22 of the 141 mapped in Russia. Founded 1323, it is older than 61% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 582 atlas entries founded in the 14th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 16,061 times in the last 60 days, more than 96% of the atlas. The nearest day-trip guide is Saint Petersburg, 40 km away. See how Russia compares in the castle statistics.

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