On September 23rd a huge
art exhibition dedicated to the Day of Poltava opened at the Poltava Art
Gallery. Many paintings created by local artists were on display to the public.
One of those participating in the exhibition is my friend Viktor Babenko, who works
as an art teacher at the Poltava
Teachers’ Training University. For many years he has been exploring the history
of the Fortress of Poltava, which was built in 1609 by the Kozaks of the
Mirgorod Regiment under the command of Polish Crown Hetman Stanislav Jolkevsky. In the painting displayed in this exhibition, Viktor
has tried to reproduce the vanished features of the fortress, including its many
bastions, and to highlight its location on a hillside surrounded by ravines and
protected by palisades.
The fortress was the site of one of
the most decisive battles in European history. In late April 1709 the Swedish
king Charles XII decided to lay siege to the Fortress of Poltava. Although the Swedish army consisted of about
31,000 men at the time, the king decided to engage only 4 cannons and about
6,000 of his soldiers in the siege. In
order to isolate the Russian troops in the fortress, the Swedish army cut off
all access to the fortress, including any possible approaches by the Russians
across the Vorskla River. Despite these efforts, the king was defeated soundly by
the Russian forces in the Battle of Poltava on June 28, 1709. As a result Charles XII was forced to abandon
the siege and retreat to the south with the remainder of his troops.
In preparation for Tsar Alexander
I’s visit to Poltava in 1817 all the remains of the Fortress of Poltava were
razed to the ground. One can, therefore,
assume that the Swedish King and his soldiers were the last to see the fortress
as it is depicted Viktor Babenko’s painting.
You may browse other artworks of the
painter at his page:
Sone other paintings by Viktor Babenko
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