The Moscow Kremlin is the sovereign crown of Russia. The Moscow Kremlin - all the towers of the Kremlin, the history of construction Novosibirsk Academy of Water Transport

The Moscow Kremlin is a fortress in the center of the Russian capital. This is the main socio-political and artistic complex of the city and the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation. The Kremlin is located on the high left bank of the Moscow River.

Today's buildings were built mainly in 1485-1495 on the site of dilapidated white stone walls erected in 1366. The fortress with twenty towers connected by walls has a triangular shape. Three corner towers are round in shape for all-round firing, the rest are square, very different from one another.

The length of the Kremlin wall is 2,335 m, its height is 8-19 m, and its thickness is 3.5-6.5 m.

The age of the architectural ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin has exceeded 500 years. At one time, its construction was started by Prince Ivan III. Today, residents and guests of the city can see 20 towers, the names of which reflect their history:

Sviblova;
Borovitskaya;
Armory;
Kutafya;
Sobakin;
Medium arsenal;
Kolymazhnaya;
Petrovskaya;
Royal;
Nabatnaya;
Senate;
Spasskaya;
Konstantin-Eleninskaya;
Moskvoretskaya.

Prices: entrance ticket to the territory - 500 rubles (for full-time students and pensioners - 250 rubles). To get to the Moscow Kremlin, you need to purchase a single ticket to visit the architectural ensemble of Cathedral Square, which also gives you the right to view the Ceremonial Mounted and Foot Guards of the Presidential Regiment (Saturdays at 12:00).

Tickets can be purchased online (except discounted tickets) or at the box office in the Alexander Garden (only on the day of the visit, that is, you can’t buy a ticket “for tomorrow” here).

The Treasury Museum is part of the Grand Kremlin Palace complex. It is housed in a building built in 1851 by architect Konstantin Ton. The basis of the museum collection was made up of exhibits kept for centuries in the royal treasury and the patriarchal sacristy.

The Armory contains ancient state regalia, ceremonial royal clothes and coronation dress, vestments of the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, the largest collection of gold and silver items made by Russian craftsmen.

The museum presents about four thousand monuments of decorative and applied art of Russia, Europe and the East of the 4th - early 20th centuries. It is named after the state treasury, which in 1720 included the Kremlin workshops. Since 1806 it has been functioning as a museum.

Location: Palace Square.

The Diamond Fund was created under Peter the Great, when in 1719 he determined the regulations according to which valuable items, primarily crown jewels, belonged to the state and were kept in the treasury, in a chest behind three locks.

The chamber built to store valuables was called the Diamond Fund, later the Diamond Room. Over time, the fund was replenished, some decorations were remade, others were sold. The charter changed, but the order of keeping valuables remained unchanged.

During the reign of the Romanovs, the room in which the jewels were kept was called the Diamond Room. With the beginning of the Second World War, a threat to values arose, so the collection was transported from St. Petersburg to the Armory Chamber of Moscow.

Official site: http://www.gokhran.ru

Working mode: from 10:00 to 17:00. Cash desk - from 09:00 to 16:30, a break from 13:00 to 14:00. Day off - Thursday.

Ticket price- 500 rubles, preferential - 100 rubles.

The Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin is located on Cathedral Square. Simple, but at the same time majestic temple is an example of cathedral architecture. This is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Moscow. For several centuries it was the cathedral church of Russia.

Where the Assumption Cathedral is now located, at the end of the 12th century there was a wooden church, and at the end of the 13th century. Alexander Nevsky's son Daniil built a stone temple on the highest point of the Moscow Kremlin, which became the first stone building in Moscow.

In 1472, the church was completely dilapidated, and it was decided to build a new large church. The Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir was taken as a model. Construction began, but it was never completed. May 20, 1474 the temple was destroyed. The reason is an earthquake in the capital.

After the revolution, the temple was closed. Since 1955 it has been operating as a museum. Since 1991, it has been part of the Moscow Kremlin State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve. Here, with the blessing of the Patriarch, divine services are held on certain holidays.

Location: Cathedral Square. Official site: www.uspenskymos.moseparh.ru

Located in the southwestern part of Cathedral Square. The nine-domed temple shines with golden domes. Small in size, but majestic Orthodox Cathedral was built in honor of the Annunciation of the Virgin. It is the home church of rulers - princes and kings. During the solemn ceremonies that took place on the Cathedral Square, the prince or king and his retinue came out of the temple.

During the revolution of 1917, the shrine was damaged by shelling. The shell destroyed the porch of the temple. In March 1918, when the Bolshevik government moved to Moscow, the temple was closed.

Location: Cathedral Square.

Church-bell tower as part of the architectural ensemble of the Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin. Built in 1505-1509. designed by the Italian architect Bon Fryazin. In the period up to 1815, it was repeatedly completed, rebuilt and expanded. In 1992, after a 74-year break, the ringing again came from the height of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower.

The architectural ensemble of the bell tower includes a functioning Orthodox church, an exhibition hall of museums and a museum dedicated to the history of the architecture of the Moscow Kremlin.

You can get there from the metro stations "Aleksandrovsky Sad", "Biblioteka im. Lenin, Borovitskaya, Arbatskaya.

Museum opening hours: from 9:00 to 17:00. Cash desks - from 09:30 to 16:00. Seven days a week.

An architectural monument of world heritage. Its history begins in 1487, when, on the orders of Ivan III, the Italian architect Marco Fryazin began the construction of a grand throne room in the palace of the Grand Duke of All Rus'.

For several centuries, the Faceted Chamber was the main ceremonial reception hall in the Grand Duke's Palace. In our time - a representative hall at the residence of the President of Russia.

This is a two-story building. The lower ground floor is not connected with the upper one. According to the documentation kept, ovens were once located on the lower floor, and a huge ceremonial hall was located on the upper one.

Today, through the Holy Entrance, the chamber is connected to the Vladimir hall.

Working hours: Wednesday from 10:00 am.

Monument of medieval Russian architecture, located in Moscow on Red Square. Open around the clock.

Probably created in the 16th century. Until 1917, it was used during religious processions during Orthodox holidays, as well as for the public announcement of royal decrees.

The expression "frontal place" is often used in the meaning of "scaffold".

In 1980-1985 the next major scientific and restoration work was carried out, the result of which was the modern exposition.

In 2010, the museum's exposition was somewhat modified. And during the repair work in 2013, sections of painting of the 17th century were uncovered. on the walls of the front halls and command chambers.

Location: Cathedral Square.

The Temple of the Twelve Apostles in the Moscow Kremlin is a Russian national architectural monument. It was built by Russian craftsmen, the authors of the royal Prison Palace, Bakhen Ogurtsov and Antipa Konstantinov in 1635-1656.

The Temple of the Twelve Apostles was not intended for worship, but was a patriarchal palace.

In 1917, the cathedral was damaged during the shelling of the Kremlin, and in 1918, after a ban imposed on religion by the new government, the temple was transferred to the museum. After many years of restoration, the entire second floor was occupied by the exposition of the Museum of Applied Arts and Life of Russia in the 17th century.

Location: Kremlin embankment. opens on Wednesday from 10:00.

The majestic White Cathedral of the Archangel is quiet and gloomy inside. It is as if filled with deep sadness, because under these vaults lie the great princes and Russian tsars. Included in the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve.

It is believed that the stone Cathedral of the Archangel was built in 1333, having dismantled the old church.

Location: Cathedral Square.

An Orthodox church on the Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin, consecrated in honor of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos. It was built in 1484-1485, served as a chapel for the Moscow metropolitans, and with the establishment of the patriarchate it became the home church of the patriarchs.

As of 2018, the northern gallery is used as an exhibition space, where wooden sculptures of the 15th-19th centuries from Moscow, Novgorod, Rostov and the monasteries of the Russian North, examples of church art, images of saints, icons, etc. are presented.

Memorial architectural complex located near the walls of the Moscow Kremlin in the Alexander Garden. Built in 1967 by architects Dmitry Burdin, Vladimir Klimov, Yuri Rabaev and sculptor Nikolai Tomsky.

Since 1997, Post No. 1 has been located near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The monument has been given the status of an object of cultural heritage of Russia, as well as the National Memorial of Military Glory. Open around the clock.

Monument of Russian foundry art of the 18th century. The height with the jumper is 6.24 m, the diameter is 6.6 m, and the weight is 202 tons. It has never been used as intended. The bell was cast by order of Empress Anna Ioannovna in 1730 in memory of her descendants of her reign.

The bell was damaged in 1737 during the Trinity fire and lay in the ground for about a century. In the first half of the 19th century it was raised and installed on a pedestal in the Moscow Kremlin near the Ivan the Great Bell Tower.

Location: on the corner of Spasskaya Street and Ivanovskaya Square, on the eastern side of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. You can get there from the metro stations "Borovitskaya", "Aleksandrovsky Sad", "Biblioteka im. Lenin" and "Arbat". Ticket offices are located near the Kutafya Tower.

Passing through the Trinity Tower, you will get directly to the Kremlin itself. Here you need to follow Troitskaya Street through Ivanovskaya Square.

Working mode:

Artillery gun of the Russian Kingdom, a monument of Russian foundry art of modern times. A masterpiece of heavy fortress artillery of its period, the most significant work of Russian gunsmiths, one of the largest cannons in the world.

The gun was cast in 1856. In the 30s of the 19th century. along with other cannons, it is exhibited at the facade of the Armory as a museum exhibit. Currently, it is an exhibit of the museum of artillery pieces.

Location: Ivanovskaya Square. The nearest metro stations to the Kremlin are Borovitskaya, Aleksandrovsky Sad, Biblioteka im. Lenin" and "Arbat". You need access to the Alexander Garden (follow the signs). Leaving the subway, you will find yourself in a long pedestrian crossing, near the exit from which you will see the ticket office where you can buy a ticket to the Kremlin (the ticket office is located near the Kutafya Tower in the Alexander Garden).

Then through the Trinity Tower you need to enter the Kremlin itself. Then walk past the Palace of Congresses and reach the Tsar Cannon (it is located on the western side of Ivanovskaya Square, between the Ivan the Great Bell Tower and the Church of the Twelve Apostles).

Working mode: Thursday is a day off. From May 15 to September 30 - from 9:30 to 18:00, from October 1 to May 14 - from 10:00 to 17:00.

Archaeological windows are a well-known way to show cultural layers, the so-called "portals to the past", in which you can see the foundations of lost monasteries and palaces. In 2017, two archaeological windows were opened on Ivanovskaya Square. This is a design that allows you to see the excavation site under glass.

Visitors say that the windows did not turn out very well, because they can't see well. But the idea is considered good.

Since the middle of the XX century. The Kremlin attracts close attention of archaeologists. However, it has not been sufficiently studied: the modern functions of the Kremlin as the seat of the highest organs of state power have long held back archaeological work.

The dismantling of the 14th building of the Moscow Kremlin, built in 1930-1932, opened up unique opportunities not only for the archaeological study of the eastern part of the Kremlin Hill, but also for filling the modern ensemble of the Kremlin with authentic heritage elements that reveal its historical appearance.

One of the palaces of the Moscow Kremlin. Built in 1838-1648. by order of Emperor Nicholas I.

It is currently used for state diplomatic receptions and official ceremonies and is the main residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

A public building located on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin. It was built on the initiative of Nikita Khrushchev. The palace was intended for holding congresses of the CPSU, and also served as a platform for theatrical performances, concerts and other public events. It was opened on October 17, 1961 by the 22nd Party Congress.

After the collapse of the USSR, the palace retained the status of one of the most prestigious theater and concert venues in the country. In 1992, it was renamed the State Kremlin Palace. For 2018, it is an identified object of cultural heritage in the Moscow Kremlin. However, due to the stylistic inconsistency with historical buildings, the modernist building was not included in the UNESCO list. It is located in the Office of the Administration of the President.

An architectural monument of the 17th-19th century. Located between Troitskaya and Nikolskaya towers. It was founded by Peter I in 1701. It was damaged in the Great Moscow Fire of 1737, restored in 1786-1796. It was blown up by the retreating Napoleonic troops in 1812.

Currently, the barracks of the Kremlin regiment and the administrative services of the commandant's office of the Kremlin are located in the arsenal.

Artillery guns

The Moscow Kremlin Museums have the largest historical collection of artillery in Russia - about 800 barrels. In quantitative terms, it is second only to the Artillery Museum in St. Petersburg.

A sculptural monument dedicated to the leaders of the people's militia in 1612. It is the first sculptural monument in Moscow.

Location:

The building on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin, built in 1776-1787. The palace was built by order of Empress Catherine. Initially, the building was supposed to serve as the residence of the highest authority of the Russian Empire - the Governing Senate - from where it got its name.

Under Soviet rule, the palace was the office of V.I. Lenin, later it became the building of the Government of the USSR. Currently, the Senate Palace is the working residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

Address: Kremlin, building number 1.

Located on the Kremlin embankment. It is located along the southern wall of the fortress, and got its name in honor of the Tainitskaya tower.

Included in the UNESCO list. The part of the park bordering Ivanovskaya Square is called the Great Kremlin Square.

The palace building of the Moscow Kremlin, located at the western Kremlin wall between the Commandant and Trinity towers on Palace Street. The building was built in 1651 as a residential chamber of the boyar Ilya Danilovich Miloslavsky, the father-in-law of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. It is the only example of boyar choirs preserved in the Kremlin.

Working hours: Thursday - day off, other days - from 10:00 to 17:00.

An architectural monument of the 17th century, located on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin. The palace was built in 1635-1636. by order of Mikhail Fedorovich as the ceremonial royal chambers.

Currently, the palace is part of the ensemble of the Grand Kremlin Palace and is the residence of the President of Russia.

Verkhospassky Cathedral

Cathedral of the Grand Kremlin Palace, built in 1635-1636. It is part of the complex of house churches at the Terem Palace.

The temple is closed for free visits, services are not performed in it.

The oldest of the partially extant architectural monuments of Moscow. It is part of the complex of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

It was believed that the temple was founded in memory of the Battle of Kulikovo, as it was dedicated to the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

A monument erected in the Moscow Kremlin at the site of the murder of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. It is located at the Nikolskaya Tower between the buildings of the Senate and the Arsenal.

The opening of the monument took place on April 2, 1908. It was demolished by the Bolsheviks on May 1, 1918. It was restored on behalf of the President of Russia, and opened on May 4, 2017.

The main square of Moscow is located between the Moscow Kremlin and Kitay-Gorod. It goes to the bank of the Moskva River through the gentle Vasilyevsky Spusk. The square stretches along the north-eastern wall of the Kremlin, from the Kremlin passage and Voskresenskiye Vorota passage to Vasilevsky Spusk, overlooking the Kremlin embankment.

On Red Square there is a Execution Ground, a monument to Minin and Pozharsky, Lenin's mausoleum, a necropolis near the Kremlin wall. The Historical Museum and the Kazan Cathedral are located in the northern part of the square, and the Pokrovsky Cathedral is located in the southern part.

Since ancient times, the square served as a place of bargaining, where temporary and permanent trading rows were erected for many centuries in a row. In Soviet times, military parades and demonstrations were held on the square. After the collapse of the USSR, it began to be used for public events and concerts.

Total length - 330 meters, width - 75 meters, area - 750 square meters. m.

Orthodox church on Red Square in Moscow, a monument of Russian architecture. The construction of the cathedral was carried out from 1555 to 1561. St. Basil's Cathedral was built by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible in memory of the events of the Kazan campaign. The cathedral unites 11 churches, some of which are consecrated in honor of the saints whose days of memory fell on the decisive battles for Kazan.

The cathedral was popularly called the Intercession on the Moat. The ditch mentioned in the name ran along the Kremlin wall and served as a defensive fortification. Its depth was about 13 meters, and its width was about 36 meters.

Later, St. Basil the Blessed was buried in one of the aisles of the temple, thanks to which the cathedral acquired its name.

The cathedral is included in the Russian list of UNESCO.

The monument-tomb on Red Square near the Kremlin wall in Moscow, where since 1924 the body of V.I. Lenin.

The first wooden mausoleum was erected in January 1924, the second wooden one - in May 1924. The stone mausoleum was built by October 1930.

At the mausoleum since 1924 there is a laboratory for the preservation of the body of Lenin. Also, the bodies of several well-known politicians from different countries were embalmed in it. From 1953 to 1961, the sarcophagus with the body of Joseph Stalin was located in the mausoleum.

From 1989 to the present, there have been disputes over the reburial of Lenin and the closure of the mausoleum.

Other sights of the Moscow Kremlin

Other attractions located on the territory of Moscow and which are worth a visit include:

the Tretyakov Gallery;
Moscow Zoo;
natural landscape park "Zaryadye";
Moscow Planetarium;
Old Arbat in Moscow;
Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow;
State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin;
Ostankino television tower;
Big theater;
Novodevichy Convent;
house-museum of V.M. Vasnetsov;
museum-reserve Kalomenskoye;
Gorky Park in Moscow;
Sokolniki Park;
the palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye;
cable car on Sparrow Hills.

Sights of the Moscow Kremlin - video review

This video tells about some famous interesting places and buildings of the Moscow Kremlin:

The Moscow Kremlin is extremely rich in various attractions, which include parks, gardens, monuments, churches, palaces, etc. All of them are architectural monuments that have been preserved since ancient times and now delight the eyes of tourists and residents of the city.

The Kremlin is the oldest part of Moscow, the main socio-political, historical and artistic complex of the center of the capital, the seat of the country's highest state authorities.

The walls and towers were built in 1485-1495. of red brick with internal backing of cobblestone and white stone with lime mortar. Since his masters did not have sufficient knowledge to produce buildings, the Grand Duke of All Rus' Ivan III Vasilyevich, on the advice of his wife Sophia, hired Italian architects: Anton Fryazin (Antonio Gilardi), Marco Fryazin (Marco Ruffo), Peter Fryazin (Pietro Antonio Solari ), Aleviz Fryazin the Old (Aloisio da Carcano) led by Aristotle Fioravanti. They are not brothers or even namesakes. In Rus' at that time, Italians were called "friags" or "friazins".

It should be assumed that some of the towers of the Kremlin were built by Russian craftsmen, since their forms bear the character of wooden structures. One must think that our craftsmen could not abandon the forms of wooden towers that they mastered to perfection, which, as you know, were built in multitudes along the walls that surrounded the then city of Moscow, and were distinguished by their enormity, complexity of construction and mastery of execution. Carpentry skill reached its possible perfection in ancient wooden Rus', since its wonderful material and constant, thanks to fires, abundant work contributed greatly to this. And so it seems that this is precisely the circumstance that should be attributed to the shape of the current small towers of the Kremlin.

Kremlin walls

At present, the Kremlin walls are stretched over 2235 m. As if following the outline of the Kremlin hill, they either descend into the depths, or rise to the very hill, forming an irregular triangle with a length of the southern part of 300 sazhens, the eastern - 350 sazhens and the western - 390 sazhens at thickness 3.5 - 6.5 m and height from 5 to 19 m. On the top of the wall there is a fighting passage 2 - 4 m wide, laid with square slabs with a slope and stairs at a break, and in the very thickness of them you can often find corridors. In the old days, so-called dungeons, chambers, pits for criminals were placed in them. Sheds and cellars for shells and gunpowder were located at their inner soles. The combat one rests on rhythmically alternating arches ("pechura"). From the outside, it is covered by 1045 two-horned teeth (the so-called merlons, or "dovetails", 2 - 2.5 m high, 65 - 70 cm thick), from the inside - a parapet. On top of the passage there was a wooden gable roof for protection from the weather (it burned down in 1737).

The walls are lined with 20 towers of various heights, shapes and styles.

Three round corners (Vodovzvodnaya, Beklemishevskaya and Angular arsenal) protruded far beyond the plane of the walls and were designed for all-round defense.

Six travel towers: Spasskaya, Nikolskaya, Troitskaya, Borovitskaya, Tainitskaya, Konstantin-Eleninskaya - the most powerful defensive structures, the system of which included diversion archers, bridge towers (the Kutafya tower was preserved), stone bastions, drawbridges. Drop grates (gers) were installed in the gate openings. Located at intervals of 9 deaf (without gates) rectangular in terms of towers, they had 3-5 combat tiers with loopholes for frontal and flanking fire, upper platforms with loopholes for mounted combat (mashikul) for shelling the enemy at the foot of the tower, caches-wells and underground rumor moves to prevent undermining.

From the south and northwest, the approaches to the walls were covered by the Moscow and Neglinnaya rivers, and from the east (from the side of modern Red Square) - a moat (width 30 m, depth 10 m). Bank of the Moskva River and both edges of the moat in 1508-1516 were fortified with an additional wall with battlements.

In the 17th century, all the towers, except Nikolskaya, were crowned with tents; drawbridges were replaced by stone arched bridges, and a decorative Tsar's tower was erected on the eastern wall. In the 15th - 18th centuries, clocks were installed on a number of towers (the Kremlin chimes on the Spasskaya Tower have been preserved). In 1707-1708, in connection with the threat of an attack by the Swedes, the Kremlin walls and towers were reinforced with bastions, traces of which have been preserved at the Middle Arsenal and Armory towers.

CATHEDRAL SQUARE

Cathedral Square of the Kremlin is one of the oldest in Moscow. Its origin is attributed to the beginning of the XIV century. The Assumption, Annunciation and Archangel Cathedrals, the bell tower of Ivan the Great, the Palace of Facets and other monuments of Russian architecture rise on the square. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the square was covered several times with hard sandstone slabs. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was freed from the overgrown cultural layer, and in the 30s of our century it was asphalted. In 1955, the asphalt was removed and the former stone pavement was restored.

Cathedral Square was the main square of the Kremlin. In the old days, ceremonial solemn processions took place on it on the occasion of the wedding of kings and the coronation of emperors. They were usually accompanied by magnificent military escorts. Foreign ambassadors were met in front of the Red Porch of the Faceted Chamber. There were also funeral processions to the Archangel Cathedral - the tomb of the Moscow Grand Dukes and Tsars - and the Assumption Cathedral - the burial place of Moscow metropolitans and patriarchs. The uniquely beautiful architectural ensemble of Cathedral Square, picturesque and harmonious, was created by the labor and talent of Russian masters from Moscow, Vladimir, Pskov, and Italian architects.

Built over 500 years ago, this magnificent ensemble excites today with the grandeur of its design.

ASSUMPTION CATHEDRAL

The Assumption Cathedral stands on the site of the first stone cathedral in Moscow built by Ivan Kalita in 1326-1327. He, in turn, was preceded by the oldest Moscow churches - a wooden XII century and a stone XIII century. The Assumption Cathedral was built by the Italian architect Aristotle Fioravanti invited by Ivan III. The cathedral was built in 1475-1479 on the model of the Assumption Cathedral of the XII century in the ancient Russian city of Vladimir. This emphasized the continuity of Moscow in relation to one of the ancient centers of the Russian land. For four centuries, the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin remained the main temple of Rus', crowned heirs to the kingdom, announced state acts, elected metropolitans and patriarchs at church councils, and performed other solemn ceremonies. The cathedral served as the tomb of the Moscow patriarchs and metropolitans. Their tombs line the walls. The main entrance to the temple is located on the side of the cathedral square. The wide staircase ends with a portal of three semicircular arches. The entrance to the building is, as it were, guarded by Archangel Michael and a guardian angel; Above, the figures of saints are inscribed in the arches. Above them is an image of the Virgin and Child. These multicolored frescoes were painted by unknown Russian artists of the 17th century. Inside, the central part of the cathedral is separated from the altar by a five-tiered iconostasis of the 17th century, about 16 meters high, covered with chased gilded silver at the end of the 19th century. The iconostasis was made in 1652-1653 by the painters of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. In 1682, the icons were damaged by fire and were refurbished by the tsarist painters Kirill Ulanov, Georgy Zinoviev and Tikhon Filatiev. For centuries, icons created by Russian painters have accumulated in the Assumption Cathedral. The most ancient icon of the cathedral is "St. George" (in front of the iconostasis). During the Patriotic War of 1812, the cathedral was devastated by the Napoleonic troops. A chandelier was forged from a piece of silver, beaten off later by the Russian Cossacks, which hangs in the center of the cathedral. The oldest monument of applied art in the cathedral is its southern doors (brought to Moscow from the Suzdal cathedral, date back to the beginning of the 15th century), 20 images on biblical themes are written on them in gold on black lacquer.

BLAGOVESHCHENSKY CATHEDRAL

In the southwestern part of the Cathedral Square is an elegant nine-domed Annunciation Cathedral with golden domes. The cathedral was built in 1484-1489 by Pskov masters as a home fortress of the Grand Duke of Moscow. Initially, the temple was small and was crowned with three heads. In the 60s of the 16th century, four single-domed churches (chapels) were erected over the galleries of the cathedral and two false ones - thus, the cathedral turned into a nine-domed structure. In the 70s of the 16th century, a porch with a high white stone porch was added for Ivan the Terrible. The cathedral was connected with the palace by a special passage. During the solemn ceremonies that took place on the Cathedral Square, the temple served as a front exit from the palace of the prince (later the king) and his retinue. The cathedral was built in the traditions of early Moscow architecture. But since it was built by the Pskovians, then, naturally, there are features of Pskov architecture: an octahedron under the central drum, original headbands and many other decorative elements. Two entrances with high porches lead to the temple from the square. They enter the cathedral through the northern porch and enter the gallery, the walls of which are painted with frescoes on biblical themes (“The Miracle with the Prophet Jonah”, “Rejoices in You”, “Trinity”, “Jesus Tree”, “Feats of Monastic Hermits” and others). In the piers, on the slopes of the arches and on the pilasters, ancient philosophers and writers are depicted in full growth: Aristotle, Thucydides, Plutarch, Homer, Virgil and others - at that time in Rus', educated people were familiar with their works. From the gallery through the portal, decorated with white stone carvings, you can get to the central part of the temple. The greatest value of the cathedral is the iconostasis. The icons in the iconostasis are arranged in five rows. The third row is called "festive" - its icons depict various Christian holidays. Seven icons on the left side of the row (except for the fourth, it was painted by an unknown Pskov master of the 16th century) - "Annunciation", "Nativity of Christ", "Meeting", "Baptism", "Transfiguration",

"The Resurrection of Lazarus" and "Entrance to Jerusalem" - belong to the brush of Andrei Rublev. The remaining icons in this row of the iconostasis - "The Last Vespers", "Crucifixion", "The Entombment", "Descent into Hell", "Ascension", "Descent of the Holy Spirit", "Assumption" - were made by the artist Prokhor from Gorodets. The main row of the iconostasis is deesis (from the Greek word "deesis" - prayer). It is located below the festive. The main theme of the series is the intercession of saints (they are depicted in full growth) for mere mortals before God. Most of the icons in this row (except for the Archangel Michael and the Apostle Peter) were painted by Theophanes the Greek. Of considerable interest is the murals of the cathedral, made in 1508 by an artel of artists, headed by Theodosius, the son of the famous Dionysius. There are both traditional motifs and new ones, characteristic of the 16th century. A large place in the painting is occupied by plots on the theme of the Apocalypse (to the right and left of the iconostasis on the vaults under the choir stalls and on the arches supporting the choir stalls). In addition to biblical scenes, one can see purely secular motifs in the wall paintings - the image of Byzantine emperors and Russian princes (pilasters and pilasters in the central part of the temple). At the western wall, according to custom, there are choirs for the queen and the royal children. The floor of the cathedral looks very unusual. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the floor was tiled with precious agate jasper. Above the exit from the cathedral, attention is drawn to the wall painting depicting the Savior Not Made by Hands, made by the famous Russian painter of the 17th century Simon Ushakov.

CATHEDRAL OF THE ARCHANGEL

The Archangel Cathedral was built in 1505-1509 by architect Aleviz Novy, invited from Italy, in the traditions of Russian architecture, but its rich decoration bears the features of the Italian Renaissance. Construction began under Ivan III and was completed under his son, Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich. Before that, there was an ancient Archangel Cathedral, built by Ivan Kalita in 1333 in memory of the deliverance of Moscow from a severe famine. At the beginning of the 16th century, it was dismantled due to cramped conditions and made room for the construction of a larger temple. The walls of the cathedral end with zakomaras. Zakomary are decorated with white stone shells, and the facades - with pilasters with capitals, cornices and a high white stone plinth. Outside, the walls of the cathedral are divided into two tiers by a horizontal belt, which gives it the appearance of a two-story civil building. The cathedral is crowned with five domes. The central dome was gilded, the side ones were painted with silver paint. At the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century, two single-domed churches were added to the cathedral from the east side - "St. One" and "John the Baptist". In the north and west, the cathedral is decorated with carved white stone portals in the style of the Italian Renaissance. On the southern, western and northern sides there were covered galleries, broken in the 18th century (only the gallery on the southern side has been preserved). At the end of the 18th century, on the north side, architect M.F. Kazakov added a portal in the Gothic style, dismantled in 1920. A stone tent adjoins the cathedral on the southwest side. It was erected in 1826 on the site of the former "judgment hut of the Arkhangelsk estates", in which a trial was held over quitrent peasants who had not paid taxes. The cellars of this hut have survived to this day. During Napoleon's invasion of Moscow, the French set up a wine warehouse in the Archangel Cathedral, and the altar was used as a kitchen. All the values of the cathedral were plundered. After the defeat of the Napoleonic troops, the cathedral was restored in its original form. In addition to daylight, the cathedral is illuminated by nine gilded chandeliers made in the 17th century. The Archangel Cathedral has been the tomb of the great Moscow princes and tsars since the time of Ivan Kalita. The oldest tomb - Ivan Kalita, who died in 1342 - is located near the southern wall of the cathedral. Burials in the cathedral continued until Peter I. An exception is the burial of Emperor Peter II, who died in Moscow from smallpox in 1730. In total, there are 54 graves or 46 tombs in the cathedral (there are tombs with two and three burials). The tombs are tombstones made of white stone. They are carved with inscriptions in Slavic script about the time and name of the buried prince or tsar. Dmitry Donskoy and Ivan III (tombs near the southern wall), Ivan the Terrible and his sons (tombs in the southern altar) and other figures of Russian history are buried in the cathedral. At the right southeastern pillar is placed the shrine of the son of Ivan the Terrible - Tsarevich Dmitry, whose remains were transferred to the cathedral by Tsar Vasily Shuisky in 1606 from Uglich. A carved white-stone gilded canopy was made above the tomb. In 1955, it was restored as a monument of history and applied art of the early 17th century and returned to its original appearance.

CHURCH OF THE POSITION

A small one-domed church of the Deposition of the Robe was built by Moscow craftsmen in 1484-1486. This church is located on the site of the ancient Church of the Deposition of the Robe, built in 1451 by Metropolitan Jonah in memory of the deliverance of Moscow from the invasion of the Tatar hordes of Mazowska. On the night of July 2, 1451, the Tatars approached Moscow, but suddenly retreated, leaving behind all the loot. This event was caused by a political struggle in the camp of the enemy, but the church gave it a purely religious significance, since it coincided with the church holiday "Provisions of the Robe". In memory of this, the church was named. In 1473, it burned down along with the Metropolitan's court. On the vacant site, a new brick church was erected on the basement, surrounded on three sides by an open porch-gullbishche. It retained its old name. In the 17th century, the church was rebuilt and a hipped roof was made. The porch on the western side was covered with vaults. According to the formed covered gallery, which still exists, the female half of the royal family passed from Terems to the Assumption Cathedral. In a fire in 1737, the church burned down and was restored by the architect I.F. Michurin. A new dome was built in the form of a vase and the altar areas were laid out. In the 19th century, a covered staircase was added to the south side of the church. It led to the western facade, on which the icon of the Caves Mother of God was painted. Therefore, the church was sometimes called Pechersk.

IVAN THE GREAT BELL TOWER AND THE BELFILLER In the center of the Kremlin on Cathedral Square stands one of the most remarkable buildings of the 16th century - the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. She

combines all the ancient temples of the Moscow Kremlin into a majestic architectural ensemble. The bell tower is considered a marvel of architectural art of the 16th century. The history of the appearance of the bell tower goes back into the depths of centuries. Under Ivan Kalita in 1329, approximately on the site of the existing bell tower, a small stone church was built in honor of John of the Ladder. In 1505, this church was dismantled and in 1508 a new one was laid, the builder of which was the architect Bon Fryazin. In 1532-1543, the architect Petrok Maly added a rectangular belfry of the Novgorod-Pskov type with the Church of the Ascension on the north side of the bell tower. In the belfry was placed a thousand-pound bell called "Annunciation". To enter the temple, which was located on the third tier of the belfry, Moscow craftsmen built a high stone staircase in 1552. The bell tower of Ivan the Great is a three-tiered pillar of elongated, decreasing upward octahedrons, placed one on top of the other. Each of the octahedrons has a terrace and an open gallery, in the arched spans of which bells are placed. In the galleries of the tiers, bells are placed, which are wonderful monuments of Russian foundry art of the 16th-19th centuries. There are 21 of them in total. All the bells are decorated with ornaments, bas-reliefs and inscriptions that tell about the history of the bell, date of casting, weight, master. The largest bell - Assumption - weighs 70 tons. It was cast in the 19th century by masters Zavyalov and Rusinov. Another bell weighing 19 tons was cast by Andrey Chokhov in 1622. A 12.5-tonne bell, cast in the 18th century by Ivan Motorin, hangs in the Filaret Annex.

The height of the bell tower is 81 meters. It was the main watchtower of the Kremlin, from the height of which Moscow and its environs were well observed within a radius of up to 30 kilometers. In 1624, on the north side of the belfry, master Bazhen Ogurtsov erected the so-called Filret extension, which ended with white-stone pyramids and a tiled storm. Its second and third floors were reserved for the patriarchal sacristy. In 1812, the Napoleonic troops retreating from Moscow tried to blow up the bell tower. It survived, but the belfry and the Filaret extension were destroyed. In 1819 they were restored by the architect D. Gilardi in the same way as the old ones, but with some elements of the architecture of the 19th century.

STATE ARMORY CHAMBER

Almost five centuries have passed since the first surviving mention of the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin was recorded in ancient documents. This happened in the past since the time when the first surviving mention of the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin was entered in the ancient acts. This happened in 1508. But long before this date, in 1339, the spiritual charter of the Moscow prince Ivan Kalita spoke of the values that laid the foundation for the creation of the grand ducal treasury. Jewelry, dishes made of precious metals, church vessels, clothes made of magnificent fabrics, and expensive weapons were mentioned. A century later, the grand ducal treasury already included numerous valuables stored in the cellars of the Kremlin palaces and cathedrals.

Many first-class samples have come down to our time, which do honor to Russian weapon craftsmanship. The Stable Treasury was also located on the territory of the Kremlin, the products of which - saddles, blankets - were given an important place in the design of all court ceremonies: royal trips, hunting, embassy meetings. In the Tsaritsyn and Sovereign Chambers, also located in the Moscow Kremlin, luxurious clothes were sewn from imported fabrics, laying wonderful beauty and richness patterns on their surface with pearls and gems. The masters of the Golden and Silver Chambers made precious dishes and a huge amount of gold jewelry in the Kremlin.

FACETED CHAMBER

The Faceted Chamber is one of the few surviving parts of the royal palace built at the end of the 15th century by Ivan III, its grand throne room. This is the oldest of the stone civil buildings in Moscow. It was built in 1487-1491 by Russian craftsmen under the guidance of Italian architects Marco Ruffo and Pietro Antonio Solari. The building of the chamber with a clear silhouette of a simple rectangular volume is distinguished by the unusual decoration of the main facade. It is lined with tetrahedral white limestone (hence the name), starting from the basement floor and ending below the cornice. The Chamber itself is a huge square hall with cross vaults resting on a central pillar. The majestic and spacious hall, 9 meters high, is illuminated by 18 windows located on three sides, and in the evening - by 4 round massive chandeliers. They were made in the 19th century from bronze on the model of the ancient Novgorod chandeliers. The floor area of the Faceted Chamber is 495 square meters. In the second half of the 16th century, the Faceted Chamber was decorated with murals on church-biblical themes. Over the centuries, many major events in the life of the Russian state were celebrated in the Faceted Chamber, it was the main throne room. Foreign ambassadors were received there, heirs to the Russian throne were solemnly announced, Zemsky Sobors met, at one of which more than 300 years ago the issue of the reunification of Ukraine with Russia was resolved. The victories of the Russian troops were celebrated here. So, Ivan IV celebrated here the capture of Kazan in 1552, and Peter I celebrated the Poltava victory in 1709, and in 1721 - the conclusion of the Treaty of Nishbadt, which ended the Northern War.

RED SQUARE

ST BASIL'S CHURCH

The temple was built in 1555-1560 in memory of the capture of Kazan, this decisive stage in the difficult struggle of Rus' with its strong and dangerous enemy - the Kazan Khanate.

The temple is a grandiose composition of 9 pillars rising above the basement (basement) and interconnected galleries running around the central pillar of the building. The whole composition, uniting it, is dominated by the central octahedral pillar, passing in tiers of semicircular kokoshniks into a second, smaller octagon. The pillar is crowned with a tent with a decorative cupola at the top; eight cupolas, located at the corners of the star-shaped base of the tent, have not been preserved.

The central tent is surrounded by eight pillars, of which four axial ones are larger, and four diagonal ones are smaller. All these pillars are crowned with onion domes. The decorative decoration of the building strikes with an exceptional variety of forms and details.

Two porches from the side of the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin led to the terrace and from there to the bypass gallery. The transition from the dark low gallery to the white pillar-shaped church premises that rapidly go up causes a sharp, exciting impression. The ancient coloring of the temple on the outside was a noble combination of natural colors, red brick and white stone, from which the details are made. Bright colors on the outside and painting inside - the temple received later, in the 17th century. The latest additions are the bell tower and the northeast aisle. Documents have preserved for us the names of brilliant architects - Barma and Posnik.

Introduction ................................................ ................................................... 3

Kremlin................................................. .............................................. 4

Walls and towers of the Kremlin ....................................................... ........................... 5

Vodovzvodnaya tower (Sviblova).................................................. .................... 6

Borovitskaya Tower (Predtechenskaya) .............................................. ................ 7

Commandant's tower (Kolymazhnaya) .............................................. ............... 7

Armory tower (Konyushennaya) .............................................. .................... 7

Trinity Tower .................................................................. ..................................... 8

Kutafya tower (Bridgehead).................................................. ....................... 8

Nikolskaya Tower .................................................................. .................................. 8

Middle Arsenal tower (faceted).................................................. ............ 9

Corner Arsenal tower (Sobakina).................................................. ............ 9

Senate Tower .................................................................. ................................... 10

Spasskaya Tower (Frolovskaya) .............................................. ...................... 10

Royal Tower .................................................................. ..................................... 12

Nabatnaya tower .................................................................. .................................... 12

Konstantin-Eleninskaya Tower (Timofeevskaya) .................................................. . 12

Beklemishevskaya tower (Moskvoretskaya) .............................................. ......... 13

Petrovskaya tower (Ugreshskaya) .............................................. .................... 13

First Nameless Tower .................................................................. ........................ 14

Second Nameless Tower .................................................................. ......................... 14

Tainitskaya Tower .................................................................. .................................. 14

Annunciation Tower .................................................................. ........................... 15

Cathedral Square................................................ ............................. 15

Cathedral of the Assumption .................................................. ................................ 15

Blagoveshchensky cathedral................................................ ....................... 16

Cathedral of the Archangel ............................................... ......................... 17

Church of the Deposition of the Robe .................................................. ....................... 17

The Patriarchal Chambers and the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles .............................................. 18

Belfry of Ivan the Great and belfry .............................................. . 18

The Tsar Bell............................................... ................................... 19

Tsar Cannon............................................... ....................................... 19

State Kremlin Palace............................................................... .. 20

Amusing Palace .................................................. .............................. 20

Terem Palace ................................................................ ............................... 21

Residence of the President of the Russian Federation............................... 21

Government building (former Senate building) .............................................. 21

The building of the former Arsenal .................................................... .................... 21

State Armory ....................................................................... ..... 22

Faceted Chamber................................................ ....................... 24

Grand Kremlin Palace............................................................... .............. 24

Red Square................................................ ............................... 25

Mausoleum of V.I.Lenin....................................... .............................. 26

Conclusion................................................. ...................................... 27

Literature................................................. ...................................... 28

List of illustrations .................................................. ......................... 29

Introduction

At the present stage of the development of society, it is very important not to lose touch with our roots, with everything that was created by our ancestors. And this applies not only to history as such, but to the entire cultural heritage as a whole. As you know, architecture is an integral part of the culture of the Russian people. The Kremlin, the heart of Russia, is a silent witness to many of the most important events in world history. In addition to purely historical value, the Kremlin ensemble is an excellent example of the art of its time. The aesthetics of the modern Kremlin is conducive to a long contemplation of all the endless beauties of this magnificent monument, which in fact includes a number of objects, each of which deserves extremely careful study.

Although many before me touched on the topic of my essay, I consider this problem in order to generalize and systematize disparate information and sources. The abstract is written in a simple, accessible language, especially for a wide range of people interested in this issue; can be successfully used as an additional material for self-study as a guide in preparation for classes in a number of humanitarian disciplines. Equipped rich illustrative material.

In my opinion, modern youth pays too little attention to their cultural development, so now it is especially important to focus on instilling in schoolchildren a sense of responsibility and patriotism through the prism of the richest Russian culture accumulated over many centuries of Russian history. With my work, I also want to make a feasible contribution to the development of the local history movement. First, a little background...

Kremlin

The history of the Kremlin is closely connected with the history of Moscow, and not only Moscow, but the Russian state as a whole. According to the oldest monument of the annals of Rus' - the Ipatiev Chronicle (XV century) - in 1147, the Suzdal prince Yuri Dolgoruky invited Novgorod, the Seversky prince Svyatoslav Olgovich, to the small town of Moscow for advice. “Come to me, brother, in Moscow,” Yuri turned to Svyatoslav. This was the first chronicle mention of Moscow. However, this does not mean that 1147 should be considered the year of foundation of Moscow. The works of Soviet scientists prove that the place where Moscow is located was inhabited about 5 thousand years ago.

How the meeting of the two princes took place, the chronicles were not brought to us. Although it can be assumed that a military alliance was concluded, as a result of which Yuri Dolgoruky, in order to protect the western borders of the Suzdal principality, built fortress cities: Yuryev-Polsky (1152), Dmitrov (1154) and Moscow (1156). In this case, we are not talking about the founding of Moscow, but about the construction of fortifications - wooden walls that marked the beginning of the construction of the Kremlin.

True, the citadel built by Dolgoruky was not the first fortification on the territory of the modern Kremlin. Archaeologists have proved that at the beginning of the XII century. there was a small fortress here, possibly the castle of a local feudal lord.

So, in 1156, a fortress was built on Borovitsky Hill with an eight-meter shaft and a powerful wooden wall for those times, reaching 3 meters in height and 1200 meters in length. Approximately in this form, the fortification lasted until the winter of 1237–38, when the hordes of Batu Khan plundered and burned Moscow, and with it the Kremlin.

Over the next two-plus centuries, many trials fell on the lot of Moscow and its citadel. Princely civil strife, foreign invasions, countless fires, it seemed, were to destroy the city. But Moscow survived, moreover, it became the center that united the Russian people in the struggle for independence.

Together with the city, the Kremlin is growing and getting stronger. In 1339-1340. under Ivan Kalita, powerful defensive fortifications were erected, and behind them were the mansions of the Grand Duke, the metropolitan's chambers, and white-stone cathedrals. Moscow becomes the political and spiritual center of Rus', and the Kremlin - the residence of the great princes and metropolitans.

In 1367-1368. Prince Dmitry Ivanovich (later named Dmitry Donskoy), fearing another Mongol-Tatar invasion, surrounds the fortress with white stone walls and towers, located at a distance of about 60 m from the former oak fortifications. The Kremlin Square reaches almost modern dimensions.

The Battle of Kulikovo (1380) was a turning point in the history of the Moscow principality. It contributed to the liberation of Rus' from the Mongol-Tatar yoke and the formation of a centralized Russian state. In the second half of the XI century. Grand Duke of All Rus' Ivan III Vasilyevich unfolds grandiose construction in the capital of a young and rapidly growing power. First of all, of course, the Kremlin is being rebuilt. The largest Western European architects invited to Moscow are developing projects for the reconstruction of the princely and metropolitan residence. In 1485–1495 the existing and still jagged brick walls with a length of more than 2 km and a height of 5 to 19 m are being erected, 18 large and small towers are being built at the same time, the Assumption Cathedral (1475–1479), the Cathedral of the Annunciation (1484–1489, the Stone Sovereign Palace with the Palace of Facets) are being built ( 1487–1491), a princely tomb was laid - the Archangel Cathedral (1505).

By the end of the XV - beginning of the XVI century. The Moscow Kremlin becomes the most significant fortification in Europe. Moreover, its towers, cathedrals, civil buildings are perfect not only in their architecture, but also in interiors and decoration. In the 17th century the Kremlin towers, except for Nikolskaya, are decorated with multi-tiered tents made in the traditions of ancient Russian architecture. Bright green tiles, white stone edges, gilded weather vanes - everything created the impression of festivity, elegance. Civil and religious buildings are also being erected: the Terem Palace (1635–1635), the Amusement Palace (1651–1652), the Patriarch's Chambers with the Church of the Twelve Apostles (1642–1656).

The transfer of the capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg in 1712 had a strong impact on the appearance of the former royal residence. Its walls and towers, palaces and towers dilapidated without proper supervision. Time was diligently helped by fires that destroyed many unique structures, and people who thoughtlessly rebuilt ancient buildings and wrote down the works of old masters with brighter colors. However, in 1773, according to the project of V. Bazhenov, the Kremlin Palace was laid (however, due to lack of funds and for a number of other reasons, it was not built), in 1776-1787. M. Kazakov builds the Senate building in the Kremlin (the Council of Ministers of the USSR was located here), and in 1806-1812. I. Egotov - the building of the Armory, where it was located until 1851

The French invasion of 1812 caused great damage to the Kremlin. By order of Napoleon, the Vodovzvodnaya and Petrovsky towers, the belfry of the Ivan the Great bell tower were blown up. The Nikolskaya, Borovitskaya and Corner Arsenal towers were damaged. Restoration work was carried out in 1816–1819. under the guidance of architects O. Bove and F. Sokolov.

In the 30s and 40s. 19th century the layout of the territory of the Kremlin is changing - old dilapidated buildings are being removed, in their place, according to the project of K. Ton, the Grand Kremlin Palace (1838–1849) and the building of the Armory (1844–1851) are being erected.

In March 1918, Moscow became the capital of the Soviet state, and the Kremlin became the seat of government. After that, the restoration work of historical and architectural monuments begins. The Nikolskaya Tower, which suffered during the October battles of 1917 from artillery shelling, is being restored, the territory of the Kremlin is being cleared and landscaped. Subsequently, according to the project of the architect I. Rerberg in 1932–1934. the building of the School of Red Commanders named after. All-Russian Central Executive Committee (now the building of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet). The halls of the Grand Kremlin Palace are being reconstructed.

Particular attention in the history of the Kremlin is given to the stars that crowned its towers. In 1935, it was decided to remove the eagles from the Spasskaya, Nikolskaya, Borovitskaya, Troitskaya towers and install five-pointed stars with a hammer and sickle in their place. The stars were made of stainless steel and red copper according to the design of the decorator F. Fedorovsky in the workshops of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) and at Moscow factories.

The sickle and hammer signs were inlaid with rock crystal, amethysts, alexandrites, topazes and aquamarines. At night, the stars were illuminated by special spotlights. However, these stars did not last long: under the influence of precipitation, winds and frosts, the gems of sickles and hammers faded, and the size of the stars turned out to be somewhat overestimated and violated the structural harmony of the towers. Fedorovsky made new sketches of the stars. Now they corresponded in their parameters to the size of the towers. Scientists and engineers have developed a brand new star design made of stainless steel and ruby glass, illuminated from the inside by continuous lighting devices, thanks to which the stars emit light both day and night. On November 7, 1937, the Kremlin stars flared again in the Moscow sky. True, now there were not four, but five - a star was added on the Vodovzvodnaya Tower.

In 1945–1947 the stars were removed from the towers and reconstructed: the glazing was replaced with a more perfect one, the edges were again gilded (it took 27 kg of gold), and the lighting system was improved. The weight of each star is almost 1 ton, but they rotate quite easily when the wind direction changes.

Walls and towers of the Kremlin

The walls and towers of the Kremlin, which still stand today, were built under the Grand Duke of All Rus' Ivan III Vasilyevich in 1485–1495. They were built by Italian architects Anton Fryazin (Antonio Gilardi), Marco Fryazin (Marco Ruffo), Pyotr Fryazin (Pietro Antonio Solari), Aleviz Fryazin Stary (Aloisio da Carcano). All these architects, oddly enough, are not brothers and not even namesakes. It’s just that in Rus' at that time Italians were called “friags” or “friazins”.

According to their configuration, the Kremlin towers are divided into round and quadrangular. This is not a whim of the architect, but a kind of fortification technique. Located on Borovitsky Hill, the Kremlin has an irregular triangle with an area of 27.5 hectares, washed by the Moskva River from the south, bounded by the Alexander Garden from the northwest, and Red Square from the east. Round towers were located at the corners of the triangle - Corner Arsenalnaya, Vodovzvodnaya and Beklemishevskaya, which were the most durable and allowed round-robin shelling. In the place where important strategic roads approached the Kremlin, powerful quadrangular towers with passage gates were erected - Spasskaya, Nikolskaya, Troitskaya, Borovitskaya, Tainitskaya, Konstantin-Eleninskaya. From the outside they were protected by archers. The remaining towers were located between the corner and travel towers and were purely defensive in nature. Until the 17th century (when tents appeared) the towers ended with battlements, under which there were machicules - hinged loopholes for close combat. They have survived to this day on almost all the towers.

The total length of the Kremlin walls is 2235 m, the thickness is from 3.5 to 6.5 m and the height is from 5 to 19 m. From tower to tower you can go along the battle passage 2–4 m wide, laid along the top of the wall. Outside, it is covered by 1045 two-horned battlements 2–2.5 m high and 65–70 cm thick, from the inside – by a parapet wall. Once upon a time there was a gable wooden roof over the wall, which sheltered the archers in bad weather and protected the wall from rain, snow and wind. In the XVIII century. it burned down and was no longer restored as unnecessary.

In 1973, large-scale repair and restoration work began in the Moscow Kremlin. Damaged masonry sections were replaced on some towers. On the Senate, Borovitskaya, Vodovzvodnaya and Beklemishevskaya towers, the tiled covering of the tents was replaced with sheet copper made in the form of tiles.

The Moscow Kremlin has 20 towers. The “eldest” of them is Tainitskaya (1485), the “youngest” is Tsarskaya (1680).

Vodovzvodnaya tower (Sviblova)

In 1488, not far from the confluence of the Neglinnaya River with the Moscow River, on the site, which, in the words of Peter I, “strongly strengthened by nature”, a second round tower was erected - Sviblova, also named after the boyar Sviblov. The tower had a well and a secret exit to the river.

In 1633, a water-lifting machine was installed in the Sviblova tower, which pumped water from a well located at the bottom of the tower into a pond lined with lead, arranged at the top of the tower. From there, through lead pipes, water entered the water tent, which stood in the Kremlin near the Old Money Yard and the Upper Embankment Garden. Through pipes laid in the ground, water dispersed throughout the Kremlin. As contemporaries testified, this machine, made under the guidance of the Englishman Christopher Golovey, cost several kegs of gold. Since then, this tower has been called Vodovzvodnaya.

In 1672–1686, the tower was built on with a tiered top with a hipped top. Dampness from the well and nearby rivers gradually destroyed the masonry of the walls. Architect V.I. Bazhenov offered to demolish it and build it again, but did not receive permission for that. In 1805–1806, according to the project of I.V. Yegotov's tower was dismantled to the foundation and folded again. In 1812, during the retreat of Napoleonic troops from the Kremlin, the tower was blown up by the enemy, and in 1817–1819 it was restored under the leadership of O.I. Beauvais. Classical and pseudo-Gothic details have been introduced into the design of the tower: the massive lower cylinder is rusticated, completed with decorative machicolations and cut through with large windows. The top of the tower is crowned with a ruby star. It was installed in 1937 in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution.

The height of the Vodovzvodnaya Tower to the star is 57.7 meters, with the star -61.45 meters.

Borovitskaya Tower (Predtechenskaya)

In the 90s of the XV century, the construction of the Kremlin fortress was headed by Pietro Antonino Solari. Written sources note that it was at this time that the Kremlin acquired grandiose scope and majestic severity.

On the site of the oldest exit from the Kremlin, on its western side, in 1490 the Borovitskaya tower was laid. Convenient descents led to the Neglinnaya River from its gates. Basically, the Borovitskaya tower was used for the household needs of the Zhitny and Konyushenny yards, which were nearby. Its passage gates were, as it were, the “rear” gates of the Kremlin.

The name of the tower reminds us that once here, on the Kremlin hill, there was a thick pine forest. Some researchers attribute the name of the tower to the fact that during the time of Dmitry Donskoy, this section of the white-stone Kremlin was built by residents of Borovsk, a large shopping center of that time.

In the 15th century, the quarter of the tower was covered with a wooden tent, the tower was connected by a bridge to the other side of the Neglinnaya River. In the 17th century, 1666-1680, the powerful quadrangle of the tower was built on with three tetrahedrons decreasing upwards, which gave it a pyramidal shape. The top of the tower was crowned with an open octagon and a high stone tent.

Simultaneously with the superstructure of the stepped top of the Borovitskaya Tower, a diversion archer was attached to it from the side, which still exists. On the sides of the gates, there are openings in the form of keyholes through which in ancient times the chains of the drawbridge were passed over the Neglinnaya River. There are also preserved vertical slots for the lattice - gers, which protected the entrance to the gate. A similar stepped pyramid can be seen in Kazan - at the tower of Queen Syuyumbeki.

In 1658, by royal decree, the Borovitskaya tower was renamed Predtechenskaya, after the name of the church standing nearby, but the new name did not take root. In the 18th century, white-stone pseudo-Gothic details were introduced into the decoration of the tower.

In 1812, during the explosion of the neighboring Vodovzvodnaya Tower by the retreating French troops, the Borovitskaya Tower was damaged and the top of its tent fell. In 1816–1819, the tower was repaired under the leadership of O.I. Beauvais. In 1821, when the Neglinnaya River was enclosed in a pipe, the Borovitsky Bridge was broken. In 1848, the throne of the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist near Bor was transferred to the Borovitskaya Tower.

A ruby star, installed in 1937, burns on the tower. The height of the Borovitskaya tower to the star is 50.7 meters, with the star -54.05 meters.

Commandant's Tower (Kolymazhnaya)

This is a small deaf strict tower. Its construction was completed by 1495. Previously, it was called Kolymazhnaya - from the Kolymazhny yard in the Kremlin, where the royal wagons and carriages were kept. It got its current name in the 19th century: next to it in the Poteshny Palace lived the commandant of Moscow. Like all the towers of the Kremlin, it was built on in 1676-1686 with a tent with a tower. The height of the tower from the Alexander Garden is 41.25 m.

Armory Tower (Konyushenny)

Between the Borovitskaya and Komendantskaya towers from the side of the current Alexander Garden is the Armory Tower, formerly called the Konyushennaya. It was built in 1493-1495 next to the royal stables. The name "Armory" tower was given in 1851, when the building of the Armory Chamber was built on the territory of the Kremlin.

The tower was built on in 1676-1686. Its height is 32.65 meters.

Trinity Tower

The highest tower of the Kremlin - Troitskaya - was considered the second after Spasskaya in value. Built in 1495. The massive quadrangle of the tower has six tiers, at its base there is a two-tier basement with powerful walls. All tiers are connected to each other by stairs. Initially, the tower was called Bogoyavlenskaya, then Znamenskaya, Kuretnaya. By decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1658, it began to be called Troitskaya after the nearby Trinity Monastery Compound.

In 1516, a stone bridge was built from the strelnitsa across the Neglinnaya River, connecting the Trinity Tower with the guard bridge tower - Kutafya. The gates of the tower served as a passage to the chambers of the queen and princesses, to the court of the patriarch, through them the clergy went out to meet the king, who was returning from campaigns.

In 1685, the tower was built on a multi-tiered top, reminiscent of the outlines of the top of the Spasskaya Tower. It is decorated with decorative turrets with weather vanes and lancet arches. In 1686, a clock was installed on the tower - chimes. After the fire in Moscow in 1812, the damaged chimes were no longer restored. In the 19th century, the tower housed the archives of the Ministry of the Imperial Court.

In 1937, a ruby star was installed on the Trinity Tower.

The height of the tower to the star from the side of the Kremlin is 65.65 meters, with the star - 69.3 meters. From the side of the Alexander Garden, the height of the tower to the star is 76.35 meters, with the star - 80 meters.

Kutafya tower (Bridgehead)

The approaches to the Trinity Tower were protected by the Kutafya Tower, the only one of the surviving bridgeheads of the Kremlin. It was built in 1516 opposite the Trinity Tower, at the end of the Trinity Bridge, under the guidance of the Milanese architect Aleviz Fryazin. Low, surrounded by a moat and a river, with the only gate, which in moments of danger was tightly closed by the lifting part of the bridge, the tower was a formidable barrier for the besiegers of the fortress. She had loopholes of the plantar battle and machicolations.

In the 16th-17th centuries, the water level in the Neglinnaya River was raised high by dams, so that the water surrounded the tower from all sides. Its initial height above ground level was 18 meters. It was possible to enter the tower from the side of the city only on an inclined bridge.

According to historians, the name "Kutafya" comes from the word "kut" - shelter, corner. The Kutafya Tower has never been covered. In 1685, she was crowned with an openwork crown with white stone details.

In 1668, a through passage was arranged through the tower from the city to the Trinity Bridge, the ancient side gates of the bali were laid. On the south side, a guardhouse was attached.

In 1976–1977, the tower was restored, the guardhouse was dismantled, the side arched openings and the two-tone painting of the walls were restored.

The height of the tower from the side of the city is 13.5 meters.

Nikolskaya tower

On the northern side of the Kremlin, at the same time as the Spasskaya Tower, Pietro Antonino Solari built Nikolskaya in 1491. In its powerful quadruple there were passage gates and a diversion archer with a drawbridge.

The name of the tower is associated with the icon of St. Nicholas, which was installed above the gate of the diversion archer. According to the existing tradition, controversial issues were resolved at this icon. Through the gates of the Nikolskaya tower, usually those people who were heading to the boyar and monastic courtyards located in the Kremlin entered. Other sources associate this name with the Nikolsky Greek Monastery, which was once located on Nikolskaya Street.

In 1612, during the struggle against the Polish gentry invaders, the people's militia, led by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, burst through these gates and liberated the Kremlin.

In ancient times, according to documents, this tower also had a clock. In 1780, the Nikolskaya Tower was built on and completed with a low tent. In 1806 the architect I.L. Ruska erected an octagon with lacy white stone details in the Gothic style and a tent above the tower's quadrangle. In 1812, during the invasion of French troops, part of the quadrangle and the tent of the tower were destroyed. In 1816-1819, at the suggestion of F.K. Sokolov, the tent was made of iron on a frame, four white-stone turrets were placed at the corners of the tower.

In the days of October 1917, the Nikolskaya Tower was badly damaged by artillery shelling, but already in 1918, at the direction of V.I. Lenin, it was restored by the architect N. Markovnikov.

The tower's slender tent is crowned with a ruby star. The height to the star is 67.1 meters, with the star - 70.4 meters.

Middle Arsenal Tower (faceted)

It was built in 1493-1495 on the site of the corner tower of the Kremlin from the time of Dmitry Donskoy. The ancient tower stood quite high on solid ground, due to which it was less damaged than others. In the 15th-16th centuries, there were dams near the newly erected tower on the Neglinnaya River.

At the beginning of the 18th century, during the construction of the Arsenal building, the tower received its current name. The outer face of the tower is divided into two flat vertical niches. The top of the quadrangular volume ends with machicolations and a parapet with fly. Inside, the tower has three tiers, covered with cylindrical vaults, which are interconnected by stairs.

In 1680 the tower was built on. It is crowned by a see-through observation tower with a tent.

In 1821, according to the project of O. I. Bove, a grotto was built at the foot of the tower - one of the attractions of the Alexander Garden.

The height of the tower is 38.9 meters.

Corner Arsenal Tower (Sobakina)

This is the third corner tower of the Kremlin. It was built in 1492 by the architect Pietro Antonio Solari. Of the defensive structures, it is the most monumental. The walls of the lower massif are dissected by 16 faces, the base is greatly expanded, the thickness of the walls is 4 meters. In the deep basement of the tower, to which an internal staircase leads, there is a spring - a well with clean clear water, which has survived to this day. The spring, enclosed in a pine log house, was unusually clean and plentiful, and when in 1894 they decided to pump out this water, it, as the Kremlin historian S.P. Bartenyev wrote, arrived “every five minutes by 2 and a half inches.” The flow of water, as calculated by the engineers, was about 10-15 liters per second.

But the water did no harm either to the tower itself or to the archive stored inside it. In ancient times, there was a secret passage from the Corner Arsenal Tower to the Neglinnaya River. In the 15th-16th centuries, the tower was fortified with an additional wall, enveloping it in a semicircle.

The tower received its original name - Sobakina - from the nearby courtyard of the boyar Sobakin, and after the construction of the Arsenal in the 18th century, it began to be called the Corner Arsenalnaya. In 1672-1686, an octagonal tent was erected over it, which ends with an openwork octagon with a tent and a weather vane. In 1894, the interior of the tower was redesigned for the Moscow provincial archive.

In 1812, when the French retreating from Moscow blew up the Kremlin monuments, the blast wave tore off the upper tent with the tower from the Corner Arsenal tower, its mass cracked. In 1816–1819, it was restored under the guidance of the architect O. Bove. The tower was restored already in Soviet times, in 1946-1957.

Its height from the Alexander Garden is 60.2 meters.

Senate Tower

The tower is located immediately behind the Spasskaya Tower, behind the Lenin Mausoleum. The tower was built in 1491 by the architect Pietro Antonio Solari. The Senate Tower performed a purely defensive function - it protected the Kremlin from the side of Red Square. For a long time she was nameless. The tower got its name after the building of the Senate was built on the territory of the Kremlin in 1787 by M. Kazakov, the dome of which is clearly visible from Red Square. Inside the main volume of the tower there are three tiers of vaulted rooms. The deaf, square tower in 1860 was built on with a stone tent, which is topped with a gilded weather vane. In 1918, a memorial plaque was opened on the tower in honor of the first anniversary of the October Revolution by V.I. Lenin (sculptor S. Konenkov). During the restoration of the tower in 1950, the board was removed and transferred to the Museum of the Revolution. The height of the tower is 34.3 m.

Spasskaya Tower (Frolovskaya)

To strengthen the north-eastern part of the Kremlin, not protected by natural barriers, at the end of the 15th century, two more towers with passage gates were erected - Frolovskaya and Nikolskaya. In the place where the main gates of the Kremlin were located in ancient times, in 1491 the Frolovskaya Tower was built.

Even in those days, the tower with the main gate of the Kremlin made an indelible impression with its slender proportions, the richness of the white-stone decorations of the facades, consisting of turrets, carved columns, columns, figures of fantastic animals. At the corners of the quadrangle were pyramids with gilded weathercocks.

Until the 17th century, the tower was decorated with white stone reliefs by V.D. Yermolina. The tower had double walls made of large-sized bricks (dimensions 31x14x18 cm), between the walls there was a staircase connecting all five tiers. The gates of this tower were protected by a diversion archer with two side bastions. The tower was connected to the archer by a wooden bridge.

The main gates of the Kremlin, i.е. the passage gates of the Frolovskaya tower were especially revered by the people and considered "holy". It was forbidden to pass through them on horseback and to pass with a covered head. Through them, regiments marching on the march entered and exited. Tsars and ambassadors were met at these gates.

Above the gates of the tower, from the inside and outside, inscriptions in Latin and Russian were carved on white stone boards, telling about the history of its construction: “John Vasilyevich, by the grace of God, Grand Duke of Vladimir, Moscow, Novgorod, Tver ... and others and Sovereign of all Russia, in the summer of 30 of his reign, ordered these towers to be built, and Peter Anthony Solarrius, a Medilanian, did it in the summer of the incarnation of the Lord 1491. These were the first memorial plaques of our capital.

Since 1625, the Kremlin towers began to be built on. First of all, the main tower of the Kremlin, Frolovskaya, was built on. The superstructure of the tower was in harmony with its ancient array, with the entire appearance of the Kremlin, with St. Basil's Cathedral, which was erected in the middle of the 16th century in honor of the victory of Russian troops over the Kazan Khanate under Ivan the Terrible.

In the 50s of the 17th century, the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, the double-headed eagle, was erected on top of the tent of the main tower of the Kremlin. Later, similar coats of arms were installed on the highest towers - Nikolskaya, Troitskaya and Borovitskaya.

In April 1658, a royal decree was issued to rename all the Kremlin towers. The Frolovskaya Tower was renamed Spasskaya in honor of the icon of the Savior of Smolensk, placed above the entrance gate of the tower from the side of Red Square, and in honor of the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, located above the gate from the Kremlin side.

In the 17th century, the Stone Bridge was built across the moat that ran along the Kremlin wall, on which they began to sell books. Along with books of spiritual content, “scriptures” of secular content were sold here, one could also buy legends about miracles, stories from the “Great Mirror” or a handwritten “Tale of Woe and Misfortune”, “The Tale of Igor's Campaign”, “Shemyakin Court”, etc. Here they also sold "printed sheets" - facial images of saints and royal persons. The book trade on the Stone (Spassky) bridge continued until 1812.

In the hipped top of the tower, built by the Russian master Bazhen Ogurtsov, the main clock of the state was placed. According to archival documents, for the first time the clock on this tower was installed much earlier, back in 1491, immediately after its construction.

I must say that the history of the tower clock of the Moscow Kremlin goes back into the mists of time. The first tower clock was installed in 1404 in the courtyard of Grand Duke Vasily, son of Dmitry Donskoy. In the Trinity Chronicle, it is written that “this hour-keeper will be called clockwork, at every hour he strikes the bell with a hammer, measuring and calculating the hours of the night and day ...”. The clock was made by master Lazar Serbin. This clock was the second in Europe in terms of the time of their construction, and only decades later did the tower clock appear in Veliky Novgorod, and then in Pskov.

In 1625, under the leadership of Christopher Golovey, the Russian blacksmiths-watchmakers Zhdan, and his son and grandson set the clock on the Spasskaya Tower, and Kirill Samoilov, a caster, cast thirty bells for the cross. The device of Christopher Golovey's clock was significantly different from modern ones. The watch had a huge rotating dial, divided into 17 parts. The striking of the clock began at sunrise, and at sunset, the clock was transferred to the night count. At different times of the year, the duration of night and day time is different. On the days of the summer solstice, when there are the longest days, the clock struck 17 times, and at night - 7 times.

But such a countdown was very inconvenient. And at the beginning of the 18th century, Peter I issued a decree, according to which the whole country switched to a single daily countdown for all of Russia. At the same time, a Dutch clock with music and a 12-hour dial was installed on the Spasskaya Tower. The blacksmith Nikifor Yakovlev "associates" installed this huge clock, brought on 30 carts. But soon these clocks stopped, and after the fire of 1737 they fell into disrepair.

The clock that we see now on the Spasskaya Tower was installed by the Butenop brothers in 1851-1852. They occupy three floors of the tower - the 7th, 8th, 9th - and consist of three units: the movement mechanism, the quarter strike mechanism and the clock strike mechanism. The clock is powered by three weights weighing from 160 to 224 kilograms. Their accuracy is ensured by a pendulum weighing 32 kilograms. The striking mechanism consists of 10 quarter bells and a bell that strikes one hour. The bells were cast in the 17th-18th centuries by Russian and foreign craftsmen. The signature on one of the bells reads: “This bell for beating the quarters of the Spasskaya Tower was cast in 1769, Maya 27 days. Weight 21 pounds. Lil master Semyon Mozhzhukhin. All bells are placed on the 10th tier of the tower in open chimes under the tent.

The clock, which is usually called chimes, has four dials, each with a diameter of 6.12 meters, the height of the digits is 72 centimeters, the length of the hour hand is 2.97 meters, the minute hand is 3.28 meters. The total weight of the clock mechanism is about 25 tons.

During the October battles of 1917 for the power of the Soviets, the Spasskaya Tower was damaged by shelling. The clock was disabled by a shell. After sightseeing the Moscow Kremlin V.I. Lenin gave instructions on the restoration of historical monuments. At the same time, they began to repair the Spasskaya Tower and the clock. The amount of work was considerable - it was necessary to make a new disk of the pendulum, restore the dial,
make a minute hand, repair broken gears, straighten bent shafts.

The clock on the Spasskaya Tower was fixed by the Kremlin locksmith N.V. Berens, his two sons, Vladimir and Vasily, helped him. And the artist and musician M. M. Cheremnykh scored revolutionary melodies on the playing shaft of the chimes.

In August 1918, the clock on the Spasskaya Tower for the first time played new melodies - the party anthem "The Internationale" and the march "You have fallen victim."

During its existence, the chimes were repeatedly restored. The last, most serious restoration was carried out in 1974. Specialists dismantled and checked the entire mechanism. designed and manufactured more than a thousand new parts, created new automatic software installations. Comprehensive work to update the main clock in Moscow was carried out in a short time. The warranty period for repairs is 30 years. This means that the chimes will have to show the time in the 21st century.

The Spasskaya Tower has 10 floors. Its height to a shining ruby star is 67.3 meters, with a star - 71 meters.

Royal Tower

Between the Spasskaya and Nabatnaya towers, right on the Kremlin wall, there is a small turret - Tsarskaya. In ancient times, judging by the plans of Moscow, this place was a four-sided wooden tower. Tradition says that from this tower, Tsar Ivan the Terrible watched the events taking place on Red Square from the walls of the Kremlin.

In 1680, in place of the tower on the Kremlin wall, this small, unusual stone beauty-turret, reminiscent of a tower, was built. An elegant octagonal tent topped with a gilded weather vane rests on four pitcher-shaped pillars. It once housed the bells of the Kremlin fire service. The tower has reached our days without any changes. And its name, apparently, retained the echo of an old legend.

The height of the tower with a weather vane is 16.7 meters.

alarm tower

The deaf Nabatnaya tower was built in 1495 between two others - Tsarskaya and Konstantin-Eleninskaya. Inside it is divided into two tiers. Its lower tier is a complex multi-chamber room connected with the running part of the walls by stairs. In 1676–1686 it was built on with a hipped tetrahedral top.

This tower housed the bells of the Spassky alarm - the fire service of the Kremlin. The alarm bell was cast by master Ivan Motorin, as the inscription reads: “On the 6th day of July 1714, this alarm bell was poured from the old alarm bell, which was broken in the Kremlin of the city to the Spassky Gates. It weighs 150 poods.”

The events of the Plague Riot of 1771 are connected with the alarm bell, when the rebellious Muscovites sounded the alarm, calling the people. The uprising was crushed, and Catherine II ordered to pull out the tongue of the "troublemaker-bell". Without a tongue, the bell hung on the tower for more than 30 years. In 1803, it was removed and transferred to the Arsenal, and in 1821 it entered the Armory, where it is kept to this day.

The height of the Nabat Tower is 38 meters.

The need to build a new tower in the same place was determined by the fact that on this side of the Kremlin there were no natural barriers in case of an attack by enemies, the place was open, vulnerable in defense. The new tower protected the Great Posad, the entrances from the pier on the Moskva River from the nearby streets - Velikaya and Varvarskaya. It had a powerful retractable archer, a drawbridge and a passage gate to the Kremlin.

The tower received its name in the 17th century from the Church of Constantine and Helena, which stood nearby in the Kremlin.

In 1680, a slender hipped roof was erected over the tower on an arched quadrangular base. At the same time, the gates of the tower were closed, and the outlet archer was turned into a dungeon. In 1707, on the orders of Peter I, loopholes for the installation of cannons were cut out on the Konstantin-Eleninskaya tower. In the 18th - early 19th centuries, the bridge and the outlet archer were dismantled.

The height of the Konstantin-Eleninskaya tower is 36.8 meters.

Beklemishevskaya Tower (Moskvoretskaya)

In 1487, the Italian architect Marco Fryazin built a high round tower - Beklemishevskaya - in the southeast corner of the Kremlin. It is located near the current Moskvoretsky Bridge and is clearly visible from Red Square. This tower, due to its location, was the first to take the blows of the approaching enemies. Inside it was a hiding place - a well. It received its name from the court of the boyar Beklemishev, who was located next to the tower from the Kremlin in the 15th century.

In the 17th century, the tower was built on with a beautiful high tent, thanks to which it acquired slender architectural forms, losing its fortress severity. At the beginning of the 18th century, in connection with the Russian-Swedish war, bastions were built around it, they were cut out, loopholes were expanded to install more powerful guns. During the restoration work carried out on the tower in 1949, the loopholes were restored to their original form.

In 1917, during the battles for the Kremlin, the top of the tower was shot down by a shell, but it was soon restored. This is one of the few Kremlin towers that has not undergone major reconstruction.

The height of the Beklemishevskaya, or Moskvoretskaya, tower is 46.2 meters.

Petrovskaya Tower (Ugreshskaya)

From century to century, the military-defensive system of the Kremlin fortress was improved, its fighting qualities were increased and, in accordance with the development of artillery, the architecture of fortifications changed.

The advent of artillery was the greatest invention of the Middle Ages. Gunpowder revolutionized all military affairs. Cannons become the main means of destroying fortresses and almost completely replace throwing equipment. At this time, natural barriers are not a big obstacle to the offensive. Fortresses are being stormed from all sides. As a result, their defenders strive for uniform placement of towers along the entire perimeter of the fortress walls.

The distance between the towers was determined by the range of the weapons. Where the wall was in greater danger, the towers became tighter.

So, on the south side of the Kremlin, between the Tainitskaya and Beklemishevskaya towers, three more towers are grouped in a relatively small area. Initially, they were all anonymous. Later, one of them, standing next to Beklemishevskaya, was named Petrovskaya - from the church of Metropolitan Peter, which was located in the courtyard of the Ugreshsky monastery, located in the Kremlin, next to the tower. In 1676-1686 the tower was built on.

In 1771, in connection with the construction of the Kremlin Palace under the leadership of V.I. The Bazhenov Tower, the Church of Metropolitan Peter and the courtyard of the Ugresh Monastery were dismantled.

In 1783 the tower was restored. In 1812, it was destroyed by the explosion of a gunpowder charge placed in it by the French. In 1818, the tower was restored again, for the third time, under the guidance of architect O.I. Beauvais.

The Petrovsky Tower, erected "for a better look and strength," served the needs of the Kremlin gardeners.

The height of the tower is 27.15 meters.

First Nameless Tower

In the 1480s, the First Nameless Tower was built next to the Tainitskaya Tower, which is notable for its stingy architectural forms. She has always performed purely defensive functions. The tower ends with a tetrahedral pyramidal tent. The architectural proportions of the tower indicate that it was built later than the Second Nameless Tower. In the 15th-16th centuries, gunpowder was stored in this tower. The tower has a difficult fate. In 1547, the tower was destroyed by a gunpowder explosion, and in the 17th century it was rebuilt. Then it was built on with a hipped tier. In 1770-1771, the tower was dismantled to make room for the construction of the Kremlin Palace according to the project of V.I. Bazhenov. When the construction of the palace was stopped, the tower was built again in 1783, somewhat closer to the Taynitskaya tower. In 1812, the tower was blown up by the retreating French troops, but soon the architect O.I. Bove restored it to its former forms. In this form, she has survived to this day. The height of the tower is 34.15 m.

Second Nameless Tower

To the east of the 1st Nameless Tower is the 2nd Nameless Tower. In 1680, it was built on with a tetrahedral tent topped with an observation tower. The tower is crowned with an octagonal tent with a weather vane.

In ancient times, this tower had a gate. In 1771, in connection with the construction of the Kremlin Palace, it was demolished, and after the cessation of construction, it was restored anew. Inside the quadrangle there are two tiers of vaulted rooms.

The height of the 2nd Nameless Tower is 30.2 meters.

Taynitskaya tower

In 1485, when Ivan III launched construction in the Kremlin, the Italian architect Anton Fryazin laid the first tower of the new Moscow Kremlin, which was named Taynitskaya. The chronicler describes this event in the following way: "... a archer was laid on the river in Moscow at the Sheshkov Gates, and a hiding place was brought out under it, and Anton Fryazin made it." These passage gates were built on the site of the old Cheshkovy gates of the Kremlin from the time of Dmitry Donskoy.

As the chronicler rightly noted, during the construction of the tower, a well was dug under it and a secret passage to the Moscow River, which supplied Muscovites with water in the event of a siege, hence its name. The Taynitskaya tower with a passage gate had a diversion archer, connected to it by a stone bridge; inside the tower there was a huge room with powerful vaults. Judging by the Godunov plan of the Moscow Kremlin, drawn up in 1597, until the 17th century, the top of the tower had a hipped roof with a log superstructure, in which a tent with a bell was placed. Sentinels on the tower watched Moskvorechie and in case of fire, special bell signals let them know about it.

In the years 1670-1680, Russian craftsmen erected a stone top over the quadrangle of the tower - an open arched quadrangle, completed with a tetrahedral tent with an observation tower.

In 1770–1771, in connection with the construction of the Kremlin Palace according to the project of V.I. Bazhenov's Taynitskaya tower was dismantled. In 1812, during the retreat of Napoleon's troops from the Kremlin, the tower was damaged by an explosion, but was soon rebuilt. In 1862, according to the project of one of the Campioni family of artists, the archer was also restored. In 1930-1933, the archer was dismantled again, at the same time the passage gates were laid and the well was filled up.

The height of the Taynitskaya tower is 38.4 meters.

Annunciation Tower

The tower was built in 1487-1488. This is a low four-sided tower. At its base are slabs of white limestone. They have been preserved from the ancient white-stone Kremlin of the XIV century. During the time of Ivan the Terrible, the tower was used as a prison. At the end of the 17th century, a stone tent with a decorative watchtower was built on the Annunciation Tower. The name of the tower comes from the miraculous icon of the Annunciation once placed here, and is also associated with the Church of the Annunciation, attached to the tower at the beginning of the 18th century. At the same time, a bell tower was built in the watchtower, where seven bells were placed, and the weather vane was replaced with a cross. The tower served as an chapel of the church, ancient loopholes were hewn into large windows. In the 17th century, Port-washing gates were built next to the tower for the passage of palace laundresses to the Port-washing raft on the Moscow River to rinse the ports - linen. In 1813, the Portomoynye Gates were laid down, but their traces have survived to this day and are clearly visible from the inside of the Kremlin. In the depths of the tower was a deep underground. The height of the tower is 30.7 m (with a weather vane - 32.45 m).

Cathedral Square

Cathedral Square of the Kremlin is one of the oldest in Moscow. Its origin is attributed to the beginning of the XIV century. Assumption, Annunciation and Archangel Cathedrals, the bell tower of Ivan the Great, the Faceted Chamber and other monuments of Russian architecture rise on the square. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the area was covered several times with hard sandstone slabs. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was freed from the overgrown cultural layer, and in the 30s of our century it was asphalted. In 1955, the asphalt was removed and the former stone pavement was restored.

Cathedral Square was the main square of the Kremlin. In the old days, ceremonial solemn processions took place on it on the occasion of the wedding to the kingdom of kings and the coronation of emperors. They were usually accompanied by magnificent military escorts. Foreign ambassadors were met in front of the Red Porch of the Faceted Chamber. There were also funeral processions to the Archangel Cathedral - the tomb of the Moscow Grand Dukes and Tsars - and the Assumption Cathedral - the burial place of Moscow metropolitans and patriarchs. Unique in its beauty, the architectural ensemble of Cathedral Square, picturesque and harmonious, was created by the labor and talent of Russian masters from Moscow, Vladimir, Pskov, and Italian architects. Built over 500 years ago, this magnificent ensemble excites even today with the grandiosity of its design.

Assumption Cathedral

The Assumption Cathedral stands on the site of the first stone cathedral in Moscow built by Ivan Kalita in 1326-1327. He, in turn, was preceded by the oldest Moscow churches - a wooden XII century and a stone XIII century. The Assumption Cathedral was built by the Italian architect Aristotle Fioravanti invited by Ivan III. The cathedral was built in 1475–1479 on the model of the Assumption Cathedral of the 12th century in the ancient Russian city of Vladimir. This emphasized the continuity of Moscow in relation to one of the ancient centers of the Russian land. For four centuries, the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin remained the main temple of Rus', crowned heirs to the kingdom, announced state acts, elected metropolitans and patriarchs at church councils, and performed other solemn ceremonies. The cathedral served as the tomb of the Moscow patriarchs and metropolitans. Their tombs line the walls. The main entrance to the temple is located on the side of the cathedral square. The wide staircase ends with a portal of three semicircular arches. The entrance to the building is, as it were, guarded by the Archangel Michael and the guardian angel; Above, the figures of saints are inscribed in the arches. Above them is an image of the Virgin and Child. These multicolored frescoes were painted by unknown Russian artists of the 17th century. Inside, the central part of the cathedral is separated from the altar by a five-tiered iconostasis of the 17th century, about 16 meters high, covered with chased gilded silver at the end of the 19th century. The iconostasis was made in 1652-1653 by the painters of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. In 1682, the icons were damaged by fire and were refurbished by the tsarist painters Kirill Ulanov, Georgy Zinoviev and Tikhon Filatiev. For centuries, icons created by Russian painters have accumulated in the Assumption Cathedral. The most ancient icon of the cathedral is "St. George" (in front of the iconostasis). During the Patriotic War of 1812, the cathedral was devastated by the Napoleonic troops. A chandelier was forged from a piece of silver, beaten off later by the Russian Cossacks, which hangs in the center of the cathedral. The oldest monument of applied art in the cathedral is its southern doors (brought to Moscow from the Suzdal Cathedral, date back to the beginning of the 15th century), 20 images on biblical themes are written on them in gold on black lacquer.

Blagoveshchensky cathedral

In the southwestern part of the Cathedral Square, there is an elegant nine-domed Annunciation Cathedral with golden domes. The cathedral was built in 1484-1489 by Pskov craftsmen as a home fortress of the Grand Duke of Moscow. Initially, the temple was small and was crowned with three heads. In the 60s of the 16th century, four one-domed churches (chapels) were erected over the galleries of the cathedral and two false ones - thus, the cathedral turned into a nine-domed structure. In the 70s of the 16th century, a porch with a high white stone porch was added for Ivan the Terrible. The cathedral was connected with the palace by a special passage. During the solemn ceremonies that took place on the Cathedral Square, the temple served as a front exit from the palace of the prince (later the king) and his retinue. The cathedral was built in the traditions of early Moscow architecture. But since it was built by the Pskovians, then, naturally, there are features of Pskov architecture: an octahedron under the central drum, original headbands and many other decorative elements. Two entrances with high porches lead to the temple from the square. They enter the cathedral through the northern porch and enter the gallery, the walls of which are painted with frescoes on biblical themes (“The Miracle with the Prophet Jonah”, “Rejoices in You”, “Trinity”, “Jesus Tree”, “Feats of Monastic Hermits” and others). In the piers, on the slopes of the vaults and on the pilasters, ancient philosophers and writers are depicted in full growth: Aristotle, Thucydides, Plutarch, Homer, Virgil and others - at that time in Rus', educated people were familiar with their works. From the gallery through the portal, decorated with white stone carvings, you can get to the central part of the temple. The greatest value of the cathedral is the iconostasis. The icons in the iconostasis are arranged in five rows. The third row is called "festive" - its icons depict various Christian holidays. Seven icons on the left side of the row (except for the fourth, it was painted by an unknown Pskov master of the 16th century) - "Annunciation", "Nativity of Christ", "Meeting", "Baptism", "Transfiguration", "Resurrection of Lazarus" and "Entrance to Jerusalem" – attributed to the brushes of Andrey Rublev. The remaining icons in this row of the iconostasis - The Last Vespers, The Crucifixion, The Entombment, The Descent into Hell, The Ascension, The Descent of the Holy Spirit, The Assumption - were made by the artist Prokhor from Gorodets. The main row of the iconostasis is deesis (from the Greek word "deesis" - prayer). It is located below the festive. The main theme of the series is the intercession of the saints (they are depicted in full growth) for mere mortals before God. Most of the icons in this row (except for the Archangel Michael and the Apostle Peter) were painted by Theophanes the Greek. Of considerable interest is the murals of the cathedral, made in 1508 by an artel of artists, headed by Theodosius, the son of the famous Dionysius. There are both traditional motifs and new ones, characteristic of the 16th century. A large place in the painting is occupied by plots on the theme of the Apocalypse (to the right and left of the iconostasis on the vaults under the choir stalls and on the arches supporting the choir stalls). In addition to biblical scenes, one can see purely secular motifs in the wall paintings - the image of Byzantine emperors and Russian princes (pilasters in the central part of the temple and pilasters). At the western wall, according to custom, there are choirs for the queen and the royal children. The floor of the cathedral looks very unusual. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the floor was tiled with precious agate jasper. Above the exit from the cathedral, attention is drawn to the wall painting depicting the Savior Not Made by Hands, made by the famous Russian painter of the 17th century Simon Ushakov.

Archangel Cathedral

The Archangel Cathedral was built in 1505-1509 by the architect Aleviz Novy, invited from Italy, in the traditions of Russian architecture, but its rich decoration bears the features of the Italian Renaissance. Construction began under Ivan III and was completed under his son, Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich. Before that, there was an ancient Arkha-Ngelsky Cathedral, built by Ivan Kalita in 1333 in memory of the deliverance of Moscow from a severe famine. At the beginning of the 16th century, it was dismantled due to tightness and made room for the construction of a larger temple. The walls of the cathedral are completed with zakomaras. Zakomary are decorated with white stone shells, and the facades - with pilasters with capitals, cornices and a high white stone plinth. Outside, the walls of the cathedral are divided into two tiers by a horizontal belt, which gives it the appearance of a two-story civil building. The cathedral is crowned with five domes. The central dome was gilded, the side ones were painted with silver paint. At the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century, two one-domed churches were added to the cathedral from the eastern side - St. One and John the Baptist. In the north and west, the cathedral is decorated with carved white stone portals in the style of the Italian Renaissance. On the southern, western and northern sides there were covered galleries, broken in the 18th century (only the gallery on the southern side has been preserved). At the end of the 18th century, on the north side, the architect M.F. Kazakov added a portal in the Gothic style, dismantled in 1920. A stone tent adjoins the cathedral from the southwestern side. It was erected in 1826 on the site of the former "ship hut of the Arkhangelsk estates", in which a trial was held over quitrent peasants who had not paid taxes. The cellars of this hut have survived to this day. During Napoleon's invasion of Moscow, the French set up a wine warehouse in the Archangel Cathedral, and the altar was used as a kitchen. All the values of the cathedral were plundered. After the defeat of the Napoleonic troops, the cathedral was restored in its original form. In addition to daylight, the cathedral is illuminated by nine gilded p nikadils made in the 17th century. Archangel Cathedral since the time of Ivan Kalita was the tomb of the great Moscow princes and kings. The oldest tomb - Ivan Kalita, who died in 1342 - is located at the southern wall of the cathedral. Burials in the cathedral continued until Peter I. An exception is the burial of Emperor Peter II, who died in Moscow from smallpox in 1730. In total, there are 54 burials or 46 tombs in the cathedral (there are tombs with two and three burials). The tombs are tombstones made of white stone. On them are carved inscriptions in Slavic script about the time and name of the buried prince or tsar. Dmitry Donskoy and Ivan III (tombs near the southern wall), Ivan the Terrible and his sons (tombs in the southern altar) and other figures of Russian history are buried in the cathedral. At the right southeastern pillar is placed the shrine of the son of Ivan the Terrible - Tsarevich Dmitry, whose remains were transferred to the cathedral by Tsar Vasily Shuisky in 1606 from Uglich. A carved white-stone gilded autumn was made above the tomb. In 1955, it was restored as a monument of history and applied art of the early 17th century and returned to its original appearance.

Church of the Deposition of the Robe

A small single-domed church of the Deposition of the Robe was built by Pskov craftsmen in 1484-1486. This church is located on the site of the ancient Church of the Deposition of the Robe, built in 1451 by Metropolitan Jonah in memory of the deliverance of Moscow from the invasion of the Tatar hordes of Mazowska. On the night of July 2, 1451, the Tatars approached Moscow, but suddenly retreated, leaving behind all the loot. This event was caused by a political struggle in the camp of the enemy, but the church gave it a purely religious significance, since it coincided with the church holiday "Provisions of the Robe". In memory of this, the church was named. In 1473, it burned down along with the Metropolitan's court. On the vacant site, a new brick church was erected on the basement, surrounded on three sides by an open porch-ambulance. It retained its old name. In the 17th century, the church was rebuilt and a hipped roof was made. The porch on the western side was covered with vaults. According to the formed covered gallery, which still exists, the female half of the royal family passed from Terems to the Assumption Cathedral. In a fire in 1737, the church burned down and was restored by the architect I.F. Michurin. A new dome was built in the form of a vase and the altar areas were laid out. In the 19th century, a covered staircase was added to the south side of the church. It led to the western facade, on which the icon of the Caves Mother of God was painted. Therefore, the church was sometimes called Pechersk.

The Patriarchal Chambers and the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles

To the north of the Assumption Cathedral and the bell tower of Ivan the Great are the Patriarchal Chambers and the small five-domed Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles, built in 1635–1656 by Russian craftsmen Antip Konstantinov and Bazhen Ogurtsov, commissioned by Patriarch Nikon. The Cathedral of the "Twelve Apostles" was built on the site of the old temple of the "Solovki miracle workers" and part of the courtyard of Boris Godunov and was called the Church of the Apostle Philip. The roofs and crosses of the temple were covered with copper sheets and gilded. In 1680 the cathedral was rebuilt and given its present name. The former Patriarch's Yard consisted of a whole series of chambers, rooms, passages and stairs made in the thickness of the walls. Many of these structures have retained their ancient appearance and have survived to this day. In terms of luxury and size, the Patriarchal Palace was not inferior to the Tsar's Teremny, but in some ways even surpassed it - Nikon here, as it were, proved the superiority of church power over royal power. However, soon the ambitious confessor was punished by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich for obstinacy and exiled. The son of Alexei Mikhailovich, Peter I, striving for sole power, completely “abolished” the patriarchate and handed over the management of church affairs to the Synod, whose Moscow office was located in the former Patriarchal Palace.

Bell tower of Ivan the Great and belfry

In the center of the Kremlin on Cathedral Square stands one of the most remarkable buildings of the 16th century - the bell tower of Ivan the Great. It combines all the ancient temples of the Moscow Kremlin into a majestic architectural ensemble. The bell tower is considered a marvel of architectural art of the 16th century. The history of the appearance of the bell tower goes back into the depths of centuries. Under Ivan Kalita in 1329, approximately on the site of the existing bell tower, a small stone church was built in honor of John of the Ladder. In 1505, this church was dismantled and in 1508 a new one was laid, the builder of which was the architect Bon Fryazin. In 1532-1543, the architect Petrok Maly added a rectangular belfry of the Novgorod-Pskov type with the Church of the Ascension on the north side of the bell tower. In the belfry was placed a thousand-pound bell called "Annunciation". To enter the temple, which was located on the third tier of the belfry, Moscow craftsmen built a high stone staircase in 1552. The bell tower of Ivan the Great is a three-tiered pillar of elongated, decreasing upward octahedrons, placed one on top of the other. Each of the octahedrons has a terrace and an open gallery, in the arched spans of which bells are placed. In the galleries of the tiers, bells are placed, which are wonderful monuments of Russian foundry art of the 16th-19th centuries. There are 21 of them in total. All the bells are decorated with ornaments, bas-reliefs and inscriptions that tell about the history of the bell, date of casting, weight, master. The largest bell - Uspensky - weighs 70 tons. It was cast in the 19th century by masters Zavyalov and Rusinov. Another bell weighing 19 tons was cast by Andrey Chokhov in 1622. A 12.5-tonne bell, cast in the 18th century by Ivan Motorin, hangs in the Filaret Annex. The height of the bell tower is 81 meters. It was the main watchtower of the Kremlin, from the height of which Moscow and its environs were well observed within a radius of up to 30 kilometers. In 1624, on the north side of the belfry, master Bazhen Ogurtsov erected the so-called Filaret extension, which ended with white-stone pyramids and a tiled tent. Its second and third floors were reserved for the patriarchal sacristy. In 1812, the Napoleonic troops retreating from Moscow tried to blow up the bell tower. It survived, but the belfry and the Filaret extension were destroyed. In 1819 they were restored by the architect D. Gilardi in the same way as the old ones, but with some elements of the 19th century architecture.

The Tsar Bell

For more than 150 years, at the foot of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Kremlin, on a white stone pedestal, a unique monument of Russian artistic casting of the 18th century, the famous Tsar Bell, has been kept. Back in the 16th-17th centuries in Moscow, at the Cannon Yard, bells of large sizes were cast, which have not survived to this day. Sometimes they broke from time to time, from too strong blows, but most often they were damaged during fires. So it happened with the Great Assumption bell, made by master Alexander Grigoriev, whose weight, apparently, reached 8 thousand pounds. During a severe fire in Moscow in 1701, he fell and broke into many pieces. Later it was decided to pour it into a new bell, while increasing the amount of metal to 10 thousand pounds. According to the decree of Empress Anna Ivanovna of 1730, the casting of the bell was entrusted to the Moscow Office of Artillery and Fortification. The design and casting of the bell was entrusted to the Moscow craftsman Ivan Fedorovich Motorin, a hereditary foundry worker. To install the mold of the future giant, a casting pit ten meters deep was built. Work began on the manufacture of the mold and casing of the bell, which lasted from January 1733 to November 1734. Pedestal craftsmen Vasily Kobelev, Pyotr Galkin, Pyotr Kokhtev, Pyotr Serebrennikov, molder Pyotr Lukovnikov and sculptor Fyodor Medvedev worked on the manufacture of decorative ornaments and inscriptions. The first attempt to cast a bell ended in failure. Foundry furnaces broke down, a fire broke out in the Kremlin and damaged wooden structures. Restoration work continued until November 1735. At this time, Ivan Motorin dies. Now all the work on the preparation and casting of the bell was headed by his son, Mikhail Motorin. Finally, on November 25, 1735, the Tsar Bell was cast. The entire casting process took only 1 hour and 12 minutes. The dimensions of the Tsar Bell are very impressive: its weight is more than 200 tons, its height is 6 m 14 cm, and its diameter is 6 meters 60 centimeters. Recent studies carried out during the period of restoration work (1979–1980) showed that the Tsar Bell was made of typical tin bronze with impurities and metals (gold and silver). During a fire in May 1737, the bell cracked several times due to uneven cooling, and a piece weighing 11.5 tons fell off it. For more than 100 years, the Tsar Bell lay in a foundry pit. It was raised and installed on a pedestal in 1836 by the architect and engineer August Montferrand.

Tsar Cannon

The Tsar Cannon, cast by Andrey Chokhov, is an ancient, largest cannon in the world. It was created in 1586 in Moscow, at the Cannon Yard, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible's son Fyodor Ivanovich. The appearance of such a unique work was a natural result of the development of the oldest branch of Russian craft - foundry, which has been known in Rus' since the 10th century. The length of this huge weapon is 5 m 34 cm. The outer diameter of the barrel is 120 cm, the diameter of the patterned belt at the muzzle is 134 cm, and the caliber is 890 mm. The barrel of the Tsar Cannon, cast from high-quality bronze, has a conical shape. The entire surface of the trunk is decorated with cast figured friezes, ornamental belts, and inscriptions. The muzzle and breech cut-offs of the barrel have high belts protruding above the surface with figured five-petal rosettes. The central part of the trunk is divided by convex ornamental and flat relief friezes. On the sides of the barrel there are eight cast brackets designed to strengthen the ropes when moving the gun. Above the front right bracket is the inscription "By God's grace, the Tsar and Grand Duke Fyodor Ivanovich, Sovereign and Autocrat of All Great Russia." There is also a cast image of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich crowned with a crown, sitting on a horse with a scepter in his hand. Two inscriptions are cast on the upper part of the barrel: on the right - “By the command of the faithful and Christ-loving Tsar and Grand Duke Fyodor Ivanovich, Sovereign Autocrat of All Great Russia under his pious and Christ-loving Empress Grand Duchess Irina”, on the left side - “This cannon was merged in the most famous city of Moscow summer 7094, the third year of his state. The cannon was made by the cannon man Ondrey Chokhov. On the breech of the gun in front of the last, rear wide belt in the barrel there is a seed hole. And then, on the trunk itself, it is cut down: “2400 pounds”. This is the weight of the Tsar Cannon, which is 39312 kilograms. During the four hundred years of existence, the Tsar Cannon has changed its place more than once. In the XVIII century, it was moved to the Moscow Kremlin and was first located in the courtyard of the Arsenal building, and then at its main gate. The Tsar Cannon, placed on a carriage, was installed opposite the Arsenal. Four cast-iron decorative cannon balls were placed at its foot, each weighing 1000 kilograms. In 1960, in connection with the construction of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, the Tsar Cannon was solemnly moved to Ivanovskaya Square to the Church of the Twelve Apostles, where it is still located.

State Kremlin Palace

In 1960–1961, a new palace was built on the territory of the ancient Kremlin to hold congresses and conferences, congresses, public meetings, theatrical performances, and concerts. Its construction was carried out in record time. A new, modern public building, universal in its purpose, was erected in less than two years. For the first time the State Kremlin Palace opened its doors on October 17, 1961. The State Kremlin Palace combines the features of modern architecture with the traditions of Russian architecture. Tactfully inscribed in the ancient Kremlin complex, it does not stand out in height from the bulk of the surrounding buildings. The palace is deepened into the ground to the height of a five-story building, where part of the office space is located. In total, the State Kremlin Palace has over 800 rooms. Upon entering the Palace, the visitor finds himself in a spacious foyer with a wardrobe. The colors of the interior of the foyer are created by white polished Ural marble columns, stairs, light colors of the floor. Stairs and escalators lead to the auditorium. The auditorium of the Palace can accommodate 6,000 people. The hall is illuminated by 4,500 electric lamps and colored fluorescent lamps located in the false ceiling. The stage is one of the largest theater stages in the world. It is equipped with a perfect lifting and lowering device. Above the auditorium is a banquet hall.

Amusing Palace

At the Kremlin wall between the Komendatskaya and Troitskaya towers there is an interesting civil structure of the middle of the 17th century - the so-called Amusement Palace. It was built in 1652 for the boyar N.D. Miloslavsky, the father-in-law of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The Russian autocrat did not spare money for the father of his beloved wife. And three-story stone mansions with outbuildings, deep cellars where wines and food were stored, with an elegant church and a room garden grew up near the Kremlin wall. The talented architect, who remained unknown, managed to place all the buildings of the boyar estate on a relatively small area. Boyar Miloslavsky lived in the chambers for 16 years. After his death, they went to the treasury, and since 1679 they were converted into a theater. Various kinds of “fun” were arranged here - entertainment for the royal family. And the name of the former mansions of Miloslavsky received the corresponding name - Amusing Palace. In the 19th century, new buildings were added to it: from the side of the Kremlin wall - a balcony on egg-shaped pillars, from the street - a magnificent carved white stone portal with half-columns. He was transferred here from the dismantled porch of the palace facade. All this greatly changed the appearance of the Amusement Palace. However, its main part has survived to this day. The upper tier of the palace forms a tower, or tower, with Byzantine arches. In the old days, a house church was located here. Above the refectory of the church, a turret on four pillars has been preserved, which at one time was used as a bell tower and a watchtower. In the 19th century, the commandant of Moscow lived in the Poteshny Palace. The Amusement Palace is the only architectural monument of the boyar housing that has been preserved in the Kremlin.

Terem Palace

The Terem Palace was built on the site of the ancient palaces of Vasily III and Ivan IV in 1635–1636 by Russian architects Bazhen Ogurtsov, Antip Konstantinov, Trefil Sharutin and Larion Ushakov. They built on the preserved parts of the palace of the 16th century with three new floors. The tiered composition of the towers, the framing of the facades with white-stone carved window frames, the tiles of portals, cornices, and parapets reflected the traditions of wooden Russian architecture. In the 17th century, residential royal chambers were located in the Terem Palace. The Terem Palace includes a group of churches. In 1680-1681 they were united by a common cornice and a single copper roof topped with 11 graceful domes on thin drums covered with multi-colored tiles made by craftsman Osip Startsev according to the drawings of the famous carver of the 17th century elder Ippolit. The copper roof of the cathedral has been preserved since the 18th century.

Residence of the President of the Russian Federation

Not far from the Spassky Gates is the Residence of the President of the Russian Federation, the former building of the Presidium of the Supreme Council. This is the first building of the Soviet era in the Kremlin. It was built in 1932-1934 according to the project of the architect I.I. Rerberg. The proportions, the neoclassical style of the facade, the color scheme of the building are made under the influence of the adjacent building, erected by the architect M.I. Kazakov. Initially, this building housed the Military School named after the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. In 1938, the Secretariat of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR moved here. In 1958, the interior of the building was rebuilt by the architect A.D. Khryakov under the Kremlin Theater, the auditorium of which was designed for 1200 seats. In 1969-1970, a group of architects led by M.V. Posokhin again made a significant reconstruction of this building.

Government building (former Senate building)

This building was built in 1776-1788 by the architect M.F.Kazakov in the style of Moscow classics. Previously, in its place were monastic courtyards and courtyards of the princes Trubetskoy. After the Arsenal, it was the second largest structure in the Kremlin at the end of the 18th century. The former building of the Senate has a triangular plan with cut corners and three courtyards, which was determined by the size and shape of the land allotted for construction. Despite such an inconvenient site, M.F. Kazakov masterfully solved the task set for him and created an exceptionally beautiful building for the Moscow branch of the Senate. In the center of the main facade, facing the Arsenal, there is a passage to the courtyard, made in the form of a triumphal arch with a four-column portico and a pediment. In the center of the building rises a huge dome over the majestic round hall. Previously, this hall was called White or Ekaterininsky and was intended for meetings of the nobility. This is one of the best round halls in Moscow both in terms of the richness of the architectural decoration and the boldness of the constructive solution. Its diameter is 24 meters, height is 29 meters. Inside the hall is decorated with 18 columns, stucco, bas-reliefs depicting great Russian princes and tsars. These are copies from the marble bas-reliefs made by the sculptor F.I.Shubin and now in the Armory.

The building of the former Arsenal

This strict and expressive building with a vast courtyard, well combined with the fortress walls of the Kremlin, is located between the Nikolskaya and Troitskaya towers. The architecture of the Arsenal is distinguished by its monumentality and simplicity. The arsenal was founded by order of Peter I on the site of the former Zhitny yards, which burned down in the great Moscow fire of 1701. The building was intended for a warehouse of all kinds of military weapons and equipment, and, in addition, was to become a museum. For this, a special decree was issued on the collection of copper and iron cannons and all sorts of military signs taken in battles with foreign invaders. These trophies were ordered to be delivered to Moscow and "in the newly built Zeyhaus for memory to eternal glory". Architect D. Ivanov, H. Konrad with the participation of I. Cheglokov built it with a break from 1701 to 1736. The construction started in 1702 was suspended in 1706 due to the war with Sweden. Construction resumed only in 1722 and continued until 1736. In the grandiose Moscow fire of 1737, the Arsenal partially burned down, it was restored in 1754 by the architect D. Ukhtomsky. This two-story building, divided by a cornice and decorated with a carved white stone frieze, has a height of over 30 meters. Sparsely spaced double windows with large slopes emphasize the harsh power of the walls. The Arsenal is a wonderful example of the architecture of the time of Peter the Great. Retreating from Moscow in 1812, the Poleonic troops blew up part of this grandiose building between the Nikolskaya and Corner Arsenalnaya towers. In 1816-1828 it was restored by the architect O.I. Bove. In the days of Peter the Great, the museum in the Arsenal was never created. In the middle of the 19th century, it was planned to organize a museum of the war of 1812 in the Arsenal. Therefore, the walls of the building were decorated with stucco military paraphernalia, along the southeastern facade of the Arsenal, 875 captured cannons, recaptured by Russian troops from Napoleon's army, were displayed. Among these guns: French - 365, Austrian - 189, Prussian - 123, Neapolitan - 40, Bavarian - 34, Italian -70, Dutch -22. True, this time the museum was not organized either. But the guns at the Arsenal building remained. In 1960, cannons were placed along the southern wall, cast by Russian craftsmen of the 16th–17th centuries Andrei Chokhov (“Troil”), Martyan Osipov (“Tamayun”), Yakov Dubin (“Wolf”) and others. Almost all tools are stamped with the date of casting, the name of the maker and the weight. During the latest restoration work carried out in the Kremlin, these guns were also restored. Now one can especially see the magnificent craftsmanship of the artistic execution of guns and gun carriages.

State Armory

Almost five centuries have passed since the first mention of the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin, which has survived to this day, was recorded in ancient documents. This happened in the past since the time when the first extant mention of the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin was entered in the ancient acts. This happened in 1508. But long before this date, in 1339, the spiritual charter of the Moscow prince Ivan Kalita spoke of the values that laid the foundation for the creation of the grand ducal treasury. Jewelry, dishes made of precious metals, church vessels, clothes made of magnificent fabrics, and expensive weapons were mentioned. A century later, the grand ducal treasury already included numerous valuables stored in the cellars of the Kremlin palaces and cathedrals.

By the end of the 15th century, Moscow became a kind of center for artistic crafts. Many skillful Russian and foreign masters work at the Moscow court, who created many excellent monuments. Many of them became part of the Armory. The political successes of the Moscow princes allowed them to establish diplomatic relations with the major powers of the East and West. Numerous foreign embassies delivered luxurious gifts to Moscow: silver cups, precious fabrics, pearls, military equipment, ceremonial horse harness. During the reign of Ivan III, the grand ducal treasury grew so much that for its storage in 1485 in the Kremlin, between the Archangel and Annunciation Cathedrals, a two-story stone building with a high hipped roof and deep cellars was specially erected. It received the name "treasury yard". Treasures of Moscow rulers were kept here for almost three hundred years. A significant part of the treasures of the Treasury Yard were items made on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin, in art workshops, or "chambers". The current museum owes its name to the leading Kremlin workshop, the Armory Chamber, which has long been manufacturing edged and firearms, as well as military armor of all kinds. Many first-class samples have come down to our time, which do honor to Russian weapon craftsmanship. The Stable Treasury was also located on the territory of the Kremlin, the products of which - saddles, blankets - were given an important place in the design of all court ceremonies: royal trips, hunting, embassy meetings. In the Tsaritsyn and Sovereign Chambers, also located in the Moscow Kremlin, luxurious clothes were sewn from imported fabrics, laying wonderful beauty and richness patterns on their surface with pearls and gems. The masters of the Golden and Silver Chambers made precious dishes and a huge amount of gold jewelry in the Kremlin. Irreparable damage to the Kremlin treasury was inflicted during the reign of the impostor - False Dmitry (1605-1607). After his deposition and murder, the plundered treasury continued to decrease rapidly. Due to the lack of money in the state, Vasily Shuisky, who ascended the throne, was forced to order the precious items belonging to the treasury to be converted into coins. During the stay of the Polish interventionists in Moscow (1610–1612), the Kremlin treasury was almost completely devastated. However, soon after the liberation of Moscow, the activities of the Kremlin workshops resumed, and already in the second half of the 17th century they were experiencing their heyday. At this time, during the period of rapid economic and political growth of the state, many highly artistic works were created that became the pride of Russian art. At the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century, the activity of the art workshops of the Moscow Kremlin was gradually reduced. By order of Peter I, the best Moscow craftsmen were recalled to the new capital - St. Petersburg. Nevertheless, Peter sought not only to preserve, but also to increase the treasures accumulated over the centuries. In December 1709, shortly after the victory at Poltava, Peter ordered all the weapons, banners and other trophies captured in the battle to be transferred to the Armory of the Moscow Kremlin. In 1718, he also ordered to repair the room of the chamber and make oak cabinets in order to "... arrange all things in those cabinets clearly under glass." This was not the end of Peter's concern for the Kremlin's relics: in 1720, he ordered Prince Odoevsky to check all the Kremlin's vaults. And having examined and described everything, to ensure their protection. Seven years later, in 1727, a new order came from St. Petersburg to Moscow: to combine all the ancient storages into one under the name of the “Workshop and Armory” and transfer it to the Senate. True, a lot of time passed before the Armory became a real museum. In 1844, the St. Petersburg architect K.A. Ton begins the construction of a new building at the Borovitsky Gates of the Kremlin, completing it by 1851. The spacious halls of the second floor of this building housed the relics of the Armory. The exhibition presents weapons, military armor and attributes of the 13th-18th centuries: bows, quivers, arrows, shells, chain mail, sabers, swords, maces, spears, battle axes. Two halls contain wonderful works of Russian gold and silver craftsmen of the 12th-19th centuries. The collection of fabrics and clothes of the XIV-XIX centuries, unique in the world in its completeness and uniqueness of exhibits, contains the best examples of artistic weaving, embroidery with gold, silver and pearls of Byzantine, Iranian, Turkish, Italian, Spanish, French and Russian production. Among the gifts to the Russian tsars from foreign states of the West and East, exhibited in the museum, are the works of Polish, German, English, Dutch, French jewelers of the 15th-19th centuries, oriental work of crystal, jasper, and ivory. Court vestments of various eras, secular clothing of the 16th-17th centuries, ceremonial military armor, Russian pre-revolutionary orders and orders of foreign states, tapestries, tapestries are exhibited. The so-called stable treasury is on display - the ceremonial horse attire of the work of Russian and foreign masters, a unique collection of carriages, where each is a work of art. The Armory, one of the richest treasures in the world, continues to grow in our time: the collection is constantly replenished with rare items donated to the museum by various government agencies, as well as by private individuals.

Faceted Chamber

The Faceted Chamber is one of the few surviving parts of the royal palace built at the end of the 15th century by Ivan III, its grand throne room. This is the oldest of the stone civil buildings in Moscow. It was built in 1487–1491 by Russian craftsmen under the guidance of Italian architects Marco Ruffo and Pietro Antonio Solari. The building of the chamber with a clear silhouette of a simple rectangular volume is distinguished by the unusual decoration of the main facade. It is lined with tetrahedral white limestone (hence the name), starting from the basement floor and ending below the cornice. The Chamber itself is a huge square hall with cross vaults resting on a central pillar. The majestic and spacious hall, 9 meters high, is illuminated by 18 windows located on three sides, and in the evening - by 4 round massive chandeliers. They were made in the 19th century from bronze on the model of the ancient Novgorod chandeliers. The floor area of the Faceted Chamber is 495 square meters. In the second half of the 16th century, the Faceted Chamber was decorated with murals on church-biblical themes. In 1668, the artist Simon Ushakov resumed mural painting and made a detailed description of it. After a fire in 1682, the chamber was restored and beautifully decorated. The windows were hewn and decorated on the outside with white-stone carved platbands. The roof was covered with gilded sheets and painted with colored ornaments on top. In a fire in 1696, this roof burned down. During the invasion of the Napoleonic troops, the chamber was damaged by fire, but it was soon restored. In the 80s of the XIX century, the artists from Palekh, the Belousov brothers, painted the walls anew - according to the inventory of Simon Ushakov. Over the centuries, many major events in the life of the Russian state were celebrated in the Faceted Chamber, it was the main throne room. Foreign ambassadors were received there, heirs to the Russian throne were solemnly announced, Zemsky Sobors met, at one of which more than 300 years ago the issue of the reunification of Ukraine with Russia was resolved. The victories of the Russian troops were celebrated here. So, Ivan IV celebrated here the capture of Kazan in 1552, and Peter I celebrated the Poltava victory in 1709, and in 1721 - the conclusion of the Treaty of Nishbadt, which ended the Northern War.

Grand Kremlin Palace

The Grand Kremlin Palace is located on the high Borovitsky hill. Its facade faces the Moscow River and stretches from west to east for 125 meters. The palace was built in 1838-1849 by a group of Russian architects - D.N. Chichalov, P.A. Gerasimov, A.N. Bakarev, F. Richter and others - under the leadership of K.A. Ton. The palace was the temporary residence of the imperial family during their stay in Moscow. In this place previously stood the palace of the XVIII century, built by the architect V. Rastrelli. At the main entrance to the Grand Kremlin Palace there is a large marble vestibule with polished columns made of Serdobol granite. To the left along the corridor is a suite of rooms - the so-called Own Half, intended personally for the emperor and his family. The interiors of the Own Half correspond to the monumental architecture of the palace and at the same time they are characterized by intimacy and homeliness. In the decoration of the Own Half, architects and artists used the techniques and decorative elements of the Baroque, Rococo, Classicism styles. There is no historical regularity in the alternation of interior styles. Each of the seven rooms - the Dining Room, the Living Room, the Empress's Study, the Boudoir, the Bedroom, the Emperor's Study, the Reception Room - are designed in their own style and represent an artistic whole. The space on the Own half is divided by pillars into two parts: into a kind of corridor that creates an enfilade, and into the main part of the rooms with furniture and other elements of decoration. The arrangement of rooms in an enfilade creates a change of impressions, highlights the originality of each room. A wide front staircase made of Revel stone leads from the lobby to the second floor of the palace. It is framed by walls made of fine artificial marble. There are more than 700 rooms in the Palace. Let us dwell only on the most significant, representing both architectural and artistic and historical interest. From the entrance hall, high gilded doors, richly decorated with carved gilded ornaments, lead to the famous St. George's Hall. St. George's Hall is the most majestic and most beautiful hall of the palace. It is dedicated to the military order of St. George the Victorious, established to reward officers and generals for military distinctions. Corresponds to the name and decoration of the hall. It is decorated with 18 twisted zinc columns covered with ornaments and crowned with statues of victories with laurel wreaths and memorable dates. One of the statues personifies the reunification of Ukraine with Russia. All statues are made by sculptor I.P. Vitali. The decoration and stucco decorations of the hall are dedicated to the victories of the Russian army in the 15th-18th centuries. The St. George Hall is illuminated by three thousand light bulbs placed in gilded chandeliers, wall sconces and cornices. The parquet was assembled from twenty valuable types of wood according to the drawings of Academician F.G. Solntsev. The furniture consists of gilded banquettes covered with silk moire in the colors of St. George's Ribbon. The hall is 61 meters long, 20.5 meters wide and 17.5 meters high. Through the mirrored doors of the St. George's Hall, we enter the octagonal Vladimirsky Hall, named after the Order of St. Vladimir, established in 1782. It connects the palace built in the 19th century with the buildings of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. In the construction of this hall, the architects achieved the versatility of the architectural image. The alternation of arches, columns, pilasters lined with artificial marble in delicate tones creates a wonderful play of light and shadow. The dome of the hall is noteworthy, in the complex stucco gilded patterns of which order signs with the motto “Benefit. Honor. Glory." This is the work of two serf masters - Fedor and Nikolai Dylev.

The Assembly Hall is the largest and most majestic hall of the palace. It is located next to the St. George's Hall. Its double-height windows overlook the Moscow River. White walls, divided by pilasters, a ceiling with illumination give the hall solemnity, grandeur and at the same time extraordinary simplicity. The furniture is made of polished walnut wood. The hall was created in 1933–1934 according to the project of the architect I.A. Ivanov. The front half is completed by the walnut dressing room, the walls and ceiling of which are lined with walnut wood panels. This is the work of the Moscow master - K. Hertz. Illuminates the dressing room chandelier carved from alabaster; it is decorated with an engraved pattern. The shape of the chandelier is reminiscent of ancient samples, the imitation of which was a fashionable phenomenon in the art of the first half of the 19th century.

Red Square

According to chronicles, the square arose at the end of the 15th century, when Ivan III ordered the demolition of wooden buildings around the Kremlin, which constantly threatened him with fire, and take this place for trade. So the first name of the square appeared - Torg. True, the area was called that for a short time. In the 16th century, it began to be called Trinity - after the Church of the Holy Trinity, on the site of which St. Basil's Cathedral was subsequently erected. Documents of the 17th century testify that in those days the square was called Pozhar. I must say that in Rus' the same object could have several names. So, Krasnaya Square (from the dictionary of V.I.Dal it follows that the word “red” among our ancestors meant beautiful, beautiful, excellent, best) officially began to be called only in the 19th century, although it was mentioned under this name in documents of the 17th century. Different centuries have left their traces on the square: the 15th century - the Kremlin wall with the Spasskaya, Senate and Nikolskaya towers; XVI century - Place of execution and St. Basil's Cathedral; XIX century - a monument to Minin and Pozharsky, the building of the Historical Museum and the Upper Trading Rows (GUM); XX century - the Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin and the necropolis near the Kremlin wall. The compositional center of Red Square is Lenin's Mausoleum. On January 27, 1924, the first wooden building of the Mausoleum was erected - a cube crowned with a three-stage pyramid. In the spring of 1924, this Mausoleum was replaced by another. The modern building of the Lenin Mausoleum was built in 1930 according to the project of the architect A. Shchusev. In 1917, the revolutionary necropolis was founded. Behind the Mausoleum there are graves with tombstones and busts of Lenin's closest associates. On both sides of these graves are the Mass Graves, where more than 300 people are buried. More than 100 urns with the ashes of prominent party and state figures, leaders of the international communist and labor movement, scientists, writers, famous military leaders, heroes - pilots and cosmonauts are immured in the Kremlin wall. On the south side of Red Square is the Pokrovsky Cathedral, or, as it is more commonly called, St. Basil's Cathedral. Behind the fence of the temple there is a monument to Minin and Pozharsky - the first sculptural monument in Moscow, built in 1818. Nearby is the Execution Ground. The northern part of Red Square is occupied by the red brick building of the State Historical Museum, built in the 70s-80s of the last century by architect V. Sherwood.

Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin

The compositional center of Red Square is the Mausoleum - a monument-tomb, in the Funeral Hall of which there is a crystal sarcophagus with the body of V.I. Lenin. As soon as it became known about his death, the Central Committee of the Party and the Council of People's Commissars began to receive telegrams and letters with a request not to bury his body. At the mourning meeting of the II Congress of Soviets, the decision of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR to build a Mausoleum near the Kremlin wall was announced. The project was carried out by the architect A. Shchusev. By January 27, 1924, a temporary Mausoleum was built. It was a cube topped with a three-stage pyramid. In the spring of the same year, it was replaced by another temporary Mausoleum, also made of wood. The modern stone Mausoleum was built in 1930, also according to the project of A. Shchusev. This is a monumental building, lined with dark red granite, porphyry and black labradorite. Its external volume is 5.8 thousand cubic meters, and the internal volume is 2.4 thousand cubic meters. Red-black tones give the Mausoleum a clear and sad austerity. Above the entrance, on a monolith made of black labrador, the inscription in red quartzite is inscribed: LENIN. At the same time, guest stands for 10,000 people were built on both sides of the building along the Kremlin wall. At the entrance to the Mausoleum there was a guard, established by order of the head of the Moscow garrison on January 26, 1924, the day before Lenin's funeral.

Conclusion

So, we see what a vast part of national history the topic of the abstract covers. Of course, this is also the history of our culture, embodied in stone and metal. As you have noticed, the Kremlin is a very extensive complex of buildings, monuments and squares, which also includes many modern museums and even a mausoleum. It is almost impossible to consider in detail such a number of outstanding examples of the architecture of the past, so we had to limit ourselves to only the main parameters and data in relation to the objects under study. However, my work contains a sufficient number of facts and information to form an objective opinion about the Kremlin as an architectural ensemble. In order not to get lost in the mass of minor details, the abstract briefly outlines the history and architectural features of each part of the Kremlin. I hope my work still covers quite fully the vast majority of the Kremlin's beauties.

Literature

1. Ryumina T.D. History of Moscow. M.: Publishing House “International House of Cooperation”, 1996

2. Sakharov A.N., Buganov V.I. “History of Russia from ancient times to the end of the 17th century.” - Moscow: Enlightenment, 1995

3. Military encyclopedic dictionary.-M.: Military Publishing House, 1983

4. REA im. Plekhanov. Historical department. “National history” / under the editorship of Munchaev Sh.M / .-M., 1994

5. Soviet Encyclopedic Dictionary.-M.: “Soviet Encyclopedia”, 1982

6. Chronicle of mankind. / Comp. Harenberg B.-M.: “Big Encyclopedia”, 1996

7. Encyclopedia for children. V.5, part 3. Russian history. XX century / Comp. S.T.Ismailova.-M.: Avanta+, 1996

8. Encyclopedia for children: v.5, part 1 (History of Russia and its immediate neighbors).-Comp. Ismailova S.T.-Moscow: Avanta+, 1995

9. Encyclopedia for children: v.7. Art. Part 1. Architecture, fine and decorative arts from ancient times to the Renaissance. - Moscow: Avanta +, 1997

The oldest center of Moscow - the Moscow Kremlin- was founded as a fortification of a small settlement located on Borovitsky Hill, when its history began.

The first mention of Moscow was found in chronicles for 1147. They also report that the wooden walls of the Kremlin were erected by order of Yuri Dolgoruky. Initially, the size of the fortress was small, the length of the wall reached 1200 meters.

Origin versions there are several words "Kremlin".

According to one of them, this name comes from the name of the central part of the ancient cities, called "Krom". Another version suggests that this word could also come from the "kremlin", a very durable tree, going to the construction of fortress walls. There is even an assumption that the roots of this word are Greek, i.e. "kremnos" - a steep mountain, a steepness above a ravine or coast. Judging by where the fortress was built, this version has every right to exist.

But all this does not change the essence, which lies in the fact that the Moscow Kremlin is the largest of the surviving fortresses in Europe.

And at first it was a small fortification on an area of about nine hectares, where the inhabitants of the settlements located outside the walls of the fortress could hide in case of the threat of an enemy attack. Over time, the settlements grew, and the fortress grew along with them.

The new walls of the Kremlin were erected during the reign of Ivan Kalita. They were made of stone on the inside, and wooden and covered with clay on the outside.

It is noteworthy that even in the difficult years of the yoke in Rus', the Moscow princes rebuilt existing and built new fortresses. So, under Dmitry Donskoy, the Kremlin, which suffered in a fire in 1365, was rebuilt. For the construction of walls, the length of which became about two kilometers, and the Kremlin towers, white stone was used. Since then, in the annals, Moscow began to be called white-stone.

At the very beginning of the 18th century, Peter I ordered government agencies to be moved outside the Kremlin. All dilapidated buildings are demolished and the Arsenal building is laid. It was built from 1702 to 1736. From 1776 to 1788, the Senate building was built in the Kremlin with a spectacular round hall covered with a dome.

In the middle of the nineteenth century, the idea of building the Grand Kremlin Palace appeared. There were many projects, but it was built according to the drawings of the architect K.A. tone. Years of construction - 1839-1849.

Tangible damage was done to the buildings of the Moscow Kremlin in 1812.

Napoleon during the retreat from Moscow ordered to blow up the Kremlin. Mines were laid under buildings, walls and towers. Some explosions were prevented thanks to Russian patriots, but, nevertheless, significant destruction did occur. After the French emperor was expelled from the country, they began to restore the destroyed palaces, towers and walls, then completed the Armory and the Grand Kremlin Palace. In those days, the Moscow Kremlin was accessible to the public. Visitors entered the territory through the open Spassky Gates, having previously bowed to the icon of the Savior.

Kremlin in Moscow after the 1917 revolution

In 1917, there were cadets on the territory of the Kremlin. As a result of the shelling, which was carried out by the revolutionary troops, the Moscow Kremlin was partially destroyed: the walls, the Small Nicholas Palace, almost all the cathedrals, Beklemishevskaya, Nikolskaya and Spasskaya towers were damaged.

In 1918, V.I. moved to the Kremlin. Lenin and the entire government of Soviet Russia, as the capital is moved to Moscow. Because of this, the bells in the Kremlin fall silent, churches are closed, Muscovites are deprived of free access to the territory.

The dissatisfaction of the faithful with the closure of the cathedrals was quickly put to rest by Yakov Sverdlov, who was not slow in declaring the primacy of the interests of the revolution over all prejudices. In 1922, more than thirty kilograms of gold, about five hundred kilograms of silver, the shrine of Patriarch Hermogenes, and more than a thousand different precious stones were seized from the cult buildings of the Moscow Kremlin.

The Kremlin architectural ensemble during the Soviet era suffered more than in the entire previous history of its existence.

Of the 54 structures marked on the Kremlin plan at the very beginning of the last century, less than half remain. Monuments to Alexander II, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich were demolished. Congresses of Soviets began to be held in the Grand Kremlin Palace, a public dining room was set up in the Faceted Chamber, and a kitchen was set up in the Golden Chamber. The Catherine Church of the Ascension Monastery was adapted for a sports hall, and the Kremlin hospital was located in the Miracle Monastery. In the thirties, the Small Nicholas Palace and all the monasteries with buildings were demolished. Almost the entire eastern part of the Moscow Kremlin has turned into ruins. Soviet authorities destroyed 17 churches.

Many years passed before the Moscow Kremlin began to be restored.

By the celebration of the eight hundredth anniversary of Moscow, a thorough restoration of the towers and walls was carried out. The artists of Palekh in the Cathedral of the Annunciation discovered the murals of 1508. A large amount of restoration work has been carried out in the Archangel Cathedral (wall paintings have been restored). The Assumption Cathedral has also undergone extensive restoration.

The ban on living in the Kremlin has been introduced since 1955, and the ancient architectural ensemble becomes a museum, partially open to the public.

In today's many-sided Moscow, the Kremlin remains a historical place that millions of tourists tend to visit, hoping to touch the history of the white-stone capital there, to feel and understand it.

The Moscow Kremlin to this day is the main socio-political, artistic, historical, religious and spiritual center of Russia. In addition, the Moscow Kremlin is the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

UNESCO in 1990 included the Moscow Kremlin, whose history continues, in the list of world cultural heritage.

Historical and architectural ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin
The Moscow Kremlin is the oldest part of Moscow, the main socio-political, spiritual, religious, historical and artistic complex of the capital, the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation. It is located on the high, left bank of the Moskva River - Borovitsky Hill, at the confluence of the river. Neglinnaya. In plan, the Kremlin is an irregular triangle with an area of 27.5 hectares. The southern wall faces the Moscow River, the northwestern one faces the Alexander Garden, the eastern one faces Red Square. Geographically located in the Central Administrative District, separated as an independent administrative unit.

Moscow has been standing on Russian land for nine centuries and, it seems, does not feel its ancient age at all, it looks rather into the future than into the past. But there is a place in Moscow where every period of its centuries-old history, every turn of its complex fate has left its indelible mark. This place is the Moscow Kremlin.

It is located in the center of a huge city on a high hill above the Moscow River. From the opposite bank of the river, the walls and towers of the Kremlin create the impression of a majestic architectural ensemble. Nearby, one can feel the harsh power of this ancient citadel. The height of its walls, narrow loopholes and battlefields, the measured step of the towers - everything indicates that, first of all, this is a fortress.

Upon entering the Kremlin, the impression changes. On its territory there are spacious squares and cozy squares, grand palaces and golden-domed temples. Today, everything here truly breathes with History - ancient cannons and bells, ancient cathedrals that have preserved in memory so many events, so many names ... Here everything is nearby, all together - the royal towers and palaces of the New Age, the residence of the President of Russia and world-famous museums.

So what is the Moscow Kremlin - this amazing fortress city in the center of Moscow? A stronghold of power, an ancient spiritual center of Moscow and Russia, a treasury of its art and antiquity? It is hardly possible to find an exhaustive answer. Apparently, something unsaid will always remain behind him, some kind of hidden meaning and significance. Having absorbed the history of the country, having become a witness and participant in all its most important events, the Kremlin has turned into an all-Russian national shrine, has become a symbol of Moscow and all of Russia.

More than nine hundred years of the history of Moscow and the Kremlin is too long to even try to list all its main events and facts. We offer not a detailed chronicle of events, but rather a story about the historical fate of the Moscow Kremlin, each turn of which is a milestone in the life of our country.

2.

After the Soviet government moved in the spring of 1918 from Petrograd to Moscow, the Kremlin was closed to the public.

The Moscow Kremlin is the oldest and central part of Moscow on Borovitsky Hill, on the left bank of the Moskva River, one of the most beautiful architectural ensembles in the world. The area of the Kremlin in plan is an irregular triangle and is equal to 27.5 hectares.

The Moscow Kremlin in 1156 was fortified with a rampart; in 1367 walls and towers were built of white stone, in 1485-95 - of brick. The towers were received in the 17th century. the currently existing longline and tent completions. The Moscow Kremlin has first-class monuments of Russian architecture of the 15th-17th centuries: cathedrals - the Assumption (1475-79), Annunciation (1484-89) and Arkhangelsk (1505-08), the Ivan the Great Bell Tower (1505-08, built on in 1600) , Palace of Facets (1487-91), Terem Palace (1635-36). In 1776-87 the building of the Senate was built, in 1839-1849 - the B. Kremlin Palace and in 1844-1851 - the Armory. In 1959-61 the State Kremlin Palace was built. Among the 20 towers of the Moscow Kremlin, the most significant are Spasskaya (with Kremlin chimes), Nikolskaya, Troitskaya, Borovitskaya. Remarkable monuments of Russian foundry art are preserved - the Tsar Cannon (16th century) and the Tsar Bell (18th century). In 1991, the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve "Moscow Kremlin" was created. The Moscow Kremlin is the residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

Historical sketch of the Moscow Kremlin
The oldest archaeological finds on the Kremlin territory date back to the 2nd millennium BC. e. Slavic settlements on the site of the Kremlin existed no later than the 11th century. In 1145 the village on the Kremlin hill was surrounded by the first wooden walls and towers. It was first mentioned in the annals in 1147. Convenient location - at the confluence of the Moscow and Neglinka rivers, there was a river route from the western Russian regions (Chernigov, Kiev, Smolensk) to the Vladimir-Suzdal principality - contributed to the growth of the settlement, taken from the boyars of the Kuchkovs by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. The wooden fortress (in ancient times it was called "grad"; the name "Kremlin" appeared no earlier than the 14th century), built by Yuri Dolgoruky in 1156, became the protective gates of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. Land roads joined the river roads, converging to the Kremlin from other Russian cities. The original settlement "Kuchkovo" occupied about 1.5 hectares in the southwestern tip of the Kremlin Hill, Yury Dolgoruky's citadel occupied 5-6 times the territory. Under the protection of the fortress, a marketplace was formed, the future Red Square. In 1237, during the invasion of the Tatars, the Castle was destroyed.

Under Ivan Kalita, the Kremlin was expanded and surrounded by oak walls (logs in diameter reached one meter). At the same time, several stone churches were built inside the Kremlin (the remains of the foundations were found by archaeologists). The first white-stone walls of Moscow region stone were erected in 1367 under Dmitry Donskoy, and the territory of the Kremlin expanded almost to the size of the modern one. The invasion of Tokhtamysh in 1382 again inflicted terrible damage on the Kremlin, although restoration work was undertaken. In the middle of the 14th century Chudovsky male and Resurrection female monasteries were founded in the Kremlin.

In the second half of the 15th c. the old white stone walls of the Kremlin dilapidated and partially collapsed. For its reconstruction, Ivan III, perhaps on the advice of his wife Sophia Paleolog, decided to invite Italian (“Fryazhsky”) architects, as the best in Europe at that time. The restructuring of the Kremlin began with the construction in 1475-79 of the new Assumption Cathedral, located in the center of the Kremlin triangle: the old stone Assumption Cathedral no longer met the requirements for the main metropolitan church, which was supposed to contain the burial places of Russian metropolitans and weddings to the kingdom. The Assumption Cathedral, built by the Italian architect Aristotle Fioravanti in the tradition of Vladimir craftsmen from white limestone and brick near Moscow, laid the foundation for the Cathedral Square ensemble.

In 1484-88 Pskov craftsmen built the Church of the Deposition of the Robe and the Cathedral of the Annunciation. The second most important Kremlin cathedral is the Archangel Cathedral. It was built by the Italian architect Aleviz Novy in 1505-1508, thirty years after the construction of the Assumption Cathedral. During this time, the Russian state finally threw off the Tatar-Mongolian yoke and strengthened economic and cultural ties with European countries. The stone Sovereign's Palace with the Palace of Facets (1487-91) completed the formation of the western side of the Cathedral Square. The bell tower of Ivan the Great became the dominant feature of the square, the Kremlin and all of Moscow.

The Kremlin walls and towers, built (1485-95) in accordance with the fortification requirements of that time, have survived with alterations to the present. By 1516, work was completed on the construction of a moat from the side of Red Square. During the Time of Troubles, the Kremlin was occupied by the Poles and held by them for two years; released by the people's militia of K. M. Minin and D. M. Pozharsky on October 26, 1612.

With the accession of the Romanovs, intensive construction began. In the 1620s, the Filaret belfry was erected next to Ivan the Great, a stone tent (1624-25) was erected above the Spasskaya Tower, and a clock was arranged on the tower. A decade later, the Terem Palace and palace churches were built, in the 1650s the Poteshny Palace, the Patriarch's Chambers and the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles were built. In the 1680s, all wall towers (except for Nikolskaya) received a tented completion. Peter I takes measures for the military strengthening of the Kremlin: the construction of the Arsenal begins (1702-36), the Kremlin walls and towers are reinforced with earthen bastions. The transfer of the capital to St. Petersburg stopped new buildings for a while.

By order of Catherine II, V.I. Bazhenov plans to build new structures on the site of the Kremlin. Freeing up the territory for the construction of a new palace, in 1773 they demolished a number of ancient Kremlin buildings and part of the southern wall, laid the foundation of the palace, but on the personal order of Catherine II, the work was canceled (officially - due to lack of funds, in fact - due to negative public opinion). opinions), and the walls restored. In 1776-87 the building of the Senate was built.

Napoleon's invasion of 1812 caused enormous damage to the Kremlin. The French, in search of valuables, desecrated the burial places and plundered the churches. Retreating, Napoleon ordered to blow up part of the walls, towers and structures. Restoration work was carried out in 1816-19 under the leadership of O. I. Bove. In the 1830s and 1840s, the Grand Kremlin Palace (1839-49) and the Armory (1844-51) were built. By 1917 there were 31 churches in the Kremlin, including two monasteries.

During the October Revolution, the Kremlin, occupied by a small detachment of junkers, was bombarded, which continued after the surrender of the junkers. In November 1917, revolutionary detachments entered the Kremlin. On March 10-11, 1918, the government of the RSFSR moved from Petrograd to Moscow and settled in the Kremlin in the building of the former Senate. During the years of Soviet power in the Kremlin, the building of the School of Red Commanders. All-Russian Central Executive Committee (1932-1934) and the Kremlin Palace of Congresses (1959-1961), stars were installed on five towers (1935-37), on special pedestals - monuments of Russian foundry art Tsar Cannon (1485) and Tsar Bell (1733-35) . The walls and buildings of the Kremlin were repeatedly restored.

On Easter 1918, the last service was held in the Assumption Cathedral, after which the Kremlin churches and monasteries were closed, their partial demolition began, and a strict access control was introduced in the Kremlin. Since the mid-1950s, access to some museums located on the territory of the Kremlin has been open. Since the 1990s, divine services and bell ringing have gradually resumed in some churches.

The Taynitskaya tower with a gate and a secret passage to the river was built first in 1435. Then, in 1435-38, two round corner towers were laid: Vodovzvodnaya and Beklemishevskaya. After that, the construction of the southern wall with towers along the Moscow River was completed.

The main entrance to the Kremlin led through the Frolovsky gates, later called Spassky. In the 16th century, a wooden superstructure was made with a clock and a chime. In the 17th century, the Spasskaya Tower, and then others (except Nikolskaya) received decorative tented completions. Today it is difficult to imagine how the Moscow Kremlin looked for one hundred and eighty years without picturesque superstructures above its towers.

The Nikolskaya tower with a gate overlooks Red Square (1491, architect Pietro Antonio Solari). In 1805, the tower was built on and rebuilt in the Gothic style by the architect K. I. Rossi. In 1812, it was blown up by the retreating troops of Napoleon, but was soon restored according to the project of O. I. Beauvais.

The Kremlin wall overlooking the Neglinka (Alexander Garden) was closed and had a single travel tower in the center - Troitskaya (1495-99, architect Aleviz Fryazin). It was built on by analogy with the Spasskaya Tower in 1685. A stone bridge on arches was built against the Trinity Gate through Neglinnaya and ponds, one of the first in Moscow. Access to the bridge was protected by a diversion archer - the Kutafya tower. The wall near the Moskva River ended with the Borovitsky Gate, through which they entered the royal palace. The Borovitskaya tower, built in 1490 by the architect Pietro Antonio Solari, was built on in tiered completion at the end of the 17th century.

Along the Moskva River, in addition to the main wall with towers, there was a lower wall parallel to it without towers. This is explained by the fact that the southern facade of the Kremlin was the most dangerous militarily. In 1495, all buildings across the Moskva River opposite the Kremlin were demolished, which increased fire safety, opened up space for firing from guns, and improved the view of the Kremlin from Zamoskvorechye (gardens were subsequently planted there). In 1680-1681, the Kremlin towers received picturesque superstructures that doubled their height. They enriched the architecture of the Kremlin, gave it a fabulous appearance, which is characterized by the Russian compositional principle of tiered.

Cathedral of the Archangel
In 1505, on the site of the white-stone Archangel Church of 1333, the construction of the Archangel Cathedral began, which then became the grand ducal, and later the royal tomb. The architect Aleviz Novy gave the appearance of the temple the features of classical architecture of the Italian Renaissance, expressed in perfect proportions and forms of order architecture. At the same time, he retained the traditional cubic architectural composition of the Russian cathedral church. The Archangel Cathedral, with its proportions and classical facades, made a strong impression on contemporaries and became an object of imitation. The surviving wall painting dates back to the 17th century. After Bazhenov's attempt to build a new palace, for which grandiose earthworks were carried out in the Kremlin, the Archangel Cathedral cracked.

Annunciation Cathedral, Red Porch and Church of the Deposition of the Robe
In 1484-89, southwest of the Assumption Cathedral, Pskov craftsmen erected the Annunciation Cathedral (Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos), which became the house church of the Moscow princes. Initially, the temple was three-domed and had an open bypass gallery. Then the gallery was built up, and the temple was enriched with six more domes. The Cathedral of the Annunciation attracts attention with fine white-stone carvings of architectural details and a high basement. The interior space is small. The iconostasis was made in the 15th century, and includes icons by Andrey Rublev, Theophan the Greek, Fedor from Gorodets. The walls were painted in 1508 by Theodosius, son of Dionysius. The floor is covered with type-setting jasper. Between the cathedral and the Faceted Chamber is the Red Porch, intended for solemn royal exits. In the 1930s, it was destroyed, and a canteen was built in its place for employees of the Kremlin institutions; in 1999 - restored.

Adjacent to the western wall of the Assumption Cathedral is a small single-domed church of the Deposition of the Robe (in honor of the position of the Robe of the Mother of God in Blachernae), built by Pskov craftsmen in 1450 in memory of the deliverance of Moscow from the raid of the Tatar prince Mazovsha, which coincided with the feast of the position of the Robe. Its architecture is a kind of fusion of Moscow and Pskov architecture. The compact and at the same time monumental volume of the church is completed with graceful keeled zakomaras. The Ivan the Great Bell Tower plays an extremely important compositional role in the ensemble of Cathedral Square and the entire Kremlin. Its lower part was built on the site of the Church of John of the Ladder (14th century) by the architect Bon-Fryazin (1505-08), and Petrok Maly added a belfry to it (1532-43). Under Boris Godunov (1600), the tower was built up to its present height, and then in the 17th century. on the north side, the so-called "Filaret's extension" was erected. An octahedral tower - "Ivan the Great" - dominates in the resulting picturesque group of buildings. There are 21 bells on the belfry and belfry. In 1812, during the retreat of Napoleon's troops from Moscow, the belfry and Filaret's extension were partially blown up, but soon restored (architects I. V. Egotov, L. Ruska, D. I. Gilardi). The picturesque group, consisting of buildings of different times, makes a surprisingly integral impression and separates the Cathedral Square of the Kremlin from Ivanovskaya, where the buildings of Orders and central state institutions used to be. "Ivan the Great" noted the Kremlin hill as the dominant point of the Muscovite state of the 16th-17th centuries, on which the main city highways converged radially. The pillar of "Ivan the Great" was the dominant feature of ancient Moscow.

Faceted Chamber
On the opposite side of the Cathedral Square was the Kremlin Palace, from which the Faceted Chamber, the main throne room of the palace, has been preserved. It got its name from the faceted rust that covers its main facade.

Built by the Italian architects Pietro Antonio Solari and Mark Fryazin (1687-1891?), the Faceted Chamber is a one-pillar structure with an area of about 5,000 square meters. m, covered by four cross vaults. The modern painting was made in 1881 by Paleshani masters according to the inventory of Simon Ushakov.

Adjacent to the Faceted Chamber is a vestibule, above which there are rooms for the queen and her entourage (women), so that they can observe the solemn ceremonies that took place in the chamber.

The wooden Kremlin Palace, which stood behind the Faceted Chamber, burned down in 1636-1637, the living quarters of the palace, the so-called "Bed Chambers", were rebuilt (of brick) and became known as the "Terem". This palace has a stepped three-dimensional composition. The upper tower was intended for the royal children.

Terem Palace
The facades of the Terem Palace are richly decorated with decorative painting and glazed tiles. The interiors are covered with "grass" patterns and decorative carvings. The ovens are lined with polychrome tiles. A unique piece of blacksmith art is the Golden Grid that encloses the main entrance to the palace. All rooms were decorated with paintings that have not survived to this day.

Grand Kremlin Palace and the Armory
In 1838-1849, next to the Terem Palace, according to the project of Academician K. A. Ton, the Grand Kremlin Palace was built, which was supposed to unite palace buildings of different times. The length of its main facade is 117 m. The palace is characterized by an eclectic combination of different styles, typical of the architecture of the middle of the 19th century. In plan, it has the shape of a square with a courtyard. There are about seven hundred rooms in the palace. The facades and interiors are designed in the Russian style, whose propagandist was Ton. On the first floor of the palace there were residential and utility rooms, on the second - front rooms with double-height halls. The halls are dedicated to pre-revolutionary Russian orders. The largest of them, Georgievsky, is covered with a barrel vault, on its walls there are boards with the names of military units and the names of officers awarded the Order of St. George. In addition to Vladimir and Ekaterininsky, there are also Andreevsky and Alexander halls. They were rebuilt in 1934, restored again in 1999. Solemn receptions are held in the St. George Hall, the inauguration of the President of Russia takes place.

Near the Borovitsky Gates in 1851, Ton built the building of the Armory, which is similar in architecture to the large Kremlin Palace. It is a rectangular two-story building, on the second floor of which there are two-height halls, the walls are decorated with 58 marble bas-relief portraits-medallions of Russian princes and tsars by the sculptor F.I. Shubin. Since 1806 it has been a museum, since 1813 it has been open to visitors.

Arsenal and Senate
The northern zone of the Kremlin is formed by the buildings of the Arsenal, the Senate and the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. The arsenal was built in 1702-36 (architects H. Konrad, D. Ivanov, M. Choglokov) between the Troitskaya and Nikolskaya towers and was intended to store weapons and various military equipment. The building was repeatedly burned, and acquired its final form in 1737, when the architect D. V. Ukhtomsky added a second floor; in 1816-28 restored according to the design of Beauvais. Captured French cannons are placed along the facade of the Arsenal in memory of the war of 1812.

Between the Nikolsky and Spassky gates next to the Arsenal in 1776-84, according to the project of the architect M.F. Kazakov, the building of the Senate was built. The compositional center of the building is a solemn round meeting room crowned with a 20-meter dome located along the axis of the Senate Tower. The beautiful Corinthian colonnade, the coffered sphere of the dome is one of the highest achievements of the architecture of Russian classicism of the 18th century. The building is triangular in plan and has three courtyards.

Opposite the Arsenal, in 1959-61, the building of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses was built (architect M. V. Posokhin). Its architecture has the character of official splendor and is dissonant with the surrounding monuments of the Kremlin. With a height of 29 m, the building is buried 15 m into the ground. The conference hall is designed for 6,000 seats. Today the building is used as the second stage of the Bolshoi Theatre.

Chudov Monastery
The Monastery of Miracles (Alekseevsky Archangelo-Mikhailovsky) was founded in 1365 by Metropolitan Alexei in memory of the miraculous healing of Khansha Taidula by him. It is named after the central church of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael in Khonekh. During the invasion of Tokhtamysh in 1382, it was burnt down, devastated by fires several more times, but always renewed. In the 16-17 centuries. became the Great Lavra; in 1744-1833 - the location of the Moscow spiritual consistory. It suffered greatly during the French invasion in 1812: the altar of the cathedral church was turned into the bedroom of Marshal Davout, the shrines were desecrated, the relics of the founder of the monastery, Metropolitan Alexei, were thrown out of the shrine (later found). There are many historical legends associated with the monastery. In 1918, together with the nearby Ascension Monastery (founded in the late 14th - early 15th centuries by Grand Duchess Evdokia, monastic Efrosinya, widow of Dmitry Donskoy), it was closed by the commandant of the Kremlin Malkov as a "nest of counter-revolutionaries." In the early 1930s both monasteries were blown up and dismantled. In their place, the building of the School of Red Commanders (later the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR; architect I. I. Rerberg) was built.

Interesting Facts

The Kremlin is the largest fortress in Europe, preserved and operating to this day.
The dovetail-shaped battlements of the Kremlin wall have the same appearance as the distinctive battlements of the Ghibelline castles.
In 1941, windows were painted on the walls of the Kremlin in order to disguise them as residential buildings.
see also

Moscow
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