• Today's buildings were built mainly in 1485-1495 years in place of the dilapidated white stone walls erected in 1366.
• Fortress with twenty towers, connected by walls, has a triangular shape.
• Three corner towers have a round shape for conducting circular fire, the rest are square, very different from one another.
• The length of the Kremlin wall is 2335 m, height is 8-19 m, and its thickness is 3.5-6.5 m.
• The towers have details characteristic of Italian architecture of that time, which is not surprising, since they were built by Italian architects.
• IN tower names reflected their history and the history of the place.

The towers of the Moscow Kremlin with pointed tents and walls with battlements in the form of "dovetails" are indispensable elements of the capital's panorama. On the site where the Kremlin stands, the settlement has been located since ancient times. This location is very advantageous: on the high Borovitsky hill, at the confluence of two rivers - the Moskva River and the Neglinnaya. The first fortifications that appeared here were wooden. And in 1366-1368, Prince Dmitry Donskoy built the first white-stone Moscow Kremlin. The walls and towers that appear before us now are basically fortifications built in 1485-1495. by Italian architects in place of the former, dilapidated white stone walls.

The technique of building the Kremlin and the plan of the fortress

Twenty Kremlin towers, connected by walls, form an irregular triangle with an area of ​​27.5 hectares. The fortifications were built taking into account the most modern military technologies of the 15th century. The towers protrude beyond the line of walls so that the soldiers can not only fire, but also control the situation in close proximity to the walls. Round towers (Vodovzvodnaya, Moskvoretskaya and Arsenalnaya) were erected at the corners - this form was chosen both because of their greater strength and for conducting circular fire. They also had the opportunity to arrange hidden wells with water. Most of the towers are square at the base, but quite different from each other, depending on their purpose. The travel towers (Spasskaya, Borovitskaya, Troitskaya and others), erected on the axes of the roads leading to the Kremlin, were the most powerful and well-fortified. The towers were also endowed with a symbolic meaning of protection, protection of the Kremlin from the penetration of evil, impure forces. Therefore, icons can still be seen above the gates of some towers.

Most of the towers were attached to the diversion archers - fortifications that were carried out beyond the fortress walls or beyond the moat for additional defense. This type of fortification fully met the requirements of the end of the 15th century. Of the archer towers, one has survived - Kutafya, covering Troitskaya and in our time serving as the main entrance for tourists to the Kremlin. During the construction of the fortifications, various measures were provided against the attack of the enemy. This, for example, is the device of secret underground passages leading outside the walls in order to protect the city from undermining. A through tunnel was built inside the walls for the rapid movement of the defenders.

The length of the walls of the Moscow Kremlin is 2235 meters, the thickness of the walls varies from 3.5 to 6.5 meters, and the height - from 8 to 19 meters. The highest walls are located on the side of Red Square, where there was no natural oh water barrier. The walls were not built immediately, their construction began from the southeastern part (from the side of the Moskva River), continued to the east and the west was completed in 1516. On the south side, the most old tower Kremlin - Taynitskaya.

The construction technique itself is also interesting. The walls were built on the foundations of the former, white stone, the material was large red brick, which laid out the front walls, and the gaps were filled with the remains of the collapsed walls of the time of Dmitry Donskoy. So since 1485 the walls of the Moscow Kremlin acquired a recognizable color. The towers were erected by visiting Italian architects (Fryaz, as they were then called): Pietro Antonio Solari, Marco Ruffo, Aleviz di Carcano. This explains their unusual, strange appearance for that time. The fact is that the design of loopholes in the form of the famous “swallowtails” was a typical detail of northern Italian architecture, characteristic of buildings in cities where the ruling “party” was the Ghibellines - supporters of rapprochement with the emperor (unlike the Guelphs, supporters of the Pope, who decorated walls of their cities with battlements with a straight end). These battlements were not only decoration: they protected the upper battlefields.

Corner and passage towers after another fire were decorated in the 17th century with stone tents with weather vanes. They served as watchtowers, signal bells were also located there. In the second half of the XVIII century. the famous Russian architect V.I. Bazhenov completed the project of the Kremlin Palace - a large-scale building in the classic style, reminiscent of the architecture of French palaces. In the project, it was proposed to line the hill leading to the cathedrals with turf - this place would become one of the first "amusements" in Europe. For the construction of such a huge structure, it was necessary to demolish a third of the Kremlin walls. At one site, which is located near the Moskva River, work began on the dismantling of fortifications, but soon this project was curtailed due to growing lumpy costs. In the 19th century During Napoleon's invasion of Moscow, serious damage was done not only to the palaces and temples of the Kremlin, but also to the Kremlin walls. The architect who was involved in the restoration of the damaged Kremlin towers was O.I. Beauvais (ironically also Italian).

Spasskaya tower and Kremlin chimes

Special mention deserves the most famous of all the Kremlin towers - Spasskaya, built in 1491 by Pietro Antonio Solari. Sovereigns entered the Kremlin through it and religious processions took place. From the 15th century only dedicatory white-stone slabs have come down to us, which tell in Cyrillic (from the Kremlin side) and in Latin (from the Red Square side) about the order and construction of this tower. Its general appearance and decoration were then much more modest: it was almost two times smaller, and it was originally called Frolovskaya, after the Church of Flora and Laurus on. The Spassky Tower began to be called after the icon of the Savior, known throughout Russia, which was placed above the entrance in the middle of the 17th century. It was considered lost, but in 2010 it turned out that in Soviet times it was simply covered with plaster. In the 17th century the tower was one of the first to be built on with a multi-tiered elegant top. And the history of the clock on the Spasskaya Tower deserves a separate story.

The first clock on the Kremlin still white stone towers was installed in 1404 by Lazar Serbin. In the 17th century, thanks to Christopher Galoway, a native of Scotland, the Spasskaya Tower acquired a very unusual clock. They were a hand in the form of the sun with a rotating dial, on which 17 hours were marked. The famous Kremlin chimes, which can still be seen today, date back to the middle of the 19th century. They were made by watchmakers, brothers by the name of Butenop - the founders of the company of the same name. At different times, the chimes sounded different melodies. From 1770 it was the song "Ah, my dear Augustine", from the middle of the 19th century. ‒ “How glorious is our Lord in Zion”, after the revolution, the clock began to play “The Internationale”, and since 2000 you can hear the famous excerpt from Glinka’s opera “A Life for the Tsar”. At present, the clock mechanism occupies three floors, and until 1937 this watch was wound manually with a cast-iron key.

Famous towers of the Kremlin and the history of their names

Let us dwell a little more on the history of some towers. As already mentioned, the corner towers are the most important for defense and for composition in general. The Vodovzvodnaya Tower was built by Anton Fryazin in 1488. In the 17th century the tower was equipped with a water-lifting machine, which is why it got its name. Its other name - the Sviblova Tower - comes from the boyar family of the Sviblovs, who had a courtyard on the territory of the Kremlin. In 1812, it was blown up by the French, after which it was restored by O.I. Beauvais. Thanks to him, its appearance is emphatically classic: rustication (horizontal lines) in the lower part, columns, decorative design of dormer windows. Decorativeness, rather than functionality, comes first, one can feel the hand of the architect of the early 19th century.

The Beklemishevskaya Tower, built by Marco Ruffo in 1487, was named so because of the boyar I. Beklemishev, who lived during the reign of Tsar Vasily III, who fell into disfavor and was executed. From the name, one of the functions of this tower becomes obvious - a place of imprisonment for rebels. Its other name is Moskvoretskaya, as it is located on the banks of the Moskva River and occupies a strategically important position. It was from this side that the city was most often subjected to raids by the Tatars. A secret well was arranged in this tower. In 1707, loopholes for weapons of a new type were expanded in the tower, because at that time there were fears of Swedish intervention. This fact indicates that the tower did not lose its defensive significance until the 18th century.

The corner round tower, located on the north side of the Kremlin buildings, was erected by Pietro Antonio Solari c. 1492. Its other names come from the Sobakin boyars who lived nearby (Sobakina) and from the location next to the Arsenal (Arsenal). Thanks to the edges that form its volume, and the base that expands downwards, it gives the impression of particular stability and strength. She also had a strategic secret: it is a well inside, and also underground passage to the Neglinnaya river.

The Borovitskaya Tower got its name from a pine forest located on Borovitsky Hill in ancient times. The tower was built according to the project of Pietro Antonio Solari in 1490. Its design feature is the location of the archer on the side. It is also angular, but in plan it is not round, but resembles a pyramid, which is formed from quadruplets stacked on top of each other (volumes, quadrangular at the base) and crowned with an octagonal volume (octagonal at the base). Although this tower was located off the main roads and was used for household needs, it has retained its significance to this day: it is the only permanent gate to the Kremlin.

Troitskaya and Kutafya towers were built by Aleviz Fryazin. Kutafya dates back to 1516, Trinity - 1495. These towers are connected by a bridge, both were travel, and in the Kutafya tower there was only one gate, which was closed with heavy forged bars. Today it is the main entrance to the architectural and museum complex of the Kremlin. The Trinity Tower is the largest, its height reaches 76.35 meters. Its structure is complex: it consists of six floors, two of which are underground, and in the XVII and XVIII centuries. it was the place of detention for the rebels. It received its name in 1658 from the Trinity Compound, located nearby.

The Tainitskaya tower is called so because not only a secret well was built inside it, but also a secret passage to the Moscow River. This tower was built first, in 1485 - it was from this side that the Tatars usually attacked.

The Kremlin wall was built in 1485-1495. from red brick. Its length is 2235 meters. The wall, as if following the outline of the Kremlin hill, gets higher and lower. The thickness of the Kremlin wall is 3.5-6.5 meters with a height of 5 to 19 meters. There are 20 towers of various heights, shapes and styles.

Today we will make walk along the Kremlin wall and climb the inaccessible towers.

It was probably one of the hardest shoots I've ever made. It took more than one month to agree on it - I had to collect a lot of signatures, write a list of desired points and get a dozen permits. At some point, I had already forgotten about the Kremlin, when suddenly they took the picture and allowed it!

The list of desired points was severely cut - they were not allowed to shoot 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!

This is the staircase leading to the Spasskaya Tower. There are two platforms on the tower, one under the clock, the second above them:

Trees grow on the Spasskaya Tower! Almost on every side behind the clock, it is not visible from Red Square, but they are there:

Bricks on the floor of the Spasskaya Tower:

View of Red Square from the Spasskaya Tower:

View of the Historical Museum and the mausoleum from the Spasskaya Tower:

Kremlin Wall. View from Konstantin-Eleninskaya tower:

Beyond the Wall, everything is not as beautiful as in the tourist areas. For example behind the Beklemishevskaya tower some rubbish piled up. On the left you can see the mount for the Kremlin Christmas tree:

There are floodlights on the Kremlin wall. It is difficult to walk freely there:

Staircase in one of the towers. most towers empty inside, there is electrical equipment and communications:

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

At Kremlin wall between the Komendatskaya and Trinity towers there is an interesting civil structure of the middle of the 17th century. - the so-called Amusing Palace:

In the 19th century the commandant of Moscow lived in the Poteshny Palace, in the 20th century there was the first Kremlin apartment of I.V. Stalin (until 1932). The Poteshny Palace is the only surviving palace in the Kremlin architectural monument boyar housing.

Commandant's Tower:

View from observation deck Borovitskaya tower to the Armory and BKD:

Kremlin wall, view from the tower:

Behind the wall are these crow traps. Sometimes up to 200 birds are packed into a cage. Their further fate is not known. What do you think they do with the crows? An FSO employee denied the information that I make meatballs out of crows in the Kremlin canteen 😉

Bench in the Tainitsky garden. The president sat on it.

Some towers have a special telephone number:

The walls inside some towers do not differ from the entrances of houses in disadvantaged areas. This refutes the theory of some scientists that they shit and shit where it's dirty. The Kremlin is very clean, but the cattle crap even on the centuries-old Kremlin walls:

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 😉

There are many pipes along the Kremlin wall:

And this is a greenhouse that grows plants in it that decorate the interiors of the Kremlin premises:

Eternal flame Glory at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier:

Grotto "Ruins" in the Alexander Garden:

The doors in the tower are old:

And this Royal tower. A small turret was placed right on the wall in the 80s of the 17th century between the Spasskaya and Nabatnaya towers of the Kremlin. Its octagonal tent on pitcher-shaped pillars resembles the lockers of the porches of stone residential choirs common at that time:

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 Rus' could observe the events taking place on Red Square from the walls of the Kremlin.

And this is the sunset from the Spasskaya Tower:

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

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

Origin versions there are several words "Kremlin".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kremlin in Moscow after the 1917 revolution

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Moscow Kremlin is the main attraction of the city. Getting to it is easy enough. There are several metro stations, leaving which you can walk to the Kremlin. The Alexandrovsky Garden station will take you, as you can easily guess, straight to the Alexander Garden. There you will already see the Kutafya Tower, where they sell tickets to the Kremlin and the Armory. You can also go to the metro station. Library them. IN AND. Lenin. In this case, the Kutafya tower will be visible across the road. The stations Ploshchad Revolyutsii and Kitay-gorod will take you to Red Square, only from different directions. The first is from the State Historical Museum, the second - from the side. You can also get off at Okhotny Ryad - if you want to take a walk along the shopping row of the same name. Just be prepared for unusual prices)).

About prices in the Kremlin museums. Visiting the Kremlin is not a cheap pleasure. An hour and a half visit to - will cost 700 rubles, - 500 rubles, a walk around with an inspection - 500 rubles. For more information about museums and some of the nuances about visiting them, which you should know, see the links.

The Kremlin is called not only walls with towers, as some people think, but everything that is located inside it. Outside the walls, on the ground of the Moscow Kremlin, there are cathedrals and squares, palaces and museums. This summer on Cathedral Square Every Saturday at 12:00 the Kremlin Regiment shows its skill. If I manage to escape to the Kremlin, I will write about it.

History of the Moscow Kremlin.

The word "Kremlin" is very ancient. The Kremlin or citadel in Rus' was called the fortified part in the center of the city, in other words, the fortress. Times were different in the old days. It happened that Russian cities were attacked by countless enemy forces. It was then that the inhabitants of the city gathered under the protection of their Kremlin. Old and young hid behind its powerful walls, and those who could hold weapons in their hands defended themselves from enemies from the walls of the Kremlin.

The first settlement on the site of the Kremlin appeared about 4,000 years ago. This has been established by archaeologists. Fragments of clay pots, stone axes and flint arrowheads were found here. These things were once used by ancient settlers.

The place where the Kremlin was built was not chosen by chance. The Kremlin was built on a high hill, surrounded on both sides by rivers: the Moskva River and the Neglinnaya. The high location of the Kremlin made it possible to notice enemies from a greater distance, and the rivers served as a natural barrier in their path.

Initially, the Kremlin was wooden. An earthen rampart was poured around its walls for greater reliability. The remains of these fortifications were discovered during construction work in our time.

It is known that the first wooden walls on the site of the Kremlin were built in 1156 by order of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. These data are preserved in ancient chronicles. At the beginning of the 14th century, Ivan Kalita began to rule the city. Kalita in ancient Rus' was called a bag for money. The prince was so nicknamed because he accumulated great wealth and always carried a small bag of money with him. Prince Kalita decided to decorate and fortify his city. He ordered the Kremlin to build new walls. They were cut down from strong oak trunks, so thick that they could not be wrapped around with hands.

Under the next ruler of Moscow, Dmitry Donskoy, the Kremlin was built other walls - stone. From all over the district, stone craftsmen were gathered to Moscow. And in 1367. they set to work. People worked without interruption, and soon Borovitsky Hill was surrounded by a powerful stone wall, 2 or even 3 meters thick. It was built from limestone, which was mined in quarries near Moscow near the village of Myachkovo. The Kremlin so impressed contemporaries with the beauty of its white walls that since then Moscow has been called white stone.

Prince Dmitry was a very brave man. He always fought in the forefront and it was he who led the fight against the conquerors from the Golden Horde. In 1380, his army completely defeated the army of Khan Mamai on the Kulikovo field, which is not far from the Don River. This battle was nicknamed Kulikovo, and the prince has since received the nickname Donskoy.

The white-stone Kremlin stood for more than 100 years. During this time, a lot has changed. Russian lands united into one strong state. Moscow became its capital. It happened under the Moscow Prince Ivan III. Since then, he began to be called the Grand Duke of All Rus', and historians call him "the collector of the Russian land."

Ivan III gathered the best Russian masters and invited Aristotle Fearovanti, Antonio Solario and other famous architects from distant Italy. And now, under the guidance of Italian architects, new construction began on Borovitsky Hill. In order not to leave the city without a fortress, the builders erected a new Kremlin in parts: they dismantled a section of the old white stone wall and in its place quickly built a new one - of brick. There was quite a lot of clay suitable for its manufacture in the vicinity of Moscow. However, clay is a soft material. To make the brick hard, it was fired in special furnaces.

During the years of construction, Russian masters stopped treating Italian architects as strangers, and even their names were remade in the Russian way. So Antonio became Anton, and the nickname Fryazin replaced the complex Italian surname. Our ancestors called overseas lands Fryazhsky, and those who came from there - Fryazins.

They built the new Kremlin for 10 years. The fortress was protected from two sides by rivers, and at the beginning of the 16th century. a wide ditch was dug on the third side of the Kremlin. He connected two rivers. Now the Kremlin was protected from all sides by water barriers. erected one after another, equipped with their diversion archers for greater defense. Along with the renewal of the fortress walls, the construction of such well-known ones as Uspensky, Arkhangelsk and Blagoveshchensky took place.

After the crowning of the Romanovs, the construction of the Kremlin went at an accelerated pace. The Filaret belfry was built next to the bell tower of Ivan the Great, Teremnaya, Poteshny palaces, the Patriarch's chambers and the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles. Under Peter I, the building of the Arsenal was erected. But after the transfer of the capital to St. Petersburg, they stopped building new buildings.

During the reign of Catherine II, a number of ancient buildings and part of the southern wall were demolished for the construction of a new palace. But the work was canceled soon after. official version due to lack of funding, unofficially - because of the negative opinion of the public. In 1776-87. Senate building was built

During the invasion of Napoleon, the Kremlin suffered enormous damage. Churches were desecrated, looted, and part of the walls, towers and buildings were blown up during the retreat. In 1816-19. restoration work was carried out in the Kremlin. By 1917 There were 31 temples in the Kremlin.

During the October Revolution, the Kremlin is bombed. In 1918, the government of the RSFSR moved to the Senate building. Under the Soviet regime, construction was carried out on the territory of the Kremlin Kremlin Palace congresses, installed stars on towers, put them on pedestals, and repeatedly restore the walls and structures of the Kremlin.