Moscow Kremlin
In 1156 Prince Yury Dolgoruky founded a small wooden fortress, the Kremlin, on Borovitsky Hill. This is how Moscow began.
In 1237, during the Mongol-Tatar invasion, the Kremlin was destroyed.
In 1333 - 1340, on the site of the destroyed "brainchild" of Yuri Dolgoruky, the oak city of Ivan Kalita grew. In 1365 there was a devastating fire when the entire Kremlin burned down. And in 1367, during the reign of Ivan Kalita's grandson Dmitry Donskoy, a fortress of white stone was built on the site of the burnt oak fortress. This is where the name White Stone Moscow came from.
In the future, the Kremlin was repeatedly subjected to raids by the Crimean khans and Western European troops. The city, lying on the paths of the conquerors, had to be well defended. At the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th century, under Ivan III Vasilyevich, the great-great-grandson of Ivan Kalita, in accordance with the useful achievements of fortification science of that time, the Kremlin was erected from brick for the first time in Russian architecture.
Its outlines have been preserved without significant changes, and like its three predecessors, it has the shape of an irregular triangle resembling a heart. The layout of the fortress was determined by its location: the Neglinnaya River skirted the Kremlin Hill from the west, and the Moskva River flowed from the south. A wide ditch was dug from the northeast, filled with water. Thus, the ancient Kremlin was located on the island.
The Kremlin walls are connected by 20 towers (Spasskaya, Tsarskaya, Nabatnaya, the tower of Saints Constantine and Helena, Beklemishevskaya, First Nameless, Second Nameless, Petrovskaya, Taynitskaya, Vodovzvodnaya, Blagoveshchenskaya, Borovitskaya, Armory, Trinity, Commandantskaya, Kutafya, Corner Arsenalnaya, Middle Arsenalnaya, Nikolskaya, Senatskaya), later built on with hipped roofs. Three of them are round and the most durable. They allow you to fire using a wide sector of fire. Five towers are travel towers, and one is a branch tower - Kutafya. It was connected to the entrance to the Kremlin by an ancient bridge over the Neglinnaya River. The main tower is Spasskaya (former Frolovskaya), the first in time of construction was Tainitskaya (1485), under it there was a secret underground passage to the Moscow River, and the last (1495) and the highest - 80 meters - Troitskaya.
The walls have a slope at the bottom, their thickness is from 3 to 5 meters at a height of 6 to 17 meters, depending on the terrain. The total length of the walls is 2235 meters.
The walls are completed with dovetail-shaped battlements typical of Italian fortified architecture. From the inside there is an arcade, which is found in many Russian fortresses, from the outside - the walls are decorated with a white stone belt. The combat platform has a width of 2 to 4 meters. The loopholes of the plantar and upper battle are located at different heights. In addition, the walls and towers have machicules - hinged loopholes-drains.
Branch towers adjoined the passage towers, in which "climbs", cellars and "rumors" were arranged. The gates were equipped with gers - metal gratings descending from the grooves and were fenced with powerful, metal-bound gates. From the outside, the walls are girded with white stone and equipped with a plinth. At the Borovitskaya tower, they are covered with an earth embankment - these are traces of defensive structures of the early 18th century - fearing an attack on Moscow by the Swedish king Charles XII, Peter I ordered to erect earthen bastions in front of the Kremlin towers.
The Spasskaya Tower.
The Spasskaya Tower is rightfully considered the most beautiful and most slender tower of the Kremlin. The architect Pietro Antonio Solari, who built it in 1491, in fact, laid the foundation for the construction of the eastern line of the Kremlin fortification with the Spasskaya Tower.
From time immemorial, the gates of the Spasskaya Tower have been the main front entrance to the Kremlin. They were especially revered by the people and were considered "saints". It was forbidden to pass through them on horseback and to pass with bare head. Through them, regiments marching on the march entered and exited. Tsars and ambassadors were met at these gates.
In 1624 - 1625, the Russian architect Bazhen Ogurtsov and the English master Christopher Galovey erected a multi-tiered top over the tower, ending with a stone tent. It was the first tent decoration in the Kremlin towers.
In the 50s of the 17th century, the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, the double-headed eagle, was erected on top of the tent of the main tower of the Kremlin. Later, similar coats of arms were installed on the highest towers - Nikolskaya, Troitskaya and Borovitskaya.
Initially, the tower was called Frolovskaya, due to the fact that the church of Frol and Lavr was located nearby. By decree of April 16, 1658, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ordered her to be called Spasskaya. The new name was associated with the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, placed above the gate from the side of Red Square. The icon itself has not been preserved, but the place where it hung is clearly visible.
The Spasskaya Tower has 10 floors. Three floors are occupied by the mechanism of the Kremlin chimes - the main clock of the state.
The height of the tower is 67.3 meters (with a star - 71 meters).
Royal tower.
The Tsar's Tower is the youngest and smallest. It was built in 1680. More precisely, this is not a tower, but a stone tower, a tent placed on the wall. Once upon a time there was a small wooden turret from which, according to legend, Tsar Ivan IV (the Terrible) liked to watch the events taking place on Red Square - hence the name of the tower. White-stone belts on pillars, high pyramids at the corners with gilded flags, a tent ending with an elegant gilded weather vane - all this makes the tower look like a fairy-tale chamber.
Nabat tower.
The alarm tower was built in 1495. It got its name from the alarm bell, which alerted Muscovites of impending events or danger. The tower was placed on a hill and from it a view of the southern environs was opened. On the tower, guards were on duty around the clock, watching the roads. Noticing fire or columns of smoke, which was a sign of the approach of an enemy army, the watchman sounded the alarm, and the inhabitants of the surrounding villages hurried to take refuge in a fortress or behind the walls of monasteries. The last bell for the disclosure of "bad news" was severely "punished" by Catherine II. In 1771, the Plague Riot broke out in Moscow. The rebellious citizens sounded the alarm, calling the people to the Kremlin. After the suppression of the uprising, Catherine II, without knowing who exactly rang the alarm, ordered to pull out the tongue from the bell. For more than 30 years, a dumb bell hung on the tower. In 1803, it was removed and transferred first to the Arsenal, and then in 1821 to the Armory.
Konstantin-Eleninskaya tower.
The Constantino-Eleninskaya Tower was built by the architect Pietro Antonio Solari in 1490 on the site of the Timofeevsky Gates of the white-stone Kremlin, through which Dmitry Donskoy went to the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380.
The tower got its name from the nearby church of Constantine and Helena.
At first, the tower was a travel tower, had a diversion archer and a drawbridge. In the 17th century, the passage was closed, and at the end of the 17th century, the archer and the bridge were broken, and then the gates were also laid. Now the arch of the gate is clearly visible, above it there is a recess for the over-gate icon and traces of vertical slots for the bridge lifting mechanism.
The height of the tower is 36.8 meters.
Beklemishevskaya tower.
The Beklemishevskaya Tower is located in the southeast corner of the Kremlin triangle. It was built in 1487 by the Italian architect Marco Ruffo. Its name is connected with the name of the boyar I. Bersenya-Beklemishev, whose court adjoined it from the Kremlin. His fate was tragic. In 1525, he was executed for speaking out against the policy of Grand Duke Vasily III, his court was transferred to the treasury and, like the tower itself, was turned into a prison.
In the defense of the Kremlin, the Beklemishevskaya Tower performed a very responsible function. She was the first to take the blow of the enemy hordes, as she was at the junction of the Moskva River with a moat. In the basement of the tower, a rumor hiding place was arranged to prevent undermining.
In the 17th century, the tower was covered with a multifaceted high tent, which adorned and softened its severity. At the beginning of the 18th century, in anticipation of a possible offensive by the Swedes, on the orders of Peter I, earthen ramparts were poured at the foot of the tower and its loopholes were cut out to install more powerful guns. During the restoration of the tower in 1949, the loopholes were restored in their original form.
The tower has another name - Moskvoretskaya. It appeared, apparently, from the Moskvoretsky bridge, which was located nearby.
The height of the tower is 46.2 meters.
Petrovskaya tower.
The tower got its name from the church of Metropolitan Peter, located in the courtyard of the Ugreshsky monastery, located in the Kremlin, next to the tower.
In its architecture, the Petrovskaya Tower differed sharply from neighboring towers. On the lower two-tier quadruple with false hinged loopholes - a second one was placed. It is divided into two tiers by cornices and thin semi-columns at the corners. From above, the tower ends with an octagonal pyramidal tent.
The Petrovsky Tower was destroyed by cannon shots during the Polish intervention in 1612 and then rebuilt. In 1771, it was broken in connection with the construction of the Kremlin Palace, but soon restored in 1783. In 1812 and since then it has not been changed.
The Petrovsky Tower, erected "for a better look and strength", served for the household needs of the Kremlin gardeners.
The height of the tower is 27.15 meters.
Second Nameless Tower.
The tower was built in the middle of the 15th century. She has always performed purely defensive functions. In 1680, this tower was built on, adding an upper quadrangle and a high pyramidal tent with an observation tower. The tower is crowned with a small octagonal tent with a weather vane. In ancient times, this tower had a gate, later laid down.
In 1771, in connection with the construction of the Kremlin Palace, it was demolished, and after the cessation of construction, it was restored anew. Inside the quadrangle there are two tiers of vaulted rooms.
First Nameless Tower.
In the 1480s, the First Nameless Tower was built next to the Tainitskaya Tower, which is notable for its stingy architectural forms. She has always performed purely defensive functions.
The tower ends with a tetrahedral pyramidal tent. The architectural proportions of the tower indicate that it was built later than the Second Nameless Tower. In the 15th-16th centuries gunpowder was stored in this tower. The tower has a difficult fate. In 1547, the tower was destroyed by a gunpowder explosion, and in the 17th century it was rebuilt. Then it was built on with a hipped tier.
In 1770 - 1771, the tower was dismantled to make room for the construction of the Kremlin Palace according to the project of V.I. Bazhenov. When the construction of the palace was stopped, the tower was built again in 1783, somewhat closer to the Taynitskaya tower.
In 1812, the retreating French troops blew up the tower, but soon the architect O. I. Bove restored it to its former forms. In this form, she has survived to this day.
The height of the tower is 34.15 meters.
Tainitskaya tower.
The "oldest" tower of the Moscow Kremlin is Taynitskaya. The construction of the Kremlin fortifications began with it. Under the tower was dug a hiding place-well, to which the tower and its gates owe their name. In the event of a siege, it was possible to supply the Kremlin with water through this well and underground passage.
The tower was built in 1484 by Peter Anthony Fryazin. At the end of the 17th century, a tent was erected over the tower.
Unfortunately, the tower, built in the 15th century, has not reached us. In 1770, it was demolished, as the Kremlin began to build the Kremlin Palace according to the project of V. Bazhenov. However, already in 1771 - 1773, the tower was restored according to the measured drawings of M. Kazakov, followed by the addition of a tent top.
In the 60s of the last century, a retractable archer was added to the tower, where the guns of the self-propelled battery were located. In 1930, the archer was dismantled, and the gates and hiding places were laid.
Its height is 38.4 meters.
Annunciation tower.
The tower was built in 1487 - 1788. This is a low four-sided tower. At its base are slabs of white limestone. They have been preserved from the ancient white-stone Kremlin of the XIV century. During the time of Ivan the Terrible, the tower was used as a prison. At the end of the 17th century, a stone tent with a decorative watchtower was built on the Annunciation Tower. The name of the tower comes from the miraculous icon of the Annunciation that was once placed here, and is also associated with the Church of the Annunciation, attached to the tower at the beginning of the 18th century. At the same time, a bell tower was built in the watchtower, where seven bells were placed, and the weather vane was replaced with a cross. The tower served as an chapel of the church, ancient loopholes were hewn into large windows.
In the 17th century, Port-washing gates were built next to the tower for the passage of palace laundresses to the Port-washing raft on the Moscow River to rinse the ports - linen. In 1813, the Portomoynye Gates were laid down, but their traces have survived to this day and are clearly visible from the inside of the Kremlin.
In the depths of the tower was a deep underground. The height of the tower is 30.7 meters (with a weather vane - 32.4 meters).
Watervzwater tower.
In the southwestern corner of the Kremlin, the Vodovzvodnaya tower guards. This is one of the most beautiful buildings in the entire ensemble. The tower was built in 1488 by architect Antonio Gilardi. At first, it was called the Sviblovs, whose courtyard adjoined the tower from the Kremlin side.
The tower received its modern name in 1633 after the installation of a water-lifting machine and the installation of the first pressure water pipeline in Russia to supply water from the Moscow River to the Kremlin. As contemporaries testified, this machine, made under the guidance of the Englishman Christopher Golovey, cost several kegs of gold.
At the end of the 17th century, a tent was erected over the tower.
In 1812, French troops retreating from Moscow blew up the tower.
It was restored in 1816 - 1819 by O. I. Bove.
The walls of the tower are treated with rustication, the loopholes are replaced by round and semicircular windows.
In 1937, a ruby star was installed on the tower.
The height of the tower is 58.7 meters, with a star - 61.85 meters.
Borovitskaya tower.
At the foot of one of the seven hills on which Moscow stands, there is a tower that differs from the others in its stepped shape. This is the Borovitskaya tower. Its name comes from the ancient forest that once covered the entire hill. The Borovitskaya Tower was built by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari in 1490.
Borovitskaya tower has a very peculiar shape. A similar stepped pyramid can be seen in Kazan - at the tower of Queen Syuyumbeki. A powerful, square base continues with three tetrahedrons decreasing upwards. The whole structure ends with an open octagon (part of the building, which has an octagonal shape in plan) with a high stone tent. The archer in this tower is not located in front, as in other towers of the Kremlin, but on the side, taking into account the turn of the wall. Here you can see the holes through which the chains of the drawbridge, dismantled in 1821, passed, and in the passage of the gate - vertical grooves for the protective lattice. Unlike the front doors of the Spassky and Trinity Gates, the Borovitsky Gates had a purely utilitarian purpose: they passed through them to the outbuildings - the Zhitny and Konyushenny yards. In 1812, during the explosion of the nearby Vodovzvodnaya Tower by the retreating French troops, the Borovitskaya Tower was also damaged - the top of its tent fell. In 1816 - 1819 the tower was repaired under the leadership of O. I. Bove. In 1848, the throne of the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist near Bor was transferred to the Borovitskaya Tower.
Its height is 50.7 meters, with a star - 54.05 meters.
Weapon tower.
This is a small tower. Its construction was completed by 1495. It received its modern name in the 19th century after the building of the Armory Chamber built on the territory of the Kremlin. Prior to that, it was called the Konyushennaya, since behind it in ancient times was the royal Stables Yard.
Command tower.
This is a small deaf strict tower. Its construction was completed by 1495. Previously, it was called Kolymatnaya - from the Kolymatny courtyard in the Kremlin, where the royal carts and carriages were kept. It got its current name in the 19th century: next to it in the Poteshny Palace lived the commandant of Moscow. Like all the towers of the Kremlin, it was built on in 1676-1686 with a tent with a tower.
The height of the tower from the Alexander Garden is 41.25 meters.
Kutafya tower.
This is the only surviving of the Kremlin's bridge towers, which served to protect the bridges leading to the fortress. It was built in 1516 under the leadership of the Milanese architect Aleviz Fryazin. Low, surrounded by a moat and a river, with the only gate that was tightly closed in moments of danger, the tower was a formidable barrier for the besiegers of the fortress.
The tower consisted of two combat tiers, on the upper platform there were hinged loopholes. In 1685, the tower was decorated with an openwork decorative top. Drawbridges across the moat that surrounded the tower led to the side tower gates. To this day, at the side gate, one can see the preserved slot for chains of lifting mechanisms.
It is still not entirely known where the name of the tower came from. Most likely, the name of the tower comes from its shape: according to Dahl's dictionary, in Russian folk dialects, the word "kutafya" meant "a clumsy, ugly dressed woman."
The height of the tower is 13.5 meters.
Trinity tower.
With this tower, the architect Aleviz Fryazin Stary completed the construction of fortifications from the side of the Neglinnaya River, later the Alexander Garden. The tower was built in 1495 - 1499. The significance of the tower for the western facade of the Kremlin is the same as that of the Spasskaya for the eastern one. The architect who built the tower in 1685 took this into account and gave its hipped top almost the same decorative decoration as that of Spasskaya.
The tower is six-story, with deep two-story cellars that served for defense purposes, and later in the 15th - 16th centuries were used as a prison.
There is evidence that there was a clock on the tower in 1585, which lasted until the beginning of the 19th century, until it burned down in 1812. Recently, the clock on the Trinity Tower was reinstalled.
The tower received its modern name in 1658 from the Trinity Compound in the Kremlin. Prior to that, it was called Bogoyavlenskaya, Znamenskaya, Karetnaya after the churches located in the Kremlin and the Karetny yard.
In 1516, a stone Trinity Bridge was built across the Neglinnaya River. The gates of the tower served as a passage to the mansions of the queen and princesses, to the court of the patriarch.
The Trinity Tower is the tallest tower in the Kremlin, its height with a star from the side of the Alexander Garden is 80 meters.
Middle Arsenal Tower.
On the northwestern side of the Kremlin wall, stretching along the Alexander Garden, by 1495 the Middle Arsenal Tower had risen. It is located on the site of the corner tower of the Kremlin of the time of Dmitry Donskoy.
The tower received its current name during the construction of the Arsenal building at the beginning of the 18th century. Previously, it was called Granena - from the facade dissected on the verge.
In 1680 the tower was built on. It is crowned with a through observation tower with a tent.
In 1821, during the laying out of the Alexander Garden at the foot of the tower, a pleasure grotto was built according to the project of O. I. Bove.
Corner Arsenal tower.
In 1492, Solari completed the defense line of the Kremlin from Red Square with this tower. As conceived by the architect, it was to become the most powerful corner tower. Not far from the tower were the mansions of the boyars Sobakin, so the tower was originally called Sobakin. Only at the beginning of the 13th century, after the construction of the Arsenal, the tower received its modern name.
The tower is distinguished by a wide base, powerful four-meter walls, going deep into the ground. However, the tower performed not only defensive functions. To this day, there is a secret well in the tower, which, in the event of a siege, could be used by the garrison of the fortress. In addition, there was a secret exit from the tower to the Neglinnaya River, which was subsequently laid down.
During the Patriotic War of 1812, the tower was partially damaged by the explosion of the Nikolskaya Tower and the Arsenal. In 1816 - 1819 it was restored under the guidance of the architect O. Bove.
The height of the tower is 60.2 meters.
Nikolskaya tower.
This tower was built by the architect Pietro Antonio Solari in 1495. Its name is sometimes associated with the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which was placed above the gate of the archer. Other sources associate this name with the Nikolsky Greek Monastery, which was once located on Nikolskaya Street. As in all travel towers, there was a drawbridge across the moat, and protective bars on the gates.
In the 17th century, the Nikolsky Gate served mainly as an entrance to the boyar and monastery courtyards in the Kremlin. In 1612, during the struggle against the Polish-gentry invaders, the people's militia, led by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, burst through these gates and liberated the Kremlin.
In 1812, the French, retreating from Moscow, blew up the tower. It was restored by the architect O. Bove in 1816. In 1917, during the October battles, the tower was badly damaged by artillery fire. It was restored in 1918 by the architect N. Markovnikov.
The height of the tower is 67.1 meters, with a star - 70.4 meters.
Senate tower.
The tower is located immediately behind the Spasskaya Tower, behind the Lenin Mausoleum. The tower was built in 1491 by the architect Pietro Antonio Solari.
The Senate Tower performed a purely defensive function - it protected the Kremlin from the side of Red Square. For a long time she was nameless. The tower got its name after M. Kozakov built the Senate building on the territory of the Kremlin in 1787, the dome of which is clearly visible from Red Square.
Inside the main volume of the tower there are three tiers of vaulted rooms. The deaf, square tower in 1860 was built on with a stone tent, it is crowned with a gilded weather vane.
In 1918, a memorial plaque was opened on the tower in honor of the first anniversary of the October Revolution by V. I. Lenin (sculptor S. Konenkov). During the restoration of the tower in 1950, the board was removed and transferred to the Museum of the Revolution.
The height of the tower is 34.3 meters.
Conclusion
The basis of the uniquely picturesque panorama of the Kremlin is its precious necklace - walls and towers.
Erected in ancient times to protect against enemy raids, they are currently a historical monument of ancient architecture.
The Kremlin walls and towers frame the whole city - the Moscow Kremlin, in which the history of the development of Moscow architecture is concentrated in the face of cathedrals and palaces located on its territory.
Being a historical monument of ancient architecture, the Moscow Kremlin, at the same time, serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.
Literature.
Book on diskette "Moscow Kremlin".
Y. Alexandrov. "MOSCOW: Dialogue of Travel Guides". Publishing house "Moscow worker", 1982
E. Osetrov. "My discovery of Moscow". Publishing House "Children's Literature", 1981
"MOSCOW". Encyclopedia. Publishing house "Soviet Encyclopedia", 1980
M. Ilyin, T. Moiseeva. "Moscow and the Moscow Region". Handbook-guide. Art Publishing House, 1979
Illustrations
1. Spasskaya tower.
2. Tower of Saints Constantine and Helena.
3. Alarm tower.
4. Tsar's tower.
5. Vodovzvodnaya tower. 6. Borovitskaya tower.
7. Beklemishevskaya tower. 8. Petrovsky tower.
20. Middle Arsenal tower.
21. Senate tower.
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 got 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 bastions to be built at its foot and the loopholes to be expanded 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. It was named so 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 Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin 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 was called “Komendantskaya”, when the commandant of Moscow settled in the Poteshny Palace of the 17th century near the Kremlin. 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.
Has 20 towers. The list of towers is made, starting from the southeast corner of the Kremlin wall, counterclockwise. Many Moscow Kremlin towers, in addition to the modern name indicated by the first, they also have a second name, as a rule, more ancient.
southeast corner
Beklemishevskaya (Moskvoretskaya) Tower Moscow Kremlin.Konstantin-Eleninskaya (Timofeevskaya) tower Moscow Kremlin.
Built in 1492 by Pietro Antonio Solari. Round, the most powerful tower of the Kremlin. The first name was given 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 inside the tower. The height of the tower is 60.2 meters.
Western wall
Along the western wall of the Kremlin, on the site of the Neglinnaya River, which was buried under the ground, the Alexander Garden was laid out.
Built in 1493-1495. The name comes from the building of the Arsenal. The height of the tower is 38.9 meters.
Trinity Tower Moscow Kremlin.
Vodovzvodnaya (Sviblova) tower. It was built in 1488 by the Italian architect Anton Fryazin (Antonio Gilardi). Round. A well and a secret passage to the Moscow River were arranged in the tower. The first name comes from a lifting machine installed in the tower in 1633, which supplied water to the Kremlin gardens. The second name of the tower is associated with the boyar surname Sviblo, or the Sviblovs, who were responsible for its construction. The tower is crowned with a red star. The height of the tower is 61.25 meters.
Kremlin towers. Secrets and secrets. 1 part.It's great to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. It would seem that the majority of Russians were in the Kremlin and Red Square. What's new there? Tourists, pavement, zero kilometer. In fact, the Kremlin is full of mysteries. For example, each of the towers of the complex is fraught with its own secrets.
1. Taynitskaya tower
The Tainitskaya Tower The Tainitskaya Tower is a tower of the Kremlin, a former passageway, the middle one on the southern wall.
It was from the south that the Tatars attacked Moscow, and this tower controlled the fords both at Vasilyevsky Spusk and at the mouth of the Neglinka. According to the cache laid in it - a secret well in case of a siege - the tower was named Taynitskaya. As can be seen on the map, the original tower was a powerful entrance complex with a stone bridge and a diversion (retracted from the fortress at a distance) archery. The modern tower is a remake of the 18th century, built after Catherine II abandoned the idea of the Grand Kremlin Palace.
The first tower, which was laid during the construction of the Kremlin, was Taynitskaya. In the last quarter of the 15th century, Ivan III launched a grandiose reconstruction of the walls and towers of the Kremlin.
The beginning of new construction is closely connected with the name of the Italian architect Anton Fryazin (Antonio Gilardi). The Italian "architect" arrived in Moscow back in 1469 as part of the embassy of Cardinal Vissarion to prepare the marriage of Grand Duke Ivan III and Sophia Paleolog. In 1485, Anton Fryazin laid the foundation stone for the Tainitskaya tower of the Moscow Kremlin and for the first time used brick for fortification construction. This marked the beginning of the renovation of the Kremlin fortifications.
The Tainitskaya tower had two combat tiers, on the upper platform there were loopholes for hanging battles (mashikuli). From the side of the river, the gate was covered by a second tower, connected to the Taynitskaya tower by a stone arched bridge.
A cache-well and an underground passage to the river (hence the name) were arranged in the Tainitskaya tower. At the end of the XVII century. The Taynitskaya tower is crowned with a tent. In 1770, it was dismantled in connection with the construction of the Kremlin Palace according to the project of V.I. Bazhenov. Restored in the 1770s.
In 1862, a diversion archer was attached to the Tainitskaya tower, on the upper platform of which guns of a saluting battery were installed. In 1930-33, the archer was dismantled, the gates were blocked, and the hiding place was filled up. The current height of the tower is 38.4 m. Moscow. (Encyclopedic reference book. - M .: Great Russian Encyclopedia 1992) 
2. Vodovzvodnaya tower
Vodovzvodnaya (Sviblova) tower is the southwestern corner tower of the Moscow Kremlin. It is located on the corner of the Kremlin Embankment and Alexander Garden, on the banks of the Moskva River. Erected in 1488 by the Italian architect Anton Fryazin (Antonio Gilardi). The name Sviblov Tower comes from the boyar family Sviblo (later Sviblov), whose courtyard adjoined the tower from the Kremlin
A year later, the right flank of the southern wall was covered by the Sviblova tower. The map shows that the Kremlin is protected from the south by a double wall. It was dismantled as a result of the post-fire reconstruction of Moscow.
It received its modern name in 1633 after the installation of a water-lifting machine in it, made under the direction of Christopher Galovey, to supply water from the Moscow River to the Kremlin.
It was the first water supply system in Moscow from tanks placed in the upper tiers of the tower. Water from it was carried out "to the Sovereign Sytny and Stern Palace", and then to the gardens.
On the Moskva River, near the Vodovzvodnaya Tower, there was a washing raft for rinsing clothes. On the bank of the river there was a port-washing hut with accessories for the raft. In the Kremlin wall, small port-washing gates were arranged, through which linen was carried.
The water tower was built in the classical style. Up to the middle of the height, it is lined with alternating belts of protruding and sinking masonry.
A narrow strip of white stone, covering the tower in its middle part, as if emphasizes the arched belt. The turret is completed with dovetail crenellations with slots for shooting. Arcature belt, mashikuli, "dovetails" had not previously been found in Russian architecture of fortifications and were used here for the first time. The tent over the tower was erected at the end of the 17th century. In 1805, due to dilapidation, it was dismantled and rebuilt.
In 1812, the army of Napoleon Bonaparte, retreating from Moscow, blew up the tower. Restored in 1817-1819 by the architect Osip Ivanovich Bove. The walls are treated with rustication, the loopholes are replaced by round and semicircular windows. Dormer windows are decorated with Tuscan porticoes with columns and pediments.
Sviblova tower on a hundred rubles
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Unlike other towers with ruby stars, Vodovzvodnaya did not previously have an eagle-shaped top. A star with a diameter of 3 meters was installed on the tower in 1937 and is the smallest of the Kremlin stars.
Interesting Facts.
In 1633, an unprecedented construction project was started in the Kremlin. Royal plumbing. And they made it - according to Roman custom, from lead. Through lead pipes, the water of the Moskva River, with the help of a horse-drawn pump, was pumped into large tanks located in the upper part of the tower (already - Vodovzvodnaya). These tanks were lined with a thin lead sheet for tightness. Through the same lead pipes, water from the tanks was diluted to kitchens, soaps, for watering the royal gardens, as well as to the Konyushenny, Khlebny, Kormovaya and other courtyards of the Kremlin. Each consumer had his own water-folding chest. For a long, long time (from 1633 to 1706), the royal palace was supplied with “impotent”, lead-poisoned water.
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Scientists who calculated the level of saturation of water with lead, argue that lead in the water should have contained more than one hundred current maximum allowable standards. According to the calculations of scientists, the water in this water supply system was especially poisonous in the morning, after it had been infused in lead water-folding chests all night. People were poisoned by lead. And the service people of the Kremlin, and its inhabitants. Poisoned with lead and the king. Signs of chronic lead poisoning are memory loss, apathy, lethargy. People look older than their age and degrade mentally and physically. All these signs were observed by contemporaries of Tsars Alexei Mikhailovich (1629-1676), Fyodor Alekseevich (1661-1682) and Ivan V (1666-1696). According to contemporaries, Alexei Mikhailovich did not know how and did not like to work, he was "much quiet."
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His character was sluggish and incapable of decisive actions and creativity. About himself, he himself said: "To me, a sinner, the local honor is like dust." He had a rather contemplative nature, preferring to observe the activities of others - to work itself. In general - the clinical picture of chronic lead poisoning, starting from childhood, and not just a quiet character.
About Fedor Alekseevich they said "Not a tenant." He lived little, was always lethargic, was often unhealthy and died young, while looking much older than his years. Ivan V was weak in body and mind, incapable of vigorous activity, was constantly in prayer and fasting. By the age of 27 he looked like an old man. By the age of 30, he was paralyzed and died - as imperceptibly as he lived.
If Alexei Mikhailovich was subjected to lead poisoning from childhood, then his children were poisoned with lead even in the womb. They were already the second generation of lead-poisoned tsars of Russia. What saved Peter the Great? Opala! It turns out that opal sometimes saves life and health. He spent his childhood and adolescence not in the Kremlin. He was the first son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich from his second wife, Natalya Naryshkina. And he was born not in Moscow, but in one of the estates. They say that either in Kolomenskoye, or in Izmailovo. Peter was still small when his father died and his mother fell into disgrace. This is what saved the life of the future emperor. He did not consume powerless water and was not poisoned constantly with lead since childhood.
The life of young Peter passed outside the Moscow Kremlin, and this saved him from the fate of his father and brothers. True, having already become king, in 1706 Peter ordered the lead pipes to be removed from the Kremlin for their transportation to Piterburh. Lead pipes and other things were dismantled and sent to St. Petersburg, but ... It is known that the first water supply system in St. Petersburg, which supplied the palaces and fountains of the Summer Garden with water from the Neva, had pipes made of drilled tree trunks. Most likely, Peter just needed lead for bullets and buckshot. And he seized the much-needed metal. After all, he was the one who melted the bells into cannons, although this caused a much stronger reaction!
Against this background, the melting of pipes into bullets and buckshot remained completely unnoticed by contemporaries. And the fact that by this Peter saved so many inhabitants and servicemen of the Kremlin from lead poisoning remained completely unknown to people. How often it turns out that over time, people's actions are evaluated in a completely different way than when they were performed.
3. Borovitskaya tower
The Borovitskaya Tower (Predtechenskaya) is located in the southwest of the Moscow Kremlin. It is easily visible from the Alexander Garden and Borovitskaya Square. The building offers a wonderful view of the Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge.
Borovitskaya tower
1490, Pietro Antonio Solari
As you can see on the map, the gates were originally built in the tower itself (compare with the modern photo, where the gate is in the retractable shooter). A wooden bridge was thrown across the Neglinka.
The first quarter of the tower (height 16.68 meters) is divided into two tiers, which are covered with barrel vaults. From the first tier there is a passage to the partially filled basement of the tower. In the second tier, elements of church decor were partially preserved, and the tower church itself was destroyed in 1917. The second quadrangle is low - only 4 meters, its closed arch has stripping for windows. The third and fourth quarters (3.47 and 4.16 meters, respectively) make up a single volume and are also covered with a closed vault with window formwork. An octagon (4.16 meters) with a tent (18.07 meters) are also combined into one room: their walls are cut through by long narrow dormer windows. All levels communicate with each other by means of stairs located in the thickness of the eastern and northern walls. A spiral staircase runs from the basement to the second quarter in the southeast corner of the tower.
On the side of the tower, taking into account the turn of the wall, a retractable archer was attached to cover the gate. The gates were closed with iron bars. In plan, the archer has the shape of a triangle. Strelnitsa communicates with the basement of the main quadrangle. Until now, in the passage of the gate, you can see the longitudinal grooves for the gate grate.
Retractable shooter
According to legend, it owes its name to its location - it was erected on Borovitsky Hill, from where the name came from. According to another legend, it was built by masters from Borovsk, and therefore it was named in memory of them.
Taking into account the star, the height of the Borovitskaya Bashi of the Moscow Kremlin is 54.05 meters, excluding - 50.7 meters. It was built the ninth in a row among all the towers of the Kremlin. Its construction was carried out by the architect Pyotr Fryazin by decree of Ivan III in 1490. At the same time, Pietro Solari (Peter Fryazin) built a wall between it and the Sviblova tower (Vodovzvodnaya). He also designed the Spasskaya Tower.
According to the chronicles, another structure was located in its place, but it was also called. In 1658 it was renamed Predtechenskaya. The name was given after the Church of the Nativity of the Forerunner. With this name, it did not last long and soon the former name was returned.
Church of John the Baptist, Borovitskaya Tower and Konyushenny Prikaz. 1800.
If earlier the Borovitsky Gate of the Kremlin was a kind of "back entrance" (used exclusively for economic purposes), now it is used as a front gate. The President of the Russian Federation enters through the Borovitsky Gates, receives international guests and guests of the Armory.
Initially, the tower, like most of the structures of the Moscow Kremlin, was made of oak. In 1340, Ivan Kalita built a mighty oak fortress, with walls from 2 to 6 m thick and over 7 m high. The oak citadel protected Moscow for almost three decades, but was destroyed as a result of a fire in Moscow in the summer of 1365. In 1367, thanks to Dmitry Donskoy, the construction of the Kremlin began from white stone, which was mined not far from Moscow (after which Moscow began to be called "White Stone"). In 1485-1495. the walls of the Kremlin acquired, familiar to us today, a dark red color. The Kremlin received the red brick after the grandiose reconstruction of Ivan III.
Above the Borovitsky Gates in the icon case was the icon of St. John the Baptist. The lampada was looked after by the parable of the temple of St. Nicholas Streletsky, located on Borovitskaya Square. The temple was destroyed in 1932 during the construction of the Sokolnicheskaya subway line. The icon was lost in Soviet times. Her place above the gate is occupied by a clock.
"The Church of St. Nicholas, called Streletskaya, near the Borovitsky Gates, in Moscow."
Year Built: Between 1682 and 1810.
Year of loss: 1932 (demolished)
In 2006, a memorial chapel was erected on the site of the temple.
There were up to 210 archery households in the parish. After the dissolution of the archers by Peter I, the temple became impoverished - in 1716 there were only 4 yards in its parish. In 1812 it was looted and burned, but after that it was restored and then completed and repaired several times by the city. During the laying of the Sokolnicheskaya metro line in an open way in 1932, the temple was demolished along with the foundations.
Chapel of Nicholas the Wonderworker on Borovitskaya Square
Church of St. Nicholas Streletsky.
The Borovitskaya Solari tower was based on a quadrangle, which crowned a wooden tent. Then in 1666-1680s. the wooden tent was removed and three more quadrangles, one octahedron and a stone tent were built on. Therefore, the Borovitskaya Tower has a peculiar stepped (or pyramidal) shape. In addition, a diversion archer with a passage gate was attached to the side of the tower. The gate had an iron grate, and a drawbridge was thrown across the Neglinnaya River.
At the beginning of the XVI century. the Neglinka river flowed along the western wall of the Kremlin and had rather swampy and swampy banks. In addition, from the Borovitskaya Tower, it turned sharply to the southwest, moving away from the Kremlin walls. Near the Borovitsky Gate, a stone arched bridge was thrown across the river.
In 1510, they decided to straighten the channel and bring it closer to the walls. A canal was dug from the Borovitskaya Tower to the Moskva River past the Vodovzvodnaya Tower. This made this section of the Kremlin difficult to access militarily, but also forced the construction of a drawbridge to the Borovitskaya Tower, which has a gate. The lifting mechanism was located on the second tier of the tower.
In 1821, Neglinka was taken into the pipe, the Alexander Garden was laid out in its place, and the drawbridge of the tower lost its significance and was dismantled.
During the construction of the Borovitskaya metro station, a very interesting discovery was made. When the builders were working, they found a brick house in almost perfect condition. It turned out that the house was built in the 16th century, and it got there because of the failure of the soil under the house. Surprisingly, all the furniture and things were preserved inside the house.
In the XVIII century. the tower was repaired and decorated with white stone details in pseudo-Gothic style. When the French army led by Napoleon entered Moscow in 1812, many architectural monuments of Moscow were damaged or destroyed as a result of fires and explosions. So, they also blew up the Vodovzvodnaya tower adjacent to Borovitskaya. During the explosion, the top of the tent fell from the Borovitskaya tower.
In 1816-1819. the tower was repaired by O. I. Bove. Apparently, at the same time, a clock appeared on the tower, at least on the drawings that have survived from that time, the gate and the clock are indicated.
In 1848, after the destruction of the Church of the Nativity of the Forerunner near Bor, the tower was turned into a church. The throne was moved there from the church and the pseudo-Gothic decorations were destroyed.
From the outer side of the Kremlin wall, on the folds of the gate, coats of arms carved from white stone are visible, clearly of ancient origin - Lithuanian and Moscow. Experts still have not given an answer about the time and reasons for their appearance on the Borovitskaya Tower. Noteworthy is the dialectic of the three coats of arms of the Borovitskaya Tower
In Soviet times, it was crowned with a red star (1935) instead of a double-headed eagle, and on the star, as was customary at that time, there was an image of a hammer and sickle. And two years later, a ruby star shone at the top.
Today it has five tiers, connected by a system of stairs. A spiral staircase in the southeast corner permeates the entire quadrangle.
Near the tower is the Armory - the State Museum of the Moscow Kremlin. The building was built by K. Ton in 1547 (he also built the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in 1883). Previously, this building was called the Great Treasury. Like most of the buildings of old Moscow, the Armory burned during fires and, unfortunately, many valuable exhibits were lost.
The building of the Armory houses the Diamond Fund, which has collected unique precious stones and metals of historical value. The fund began to form under Peter the Great, and the doors of the Diamond Fund exhibition opened in 1967.
Curious facts
Guests of foreign states on official visits are received in the Grand Kremlin Palace - the Guest Residence of the Kremlin. If you notice the flag of another country on the palace, this means that the President of the Russian Federation is receiving guests of honor.
On January 22, 1969, a misfortune occurred near the Borovitsky Gate - an attempt on the life of L. I. Brezhnev. The officer on duty, having penetrated the cordon at the gate, fired 11 shots at the motorcade of the general secretary. As a result, the driver of the car died and several people were slightly injured. The offender was caught and put on trial.
One of the towers of the Kazan Kremlin, the tower of the Tatar queen Syuyumbike, is similar to the Borovitskaya tower.
After the Church of the Nativity of the Forerunner near Bor was demolished in 1848, the Borovitskaya tower turned into a church. The throne of the temple was moved here, and the pseudo-Gothic decorations were destroyed. During the renovations carried out in 1860, many other decorative elements that adorned the tower were removed.
MOSCOW CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST IN THE KREMLIN
The legendary Kremlin Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist was the very first Moscow church founded in Moscow at the dawn of its history - in the 12th century, when Moscow itself appeared. It stood right in front of the Grand Kremlin Palace and was demolished in 1847 by the personal order of Emperor Nicholas I. 
The foundation of this church is often associated with the struggle in Russia against paganism in the very first centuries after the adoption of Christianity. Feast of St. John the Baptist also coincided in date with the pagan festivities of the day of Ivan Kupala, and at that time the Christian Church often replaced the pagan folk with its holidays and customs to facilitate the conversion of the people to the true faith.
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The Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist - the very first Moscow church - was founded on Bor, where the first wooden fortress wall of the city around the main Borovitsky hill appeared at the same time - the future Moscow Kremlin. It is noteworthy that this church was built of wood, and, as ancient historians have long argued, from the same local tree, pine, with which the Kremlin hill was densely covered, which received its historical name from this forest - Borovitsky.
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Over time, the first Moscow church ended up next to the Borovitskaya tower of the Moscow Kremlin, and in April 1658 the pious Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ordered the tower to be renamed Predtechenskaya after the temple. Only the new name did not take root - even in official documents the tower continued to be called Borovitskaya, and to this day it is the only Kremlin tower that bears the most ancient historical name. 
Near the Forerunner Church, on the site between the temple and the Borovitskaya Tower, from the first year of the founding of Moscow, there was a princely court. Since then, the princely court has remained on this site for centuries. In the 1320s, it was given with honor to St. Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow. Having moved to Moscow, St. Peter founded the Assumption Cathedral here.
But before that, it was the Predtechenskaya Church that had the status of the All-Russian Metropolitan See. So for a short time she was not only the very first, but also the most important temple in Moscow, and with her - in all of Russia.
The wooden Baptist Church stood until 1461. Only the Grand Duke Vasily II the Dark ordered to build it for the first time in stone. But this church building turned out to be short-lived, and was soon replaced by another after a fire in 1493. Then, finally, the Forerunner Church acquired its final form - in 1509, the Kremlin court architect, Italian Aleviz Fryazin, built a new stone Forerunner Church.
It was this building that survived until the 19th century (!) and was demolished during the construction of the Grand Kremlin Palace in 1846. The church in the tower was consecrated in May 1848. Service in the new building of the temple with a high five-tiered iconostasis took place only once a year - on the day of the patronal feast.
The demolition of the church did not add to the beauty of the place. An empty, unformed square with wastelands and various buildings that have not yet been brought into a single architectural ensemble has opened up. And in order to hide the impartiality of this, an elegant lattice with huge cast-iron gates was built as a facade. It still stands between the Grand Kremlin Palace and the building of the Armory, erected by the same architect K. Ton. If you look deep into this grate, then on the left, behind the building of the Armory, you can see a travel arch leading to the courtyard of this building - the sign "Beware of the car" is still placed there. In 1918, the Kremlin garage of the Auto-Battle Detachment was located in this courtyard, and on September 4, Fanny Kaplan, who attempted to kill Lenin, was secretly shot here: from the basement of the Grand Kremlin Palace, where Kaplan was kept on the orders of Sverdlov, she was taken to this arch, allegedly for to get into the car. There, without a verdict, the commandant of the Kremlin, Malkov, shot her in the back.
In November 1917, the Borovitskaya Tower with the Baptist Church was badly damaged during the battles for the Kremlin. Several bullets hit local icons. After the revolution, the temple in the tower was completely closed and dismantled. Only salt remained from it - and the chapel of St. Uara in the Archangel Cathedral.
4. Gun tower
To the north of the Borovitskaya Tower, on a hillock, rises the slender Armory Tower. It got its name in the last century from the Armory, built here in 1851. Before that, it was called the Konyushennaya, since in ancient times the royal Stables Yard was located behind it.
The height of the tower is 32.65 m.
The Kremlin of the 1880s in the photographs of Barshchevsky
It is possible that the Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin (Old) took part in its construction.
The Armory or Konyushennaya Tower is 38.9 m high. It underwent architectural changes in the period from 1676 to 1686 - at that time it was supplemented with a tent top. In general, the design is represented by a massive square-shaped quadruple, the organic completion of which is a combat platform equipped with a parapet. This is followed by an open quadrangle, and its crown is a tent with an observation tower (the neighboring Commandant's Tower has a similar appearance).
The internal layout of the Armory Tower of the Moscow Kremlin is designed in the form of two tiers of rooms, which are joined by vaults of ceilings. The entrance to the lower tier is from the side of the Kremlin.
Today, the Armory Tower is a historical monument of medieval Russia - it perfectly preserved the forms of that time. You can find it between
Commandant and Borovitskaya towers, located near Borovitskaya Square. And in order to get to these sights of Moscow faster, it is better to approach them from the direction of the Alexander Garden.
5. Kutafya and Trinity Towers
The Trinity Tower is a travel tower with a branch archer, the main one on the western side of the Kremlin.
Its construction in 1495-1499 completed the construction of fortifications from the side of the Neglinnaya River, later the Alexander Garden. In 1516, a stone Trinity Bridge was built from the Trinity Tower across the Neglinnaya River, and the Kutafya Tower was built behind it. In the 16th-17th centuries, the Trinity Gates were considered the second most important after the Spassky ones - they served to get to the Kremlin to the courts of the patriarch, queens and princesses.
View, Kutafya tower and church
Nicholas in Boots. 1817.
Trinity Tower (formerly Rizopolozhenskaya, Znamenskaya, Karetnaya according to the churches located in the Kremlin and Karetny Dvor) is a tower with a gate in the middle of the northwestern wall of the Moscow Kremlin, facing the Alexander Garden.
Troitskaya Tower is the tallest tower in the Kremlin. The height of the tower at the present time, together with a star from the side of the Kremlin, is 65.65 m, with a star - 69.3 m from the side of Alexander Garden - 76.35 m, with a star - 80 m. The Trinity Bridge, protected by Kutafya, leads to the gates of the Trinity Tower tower. The gates of the tower serve as the main entrance for visitors to the Kremlin.
tower before restoration
Currently, it is the main entrance for visitors to the Kremlin.
Built in 1495-1499. Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin Milanets (Italian: Aloisio da Milano). It received its current name in 1658 by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich on the nearby courtyard of the Trinity Monastery. The two-storey base of the tower housed a prison in the 16th-17th centuries. From 1585 to 1812 there were chimes on the tower, which were not restored after the fire of 1812. In the years 1870-1895, when the archive of the Ministry of the Imperial Court was transferred to the tower, it was rebuilt, while many ancient details were lost.
The tower is six-story, with deep two-story cellars that served for defense purposes, and in the 16th-17th centuries were used as a prison. All floors of the tower are connected by a system of stairs located along the perimeter of the tower. The archer in the second tier has a room with a flat ceiling.
The tower is completed by a small quadrangle, resolved in the character of the main volume, above which rises an octagon with a through viewing part crowned with a tall, slender tent. 
Troitskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin. Viewpoint
Decorative turrets and pinnacles at the corners of the parapets, lancet arches form the basis of a rich decor. Previously, from the side of the entrance to the Kremlin, the tower looked even more elegant, since the archer had similar decorations.
Trinity tower and bridge. Ser of the 19th century. Unknown artist.
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. At the end of the 19th century, the restoration of the tower was carried out by the architect N. A. Shokhin.
Old photographs of Moscow 1883
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.
Drawbridges across the moat that surrounded the tower led to the side tower gates. To this day, at the side gate, you can see the preserved slots for chains of lifting mechanisms.
Trinity bridge. It was thrown across the Neglinnaya River many centuries ago, even before it was hidden underground. The bridge connects the Trinity Tower with another - a low and wide tower. This is the Kutafya tower.
In 1870, the archives of the Ministry of the Imperial Court were transferred to the Trinity Tower. In order to accommodate it, the tower had to be rebuilt, and during the reconstruction, many of the ancient decorative details were destroyed.
The archive was located here until 1895. In the 19th century, the Neglinnaya River was hidden in a pipe, and the white stone ramp to the Kutafya Tower was replaced with a brick one. In 1901, a new Trinity Bridge was built.
The double-headed eagle of the Trinity Tower turned out to be the oldest - manufactured in 1870 and prefabricated on bolts, so it had to be dismantled at the top of the tower during dismantling. In 1937, the faded semi-precious star was replaced with a modern ruby one.
The Presidential Orchestra of Russia is based in the Trinity Tower.
Tower from Alexander Garden
Kutafya (Bridge) Tower
Kutafya tower opposite Troitskaya, at the end of Troitsky bridge. 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. It had loopholes of the sole fight (loopholes of the lower level in the fortress walls and towers) and machicols (hinged loopholes located in the upper part of the fortress walls and towers).
In the 16th-17th 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.
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Kutafya and Troitskaya towers. Right - Kremlin Palace of Congresses
It was possible to enter the Trinity Tower from the side of the city only on an inclined bridge passing through the Kutafya Tower.
There are two versions of the origin of the name "Kutafya": from the word "kut" - shelter, corner, or from the word "kutafya", meaning a full, clumsy woman. The Kutafya Tower has never been covered. In 1685, it was crowned with an openwork "crown" with white stone details.
The tower had no cover, consisted of two combat tiers, on the upper platform there were hinged loopholes. In 1685, the tower was decorated with an openwork decorative top. Drawbridges across the moat that surrounded the tower led to the side tower gates. To this day, at the side gate, you can see the preserved slots for chains of lifting mechanisms.
40.1993. The reverse side of the banknote: 200 rubles
Church of the Saint in Boots
Saint Nicholas of Lycia is one of the most revered saints of the Orthodox Church. All over the world there are temples consecrated in the name of this saint. In Moscow, many churches with such a dedication have survived: in Kuznetsy, Pyzhy, Tolmachi, Klenniki, Khamovniki, Podkopayy, in Zayaitsky, on Three Mountains, on Bolvanovka ... Many churches were destroyed after the revolution, but it happened in the history of Moscow and this: temples dismantled, and the throne was transferred to the prosperous tsarist time. This happened to the temple, on the site of which, probably, every person who visited the Kremlin at least once was. Coming out of the subway and heading towards the Kutafya Tower, we pass through the square between the Manezh and house number 1 on Vozdvizhenka Street. It was on this square that there was once a temple in the name of St. Nicholas in Sapozhki (or "in the Sapozhka").
Fedor Alekseev. Kremlin wall, Trinity bridge, Troitskaya and Kutafya towers. On the right is the Church of St. Nicholas in Sapozhka. 1800s
Two pictures showing the Church of St. Nicholas in Boots. Her throne was transferred to a new church at the Manezh, and the icons and utensils were transferred to the former Holy Cross Monastery on Vozdvizhenka in the new chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Here we see the church in a rebuilt form - originally it was with a hipped bell tower. 
V. Sadovnikov. Talyzin's house on Vozdvizhenka. 1840s. On the left is the Church of St. Nicholas in Boots.
In this place, near the Trinity Gates of the Kremlin, in the 15th century there was Semenovskaya Square, which got its name from the church of St. Simeon, built in 1470. In 1493, the church was probably damaged by fire and was demolished. In the middle of the 16th century, under Ivan the Terrible, the square began to be gradually built up. In 1648, on the site of the Simeonovskaya church, a stone church “on two tents” was erected with a dedication to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. This temple became one of the last temples erected in the Moscow state, the main volume of which ended with tents, since in the same 1648, Patriarch Nikon banned the construction of tented churches, ordering them to return to the domed completion. The hipped form continued to be used only to complete the bell towers.
The history of the origin of the name "in Boots" is interesting. Usually the temples were named after the area, settlement, street where they were located: in the Kuznetskaya settlement - "in Kuznetsy", in Kadashevskaya - "in Kadashi". But there was no "shoemaker's" settlement in this area of the city. The name “in a boot”, “with a boot”, later - “in boots” the church received from the temple icon, on which St. Nicholas was depicted in a robe, from under which the toe of his boot looked out. The surrounding quarter got its name from the temple, so already in the 17th century the tavern on the square was called “under the boot”.
In 1788, a new one was built to replace the dilapidated bell tower. The appearance of the temple at the beginning of the 19th century is beautifully conveyed in watercolors by Fyodor Alekseev and Maxim Vorobyov. In 1814, the St. Nicholas Church was assigned to the Vozdvizhensky Church of the abolished Exaltation of the Cross Monastery.
In 1817, on the occasion of the five-year anniversary of Russia's victory in the Patriotic War of 1812, next to the Church of St. Nicholas in Sapozhki, on the site between Mokhovaya Street and Alexander Garden, a huge structure was laid, intended for military maneuvers and parades - Exertsirgauz, now better known as the Manege.
The project engineers A.A. Betancourt, L. Carbonier and A. Kashperov faced a difficult task: the building had to accommodate a freely maneuvering infantry regiment of 2 thousand people, as well as large horse dressage. This meant that there were no internal supports, that is, the roof structure, spanning a 45-meter width, had to rest only on the outer walls of the building. To create unique rafters, huge larches were brought to Moscow, from which 30 roof trusses were assembled. The artistic appearance of the Manezh was created by one of the best Russian architects of the Empire era - the famous Osip Ivanovich Bove. The construction was carried out at an accelerated pace and was completed in 8 months, which may have affected the quality: over the next few years, the roof structure had to be corrected.
Photo from the 1890s In the middle of the Manezh building is the semi-rotunda of St. Nicholas Church
Post-fire Moscow received one of its best buildings, unique both in its technical design and in its magnificent, subtly sustained stylistic solution. However, for the temple in Sapozhki, this grandiose construction was fatal: the already dilapidated temple building interfered with the movement of military units and crowded the square, so it was dismantled by imperial order. This was a great loss for the architectural appearance of the capital, where there were not so many temples with a hipped roof.
Icons and church utensils from the St. Nicholas Church were transferred to the newly built Nikolsky chapel of the Exaltation of the Cross Church, to which the church was assigned. However, the throne was not completely abolished. In 1838, work began on the construction of a house church at the Manege, where, in the language of the military ministry that controlled the Manege, the St. Nicholas Church in Sapozhki was to be “relocated”. Thus, the throne is preserved, but moved to the Exertsirhaus building.
Photo from the late 1900s. Semi-rotunda of St. Nicholas Church.
The belfry is visible on the right
The task of supplementing the grandiose building of the Manege with a church was by no means an easy one. Bove's authority was unconditional for Tyurin. It was unthinkable to cause any damage to the creation of a person under whose leadership he took his first steps in the profession. Tyurin treated the Beauvais building not just as a talented work, but as a masterpiece of a recently deceased teacher.
The surviving photographs show that the difficult task of adding a new volume to the Manezh monolith was solved very carefully, with minimal interference with the architectural design of Beauvais. A semi-rotunda of the church was added to the side facade facing the Alexander Garden, the roof of which is the same height as the roof of the Manege (to erect a dome here would not only be inappropriate, but also technically dangerous). A semicircular colonnade was placed inside the church, repeating the curve of the outer wall.
The solution of the outer wall of the semi-rotunda fully corresponds to the strict order decoration of the side facades of the Manezh, so that with a strictly frontal view, the protruding part of the attached church is almost unreadable. 
Photo 1930 Demolition of St. Nicholas Church
St. Nicholas Church was consecrated in 1843, but, unfortunately, it did not last long in the new place either. After the October Revolution, the Manege began to be used as a garage of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It is hard to imagine that the Bolsheviks could allow the existence of a temple on the territory of such an institution, and even a stone's throw from the Kremlin. The church at the Manezh was closed in 1920, and in 1930 it was destroyed, since the semi-circular ledge in the plan, where the temple was located, allegedly interfered with the laying of tram tracks. 
Here is the place on the facade of the Manege where the church was built.
For more than a hundred years, reviews and military exercises have not been held in the Manezh, for the sake of which the temple of the 17th century was dismantled. Trams have not been running along the square for a long time, and the house church at the Manege, which once overlooked the Alexander Garden, would not at all interfere with a trio of horses rushing somewhere from the bowels of the fountain and other bronzed representatives of folk tales, who for some reason settled opposite the walls of the Kremlin.
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?
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 got 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 bastions to be built at its foot and the loopholes to be expanded 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.
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.
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 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) 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. It was named so 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.
The SENATE Tower was built in 1491 by Pietro Antonio Solari, rises behind the Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin 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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 was called “Komendantskaya”, when the commandant of Moscow settled in the Poteshny Palace of the 17th century near the Kremlin. The height of the tower from the Alexander Garden is 41.25 meters.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Built in the 1480s. The tower ends with a simple tetrahedral pyramidal tent. The inside of the tower is formed by two tiers of vaulted rooms: the lower tier with a cross vault and the upper tier with a closed vault. The upper quadrangle is open into the cavity of the tent. One of the two towers which did not get a name. Height 34.15 meters.
Built in the 1480s. Above the upper quadrangle of the tower is an octagonal tent with a weather vane; the upper quadrangle is open inside the tent. The interior of the tower includes two levels of rooms; the lower tier has a cylindrical vault, and the upper one is closed. Height 30.2 meters.
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.
