The first evidence found of the location of ancient settlements on the Kremlin’s territory is two to three thousand years old. There is actually no right answer to the question of who built the Kremlin in Moscow, since the construction of the first stockade is ascribed to the time when a deacon-type settlement was located on Borovitsky Hill. The direct construction of the structure began with the order of Yuri Dolgorukov on the construction of walls in 1156.
Olympus of the Russian state - Kremlin in Moscow
Initially, the walls of the building were made of wood, and only with the coming to power of Dmitry Donskoy did the capital gain its famous nickname - white stone. The walls were replaced with stone made of local limestone. During the reign of Ivan III, Italian architects were invited, who took up the new construction (1475-1479) - analysis of the white stone wall and erection of a brick wall in its place. In order to maintain safety, she was disassembled in parts with a quick change to a new one. Construction continued for a long ten years. Also, together with the modernization of the wall, the Assumption Cathedral was built.
During the war of 1812, the Kremlin in Moscow was badly damaged and looted. It took him about four years to regain its former appearance. Dozens of the best specialists worked on this. Also, great damage was caused to the building during the armed uprising of 1917, during which the Kremlin was mercilessly fired by artillery.
Location
The Moscow Kremlin, as the main socio-political and artistic-historical complex of the capital of the Russian Federation, is simply obliged to be in the immediate center of the city. This can be explained from two perspectives:
- The aesthetic perception of the structure as the center of the capital - the main governing body, from where the main decrees come, etc.
- Considering the Kremlin in Moscow as one of the oldest sites, it is appropriate to note its strategically correct location. The fortress was located and is located between two connecting rivers, leaving the potential invader the right to attack from only one side, which has a positive effect on the defense of the main administrative object of the state.
The Kremlin in Moscow is located on Borovitsky Hill - on the left bank of the Moskva River. In its architectural design, the structure is an irregular triangle (to be more precise, it is a quadrangle with one cut corner).
The era of the USSR
In a special way, the Kremlin changed when the Soviet government came to power in the country. Since 1918, Moscow has again become the political center of the entire state. In March of that year, the entire Soviet government moved to the Kremlin. The entry of the “soviets” into the former royal palaces caused a wave of indignation among ordinary citizens, but it was quickly suppressed. The building became a forbidden zone, ordinary residents lost the possibility of free entry to its territory. Historians have stated that over the years of Soviet power, the Kremlin in Moscow as an architectural ensemble was significantly damaged - more than half of the previously existing buildings and monuments were demolished.
One of the most famous transformations during the Soviet period was the replacement of double-headed eagles, located on the central passage towers, with stars from the Ural gems, which were later replaced by ruby ones.
Kremlin towers
The towers of the Moscow Kremlin are represented in the amount of twenty pieces, each of them was built in different years and has its own length and unique name. The following four towers are considered to be the main ones: Beklemishevskaya, Vodovzvodnaya, Angular Arsenal (located in the corners of the triangle, the only elements with a circular cross section, the remaining seventeen are square), and Spasskaya is the most famous thanks to the clock installed on it. Mysterious ruby stars flaunt on five towers: on Spasskaya (Frolovskaya), Nikolskaya, Troitskaya, Borovitskaya (Predtechenskaya) and Vodovzvodnaya.
The lowest is the Tsar’s tower, built in 1680, and the highest are Troitskaya (79.3 meters), Nikolskaya (70.4 meters) and Spasskaya (71 meters). All towers, mainly due to the construction at the same time (second half of the XVII century), made in a single architectural style. A bright spot is the Nikolskaya tower, designed in a pseudo-Gothic style.
Labor of overseas masters
The Kremlin walls were built between 1485-1516 by Italian architects. They are a non-equilateral triangle with a total length of 2235 m, height and width of 5-19 m and 3.5-6.5 m, respectively. The top of the walls is decorated with battlements, in total there are 1, 045 (according to the Lombard tradition, in the form of a tail of a swallow). Most have loopholes in the form of gaps. Embrasures are embedded in them, wide and overlapped. Outside, the walls have a smooth shape, and on the inside they are decorated with niches in the form of arches. This architectural solution is designed not only to facilitate, but also to strengthen the design. Like many structures of those times, the Kremlin wall kept many hiding places and secret passages that allowed it to leave the fortress if necessary. However, a section of the wall in the northeast, facing the Red Square, now serves as a columbar. It stores urns with the ashes of prominent figures of the Soviet period. Now the question is being raised of allocating another place for the columbaria.
Kremlin and its components
No matter how rich Moscow is in terms of interesting places, the Kremlin is the main attraction of the capital. He is famous for many different architectural creations. Entrance to its territory is, of course, paid, as well as excursions, but what is money compared to centuries of history stored and placed in one complex?
Orthodox cathedrals are especially interesting:
- Assumption Cathedral.
- Blagoveshchensky cathedral.
- The Patriarchal Palace and the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles.
- Verkhospassky Cathedral.
- Arkhangelsk Cathedral, etc.
During the tour, there will undoubtedly be a desire to take a photo of the Kremlin in Moscow. It is worth capturing both the walls and towers described above, as well as the elaborate palace buildings - this is the Grand Kremlin Palace, the Faceted Chamber, and the Amusing Palace.
Buildings such as the State Kremlin Palace, formerly known as the Palace of Congresses, the Armory, the Senate Palace and others, can become a very interesting place to get acquainted.
One of the most recognizable sights of the Kremlin, of course, was Tsar Cannon and Tsar Bell, cast in 1586 and 1733-1735. respectively.
Moscow Attractions - Kremlin and its museums
Mentioning the museums located on the territory of the Kremlin, it is simply impossible not to talk about the Diamond Fund - one of the largest jewelry collections in the country. A significant symbol of the former royal power are the regalia of the king - power, scepter and crown. For safety reasons, photo and video recording inside is prohibited. Seven historical stones are also located there, the most famous of which are the following: Orlov and Shah diamond. The latter, as you know, was presented to the Russian Emperor Nicholas I by the Persian Shah in order to make amends for the growing conflict in connection with the tragic death of the famous Russian poet and playwright A.S. Griboedova during the attack on the Russian embassy in Tehran in early 1829.
The history of the Russian state is most fully covered in the Armory. This is a two-story building, erected by architect K. Ton. It contains all the thrones on which the Russian autocrats sat in different years. There you can see the famous collection of Faberge eggs, as well as the saber of Minin and Pozharsky, the silver chalice of Yuri Dolgoruky, etc.
The current situation of the Moscow Kremlin
The history of the Kremlin in Moscow has not lost its thread today. Currently, and more precisely - since 1991, the Kremlin is the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation. In connection with this fact, in the nineties, unthinkable restoration work was carried out throughout its territory. Such sights as the Faceted Chamber, the Alexander and St. Andrew Halls of the Grand Kremlin Palace, the Senate building, etc., underwent restoration.
The walls of the Kremlin are painted almost annually so that they do not lose their presentable and spectacular appearance.
