Moscow Kremlin towers. Today it is difficult to imagine without their spiers the once fortified structure itself, and the appearance of the capital - Moscow - would lose some zest.
So how many towers are in the Moscow Kremlin? Their total number is 20, and in this review we will give their names, former and existing, and also briefly tell about their interesting history.
Some facts from the history of the Kremlin towers in Moscow
Each tower in the Kremlin is unique. You won't find exactly the same here. Their names also differ, which have changed several times over the centuries. Indeed, two of them First And Second- and have remained so far Nameless.
The very first tower of the Moscow Kremlin, the foundation stone of which was laid simultaneously with the construction of the Kremlin walls, became Taynitskaya tower. This name is due to the fact that it was from it that a secret passage, arranged underground, led to the Moscow River. This was necessary in case of a siege, so that it would be possible to replenish the necessary supply of water.
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Address: Moscow Kremlin, between the Armory and Troitskaya towers
Date of construction: 1495
Tower height: 41.25 m.
Coordinates: 55°45"02.2"N 37°36"48.8"E
Short story
The construction of the Commandant's Tower falls on the reign of Prince Ivan III. A new original design appeared in 1495 thanks to the skillful actions of Russian master builders led by the Italian architect Alois Fryazin.
View of the tower from Alexander Garden
At the end of the 15th century, he lived in Russia and developed projects for many Kremlin buildings.
At first, the Commandant's Tower had a different name - Deaf. She received such a name due to the fact that in her main quadrangle there were no windows or loopholes. Subsequently, this component of the Moscow Kremlin was renamed again - it became known as the Kolymazhnaya Tower.
And this change also had a rationale, because next to the tower was the Kremlin Kolymazhny yard, which served as a repository for royal carriages and wagons. The royal stables were located in the same courtyard. And only in the 19th century the tower was called Komendantskaya, since the commandant of the capital city lived in the Poteshny Palace, located next to the Moscow Kremlin.
Architecture of the Commandant's Tower
The total height of the Commandant 's Tower is 41.25 m . Minor architectural changes were made to its design in the period from 1676 to 1686 . Like all other Kremlin towers, it was supplemented with an upper quadrangle and a decorative hipped dome. Over the walls of the structure, wooden canopies were attached to protect it in bad weather.
If we compare the Commandant's Tower with other towers of the Moscow Kremlin, we can see that in its appearance it is close to the architecture of the Armory Tower.
The lower quadrangles of both structures are equipped with machicolations and a parapet. Their upper quadrangles are open, and the crowns of the towers are tents with observation towers and a small addition in the form of an octagonal tent.
The internal layout of the building is represented by 3 ascending tiers, which are covered with barrel vaults. As for the building material used for the construction of the Commandant's Tower in Moscow, they were red ceramic bricks. It was also used for the construction of other structures that make up the Kremlin ensemble.
You can find the Commandant's Tower among other structures of the Moscow Kremlin on its northwestern side - it is located along the Alexander Garden, which is another attraction of Russia. The tower itself, which received its final name thanks to the Moscow commandant, is located between the Armory and Trinity towers.
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Towers and walls of the Kremlin
The second half of the 15th century is the time of the formation of the Russian national state. Ivan III united the Russian lands. By this time, the white-stone Kremlin had partially collapsed and no longer corresponded to the international position and wealth of the Moscow state.
For the first time, the white stone was replaced with red. They baked it in ovens like bread. And he weighed eight kilograms. A half-pound stone was taken with two hands.
Ivan III commissioned the construction in the Kremlin Vasily Dmitrievich Ermolin. Italian architects also built a lot in the Kremlin, but according to primordially Russian motives. The Kremlin was conceived by Ivan III not only as a reliable fortress, but also had to become the main place of Muscovite Rus'. The architects were inspired by these ideas. And the walls, churches, towers rose ...
Everything in the Kremlin was then provided for protection from enemies. The plan is polygonal in order to see the enemy from different sides, the distance between the loopholes does not exceed the range of a projectile weapon. The towers interrupt the progress on the wall. And they themselves are either round or polygonal, so that it would be more difficult to destroy them with battering rams.
First, fortifications were built: thick brick walls and watchtowers, and this was in the spring of 1485. The length of the entire building is 2235 meters. The walls were very thick, in some places their thickness reached 3.5 meters. The height of the walls was also different, reaching in some places up to 14 meters. This was probably due to the fact that Moscow "stands on seven hills." At the top, the walls were made in the form of a forked "dovetail", resembling the letter "M", they were equipped with loopholes. This gave the thick walls originality and decorative effect. On top of the battlements was a plank gable roof, covering the defenders of the Kremlin from rain and snow.
There were 20 towers, in ancient times they did not look the same as they do now, elegant and tall. The tents appeared two centuries later. Under Ivan III, they were built as formidable impregnable bastions. All of them are completely different from each other.
For four centuries, the Kremlin remained the only fortress in Moscow that protected Muscovites during the days of invasions. But in the 6th century, the overgrown and rapidly growing Moscow could no longer get by with these walls alone. The walls of Kitay-gorod joined the walls of the Kremlin, and these walls merged into one fortification of unprecedented power and size. The new walls and towers took up the architectural motif set by the Kremlin. Now the length of the walls has reached 15 km, and there are 50 towers!
Spasskaya (Frolovskaya) Tower
The main tower of the Kremlin is Frolovskaya, named after the neighboring church of Flora and Lavra. During the repair of the tower in 1464-1466, the architect V.D. Yermolin installed on it white-stone relief images of the patrons of the Moscow princes - St. George the Victorious and Dmitry Solunsky. The tower was built in 1491 by the architect Pietro Antonio Solari. The Frolovsky gates were the main entrance to the Kremlin: in the 16th-17th centuries, tsars traveled through them, on holidays the patriarch went out with a procession of the cross, foreign ambassadors who arrived in Moscow were met at the gates. In 1624 - 1625, the architects Bazhen Ogurtsov and the Englishman Christopher Galovey crowned the tower with a complex superstructure and a high stone tent. So this tower was the first to get its characteristic pointed silhouette. Clocks were built into the superstructure - the predecessors of the Kremlin chimes. In 1658, by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the Frolovskaya Tower was renamed Spasskaya (in honor of the icons of the Savior of Smolensk and the Savior Not Made by Hands), which were placed on the outside and inside of the Kremlin. The Spassky Gates were especially revered by the people and were considered "holy": men, entering the Kremlin through them, bared their heads, and the riders dismounted and led their horses on a leash.
Taynitskaya tower
According to the time of birth, this is the tower number 1. Over the long history, this guard of the Kremlin had many different names - Potainitskaya, Water Gates, Cheshkovy, Sheshkovy, Chushkovy Gates. In the 15th century, the court of Cheshka, the boyar Danil of Galitsky, stood nearby, hence the last three names, and Vodyanyye and Taynitsky - because there was an ancient well-hiding place here. It was also possible to enter the Kremlin through the Tainitskaya tower. The Tainitskaya tower was large, it had not only a passage, but a clock and a bell. The watchmaker lived right on it, having built two wooden huts at the top. As the inventory of 1647 tells: "And on the tower there is a wooden closet, and in the closet there is a clock. Two wooden huts are placed on the same tower. And the watchmaker said that he put those huts on his own money and put them up without hitting his brow, without a decree." That is, he built huts without receiving official permission. The watchmaker's life was hard, the roof of the huts collapsed. Apparently, in the middle of the 17th century, the dilapidated tower was demolished and rebuilt. The tower stands, having risen in five tiers with a tent at 38.4 meters.
Nikolskaya tower
The Nikolskaya Tower resembles a Gothic cathedral. A slender red-white spire with lancet slit-like openings rises up from a rectangular, squat base. From red brick and white stone, Russian craftsmen built something like a bell tower with narrow window slits. On its sides there are four small turrets of the same type. This Gothic spire adorned the tower relatively recently, after 1812, when the Kremlin was being restored after a fire. It was then that the Nikolskaya Tower was built on with a high top. In the old days, disputes were resolved at the Nikolskaya Tower, which often arose on the trading square. Disputants came here and kissed the cross, calling as witnesses the image of Nikolai Ugodnik hanging on the gate - "the intercessor and comforter of all those who mourn", who, as they believed, punishes perjurers. But this has happened as well. Once, during a religious procession in front of hundreds of people, a fearless rebel, captured and tried, threw a stick at this image. "Sankt-Peterburgskiye Vedomosti" reported that "the blasphemer and iconoclast of the Shuya district Vasily Zmiev, the peasant Ivashka Krasny, was burned on the square." And on the Nikolskaya tower, "watchmen" were on duty, and in the past there was a clock on it, last mentioned in 1612. Then, after the expulsion of the Polish interventionists, "the whole army and all the Orthodox peoples in the city of the Kremlin entered through this gate in a lot of joy."
Trinity Tower
The most massive tower of the Moscow Kremlin. Its bulk is best felt when you look at it from the foot in the Alexander Garden. A brick colossus rises up from the ground like a mountain. Asymmetrical windows cut through the thickness of the walls, there are six of them in the upper tier. And although the tower is decorated at the top with white stone columns, figurines, arches like the Spasskaya Tower, it still has not lost its medieval severity. The height from the foot to the star is 80 meters. One meter below the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, nine meters above the Spasskaya Tower. When you enter this gigantic tower, you find yourself in a multi-storey building. He is inhabited. Musicians come here to serve with trumpets, clarinets, saxophones. The tower is full of sounds, like the orchestra pit of a theatre. Until now, well-known musicians and composers come to the Trinity Tower to listen to new works, to give them a start in life. In the same tower is the control panel of the Moscow stars. A shield similar to those found in power plants. Five switches, like five ruby stars. A constant voltage of 80 volts is maintained. They burn day and night, in any weather.
Corner Arsenalnaya (Sobakina) Tower
Before the Arsenal appeared here, this tower was called Sobakina, because here was the courtyard of the boyar Danila Sobaka. When the Kremlin exploded in 1812, half of the Arsenal flew into the air, and this tower only cracked. This is the strongest tower of the Kremlin. A feature of the architecture of the tower is its faces, there are eighteen of them, they merge into one powerful rounded pillar. It protected not only the walls of the Kremlin (located just at the corner of two walls), but also a source of water, so the tower was built doubly impregnable. At the end of the last century, researchers tried to find out what kind of water it was. For days they pumped it out with pumps and did not drain it - which means that the underground key is inexhaustible. Through a stone gutter, water from the spring flows into the Neglinka, which flows in a pipe underground. This spring is called one of the "miracles of the ancient Kremlin", and in order to see it, we open the iron door to the tower. We take a step forward - and the summer heat is replaced by darkness, eternal coolness and the breath of living water. She makes herself felt as soon as we cross the threshold. However, there is no moisture on the walls. And this made it possible in the last century to place a large archive inside the tower. The papers did not suffer from such a neighborhood. Before going down deeper, we stop at the window - loopholes. Standing near it, you see the incredible thickness of the masonry - four meters. The staircase that Peter Antonio Solario laid out in the thickness of the stone leads to the source. She goes down steeply. Its width is such that it allows you to pass one at a time without bending. After counting about forty steps, we carefully descend. The beam of the lantern highlights from the darkness underfoot a brick pipe growing out of the ground. Large bricks, excellent masonry, five meters in diameter. Above the head is a vault, as if we were in an underground temple. There is a round opening in the center of the vault. And on the side there is a narrow slot designed for overhead light. At the bottom of the pipe, bluish water, quiet and calm, sleeps in this underground vault guarded by a tower. How old is this spring? It is not known, perhaps he is the same age as Moscow itself. The water is delicious, cool and clear, purified by nature itself. There is another secret in the Corner Arsenal Tower. If you go along the same stairs that lead to the key, then turn to the side - we will find ourselves in a narrow side passage. Another turn - again a corridor in the thickness of a brick. In the beam of a lantern, a vaulted hall protrudes from the darkness. No windows, not even a narrow gap, reminiscent of the existence of light. Even a strong sound does not reach here. It's a dungeon to hide something in. When this dungeon was dug up, they hoped to find the library of Ivan the Terrible here. But it did not turn out, although there are still many possible secrets in the thickness of the walls and towers of the Kremlin.
Beklemishevskaya (Moskvoretskaya) Tower
This tower stands near the Moscow River. S.P. Bartenev writes about it like this: "The most elegant in proportions. With its beauty in the overall impression of the Kremlin, in the symphony of its architectural forms, the Beklemishev Tower gives a charming consonance." It was not immediately so harmonious, at first its height was 10 meters lower. Then it was built up. Maschikuli - openings for shelling the enemy from top to bottom - appeared much higher than the former ones, laid with bricks. Admiring the beauty of the tower, Bartenev was also amazed that for hundreds of years it had not undergone major repairs! The tower got its name from the courtyard of the boyar Vasily Beklemishev, located near it. The tower stands under a cliff in a strong wind, so it even leaned a little. The second name, of course, received from the proximity of the tower to the Moscow River.
Annunciation tower
This is a big tower, there was a passage here, a "port washing gate". Through them they went to the river to wash clothes. The name of the tower comes from the nearby Church of the Annunciation, and the tower itself at one time was its chapel and bell tower. There were seven bells on it. All this appeared at a later time, when the Kremlin lost its role as a city fortress. In the 16th century, under Ivan the Terrible, there was a prison in the tower, where, according to legend, a miracle happened: the Mother of God appeared to one of the prisoners with the good news, advising him to file a petition to the tsar. After that, pilgrims began to come here, the Church of the Annunciation appeared.
Borovitskaya Tower
Another star tower. By royal decree, it was given the name Predtechenskaya, but this name did not take root, they could not erase the old name from the consciousness of Muscovites at the location near Borovitsky Hill. It is not known why, but the builder of the Borovitskaya Tower built it unlike all the other corner and walk-through towers. This Kremlin archer is laid out according to the plan of a stepped pyramid. Above its lower rectangular main mass rise one another less than three more of the same form of volume. S.P. Bartenev called it the most original tower of the Kremlin. You enter the Borovitskaya tower and find yourself in a spacious house: eight floors with deep spacious cellars. On the lower floors there are whitewashed chambers flooded with light. We go to one, then we go up to another. Even on a gloomy day, it is light in it, because it is two-light, the rays enter through two tiers of windows. The Borovitsky Gate is the ancient door of the Kremlin, it served as a convenient exit to the river, where they went for water. Also, these gates were used when it was necessary to secretly pass to the Kremlin.
Vodovzvodnaya tower
This tower went down in history by building the first water pipeline in Moscow. This is a corner tower, so it is much higher, smarter, larger than the other towers. Suffice it to say that its height to the star is 57.7 meters, that is, almost twice as high. "Vodovzvodnaya Tower is an integral, completely finished work, its proportions are excellent, architectural processing is rich and at the same time moderate," - this is how S.P. Bartenev characterizes this Kremlin peak. In appearance, it is very reminiscent of the architectural buildings of Italy. The tower stands almost at the very river, in the place where the Neglinka, which goes around the Kremlin, flows into the Moscow River, now hidden in a pipe, underground. The tower got its name from the fact that in 1663 it served as a water station. A water-driven machine appeared in it, the mechanisms of which pumped water from the well up, where there was a pond lined with lead. From here, water flowed by gravity through lead pipes to the Kremlin Palace. This overseas car cost several barrels of gold. The first Kremlin water supply system served until the fire in 1737.
Commandant (Kolymazhnaya) tower
The tower got its name because the commandant lived in the building next to it. This tower is taller than the Armory. Its foundation is located at the level of the Neglinnaya River, so it suffered the most from water. I had to strengthen it, so that the wall here lost its straightness, it thickens towards the base.
Armory Tower (Konyushenny)
This low tower stands on a high coastal hill. It has four tiers. Previously, it was called the Konyushenny - after the stables that stood here. This tower was also a travel tower. It began to be called the Armory from being near the Armory.
Petrovskaya (Ugreshskaya) tower
Unlike others, it has an octagonal top that crowns this four-story building. This is a tower-warrior, tower-watchman. On its second tier was the church of Metropolitan Peter, which belonged to the courtyard of the Ugresh monastery standing next to it. Therefore, the tower was also called Ugreshskaya, and even Nameless.
Senate Tower
Behind this tower is the building of the former Senate, hence the name. The somewhat elongated shape of the tent gives the Senate Tower an air of severe inaccessibility.
Kutafya tower
The name of the Kutafya Tower comes from the word kutafya, which means clumsy, unsightly. But the word kut has a different meaning - a corner, hence - a nook (V. Dal). The tower stood somewhat away from the Kremlin, which is why it was called Kutafya. And then she did not seem clumsy, unsightly. Once it looked like everyone else, and it was very similar to Troitskaya. But later they did not build a tent over it, the only one, moreover, even the vault that appeared later was dismantled, so that it stands uncovered by anything. This tower is a bridgehead - a bridge is thrown to it from the river.
The Annunciation Tower is named after the miraculous icon that was kept in it. Later, a church was built for the icon, but the name remained.
The Vodovzvodnaya Tower is a corner tower and was named so because there was once a machine here that pumped water from the river and delivered it through lead pipes to the royal palace of 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 nearby Armory, 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's tower was erected in 1495, but it received its modern name only in the 19th century, when the commandant of the fortress moved to a nearby
Troitskaya, Kutafya and Petrovskaya towers
How many towers the Kremlin has, almost all of them were rebuilt by Italian masters in the 15th century. So the Trinity was built by Aloisio da Caresano in 1495-1499. This is the tallest building in the Kremlin. Its height is 80 m together with the spire and the star crowning it. The building got its name from the nearby Trinity Church.
Interesting to know: at one time this building had different names, for example Rizopolozhenskaya, Karetnaya or Znamenskaya, until it received its current name in 1658. Once there was a prison in its two-story base. Until 1935, its spire was crowned with a royal eagle, which was replaced with a ruby star for the next anniversary of the revolution.
The Spasskaya Tower was built on the site of the former main gates of the Kremlin. An icon of the Savior was installed over the passage, and the entrance itself was revered by the people as saints, it was necessary to enter it on foot with an uncovered head. Nowadays, the famous chimes are installed on it.
Other Kremlin towers
The First and Second Nameless Towers were of exceptional strategic importance, for example, one of them had a powder magazine.
Indeed, it was equipped with a bell and an observation deck, on which archers were on duty. In the 18th century, a riot began in the city at the ringing of a bell, and when it was suppressed, they deprived the “culprit” of the language. So the silent bell hung until it was sent to the museum.
The Tsar’s tower can hardly be called a tower, since it is just a tent superstructure, where Ivan the Terrible liked to come to look at the city.
The Konstantin-Eleninskaya Tower was also named after the church of the same name. It was built in 1490 and is famous for the fact that it was through it that Russian soldiers went to war, for example, Dmitry Donskoy with the army.
That's how many towers adorn the Moscow Kremlin today.
The Moscow Kremlin has 20 towers and they are all different, no two are the same. Each tower has its own name and its own history. And for sure, many do not know the names of all the towers. Let's meet?
Most of the towers are made in a single architectural style, given to them in the second half of the 17th century. The Nikolskaya Tower stands out from the general ensemble, which was rebuilt in the Gothic style at the beginning of the 19th century.
BEKLEMISHEVSKAYA (MOSKVORETSKAYA)
BEKLEMISHEVSKAYA (Moskvoretskaya) tower is located in the south-east corner of the Kremlin. It was built by the Italian architect Marco Fryazin in 1487-1488. The courtyard of the boyar Beklemishev adjoined the tower, for which it received its name. Beklemishev's courtyard, together with the tower under Vasily III, served as a prison for disgraced boyars. The current name - "Moskvoretskaya" - is taken from the nearby Moskvoretsky Bridge. The tower was located at the junction of the Moskva River with the moat, so when the enemy attacked, it was the first to take the hit. The architectural solution of the tower is also connected with this: a high cylinder is placed on a beveled white stone plinth and separated from it by a semicircular roller. The surface of the cylinder is cut through by narrow, rarely spaced windows. The tower is completed by machicolas with a combat platform, which was higher than the adjoining walls. In the basement of the tower there was a hiding place-a rumor to prevent undermining. In 1680, the tower was decorated with an octagon, carrying a tall narrow tent with two rows of eaves, which softened its severity. In 1707, expecting a possible offensive by the Swedes, Peter I ordered to build bastions at its foot and expand the loopholes to install more powerful guns. During the Napoleonic invasion, the tower was damaged and then repaired. In 1917, during the shelling, the top of the tower was damaged, which was restored by 1920. In 1949, during the restoration, the loopholes were restored in their original form. This is one of the few Kremlin towers that has not been radically rebuilt. The height of the tower is 62.2 meters.
KONSTANTINO-ELENINSKAYA (TIMOFEEVSKAYA)
The KONSTANTINOV-ELENINSKAYA tower owes its name to the church of Constantine and Helena that stood here in antiquity. The tower was built in 1490 by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari and was used for the passage of the population and troops to the Kremlin. Earlier, when the Kremlin was made of white stone, another tower stood in this place. It was through her that Dmitry Donskoy with the army went to the Kulikovo field. The new tower was built for the reason that there were no natural barriers on its side outside the Kremlin. It was equipped with a drawbridge, a powerful diversion archer and a passage gate, which after, in the 18th and early 19th centuries. were disassembled. The tower got its name from the church of Constantine and Helena, which stood in the Kremlin. The height of the tower is 36.8 meters.
alarm
The alarm tower got its name from the large bell - the alarm that hung above it. Once upon a time, sentinels were constantly on duty here. From a height, they vigilantly watched - if the enemy army was coming to the city. And if danger was approaching, the sentinels had to warn everyone, strike the alarm bell. Because of him, the tower was called Nabatnaya. But now there is no bell in the tower. Once, at the end of the 18th century, a riot began in Moscow at the sound of the alarm bell. And when order was restored in the city, the bell was punished for disclosing bad news - they were deprived of the language. In those days it was a common practice to remember at least the history of the bell in Uglich. Since then, the alarm bell fell silent and remained idle for a long time until it was removed to the museum. The height of the Nabatnaya tower is 38 meters.
TSAR
TSAR tower. It is not at all like other Kremlin towers. There are 4 columns directly on the wall, and on them there is a peaked roof. There are no powerful walls, no narrow loopholes. But they are of no use to her. Because they were built two centuries later than the rest of the towers and not at all for defense. Previously, there was a small wooden tower at this place, from which, according to legend, the first Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible watched the Red Square. Previously, there was a small wooden tower at this place, from which, according to legend, the first Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible watched the Red Square. Later, the smallest tower of the Kremlin was built here and called it the Tsarskaya. Its height is 16.7 meters.
SPASSKAYA (FROLOVSKAYA)
SPASSKAYA (Frolovskaya) tower. Built in 1491 by Pietro Antonio Solari. This name comes from the 17th century, when an icon of the Savior was hung over the gates of this tower. It was erected on the spot where in ancient times the main gates of the Kremlin were located. It, like Nikolskaya, was built to protect the northeastern part of the Kremlin, which had no natural water barriers. The passage gates of the Spasskaya Tower, at that time still Frolovskaya, were considered “holy” by the people. They did not pass through them on horseback and did not pass with their heads covered. Regiments marching on the march passed through these gates, tsars and ambassadors were met here. In the 17th century, the coat of arms of Russia, the double-headed eagle, was hoisted on the tower, and a little later the coats of arms were hoisted on other high towers of the Kremlin - Nikolskaya, Troitskaya and Borovitskaya. In 1658 the Kremlin towers were renamed. Frolovskaya turned into Spasskaya. She was so named in honor of the icon of the Savior of Smolensk, located above the 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. In 1851-52. a clock was installed on the Spasskaya Tower, which we still see. Kremlin chimes. Chimes are called large clocks that have a musical mechanism. At the Kremlin chimes, bells play music. There are eleven of them. One large one, it marks the hours, and ten smaller ones, their melodious chime is heard every 15 minutes. There is a special device in the chimes. It sets the hammer in motion, it strikes the surface of the bells and the sound of the Kremlin chimes sounds. The mechanism of the Kremlin chimes occupies three floors. Previously, the chimes were wound by hand, but now they do it with the help of electricity. The Spasskaya Tower occupies 10 floors. Its height with a star is 71 meters.
SENATE
The SENATE Tower was built in 1491 by Pietro Antonio Solari, rises behind the Lenin Mausoleum and is named after the Senate, whose green dome rises above the fortress wall. The Senate Tower is one of the oldest in the Kremlin. Built in 1491 in the center of the northeastern part of the Kremlin wall, it performed only defensive functions - it protected the Kremlin from Red Square. The height of the tower is 34.3 meters.
NIKOLSKAYA
NIKOLSKAYA Tower is located at the beginning of Red Square. In ancient times, there was a monastery of St. Nicholas the Old nearby, and an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was placed above the gate of the tower. The gate tower, built in 1491 by the architect Pietro Solari, was one of the main defensive redoubts in the eastern part of the Kremlin wall. The name of the tower comes from the St. Nicholas Monastery, located nearby. Therefore, an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was placed over the travel gates of the archer. Like all towers with entrance gates, Nikolskaya had a drawbridge across the moat and protective bars that were lowered during the battle. The Nikolskaya Tower went down in history in 1612, when militia troops led by Minin and Pozharsky broke into the Kremlin through its gates, liberating Moscow from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders. In 1812, the Nikolskaya Tower, along with many others, was blown up by Napoleon's troops retreating from Moscow. The upper part of the tower was especially damaged. In 1816, it was replaced by the architect O.I. Bove with a new needle-shaped dome in pseudo-Gothic style. In 1917 the tower suffered again. This time from artillery fire. In 1935, the dome of the tower was crowned with a five-pointed star. In the 20th century, the tower was restored in 1946-1950s and in 1973-1974s. Now the height of the tower is 70.5 meters.
CORNER ARSENAL (DOG)
CORNER ARSENAL tower was built in 1492 by Pietro Antonio Solari and is located further away, in the corner of the Kremlin. It received its first name at the beginning of the 18th century, after the construction of the Arsenal building on the territory of the Kremlin, the second comes from the nearby estate of the Sobakin boyars. There is a well in the dungeon of the corner Arsenal tower. He is over 500 years old. It is filled from an ancient source and therefore there is always clean and fresh water in it. Previously, there was an underground passage from the Arsenal Tower to the Neglinnaya River. The height of the tower is 60.2 meters.
AVERAGE ARSENAL (FACETED)
The MIDDLE ARSENAL tower rises from the side of the Alexander Garden and is called so because right behind it there was a warehouse of weapons. It was built in 1493-1495. After the construction of the Arsenal building, the tower got its name. Near the tower in 1812 a grotto was erected - one of the attractions of the Alexander Garden. The height of the tower is 38.9 meters.
TRINITY
The TROITSKAYA tower is named after the church and the Trinity Compound, which were once nearby on the territory of the Kremlin. Troitskaya Tower is the tallest tower in the Kremlin. The height of the tower at present, together with the star from the direction of the Alexander Garden, is 80 meters. The Trinity Bridge, protected by the Kutafya Tower, leads to the gates of the Trinity Tower. The gates of the tower serve as the main entrance for visitors to the Kremlin. Built in 1495-1499. Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin Milanets. The tower was called differently: Rizopolozhenskaya, Znamenskaya and Karetnaya. It received its current name in 1658 after the name of the Trinity Compound of the Kremlin. The two-storey base of the tower housed a prison in the 16th-17th centuries. From 1585 to 1812 there was a clock on the tower. At the end of the 17th century, the tower received a multi-tiered tent superstructure with white stone decorations. In 1707, due to the threat of a Swedish invasion, the loopholes of the Trinity Tower were expanded for heavy cannons. Until 1935, an imperial double-headed eagle was installed on top of the tower. By the next date of the October Revolution, it was decided to remove the eagle and install red stars on it and the rest of the main towers of the Kremlin. The double-headed eagle of the Trinity Tower turned out to be the oldest - manufactured in 1870 and prefabricated on bolts, therefore, when dismantled, it had to be dismantled at the top of the tower. In 1937, the faded semi-precious star was replaced with a modern ruby one.
KUTAFIA
KUTAFYA tower (connected by a bridge with Troitskaya). Her name is associated with this: in the old days, a casually dressed, clumsy woman was called a kutafya. Indeed, the Kutafya tower is not high, like the others, but squat and wide. The tower was built in 1516 under the leadership of the Milanese architect Aleviz Fryazin. Low, surrounded by a moat and the Neglinnaya 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 XVI-XVII 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. There are two versions of the origin of the name "Kutafya": from the word "kut" - shelter, corner, or from the word "kutafya", denoting a full, clumsy woman. The Kutafya Tower has never been covered. In 1685, it was crowned with an openwork "crown" with white stone details.
KOMENDANTSKAYA (KOLYMAZHNAYA)
The KOMENDANTSKAYA tower got its name in the 19th century, since the commandant of Moscow was located in the building nearby. The tower was built in 1493-1495 on the northwestern side of the Kremlin wall, which today stretches along the Alexander Garden. It was formerly called Kolymazhnaya after the Kolymazhny yard located near it in the Kremlin. In 1676-1686 it was built on. The tower is made up of a massive quadrangle with machicolations (mounted loopholes) and a parapet and an open tetrahedron standing on it, completed with a pyramidal roof, an observation tower and an octagonal ball. In the main volume of the tower there are three tiers of rooms covered with barrel vaults; vaults are covered and tiers of completion. In the 19th century, the tower received the name “Komendantskaya”, when the commandant of Moscow settled in the Kremlin, in the Poteshny Palace of the 17th century. The height of the tower from the Alexander Garden is 41.25 meters.
ARMORY(STABLE)
The ARMORY tower, which once stood on the banks of the Neglinnaya River, now enclosed in an underground pipe, was named after the nearby Armory, the second comes from the nearby Stables Yard. Once upon a time, ancient weapons workshops were located next to it. They also made precious dishes and jewelry. The ancient workshops gave the name not only to the tower, but also to a wonderful museum located next to the Kremlin wall - the Armory. Many Kremlin treasures and simply very ancient things are collected here. For example, helmets and chain mail of ancient Russian warriors. The height of the Armory Tower is 32.65 meters.
BOROVITSKAYA (PREDTECHENSKAYA)
Built in 1490 by Pietro Antonio Solari. Travel card. The first name of the tower - the original, comes from the Borovitsky hill, on the slope of which the tower stands; the name of the hill, apparently, comes from the ancient forest that grew on this place. The second name, assigned by the royal decree of 1658, comes from the nearby Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist and the icon of St. John the Baptist, located above the gate. At present, it is the main passage for government motorcades. The height of the tower is 54 meters.
VODOVZVODNAYA (SVIBLOV)
WATER TOWER - so named because of the car that was here once. She raised water from a well, arranged at the bottom to the very top of the tower into a large tank. From there, water flowed through lead pipes to the royal palace in the Kremlin. Thus, in the old days, the Kremlin had its own water supply system. He worked for a long time, but then the car was dismantled and taken to St. Petersburg. There it was used for the device of fountains. The height of the Vodovzvodnaya tower with a star is 61.45 meters. The second name of the tower is associated with the boyar surname Sviblo, or the Sviblovs, who were responsible for its construction.
BLAGOVESCHENSKAYA
Blagoveshchenskaya tower. According to legend, the miraculous icon of the Annunciation was previously kept in this tower, and in 1731 the Church of the Annunciation was attached to this tower. Most likely, the name of the tower is associated with one of these facts. In the 17th century, for the passage of laundresses to the Moscow River, a gate was made near the tower, called Portomoinny. In 1831 they were laid down, and in Soviet times the Church of the Annunciation was also dismantled. The height of the Annunciation Tower with a weather vane is 32.45 meters.
TAINITSKAYA
TAYNITSKAYA tower - the first tower laid down during the construction of the Kremlin. It was named so because a secret underground passage led from it to the river. It was intended to be able to take water in case the fortress was besieged by enemies. The height of the Tainitskaya tower is 38.4 meters.
PETROVSKAYA (UGRESHSKAYA)
The PETROVSKAYA tower, together with two nameless ones, was built to reinforce the southern wall, as it was the most frequently attacked. Like the two nameless ones, the Petrovsky Tower did not have a name at first. She received her name from the church of Metropolitan Peter at the Ugreshsky Compound in the Kremlin. In 1771, during the construction of the Kremlin Palace, the tower, the church of Metropolitan Peter and the Ugreshskoye metochion were dismantled. In 1783 the tower was rebuilt, but in 1812 the French destroyed it again during the occupation of Moscow. In 1818, the Petrovsky Tower was restored again. It was used for their needs by the Kremlin gardeners. The height of the tower is 27.15 meters.
