External strengthening of Veliky Novgorod changed a lot of names. The current name - Roundabout city, stuck at the end of the XIV century and survived to this day. The defensive line stretches for 11 kilometers. The fortifications were located on the Sofia and on the Marketplace side, thanks to these fortifications, Novgorod and was named the greatest. For five centuries, strengthening Roundabout city often changed and transformed, were the strengthening of as fence and Gorodnya, chopped tower, stone tower, but it was gone in the summer. Particularly impressive ramparts of Novgorod, where there was only one tower.

Alekseevskaya tower, still known as the White - has the status of a historical monument in Nizhny Novgorod. It is the only stone tower Roundabout city of Novgorod the Great, who resisted until today. Erected Tower in 1582 - 1584 years. It is expected that the construction was not without the participation of the Italian master, there is no evidence of this, but you can not exclude this possibility. However, remember that by the time Russian beautifully built monasteries, churches, and all in stone and brick.

Alekseevskaya Tower - an impressive, four-tiered structure, circular in plan, which reaches a height of 15 meters, with an outer diameter equal to 17 meters. The wall thickness of 2, 2 meters in the first tier 4, 5 meters. In view of the fact that the construction of the tower Alexis conducted on an artificial ground, it has a sufficiently strong foundation, consisting of limestone slabs, and topped with granite boulders. Some people believe that it is the foundation and is one of the reasons for the tower to save our time. Inside are three levels of loopholes and tier with teeth, between the tiers lie bridges message stairs, which are laid in the thickness of the wall. But as a rule, in the towers of this type, between the bridges were wooden stairs, which, incidentally, are well preserved, or openings in the bridges themselves for heavy lifting.

In the first tier are 3 gun, and 3 pischalnye loopholes, only six. The second tier was filled with four cannon loopholes and one small - pischalnaya, she was at the door. The third tier includes five loopholes for guns. Fourth completed merlons - prongs, with the number of 24 pieces, of rectangular shape, no loopholes in the barrel.

The tower is a powerful fortification on the approach to the town from the south. On the north side, the tower was built Peter, but she survived. Towers of this type have been the ideal choice cannon defense. The abundance of convenient loopholes, a sufficient thickness of the walls, allow a long time to resist the onslaught of enemy artillery. In the 17th century, after the siege by the Swedes, the tower has undergone some changes. Changes were as appearance and internal structure. They performed the necessary repairs, increased height of the building for an additional tier, also carried out work to improve the delivery and recovery supplies. Upon completion of the main works, whitewashed tower, so strictly speaking, from which she received her second name.

In 1697 Peter I ordered to withdraw combat gear on the walls around the tenements and transported to the Kremlin for storage. So stop being one of the largest castles of ancient Russia. From the middle of XVII century in the course of 350 years, the tower was destroyed many times and lost a tent, but it was restored again in the second half of the last century, was completely destroyed by the last stage, and the third grew many shrubs, destroying and laying the foundation. But in the nineties of the tower rebuilt, they covered the tent, and to protect against vandalism, all entrances bricked up. It is planned the restoration of the ancient tower on the funds allocated by the federal program "Conservation and use of cultural heritage of Russia." If there are no changes to the plans, the tower will be placed Alexis exposition dedicated to the ancient Russian weapons.