The oldest building in Moscow, the Kremlin, is today the hallmark of the Russian capital. The way residents and visitors of the city see it today is the work of masters and architects for 5 centuries. The future Russian capital began with him, when Yuri Dolgoruky ordered to build a fortress at the place of settlement on the Moscow River. It is perfectly preserved, and modern Muscovites know well how many towers the Kremlin has, and tourists from all over the world come to admire their greatness.
History and description of the Moscow Kremlin
Over the centuries of the construction of Moscow, Russian tsars invited the best Italian architects to expand and strengthen its fortress, at which the border was gradually outlined. At different times, it was built 20 "vezha" - that's how many towers in the Kremlin.
Each of them has not only its own story, but also a name, except for two, which the people called so - Unnamed. The Kremlin began to be erected around the Vyatichi settlement in the middle of the 12th century. So, in 1156, the first 850 m of the defensive structure were built. For almost a century, a fortress was erected, but was completely destroyed by the Mongols in 1238.
After its restoration from 1264, the Moscow princes made it their residence, and in 1339 she had the first towers, but still made of wood. Only during the reign of Dmitry Donskoy in 1366, wooden walls and towers began to be replaced by white stone, which was mined near Moscow. Hence the name of the city - "white stone".
How many towers the Kremlin had at that time is not known, since they were either destroyed or restored. His real perestroika began under Ivan III. This was facilitated by the fact that the local white stone turned out to be short-lived and began to crumble, but the fortress began to acquire a modern look from 1485. In those days, how many towers the Kremlin of Moscow had, they were all dismantled along with the walls and rebuilt from burnt bricks.
The fortress acquired its final form in 1516, while its internal structures were constantly changing. The towers of the Moscow Kremlin (list below) and the walls are an irregular triangle. He acquired this form during the reign of Ivan III. It was he who determined the boundaries of the fortress. The list of Kremlin towers:
- Spasskaya.
- Water intake.
- Borovitskaya.
- Armory.
- Curfew.
- Nikolskaya.
- Trinity.
- Kutafya.
- Imperial.
- Senate
- Medium Arsenal.
- Corner Arsenal.
- Beklemishevskaya.
- Alarm clock.
- Konstantin-Eleninsky.
- First Nameless.
- Second Nameless.
- Petrovskaya.
- Tainitskaya.
- Blagoveshchensk.
The towers of the Moscow Kremlin (a description of each separately below), like the walls, are perfectly preserved, unlike the internal buildings. The greatest damage was done to ancient churches in the Stalin era.
Taynitskaya tower and Borovitsky gate with a tower
How many towers has the Moscow Kremlin, so many stories. For example, Tainitskaya was named so because it led a secret passage from it to the Moskva River in case an attack on the fortress or a long siege occurs.
Its height is 38.4 m, once there was a gate in it, which were later walled up. It was first erected in a brick version in 1485 under the direction of architect Anton Fryazin.
How many towers the Kremlin has, but only 3 of them are round, and the rest are square. So Borovitskaya is a high square structure, crowned with a stepped elevation. It is located on the highest hill in Moscow, therefore, with its “growth” of 54.05 m, it is clearly visible from afar.
It is interesting to know: built in 1490 by the Italian master Pietro Solari, it was called the Baptist Tower by the decree of the king from 1658, named after the nearby Church of John the Baptist and the icon of the same name mounted above its gates.
Moskvoretskaya, Blagoveshchenskaya and Vodovzvodnaya towers
Beklemishevskaya, or, as it is now called, Moskvoretskaya, the tower crowns the southeast side of the Kremlin. This round-shaped structure with narrow loopholes was built by the Italian architect Marco Ruffo in 1488.
This tower got its name due to the adjoining courtyard of the boyar Beklemishev. Under Basil III, this place served as a prison for the boyars who fell into disfavor with the king. At one time, it was of great strategic importance, since it was at the intersection of the Moscow River and the defensive ditch, so it was the first to be fired upon.
The stone cylinder is crowned with a 46.2 m tall mashikuli (mounted loopholes for vertical shooting at the enemy), surrounded by a battlefield. In this form, it stood until 1680, when it was decorated with a pointed octagon with a narrow tent. So she looks today. She owes her new name to the Moskvoretsky bridge located nearby.
The Annunciation Tower is named after the miraculous icon that was stored in it. Later, a church was built for the icon, but the name remains.
The Vodovzvodnaya Tower is angular and so named because there once was a car pumping water from a river and delivering it through lead pipes to the Tsar’s palace in the Kremlin.
In the 17th century, the car was dismantled and transported to St. Petersburg for the installation of fountains. The height of the tower is 61.45 m.
Armory and Commandant Towers
Once the Armory Tower stood on the banks of the Neglinka, but then the river was “chained” into a pipe underground. The building owes its name to the Armory Chamber built nearby, where weapons and jewelry workshops were once located. Now it houses a museum, which presents unique military and jewelry exhibits of antiquity. The height of the structure is 32.65 m.
The commandant tower was erected in 1495, but it got its modern name only in the 19th century, when the commandant of the fortress moved to the nearby Fun Palace.
Trinity, Kutafya and Petrovskaya towers
How many towers have the Kremlin, almost all of them were rebuilt by Italian masters in the 15th century. So Troitskaya was built by Aloisio da Karezano in 1495-1499. This is the tallest building in the Kremlin. Its height is 80 m along with the spire and its crowning star. The construction got its name from the nearby Trinity Church.
It is interesting to know: at one time this building bore different names, for example, Rizopolozhenskaya, Karetnaya or Znamenskaya, until in 1658 it received its current name. There was once a prison in its two-story base. Until 1935, the royal eagle crowned her spire, which was replaced by a ruby star for the next anniversary of the revolution.
The Kutafya Tower stands at the beginning of the Trinity Bridge and is not like other Kremlin structures. It is the lowest (18 m), squat and wide, so it was called that. Kutafia in Russia teased fat clumsy women.
Since the weakest, from a strategic point of view, was the southern wall of the Kremlin, an additional tower was built there. For a long time she was nameless, but then the name Petrovskaya took root after the nearby church of Metropolitan Peter.
Medium and Angular Arsenal Towers
The Middle Arsenal Tower (1493-1495) gained its name from the armory built near it. She goes to the Alexander Garden.
The name Corner Arsenal Tower speaks for itself. It is rounded and famous for its well, which is more than 500 years old. It is located at the base of the building and is still filled with the purest water from the underground river.
Nikolskaya, Senate and Spasskaya towers
How many towers are in the Kremlin, and almost all of them have names associated with nearby churches. Here is Nikolskaya among them. This passageway was equipped with a drawbridge over the moat and bars, which were lowered during danger so that the enemies would not pass. It was through her that Minin and Pozharsky broke into the army and liberated the city from Polish-Lithuanian intervention.
The Senate Tower (1491) is located behind the mausoleum of V.I. Lenin and is named after the building of the Senate, located behind the Kremlin wall.
The Spasskaya Tower was built on the site of the former main gate of the Kremlin. An icon of the Savior was installed above the passage, and the entrance itself was revered by the people as a saint, and it was necessary to enter it on foot with an uncovered head. Nowadays, famous chimes are installed on it.
