About Tyagyn Fortress
Tyagyn Fortress was one of the fortifications and customs centers during the time of the Lithuanian Prince Vytautas. The discovery of Tatar and Polish coins from the late 14th to the first half of the 15th century confirms that the fortress in Tyagyn served as a customs point on the transnational trade route of European direction, which further extended to Kyiv, Lviv, and Krakow.
Tyagyn Fortress was located on an island 7-8 meters high from the right bank of the Dnipro River. Its construction marks a transition to a new stage of stone fortification building in the eastern Black Sea region. The buttress and wall of Tyagyn Fortress are reminiscent of the Lithuanian Trakai Castle. At the same time, Tyagyn Fortress also had wooden parts, similar to the wooden structures of the Rus’ period.
The site was first researched in 1914 and was then dated to the 14th-16th centuries. However, later studies revealed that the fortress was built by the Lithuanians from 1363 to 1484. There were several separate courtyards on the territory of the fortress, divided by walls. Within the internal space, there are remains of the citadel and stone buildings.
During the Middle Ages, the borders of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Rus`, and Samogitia passed through southern Ukraine along the Dnipro River. One of the defensive points was Tyagyn Fortress, located between the mouth of the Tyagynka River and the Dnipro.
In the late 14th century, a trade route ran from the northwest to the southeast through this area, with customs and crossings operating at the border. Control over this territory allowed for the protection of both the water trade route along the Dnipro and the land route leading from Crimea to Europe.
German chronicles contain reports about the Lithuanian campaign led by Vytautas to the lower Dnipro in 1398. At that time, a stone fortress (St. John) was built. Furthermore, according to a letter from the Riga merchant Klaus Riman from Polotsk, two fortresses on the Southern Buh were built on Vytautas’ orders.
During excavations in Tyagyn, metal accessories of Lithuanian origin, such as cross-shaped overlays on leather pouches, were found. These items likely belonged to Lithuanian officials who collected customs duties. Archaeologists also managed to find details of a water supply system and fragments of clay pipes in the settlement area of Tyagyn, indicating a high level of civilization in this area at the end of the 14th century.
The structure was rebuilt after 1491 when the Crimean Khan captured these lands, and it lost its original appearance. Tyagyn Fortress holds the status of a national archaeological monument (14th-17th centuries).
In 2023, the remains of Tyagyn Fortress were submerged as a result of the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant by Russian occupying forces. Today, this area is actively experiencing combat actions that pose a tremendous threat to the historical monument.
Additional Information: Tyagyn village, Beryslav district, Kherson region, 74330.