Stepehn Bathory Tower

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Name: THE STEPHEN BATHORY TOWER AND VITRYANA "WINDY"GATE
Location: 
Country: Ukraine
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             THE STEPHEN BATHORY TOWER AND VITRYANA "WINDY"GATE
     Massive city's fortifications impressed  not only travelers. According
to some historical sources , in 1621 , seeing the fortress , the Turkish
Khan Osman allegedly asked : "Who built this city?" God himself ", was the answer. "Let God own it", said the Khan and he turned back his troops from the city walls. Throughout its eventful history the fortress was captured only twice: in 1393, due to the split of the troops garrisoned in the fortress, it was taken by Vitold , Grand Duke of Lithuania; and in 1672 by the Turks who outnumbered the garrison 60 times.
  One of the best examples of the town fortifications is the Stephen Bathory tower. It has 7 stories, that's why it also called "7-storey Tower". There is a table with an inscription on the tower:
                               A. D. 1585 PER STEPH. BATHORY R. P.
                               CONDITYM /STANISLAO  AVGVSTO
                                REGNANTE POLONIS
                                  RESTAVRATVM ET AVCTVM
                                   A. D. 1785
  So, the tower was built in 1585 by S. Bathory, the Polish king and the
nephew of the famous vampire countess Elizabeth Bathory. The tower is also called "Kushnirska"or the "upper Polish Gate". The legend says that when in 1701 Peter the Great was in town and came through the tower's gate the draught made his triangular hat fall down. "What a windy gate!" exclaimed the czar, and since than everyone calls this gate "Windy".

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