The Moscow Kremlin is located on Borovitsky Hill. Its southern part faces Moscow, the eastern part borders Red Square, and Alexander Park is closely adjacent to the northwestern part. Currently, it is the residence of the president and an important political center of the entire country. It is generally accepted that the construction of the modern architectural and historical complex began in 1482 and was completed in 1495. The exact year of foundation of the very first fortress by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky is unknown, but already in 1156 wooden fortifications surrounded by a moat were built on the territory of the Kremlin. To find out who built the Moscow Kremlin, you need to turn to history.

On the territory of the Kremlin back in the 2nd millennium BC. e. people were already living. Not far from the Archangel Cathedral, a settlement of Finno-Ugric peoples was discovered, which dates back to the second half of the 1st millennium BC. e. Archaeologists have found flint arrowheads, stone axes and shards left over from pottery. The buildings were protected by two ravines, which significantly increased the defense at that distant time.

In the 10th century, the Slavs began to populate the lands located between the Moscow and Oka river basins. It is believed that the Vyatichi built two fortified centers on Borovitsky Hill. They were protected by a ring of palisades and fortified by a ditch and a high rampart dug around it. Two ravines were attached to these structures, the depth of which was increased to 9 m, and the width to 3.8 m. The rapid development of the settlement was facilitated by busy trade routes between East and West, running along the Moscow River, and two large land roads. One of them led to Novgorod, and the other connected Kyiv, Smolensk and the northeastern lands.

Moscow was first mentioned in chronicles in 1147. And in 1156, by order of Yuri Dolgoruky, military fortifications, residential and utility buildings were already erected on the site of the modern Kremlin. The area they occupied was supposedly 3 hectares. In 1264, the Kremlin became the residence of Moscow appanage princes.

In the 14th century, five monasteries were built on the territory of the Kremlin. The oldest of them is considered to be the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery on the forest, which was erected in 1330, in the year of the celebration of the millennium of Constantinople. However, it was destroyed in 1933. The Chudov Monastery was founded by Metropolitan Alexy in 1365. The name was given in honor of the Church of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael in Khoneh. In 1929, all the buildings that were part of the monastery complex were demolished.

Stconstruction of the white stone Kremlin

In the second half of the 14th century, during the reign of Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy, the Kremlin’s wooden walls began to be replaced with stone ones, the thickness of which exceeded two or even three meters. The most important sectors and areas where the main attacking forces of the enemy could be directed are built from local white stone. To more powerfully repel enemy attacks, the walls began to be reinforced with towers. The new walls were located at a distance of 60 m from the previous ones, built of oak, so the area of ​​the entire Kremlin becomes almost equal to the modern one. Over the years, stone buildings began to require repairs. Under the leadership of V.D. Ermolin, a Moscow merchant, the head of construction work of the Russian state, in 1462 the Kremlin walls were repaired from the Sviblova Strelnitsa to the Borovitsky Gate.

Under the Moscow Prince Ivan III, the long-awaited unification of all Russian lands and principalities into one state took place. By this time, a significant restructuring of the Moscow Kremlin was required. The construction of the new Assumption Cathedral in 1471 was entrusted to Russian architects Krivtsov and Myshkin. But the building collapsed during an earthquake.

Then Ivan III invited the architect from Italy Ridolfo Aristotle Fioravanti in 1475. In four years he built a building, the model for which was the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir. Fioravanti was also a good engineer and, remaining in Russia, participated in several military campaigns as chief of artillery. Later, craftsmen from Pskov built the Church of the Deposition of the Robe, and then the new Annunciation Cathedral.

The newly invited Italian architects did a lot of work and built several religious buildings in full accordance with the basic principles of Russian architecture. Since 1485, they built the Kremlin walls from baked bricks, which weighed 8 kg (half a pound). It was also called two-handed, since it was impossible to lift it with one hand.

The walls of the Kremlin are very high and sometimes reach the height of a six-story building. They have a passage, the width of which is about two meters. It is not interrupted anywhere, which allows you to walk around the entire Kremlin along the perimeter. The outside of the building is covered with 1,045 Merlon crenellations, typical of Italian fortresses. They are also called "dovetail". The height of the battlements reaches 2.5 m, and the thickness reaches 70 cm. The construction of one battlement required 600 bricks, and loopholes were built in almost every one of them. There are a total of 20 towers along the walls. Of these, the highest is Troitskaya, its height is 79.3 m.

During the reign of Peter I, the Moscow Kremlin ceased to be a royal residence, since the emperor, along with his court, moved to the newly built Saint Petersburg(until 1720 - St. Petersburg). In 1701, a severe fire occurred in the Kremlin, as a result of which many wooden buildings were destroyed. In 1704, Peter I issued a decree that prohibited the construction of any wooden structures inside the Kremlin. In 1702, construction began on the two-story Arsenal building, which continued until 1736. The building was built under Elizaveta Petrovna Winter Palace, designed by the Italian architect V.V. Rastrelli.

In 1812, the Moscow Kremlin was occupied by the French army. During the retreat, it was mined and blown up on Napoleon's personal orders. Not all the charges exploded, but the damage was very significant. Several towers, the Arsenal, and extensions to the Ivan the Great Bell Tower were destroyed, and the Senate building was damaged. Restoration work was entrusted to the architect F.K. Sokolov.

In 1917, during the October armed uprising in the Kremlin, walls, towers and a number of buildings were partially destroyed. Later, under the leadership of architect N.V. Markovnikov, restoration work and repairs of damaged objects were carried out.

Throughout its long history, the Moscow Kremlin has been rebuilt and restored more than once. Prominent architects and craftsmen from both Italy and Italy took an active part in the construction of churches and public buildings. It is almost impossible to say exactly who built the Moscow Kremlin. But we must always remember that this complex defended the capital of our state for many centuries and is now the center of the political life of the Russian Federation.

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 mentions of Moscow were 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.

Versions of origin There are several words for “Kremlin”.

According to one of them, this name comes from the name of the central part of ancient cities, called “Krom”. Another version suggests that this word could also come from “kremlin”, a very durable tree used to build 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 is that the Moscow Kremlin is the largest surviving fortress in Europe.

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

New Kremlin walls were erected during the reign of Ivan Kalita. They were made of stone inside, and outside were made of wood and coated with clay.

It is noteworthy that even during the difficult years of the yoke in Rus', the Moscow princes rebuilt existing fortresses and built new ones. Thus, under Dmitry Donskoy, the Kremlin, damaged in a fire in 1365, was rebuilt. White stone was used to build the walls, which became about two kilometers long, and the Kremlin towers. Since then, Moscow began to be called white-stone in chronicles.

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

In the mid-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. Tones. Years of construction - 1839-1849.

Significant damage was caused to the buildings of the Moscow Kremlin in 1812.

Napoleon, during his retreat from Moscow, ordered the Kremlin to be blown up. Mines were laid under buildings, walls and towers. Some explosions were prevented, thanks to Russian patriots, but, nevertheless, significant destruction still occurred. After the French emperor was expelled from the country, they began to restore the destroyed palaces, towers and walls, then completed the construction of the Armory Chamber and the Grand Kremlin Palace. In those days, the Moscow Kremlin was accessible to visitors. Visitors entered the territory through the open Spassky Gate, having first bowed to the icon of the Savior.

The Kremlin in Moscow after the 1917 revolution

In 1917, there were cadets on the territory of the Kremlin. As a result of the shelling carried out by the revolutionary troops, the Moscow Kremlin was partially destroyed: the walls, the Small Nikolaevsky 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, and Muscovites are deprived of free access to the territory.

The dissatisfaction of believers with the closure of cathedrals was quickly stopped by Yakov Sverdlov, who was not slow to declare 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 religious buildings of the Moscow Kremlin.

The Kremlin architectural ensemble suffered more during Soviet rule 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 and Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich were demolished. Congresses of the Soviets began to be held in the large Kremlin Palace, a public dining room was set up in the Faceted Chamber, and a kitchen was installed in the Golden Chamber. The Catherine Church of the Ascension Monastery was adapted into a sports hall, and the Kremlin hospital was located in the Chudov Monastery. In the thirties, the Small Nicholas Palace and all the monasteries and buildings were demolished. Almost everything turned into ruins East End Moscow Kremlin. The Soviet government destroyed 17 churches.

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

To celebrate the eight hundredth anniversary of Moscow, a thorough restoration of the towers and walls was carried out. Palekh artists discovered a mural from 1508 in the Annunciation Cathedral. A large amount of restoration work was carried out in the Archangel Cathedral (wall paintings were restored). A major restoration has also been carried out in the Assumption Cathedral.

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

In modern, diverse Moscow, the Kremlin remains historical place, which millions of tourists strive to visit, in the hope of touching, feeling and understanding the history of the white-stone capital.

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

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

The Kremlin wall was built in 1485-1495. made of red brick. Its length is 2,235 meters. The wall, as if following the outline of the Kremlin hill, becomes 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 commit walk along the Kremlin wall and climb the inaccessible towers.

This was probably one of my most difficult shoots. It took more than one month to get it approved - we had to collect many signatures, write a list of desired points and obtain a dozen permits. At some point I had already forgotten about the Kremlin, when suddenly they took the filming and allowed it!

The list of desired points was severely cut - they did not allow photography from the roofs of buildings, they did not allow climbing some towers, but most importantly, the Kremlin wall was left. Walking along the Kremlin walls, climbing inaccessible towers, was mine old dream, and now it has come true!

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

Trees grow on the Spasskaya Tower! There are clocks on almost every side, 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 Mausoleum from the Spasskaya Tower:

Kremlin Wall. View from Konstantino-Eleninskaya Tower:

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

There are spotlights on the Kremlin wall. It's difficult to walk freely there:

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

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

U Kremlin wall Between the Komendatskaya and Trinity towers there is an interesting civil structure from the mid-17th century. - the so-called Amusing Palace:

In the 19th century The commandant of Moscow lived in the Poteshny Palace; in the 20th century, I.V.’s first Kremlin apartment was here. Stalin (until 1932). The Amusing Palace is the only one preserved in the Kremlin architectural monument boyar housing.

Commandant's Tower:

View from observation deck Borovitskaya Tower to the Armory Chamber and BKD:

Kremlin wall, view from the tower:

Behind the wall are these: crow traps. Sometimes up to 200 birds are crammed into a cage. Their further fate is unknown. What do you think they do with the crows later? An FSO employee denied the information that he makes cutlets 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 are no different from the entrances of houses in disadvantaged areas. This refutes the theory of some scientists that they shit and shit where it is dirty. The Kremlin is very clean, but cattle crap even on the centuries-old Kremlin walls:

Surprisingly, there is a gate on the wall. They are needed here 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 in which plants are grown 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 Tsar's Tower. A small tower was placed directly on the wall in the 80s of the 17th century between the Spasskaya and Nabatnaya towers of the Kremlin. Its octagonal tent on jug-shaped pillars resembles the porch lockers of stone residential mansions that were 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:

IN historical center The capital is home to the most recognizable architectural structure of Russia - the Moscow Kremlin. Main feature architectural ensemble is its fortifying 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. It served several times as a model for similar fortresses that appeared in other Russian cities - Kazan, Tula, Rostov, Nizhny Novgorod etc. Within the walls of the Kremlin there are numerous religious and secular buildings - cathedrals, palaces and administrative buildings from different eras. The Kremlin was included in the list World Heritage UNESCO in 1990. Together with the adjacent Red Square, which is included in this list, the Kremlin is generally considered the main attraction of 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 completion of 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 ruined 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 errors in construction. A new attempt at revival was made by Grand Duke Ivan III. It was in this cathedral that prayer services were held before important campaigns, kings were crowned and patriarchs were elevated to the rank of patriarchs.

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

Located on the southwest corner of the square. In 1291 it was built here wooden church, however, 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.

Cathedral opening hours: 10:00 to 17:00 (closed on Thursday). Single ticket for visits it 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, as well as a tiled roof.
  

  

  

• – building of the 17th century, preserved rare architectural features civil architecture of that time. The museum displays jewelry, exquisite tableware, paintings, and royal hunting items. The magnificent iconostasis of the Ascension Monastery, destroyed in 1929, has been preserved.
  
  
• - a three-story building made in the early neoclassical style. Initially, the palace was supposed to serve as the residence of the Senate, but in our time it exists as the central working representation of the President of Russia.
  

  

  

  

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

Towers of the Moscow Kremlin

The length of the walls is 2235 meters, their maximum height is 19 meters, and their 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 highest, rising 80 meters high.

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

Four towers have travel gates:

The tops of these 4 towers, which are considered especially beautiful, are decorated with symbolic red ruby ​​stars from 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 first heard the chimes, which announced a new hour. Since then, many events have happened: wars have been fought, cities have been renamed, capitals have changed, but the famous chimes of the Moscow Kremlin remain the main chronometer of Russia.

The bell tower (height 81 meters) is the most tall 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 is the small church of St. John, hence the name of the bell tower and the square. It existed until the beginning of the 16th century, then it collapsed and has since become significantly dilapidated.

The Chamber of Facets is the main banquet hall of the Moscow princes; it is the oldest surviving secular building in the city. Currently, this is the official ceremonial hall for the President of Russia, so it is not open to tours.

Armory Chamber and Diamond Fund

The chamber was built by order of Peter I to store weapons obtained in wars. 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 and was reconstructed only in 1828. Now the Armory Chamber is a museum, which can be visited any day of the week from 10:00 to 18:00, except Thursday. Ticket price for adults is 700 rubles, for children – free.

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

The two diamonds on display deserve special attention, as they belong to the most famous examples of this gemstone 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 in late XIX century. To see the White Kremlin, look for works by 18th or 19th century artists such as Pyotr Vereshchagin or Alexey Savrasov.
3. Red Square has nothing to do with the color red. The name comes from the Old Russian word "red", meaning beautiful, and is in no way related to the color of the buildings, which we now know were white until the end of the 19th century.
4. The stars of the Moscow Kremlin were eagles. During Tsarist Russia, the four Kremlin towers were topped 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 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 Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Assumption Cathedral, the Trinity Tower and the Terem Palace.
7. The Moscow Kremlin was virtually undamaged in World War II. During the war, the Kremlin was carefully camouflaged to look like a residential building block. The church domes and famous green towers were painted gray and brown respectively, fake doors and windows were attached to the Kremlin walls, and Red Square was encumbered 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 bell 6.14 meters high was made from metal casting; the Tsar Cannon, weighing 39.312 tons, was lost in 1586 and was never used in war.
9. The stars of the Kremlin always shine. Over the 80 years of its existence, the Kremlin's star lighting has only been turned off twice. The first time was during World War II, when the Kremlin was camouflaged to hide it from bombers. The second time they were turned off was for the film. Oscar-winning director Nikita Mikhalkov filmed a scene for The Barber of Siberia.
10. The Kremlin clock has a deep secret. The secret of the accuracy of the Kremlin watches literally lies under our feet. The clock is connected to the control clock at the Sternberg Astronomical Institute via a cable.