Yam fortress

Yam
Native name Russian: Ям
A drawing of Yam Fortress, engraved in the beginning of the 17th century
Type	Fortress
Location	Kingisepp, Leningrad Oblast, Russia
Coordinates	59°22′34.460″N 28°35′38.944″E / 59.37623889°N 28.59415111°E / 59.37623889; 28.59415111
Founded	1384
Founder	Ivan Fyodorovich
Demolished	1781
Current use	park

Yam (Yama, Yamgorod, Russian: Ям) is a fortress and heritage site located on the eastern bank of the Luga river in Kingisepp, Leningrad Oblast, Russia.

The fortress was built in 1384 by Ivan Fyodorovich, a boyar (noble) of the Novgorod republic, to protect the republic’s western borders. Thanks to it, Yam remained unconquered from the 14th to 15th centuries. The fortress was completely rebuilt after the Novgorod Republic was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Following the construction of Ivangorod Fortress, Yam Fortress lost its military significance.

Between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century, Yam Fortress was captured twice by the Swedish army, and the fortress was awarded to Sweden in 1612 by the Treaty of Stolbovo. Russians stormed the fortress in 1658 and captured most of it, however the Swedish garrison held out in the Detinets. Subsequently, the Swedish army demolished most of the fortress (except for the Detinets) to re-build it. Construction of a new bastion-type fortress was begun but never finished. In 1703 the fortress was recaptured by the Russians. The construction of Yam was completed by the Russian tsar Peter the Great. However, since the border of Russia extended further westward, Yam fell into disuse. The remains of the Detinets were demolished on the orders of Catherine the Great in 1781, and the bastions were abandoned. In the 19th century, the area surrounding the fortress became a town park.