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Фотография Козельска, точнее, одной его части, той, где предположительно находился древний Козельск, два месяца державшийся против всей армии Батыя, за что и был назван монголами "злой город"
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Ancient Russian city Kozelsk first mentioned in chronicles in year 1146. It was a small medieval city, situated in the middle of the marshes, with a wooden walls and deep dike around it. Population hardly was bigger than 1 000 of inhabitants.
In March 1238 great Mongol army, led by heir of Chingiz-Han, Han Batu, approached the city during their devastating invasion in Ancient Rus in 1237-1238. At that time lot of strong fortresses in Russian land was stormed by Mongols, and even hardest ones took them only couple of weeks to storm. But small and unimportant Kozelsk held Mongol army for two months.
Length of the siege could be explained by the marshes around the city, with only one narrow winding road that led to the gates. So Mongols tried to storm the city many times, and lost a great number of warriors. Finally they breached the wall and tried to enter the city, but were casted back. In the final battle at the walls of Kozelsk, acoording to the archeological findings, Kozelsk garrizon was finally destroyed. There were only 237 Russian warriors in that final combat. Mongols after that finally destroyed the city, killed everyone inside and levelled town to the ground. Heads of warriors of Kozelsk garrizon they piled in the field, and in 1977 it was found during some digging.
City was named by the Mongol's chronists "Evil City", and so enteres all medieval Mongol and Arab's chronicles.