Dvinsk Fortress Cannon Monument

With the loss of military significance
in the second half of the 19th
century a garden was created in
place of the former fortress square
in front of the main facade of the
Commandant’s house. In 1866 a
fountain was erected in the centre
of the garden, water to the fountain
was supplied from the water tower.
In 1912, while celebrating the
centennial anniversary of the victory
over Napoleon in 1812, an unusual
monument – a fountain made
from three cast-iron large-calibre
cannons – was erected in the centre
of the garden at the expense of the
soldiers and officers of the Dvinsk
fortress – warehouse. A sculpture of
a two-headed eagle with its wings
spread wide was rising above the
cannonball placed on top of the
cannons; this sculpture was lost at
the outset of the World War I.
The base of the monument devoted
to the killed soldiers from the 10th
Aizpute infantry regiment of the
Latvian Army (opened in 1924) has
been preserved in the garden. After
the World War II the monument was
considerably transformed and used
as the base to Stalin’s bust. The old
pergola has also been preserved.
Today the shady lanes of the fortress
garden are a popular resting place
of fortress inhabitants and its guests.
In winter the greatest open-air
skating-rink in the city is made
around the fountain. In summer
different festivals and concerts take
place here.
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The garden in front of the commandant's house is actually beautifully landscaped, but the decay of the many unused buildings surrounding it is depressing. Fortunately, at least some of them are in use, and some have even been restored.