The need to build a fort originated after the end of the Second Russian-Persian war. Taking into account the possible war against Turkey, the Russians began to pay special attention to the strengthening of Gyumri. In 1828, the Military Governor of Tbilissi (Georgia) sent a letter to the Commander-in-Chief of the Transcaucasian, which said: "In the event of a possible war against the Turks, it will be necessary to build a fortress in Gyumri and strongly strengthen it as a major military base." The Black Fortress was originally a defense structure of Alexandropol, served as a military prison. Only after the Russian-Turkish war in 1877-1878, when the Russians captured Kars, Kars Fortress became a leading defense fortress, and Alexandropol's Fortress became a projectile storage.
Black Fortress, Gyumri, Armenia