The Volga Tower is located on the high bank of the Volga Embankment. It was part of the Yaroslavl Kremlin, which was called the Chopped City. Yaroslavl is the oldest city, founded in 1010 on the banks of the Volga by Prince Yaroslav the Wise. In pre-Mongol times, Yaroslavl was not as important as Vladimir or Suzdal, however, its Kremlin was in a very convenient place and had powerful fortifications.
During the Mongol invasion in the 13th century, all Russian cities had wooden fortress walls. After the victory over the Mongol-Tatar troops in the 15th century in Moscow and Kolomna, and then in Smolensk, the construction of the stone walls of the Kremlin began. There was no threat to Russia from the east, so the Kremlins in all cities, except Nizhny Novgorod, on the eastern borders of Russia remained wooden. Yaroslavl Kremlin had 12 towers: 2 passers-by and 10 deaf.
In 1658, a fire broke out on the territory of the Chopped city and all the wooden houses burned down. The wooden walls were also damaged, but were preserved. Immediately after the fire, in 1658, a stone tower began to be built from the Volga side, which was called the Volga Tower.
In 1680, Metropolitan Jonah Sysoevich of Rostov built his residence in the Chopped City. In Rostov the Great, he built a powerful Rostov Kremlin, and in Yaroslavl he limited himself to the construction of a small stone house. The Assumption Cathedral was built near the Arrow of Volga River and Kotorosl on the high bank.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the wooden walls and towers of the Chopped City were dismantled due to dilapidation, but the Volga Tower was preserved. A beautiful Volga Embankment was built on the bank of the Volga. The Volga Tower was the main entrance tower to the high bank of Yaroslavl from the side of the river.
In 1840, the Volga Tower was built and expanded to accommodate an Arsenal in it. It acquired the features of a square massive building. In addition to the main name of the Volga Tower, it began to be called Arsenal. By the end of the 19th century, the arsenal was moved to another location and a tavern was opened in the tower.
The Volga Tower is the only tower that has survived to this day on the site of the fortifications of the Chopped City, although its current appearance was formed only in 1840. Old mansions have been preserved near the Volga Tower: the Governor`s House, the Bolkonsky House, and the Metropolitan Chambers.
