Today, the Dnieper gate is a Stone gate Church built in 1811 in the classical style. Previously, the gate in the center of this temple was approached by a bridge over the Dnieper river, from which Cathedral Street went uphill.
Since the construction of the fortress wall around Smolensk, the Dnieper gate has been the most powerful defensive tower in five tiers. They are often called the Frolovsky gates. They looked like the Spasskaya tower of the Moscow Kremlin. An alarm bell hung from the tower.
During the sieges of Smolensk in the 17th century, these gates suffered the most, so in 1795 it was decided to dismantle this tower, and in its place to build a classic two-story gate temple Of the icon of Odigitria.
On August 6, 1812, the troops of the Emperor Napoleon entered Smolensk through the Dnieper gate. He personally went up to the balcony of the gate and watched the retreating Russian troops, adjusting the fire of his artillery. Sometimes it is even said that he personally fired the guns that were on the second floor of the gate, but it is an exaggeration.
Before the Second World war, the bridge over the Dnieper river approached the gate, which was in the center of the Gate temple Of the icon of Odigitria, but during the war, this bridge was exploded, and a new bridge was built in the side. After that, the through passage through the building was closed. Now the building of the Dnieper gate is an Orthodox gymnasium.
