What the Kremlin looks like now. Moscow Kremlin - the sovereign crown of Russia

V historic center the capital is the most recognizable architectural structure in Russia - the Moscow Kremlin. Main feature architectural ensemble is its strengthening complex, consisting of walls in the form of a triangle with twenty towers.

The complex was built between 1485 and 1499 and is well preserved to this day. Several times it served as a model for similar fortresses that appeared in other cities of Russia - Kazan, Tula, Rostov, Nizhny Novgorod, etc. Within the walls of the Kremlin there are numerous religious and secular buildings - cathedrals, palaces and administrative buildings of different eras. Kremlin was included in the list World heritage UNESCO in 1990. Together with the adjoining Red Square, which is on this list, the Kremlin is usually considered the main attraction in Moscow.

Cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin

The architectural ensemble is formed by three temples, in the center is located. The history of the cathedral began in 1475. It is the oldest fully preserved building among all the Kremlin buildings.

Initially, construction took place in 1326-1327 under the leadership of Ivan I. After the completion of the construction, the cathedral served as the home church of the Metropolitan of Moscow, who settled in the predecessor of the current Patriarchal Palace.

By 1472, the now collapsed cathedral was destroyed, and then a new building was built in its place. However, it collapsed in May 1474, possibly due to an earthquake or due to construction errors. A new attempt at revival was made by the Grand Duke Ivan III. It was in this cathedral that prayers were held before important campaigns, kings were crowned and elevated to the dignity of patriarchs.

Dedicated to Archangel Michael, the patron saint of Russian rulers, was built in 1505 on the site of the church of the same name in 1333. It was built by the Italian architect Aloisio Lamberti da Montignana. Architectural style combines traditional Old Russian religious architecture and elements of the Italian Renaissance.

Located at the southwest corner of the square. In 1291 a wooden church was built here, but a century later it burned down and was replaced by a stone church. The white stone cathedral has nine onion domes on its facades and is intended for family ceremonies.

Working hours of cathedrals: 10:00 to 17:00 (closed on Thursday). A single ticket for visits will cost 500 rubles for adults and 250 rubles for children.

Palaces and squares of the Moscow Kremlin

• - these are several representative secular buildings, created in different centuries and served as a home for Russian grand dukes and tsars, and in our time for presidents.
  

  

  

  

• - a five-story building, decorated with richly carved decorative frames and a tiled roof.
  

  

  

• - a building of the 17th century, has preserved rare architectural features of civil architecture of that time. The museum exhibits jewelry, exquisite dishes, paintings, items of the royal hunt. The magnificent iconostasis of the Ascension Monastery destroyed in 1929 has survived.
  
  
• - a three-storey building made in the early neoclassical style. Initially, the palace was supposed to serve as a residence for the Senate, but nowadays it exists as the central working representation of the President of Russia.
  

  

  

  

Among popular places the following squares should be noted in the Moscow Kremlin:

Moscow Kremlin towers

The walls are 2235 meters long, their maximum height is 19 meters, and the thickness reaches 6.5 meters.

There are 20 defensive towers similar in architectural style. Three corner towers have a cylindrical base, the remaining 17 are quadrangular.

Trinity Tower is the tallest, rising 80 meters.

Lowest - Kutafya tower(13.5 meters), located outside the wall.

Four towers have access gates:

The tops of these 4 towers, which are considered especially beautiful, are decorated with the symbolic red ruby ​​stars of the Soviet era.

The clock on the Spasskaya Tower first appeared in the 15th century, but burned down in 1656. On December 9, 1706, the capital heard the chimes for the first time, announcing a new hour. Since then, many events have happened: wars were fought, cities were renamed, capitals changed, but the famous chimes of the Moscow Kremlin remain the main chronometer of Russia.

The bell tower (81 meters high) is the tallest building in the Kremlin ensemble. It was built between 1505 and 1508 and still serves its function for three cathedrals that do not have their own bell towers - Arkhangelsk, Assumption and Annunciation.

Nearby there is a small church of St. John, where the name of the bell tower and the square came from. It existed until the beginning of the 16th century, then collapsed and since then has significantly decayed.

The Faceted Chamber is the main banquet hall of the Moscow princes; it is the oldest surviving secular building in the city. It is currently the official ceremonial hall for the President of Russia, so it is closed for excursions.

The Armory and the Diamond Fund

The chamber was built by decree of Peter I, so that weapons obtained in wars were kept in it. Construction was delayed, starting in 1702 and ending only in 1736 due to financial difficulties. In 1812 the chamber was blown up in the war against Napoleon, it was reconstructed only in 1828. Now the Armory is a museum, which can be visited any day of the week from 10:00 to 18:00, with the exception of Thursday. The ticket price for adults is 700 rubles, for children it is free.

Here are not only the exhibits of the arms trade, but also the Diamond Fund. The permanent exhibition of the State Diamond Fund first opened in the Moscow Kremlin in 1967. Unique jewelry and precious stones are especially valuable here, most of them were confiscated after the October Revolution. Opening hours - from 10:00 to 17:20 on any day except Thursday. For a ticket for adults, you will have to pay 500 rubles, for a ticket for children, it costs 100 rubles.

Two diamonds on display deserve special attention, as they belong to the most famous examples of this gem in the world:

1. It is not only the largest medieval fortress in Russia, but also the largest active fortress in all of Europe. Of course, there were more such structures, but the Moscow Kremlin is the only one that is still in use.
2. The Kremlin walls were white. The walls "acquired" their red brick at the end of the 19th century. To see the White Kremlin, look for works by 18th or 19th century artists such as Pyotr Vereshchagin or Alexei Savrasov.
3. Red Square has nothing to do with red. The name comes from the Old Russian word for "red", which means beautiful, and has nothing to do with the color of the buildings that we now know were white until the end of the 19th century.
4. The stars of the Moscow Kremlin were eagles. During the time of tsarist Russia, the four Kremlin towers were crowned with double-headed eagles, which have been the Russian coat of arms since the 15th century. In 1935, the Soviet government replaced the eagles, which were melted down and replaced with the five-pointed stars that we see today. The fifth star on the Vodovzvodnaya Tower was added later.
5. The Kremlin towers have names. Of the 20 Kremlin towers, only two do not have their own names.
6. The Kremlin is densely built up. Behind the 2235-meter Kremlin walls there are 5 squares and 18 buildings, among which the most popular are the Spasskaya Tower, the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, the Assumption Cathedral, the Trinity Tower and the Terem Palace.
7. The Moscow Kremlin was practically not damaged in the Second World War. During the war, the Kremlin was carefully camouflaged to look like a residential building block. The domes of the church and the famous green towers were painted gray and brown, respectively, fake doors and windows were attached to the walls of the Kremlin, and Red Square was burdened with wooden structures.
8. The Kremlin is in the Guinness Book of Records. In the Moscow Kremlin, you can see the world's largest bell and the world's largest cannon. In 1735, a 6.14 meter bell was made from metal casting, the Tsar Cannon weighing 39.312 tons was lost in 1586 and was never used in the war.
9. The stars of the Kremlin always shine. In 80 years of its existence, the lighting of the Kremlin stars has been turned off only twice. The first time was during World War II when the Kremlin was disguised to hide it from bombers. The second time they were turned off for the movie. Oscar-winning director Nikita Mikhalkov filmed the scene for the Siberian Barber.
10. The Kremlin clock has a deep secret. The secret of the accuracy of the Kremlin clock literally lies under our feet. The clock is connected to the control clock at the Sternberg Astronomical Institute via a cable.

Author: The list of desired points was severely cut - they did not allow shooting from the roofs of buildings, they were not allowed to climb some towers, but most importantly, the Kremlin wall was left. Walking along the Kremlin walls, climbing inaccessible towers was my old dream, and now it has come true! In the first part I will post a walk along the walls of the Kremlin.

01. This is a staircase that leads to the Spasskaya Tower. There are two platforms on the tower, one under the clock, the other above.


02. Dawn.


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05. Let's get a little closer ...


06. View of Red Square from the Spasskaya Tower.


07. Historical Museum and Mausoleum.


08. There is a path along the perimeter of the Kremlin wall. Pipes with some kind of communications, as well as lighting elements and security systems are laid along it.


09. The wall. View from the Konstantino-Eleninskaya tower.


10. Behind the wall, everything is not as beautiful as in the tourist areas. For example, behind the Beklemishevskaya tower some kind of rubbish is piled up. On the left you can see the mount for the Kremlin Christmas tree.


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13. Symbol of Moscow on the Senate building


14. As I said, there are spotlights on the wall. It is difficult to walk freely there.


15. Staircase in one of the towers. Most of the towers are empty inside, there are electrical equipment and communications.


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18. Site on the Taynitskaya tower.


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20. Despite the large number of sensors and cameras, urban lunatics sometimes try to take the wall by storm.


21. Annunciation tower

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24. Have Kremlin wall between the Komendatskaya and Troitskaya towers there is an interesting civil structure from the middle of the 17th century. - the so-called Amusement Palace.


25. In the XIX century. the commandant of Moscow lived in the Amusement Palace; in the 20th century, this was the first Kremlin apartment of I.V. Stalin (until 1932). Amusing palace - the only one preserved in the Kremlin architectural monument boyar housing.


26. Cameras.

27. Commandant's Tower


28. Borovitskaya Tower. Interestingly, by the decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1658, the Borovitskaya Tower was renamed into the Baptist after the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist near Bor, located nearby. However, the old name of the tower still survived and has survived to this day.

29. My shadow.


30. View from the observation deck of the Borovitskaya tower to the Armory and the BKD.


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33. "House on the Embankment"


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35. Wall, view from the tower.


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40. Surprisingly, there is a gate on the wall. Here they are needed so that the musicians of the Presidential Orchestra located in the Trinity Tower cannot escape;)


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42. And this is a greenhouse that grows plants that decorate the interiors of the Kremlin.


43. And here is the musician.


44. Arsenal.


45. There are a lot of inscriptions on the pipes; they were left by the soldiers who served here.


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47. Eternal Flame of Glory at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier


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50. Grotto "Ruins" in the Alexander Garden


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57. The doors in the tower are old)


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62. And this is the royal tower. A small turret was erected directly on the wall in the 80s of the 17th century between the Kremlin's Spasskaya and Nabatnaya towers. Its octagonal tent on pitcher-shaped pillars resembles the common porch lockers of stone dwelling mansions that were common at that time.


63. The name of the tower is associated with a legend, according to which it served as a kind of canopy over the royal throne, from where the sovereign of All Russia could observe the events taking place on Red Square from the walls of the Kremlin. The view from her is bad.


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66. Staircase in one of the towers.

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70. And this is the sunset from the Spasskaya Tower.


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Looking at these pictures, I just want not to exclaim: "Moscow also has beautiful views! We haven't managed to disfigure everything yet! "

Original taken from gelio to Moscow from above. 2014

Moscow is the capital of the Russian Federation. It is the largest city in Russia in terms of population, in which, according to official statistics, more than 12 million people live. According to this indicator, it is one of the ten largest cities in the world. It is financial, transport, logistics, business, cultural and tourist centre country. Important sights are concentrated here, including the Kremlin, Red Square, the Bolshoi Theater, Stalin's skyscrapers and many other iconic objects.
Moscow is a city with monumental architecture: you can only understand the real scale of wide multi-lane streets, multi-tiered interchanges and skyscrapers from a height.

The Moscow Kremlin is the geographical and historical center of Moscow. This is the most ancient part of the city, currently the seat of the highest government bodies of the Russian Federation and one of the main historical and artistic complexes of the country.

Kremlin embankment and Bolshoi Kamenny bridge.

Panorama of the Kremlin.
The existing walls and towers were built between 1485-1495. The total length of the walls is 2235 m.

There are 19 towers along the walls, and one more, the Kutafya tower, is placed outside the walls.
3 towers, standing at the corners, have a circular cross-section, the rest are square.

The highest tower is Troitskaya, it is 80 meters high.

Grand Kremlin Palace.

It was built in 1838-1849 at the behest of Emperor Nicholas I by a group of Russian architects under the leadership of Konstantin A. Ton. Currently used for state and diplomatic receptions and official ceremonies, and the palace itself is the ceremonial residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

The Intercession Cathedral (St. Basil's Cathedral) is one of the most famous sights of Russia. For many, he is a symbol of Moscow and Russia.

The cathedral was built by Barma and Postnik during the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 1555-61. in memory of the conquest of Kazan.

In front of the cathedral there is a bronze monument to Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky.

"Museum of V. I. Lenin"

State Historical Museum.

The collection of the museum reflects the history and culture of Russia from ancient times to the present day, is unique in terms of the number and content of exhibits.

Manezhnaya square

Fountain "Clock of the World". The main dome of the underground shopping center Okhotny Ryad.

Tverskaya Street is the central street of Moscow.

The State Academic Bolshoi Theater is one of the largest in Russia and one of the most significant opera and ballet theaters in the world.

Bronze quadriga over the entrance portico. The Bolshoi Theater is depicted on one hundred ruble banknotes.

"House on the Embankment"

The residential complex CIK-SNK USSR covers an area of ​​three hectares. 25 entrances open onto two streets - Serafimovich and Bersenevskaya embankment.
The history of the House reflects the history of the country as in a mirror. The fate of many residents of the House is tragic. During the years of the Great Terror, almost a third of its inhabitants suffered from repression and disappeared in prisons and camps. Outstanding military leaders, heroes, artists, journalists, writers, academicians, party and government leaders, workers of the Comintern lived in the House.

GUM (Main Department Store)

A large shopping complex that occupies an entire block of Kitay-gorod and faces Red Square with its main facade. A monument of pseudo-Russian architecture of federal significance. Leased until 2059 from the Russian retailer Bosco di Ciliegi, which specializes in the sale of luxury goods.

TSUM (Central Department Store)

Gosuduma (State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation)

The building was built in 1938 for the Labor and Defense Council. Subsequently, it housed the Soviet government (the Council of People's Commissars, then the Council of Ministers of the USSR), and then the State Planning Committee of the USSR. The State Duma has been meeting here since 1994.

"White House" - House of the Government of the Russian Federation

The White House was badly damaged during the October 1993 events, when troops summoned by President Yeltsin opened fire from tanks on a building defended by supporters of the dissolved Congress of People's Deputies and the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation.

Left: the former territory of the Krasny Oktyabr confectionery factory. In the center: Monument to Peter the Great by Tsereteli.

New Arbat

Garden Ring road

Borodinsky bridge across the Moskva River. Smolenskaya embankment and Taras Shevchenko embankment.

Stalin's Skyscrapers are seven high-rise buildings built in Moscow in the late 1940s and early 1950s. High-rise buildings are the pinnacle of post-war "Soviet Art Deco" in urban architecture. All Stalinist skyscrapers were founded on the same day - September 7, 1947, when the 800th anniversary of Moscow was celebrated. This was a symbol of a new stage in the life of the ancient capital.

The main building of Moscow State University is the largest and tallest of all Stalinist skyscrapers.

It has 36 floors, and the height with a spire reaches 240 meters. The building was the tallest administrative and residential building in Moscow along the spire for many years, from 1953 to December 2003.

Residential building on Kotelnicheskaya embankment

The house was built in 1938-1940, 1948-1952. The central building has 26 floors (32 with technical floors) and has a height of 176 m. There are 540 apartments in the high-rise.

High-rise building on Red Gate Square

During the construction of the base of a high-rise building on Lermontovskaya Square, a technique was used that had no analogues in terms of technical courage and engineering. The fact is that the house, 138 meters high, was built simultaneously with the Krasnye Vorota metro station. The designers faced a difficult problem: for some time the multi-storey building will be located at the very edge of the excavation, therefore, the soil will settle unevenly and the high-rise will tilt. Therefore, it was decided to specially build with a slope. Before that, the soil along the perimeter of the pit was artificially frozen using the technology of metro construction. When it then melted, the building sagged and assumed a strictly vertical position. This method has never been used anywhere else because of the complexity of the calculations.

Residential building on Kudrinskaya square

The skyscraper was nicknamed "Aviator's House" due to the fact that apartments in it were provided to employees of the aviation industry. The upper floors housed the KGB special equipment for monitoring the American embassy, ​​which is located nearby, on Novinsky Boulevard.

"Radisson Royal" (Hotel "Ukraine")

The hotel was built in 1953-1957 and got its name in honor of the homeland of General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev. In April 2010, the hotel was reopened after a large-scale restoration under the new name "Radisson Royal".

The building is opened by Kutuzovsky Prospect.

"Moscow City"

In 1992, the first projects of a multi-storey business center appeared, which were proposed to be built on the Presnenskaya embankment of the Moscow River. The quarter was named the Moscow International Business Center "Moscow-City".

On an area of ​​60 hectares, 16 multi-storey buildings are to be built, representing an integrated complex of structures with a single information space. The skyscrapers of Moscow City should house numerous offices, restaurants, hotels, congress halls, entertainment centers, shops, galleries and exhibition halls.

As of the end of 2014, 10 high-rise buildings were built on the territory of Moscow City, and 11 are under construction or are being completed. Of these, 15 buildings are skyscrapers (over 150 meters).

The average number of storeys of the complex is currently 54 floors.

The budgets for the purchase of apartments in MIBC "Moscow-City" are concentrated in the range of $ 1-2 million.

Tower "Eurasia Tower". 70 floors, 309 sq.

Tower "Mercury City Tower". 75 floors, 339 sq.

The height of the building is 338.8 meters, which allowed the tower to be called the tallest skyscraper in Europe until September 25, 2014. The 75-storey tower "Mercury City" bypassed the height of the London skyscraper "The Shard" (306 m), which lasted only 4 months in the status of the tallest building in Europe. Upon completion, Mercury City found itself almost 33 meters taller than its London rival.

In 2013, Mercury City won the prestigious International Property Awards Europe 2013 in the Best Architecture of a High-Rise Building category.

"Tower on the Embankment". 59 floors, 268 sq.

Shopping and cultural center "Evolution". 54 floors, 255 m.

The tower differs from all other projects with its unusual twisting shape, reminiscent of a DNA molecule. Architect Tony Kettle worked on the design of the project together with Karen Forbes, who teaches at this moment in Edinburgh. The tower itself is a creative offspring of constructivism, borrowing the outlines of Tatlin's tower, dedicated to the Third International.

Ostankino Tower.

Construction was carried out from 1963 to 1967. At that time it was the tallest structure in the world (540 meters). It is now the 8th tallest free-standing structure in the world.

Panorama from the Ostankino TV tower.

View from 503 mark of the TV tower.

The idea of ​​using prestressed reinforced concrete compressed with steel cables made the tower structure simple and strong.

Another progressive idea was the use of a relatively shallow foundation: according to the plan of engineer Nikitin, the tower was supposed to practically stand on the ground and its stability was ensured due to the multiple excess of the mass of the cone-shaped base over the mass of the mast structure.

Victory Park

Memorial complex of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War was opened on May 9, 1995 for the 50th anniversary of the great Victory.

Belarusian

Komsomolskaya Square is the square of three stations where the Leningradsky, Yaroslavsky and Kazansky railway stations are located.

More than 30 million people are sent from metropolitan railway stations annually across Russia and abroad.

Kiev railway station

Belorussky railway station

The Third Transport Ring (TTK) is one of the three ring highways of Moscow along with Garden Ring and the Moscow ring road.

Begovaya street

The total length of the TTK is about 36 kilometers, of which about 19 kilometers are overpasses, about 5 kilometers are tunnels.

Khoroshevo-Mnevniki

Strogino

Round House on Dovzhenko, 6

In the very center of the capital, there are witnesses of significant events of the past and places where the present takes place - the Kremlin and Red Square. Ancient and unique, beloved and mystical - these places have long become not just business cards of Moscow, but also symbols of the country. Seeing the sights of the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square is task number 1 for any tourist.

One of the capital's business cards known far beyond the borders of the country - the Grand Kremlin Palace - is located along the embankment of the Moskva River. The modern palace was built under Nicholas I by a group of architects under the leadership of K. Ton on the site of the once existing structures of the times of Ivan III and Elizabeth Petrovna. The majestic structure is equal in height to a 15-storey building, and in terms of the occupied area it is more than 3 football fields. The complex includes a newly erected palace building, Faceted, Tsaritsyn and Armory, Terem Palace and churches.

The exquisite facade of the palace hides about 700 rooms, including 5 order halls, ceremonial and living quarters of the imperial family and service premises. The main attraction of the palace, which is now the residence of the president, is its luxurious interiors with unique parquet, gilding and marble.

Cathedrals

The Moscow Kremlin is a treasury of Russian art and spirituality. A separate part of it are unique cathedrals, of which only 8 have survived.

St. Basil's Cathedral

The brightest and most unique of the existing temples is St. Basil's Cathedral. The peculiarity of the temple built in 1561 is in unique chapters, none of which repeats the drawing of the other, all 10 are completely different. The temple was not always so colorful. Initially, the building was made of white stone and brick, and in the 17th century. its domes and walls were decorated with colored patterns. What this is connected with is not known for certain, how and who exactly built the temple. There is a version that the architect was Nikolai Postnik, nicknamed Barma, or they were 2 different people.

The cathedral consists of 10 churches built on one foundation. In the center is the Intercession Church, which gave the cathedral its second name. There are 4 large churches around it, indicating the cardinal points, and 4 more between them. The whole ensemble is surrounded by a bypass gallery.

Cathedral of the Archangel

The Archangel Cathedral stands apart among the Kremlin churches. Built in the XIV century. it will not stand out either for the luxury of the exterior or for the richness of colors. The ceremonial building in the Renaissance style was originally built as a tomb and is dedicated to the archangel, and the features of architecture and the choice of decor elements are subordinate to this.

The five-domed cathedral, according to the tradition of temples erected in honor of archangels and saints, is crowned with silver helmet-shaped domes and only the central dome is a gilded hemisphere. The façade, originally painted in red brick and later repainted white, is decorated with intact pilasters, capitals, rosettes and arches. The interior has undergone significant changes. Unique frescoes remained only at the grave of Ivan the Terrible. The sights of the cathedral are the icon depicting the Archangel Michael, and the "Blessed Sky" and 56 burials of princes and kings.

Blagoveshchensky cathedral

Among the many Kremlin churches erected by Italian craftsmen, the Annunciation Cathedral stands out for its architecture. It has become a monument of Russian architecture, combining the features inherent in the Moscow and Pskov schools. Built as a home church in 1489, the cathedral was completed and decorated until the 1560s, when it acquired its modern look. By this time, the 3-domed cathedral surrounded by porches was replenished with more churches and galleries and now it is crowned with 9 domes.

One of the cathedrals most beloved by princes and tsars is distinguished by luxury from the floor of jasper and agate and the most beautiful iconostasis to the golden cross, which Napoleon never found, and the mechanical clock, the prototype of the Moscow chimes. The cathedral is full of mysteries. These are tsats - crescents under the crosses of the domes, and miraculous icons. One of the secrets is the images of Greek philosophers on the porch, among other works by the icon painter Edikeev, who was entrusted with painting the temple. Now services are not held in the temple, a museum is located here.

Assumption Cathedral

The Assumption Cathedral is one of the main Moscow churches and undoubtedly one of the most controversial. It is still unknown why the Pskov architects, whose relics lie at the base of the cathedral and many others, abandoned its construction. ... It was crowned, elevated to dignity, prayers were served, an oath of allegiance was sworn, and state acts were announced. In the Assumption Cathedral, the first of the Romanov family was crowned, and Count L. Tolstoy was excommunicated.

The construction was entrusted to the Italian Catholic Fiorovanti, who coped with the task, erecting the temple, attracting attention with a strict facade and golden helmet-shaped domes. Behind the seeming simplicity of the architecture, there are innovative techniques that have made the cathedral stand out. Now it houses a museum, but festive services are also held.

Ivan the Great belltower

The Ivan the Great Bell Tower is an amazing complex that was built for about 3 centuries, from 1505 to 1815. It included the Assumption Belfry with the Filaret annex and the Ivan the Great Bell Tower itself. The first to appear was the bell tower, which served for 3 adjacent cathedrals. Then it was slightly lower than it is now. Almost a century later, under Boris Godunov, the last tier was built. With a height of 81 m, the bell tower became the tallest structure in the city, which it remained until the end of the 19th century.

In 1552, the Assumption Church was erected near the bell tower, which was rebuilt into a belfry. In 1624, the Filaretov annex was built near the belfry. The latter were destroyed during Napoleon's retreat from Moscow, and rebuilt much later. Now the bell tower houses museums, and going upstairs tourists get to one of the best in the city viewing platforms, from where an amazing view of the Kremlin opens.

Verkhospassky Cathedral

The Verkhnespassky Cathedral cannot be confused with any other - its roof is decorated with 11 drums with golden domes. The temple is a complex of house churches arranged right in the Terem Palace. The origins of the cathedral go back to the 17th century. to the house churches, when in 1627 the Catherine's Church was built on the female half of the palace. A few years later, the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands with the chapel of John the Baptist was erected for the tsar and the princes in the male half.

By the middle of the century, the Church of St. Eudokia appears above Catherine's, which will later be re-consecrated in honor of the Resurrection of the Word. And over the side-altar, the Church of the Exaltation of the Lord or the Crucifixion is being erected. Osip Startsev united all the temples during the reconstruction. Domes were placed on the roof, installed on drums painted with tiles by masters from the New Iersaim Monastery. The appearance of the cathedral has changed little since then, while the interior has lost a lot.

Church of the Twelve Apostles

The Church of the Twelve Apostles is the home church of the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is adjacent to the Patriarchal Palace. It was built under Patriarch Nikon, who invited the most famous architects and painters to decorate it. Its beauty and wealth, not inferior to the Terem Palace with temples, became the reason for the disgrace of the patriarch. The Church of the Twelve Apostles is the last of the Kremlin's temple structures. Its architecture repeats the elements of the surrounding cathedrals, uniting them into a single ensemble.

After the abolition of the patriarchate, the temple gradually decays. Significant damage was inflicted on him in 1917. Now, in the only church in the city dedicated to this holiday, there is a museum, as well as in the palace itself. The unique painting that adorned the walls of the temple has hardly survived, but a rich exhibition of icons is offered to the attention of visitors.

Church of the Laying of the Robe of the Mother of God in Blachernae

The modest one-domed Church of the Position of the Robe of the Mother of God in Wakherna is a memory of the miracle that became possible thanks to the robe of the Mother of God. The Tatars who attacked the Kremlin, the first attack of which the besieged in the Kremlin repulsed, for some reason left, leaving the loot. In memory of this, a wooden church was erected, which burned down in a fire. Pskov craftsmen in 1486 built a stone church, which became a house for Russian patriarchs and metropolitans. But with the advent of the Temple of the Twelve Apostles, its role changes, it becomes another palace church. It is being rebuilt, the open porches are turned into covered galleries, along which the tsarina follows to the Assumption Cathedral.

The church was badly damaged twice: in a fire in 1737 and shelling in 1918. During the restoration, the wall painting was restored, which, together with the iconostasis, gives the temple a chamber. The gallery of the restored church houses a museum of Russian sculpture.

Museums

In 1991, the eponymous museum-reserve was founded from several state Kremlin museums. It included:

• museums-cathedrals in which exhibitions are located: Arkhangelsk, Annunciation and Assumption
• Church of the Deposition of the Robe, 12 apostles
• bell tower "Ivan the Great"
• Patriarchal and Armory

Armouries

The Armory is a centuries-old heritage of Russian tsars and patriarchs. The first mention of it dates back to 1547, only then it was called the Armory Order, which included the Great Treasury, where all the jewels were kept, the Armory Chamber with weapons, uniforms and banners, the Horse-Stable Order with carriages and the Workshop Chambers. The modern Armory occupies 2 floors in the Grand Kremlin Palace. Its exposition is located in 9 halls and presents more than 4 thousand exhibits of decorative and applied art.

Here are exhibited works of masters not only from Russia and Europe, but also from the East. Among them are a unique collection of thrones, the largest collection of state regalia, rare weapons, art objects of “pre-Mongol” Russia, etc. The most famous exhibits of the exhibition are the Monomakh hat, Faberge eggs, the throne of Ivan the Terrible, the ceremonial dress of Peter I, etc.

Diamond fund

The Diamond Fund is a separate exposition on display at the Armory, which is part of the Gokhran of the Russian Federation. The collection was started by Peter I, who by his decree recognized the treasures in the royal chambers as state treasures. Coronation regalia, jewelry, if necessary, were issued, and then returned again to the Diamond Cabinet, and then the Armory.

After the revolution, many of the fund's precious exhibits were sold out. Today, the collection of the Diamond Fund consists of about 70 exhibits, including historical stones, gems, diamonds, nuggets, orders and a unique collection of crowns. Visitors will be able to see the famous Orlov diamond, Colombian emerald, 9-kilogram Camel nugget, large and small imperial crowns, etc.

State Historical Museum

The red brick building located in the northwestern part of Red Square attracts attention by its homogeneity with the ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin. The Historical Museum has been located here since 1883, the expositions of which will tell about the history of Russia from ancient times to the present.

On 2 floors of the museum in 39 halls, 22 thousand exhibits are placed in chronological order, which is less than 1% of the total museum fund. Moving from hall to hall, visitors from primitive society find themselves in our days. Among the exhibits are a canoe carved out of wood, mammoth tusks, a cult structure made of slabs, medieval armor, orders, etc. The museum interiors, on which Aivazovsky, Repin, Korovin and others worked, are also of value.

Towers

The Moscow Kremlin has the shape of a triangle, at the tops of which there are round towers (Beklemishevskaya, Vodovzvodnaya and Uglovaya Arsenalnaya), the other 17 have a rectangular shape. Despite some similarities, all the towers are unique. The highest is the Troitskaya Tower, the size of which, together with the star, is about 80 m, which is just below the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. The Spasskaya Tower, known by the chimes, is somewhat inferior to it, passing through which one had to dismount and take off their hats.

The smallest and most unlike the others is the Tsar's Tower, whose height does not exceed 17 m. It owes its name to Ivan the Terrible, who loves to watch what is happening on Red Square from here. Another unique building is the Kutafya Tower - the only one of the bridgeheads, i.e. not built into the wall. Each tower is interesting in its own way: Taynitskaya was the first to appear, Corner Arsenalnaya keeps a spring and a dungeon, through Borovitskaya government corteges enter the Kremlin.

sights

Red Square is the symbol, heart and historical center of Moscow. This is popular tourist place, where many attractions are located, is included in the must-see program.

Zero kilometer

Kilometer zero is a new attraction in Moscow, which appeared only in 1996. The sign was supposed to appear in the capital back in 1985, but they could not decide on the place of installation. This bronze sign shows the origin of distances. Usually it is located near the main post office, but in Moscow it was decided to place it in the center tourist routes at the Iverskaya chapel, explaining this by the fact that before the road every Muscovite went to bow to her, asking for her intercession.

The sign is a square divided into 4 parts, symbolizing the parts of the world, inscribed in a circle. Animals are depicted on the bas-relief of the square. In its center there is an eight-pointed icon with an inscription. Despite its youth, the attraction is very popular. There is a sign: if you stand in the center of the sign facing the chapel on one leg and throw a coin over your left shoulder with your left hand so that it remains within the circle, then your wish will come true.

Resurrection gate

Between the building Historical Museum and the City Duma are located the Resurrection Gate with a double passage, through which tourists get to Red Square. The gate was rebuilt in 1995 at the same place where it had been until 1931. The first gates were built in the 15th century. and were called Lions, tk. in the moat in front of them was placed a gift from the king of England - a cage with lions. Later they changed several more names: Epiphany in honor of the church, Neglimensky because of the bridge across the river, along the nearby courtyards of Trinity and Kuryatnye, until they became Iversky because of the icon that was met here from Athos.

After the restoration, the resurrection of Christ was depicted on them and the gates began to be called the Resurrection. They were demolished as a royal monument, and besides, they did not allow large vehicles to enter the square during the parade. A monument to the worker was erected at this place. Now these two-arched gates, built in red brick with white inserts, are one of the visiting cards of the capital.

House of the provincial government

A rather modest building against the background of the bright ensemble of Red Square provincial government is not conspicuous. Built in the 1730s-40s. according to P. Heyden's project, the building was part of the Kitaygorosky Mint. Not all of its buildings have survived, on the foundations of some new buildings have been built - the City Duma. The house of the provincial government is a 2-storey building in the Baroque style. Its facade is decorated with graceful pilasters, cornices, projections and putti figurines. In the middle there is a passage gate through which the building of the Old Mint is visible.

Inside the building, ceremonial halls were arranged for ceremonial meetings of public places, later the Moscow Duma was located here. After the revolution, the building had communal apartments for some time. Now the premises of the house are being leased to non-profit organizations, some of them are renting a jewelry store.

GUM

GUM is unique trading city in the historical center of Moscow. The heir to the Upper Chambers of Commerce, a supermarket specializes in luxury goods and occupies an entire block. Trade has always flourished on the square near the Kremlin. In order to streamline the shops, counters and give the trading place a civilized look, the Trading Rows were first built, which in 1893 was replaced by the passage - the Upper Trading Rows. They existed until 1917, when they were closed as a relic of tsarism. In 1922 they were opened, but already as GUM, which became a symbol of new policies, which was destined to work until 1930. GUM was reopened only in 1953 after the death of Stalin and Beria.

Modern GUM is a shopping and entertainment center that has occupied a historic building in a pseudo-Russian style with a glass roof, under which there are 3 longitudinal and 3 transverse aisles. Products of more than 100 world brands, cinema hall and restaurants are presented here.

Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin

Lenin's Mausoleum is one of the most controversial structures in Moscow. Designed as a ritual burial vault, it has long since become a museum. The mausoleum, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, is the third in a row. The first two were made of wood. The last mausoleum was built in the form of a pyramid of marble, granite, labradorite and quartz. It is a structure 12 m high and 24 m wide.

Inside there is a Funeral Hall with a sarcophagus, in which the body of the leader is kept, and a columbarium, where the ashes of other political figures were supposed to be kept. The latter is not used and is not shown to visitors. The mausoleum blended into the architecture of Red Square, but still raise a lot of questions: from the choice of the shape of the building itself, to the need for embalming.

Place of execution

One of the sights of Red Square - Execution Ground - is not striking. A small circular elevation 1 m high and 13 m in diameter is surrounded by a stone parapet. The discreet architecture does not attract attention, but the building was of great importance - from here solemn speeches were made and decrees read out, here they were elevated to the kingdom and exhibited the relics of saints, held strikes and exhibited works of art.

Although legends associate this place with public executions. In fact, no one was executed at the Execution Ground; rather, the legends started due to false etymology. The phrase appeared when translating from Hebrew a place in the Gospel, which spoke of the execution at Calvary. And the Execution Ground is called because of the proximity of the Vasilyevsky Spusk, which in the Middle Ages was called "the forehead". Previously, it was here that tourists threw a coin to return again, now this mission is performed by the Zero Kilometer.

Tsar Cannon

The largest in caliber cannon in the world - the Tsar Cannon - is installed on Ivanovskaya Square between the Church of the 2 Apostles and the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. The outstanding work of artillery art was made at the Cannon Yard by the foundryman A. Chokhov by order of the son of Tsar Ivan the Terrible - Fyodor Ivanovich in 1586. in the barrel is the stamp of the caster, which was put only after a test shot. The length of this giant is 5 m, and its weight is 40 tons; it took about 200 horses to move it.

On the bronze barrel, surrounded by ornaments, friezes and inscriptions, there is an equestrian image of the king, which gave the name "Tsar Cannon". In 1835, a gun carriage was cast from cast iron at the St. Petersburg factory, which only confirmed the name; it is decorated with the head of the king of animals - a lion. Researchers argue that the famous giant is not a cannon at all, but a battering bombard. the gun carriage is not designed for her shot. Be that as it may, the Tsar Cannon is one of the achievements of the 16th century.

The Tsar Bell

Another monster of foundry - the Tsar Bell is located on Ivanovskaya Square near the eastern part of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. The bell, cast by the Motorins family of foundry workers in 1730 by the order of Tsarina Anna Ioannovna, never rang, moreover, it was never raised to the bell tower. The queen wanted to leave the memory of her reign after her predecessors. The Godunov bell, which weighed 33 tons, served less than 50 years and shattered in a fire. The same fate befell the bell, created under Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, weighing 130 tons.

The Tsar Bell was cast in 1736, however, it was pulled out of the pit only after almost 100 years because of its weight of 200 tons. Only then was a chipped piece of 11 tons discovered. The bell, whose height reaches 6 m and a diameter of about 6.6 m, was installed in the place where it stands now. Disputes about the need for restoration do not subside, but there were no attempts to implement it.

Monument to Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky

The monument to Minin and Pozharsky is the first large monument in Moscow, erected on Red Square in front of St. Basil's Cathedral. Before that, in honor of important events, temples, arches, etc. were opened. For the 200th anniversary of the Second Militia and the victory of 1612 over the invaders in 1803, it was proposed to create a sculptural composition. She was supposed to portray the leaders of the militia - Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and the headman Kuzma Minin.

It was they who organized the rebuff to the Polish-Lithuanian and Swedish conquerors in Nizhny Novgorod, where the monument was intended. But the monument remained in the capital. Installed in 1818 in front of the Upper Trading Rows, during the reconstruction of the square it was moved to the cathedral. The monument, the creation of which took 18 tons of copper and brass and was cast at one time, has become a real decoration of the square.

Arsenal

Between the Nikolskaya and Troitskaya towers, the Zeikhgauz or Arsenal is located close to the Kremlin wall. This building, erected by the decree of Peter I in 1736, was supposed to serve not only as a warehouse of weapons, but also as a museum, in which military captured banners, weapons and uniforms were exhibited. The two-story trapezoidal building with a large courtyard has been under construction for over 30 years. In 1812 it was blown up. Reconstruction work was carried out until 1828. Now its facade is decorated with deep arched windows, arranged in pairs, and friezes.