How many towers does the Moscow Kremlin have: list, description and history. Kremlin towers Which towers of the Kremlin were used for the needs
The Annunciation Tower is named after the miraculous icon that was kept in it. Later, a church was built for the icon, but the name remained.
The Vodovzvodnaya Tower is a corner tower and was named so because there was once a machine here that pumped water from the river and delivered it through lead pipes to the royal palace of the Kremlin.
In the 17th century, the car was dismantled and transported to St. Petersburg for the installation of fountains. The height of the tower is 61.45 m.
Armory and Commandant towers
Once the Armory Tower stood on the banks of the Neglinka, but then the river was “chained” into a pipe underground. The building owes its name to the nearby Armory, where weapons and jewelry workshops were once located. Now it houses a museum, which presents unique military and jewelry exhibits of antiquity. The height of the structure is 32.65 m.
The commandant's tower was erected in 1495, but it received its modern name only in the 19th century, when the commandant of the fortress moved to a nearby
Troitskaya, Kutafya and Petrovskaya towers
How many towers the Kremlin has, almost all of them were rebuilt by Italian masters in the 15th century. So the Trinity was built by Aloisio da Caresano in 1495-1499. This is the tallest building in the Kremlin. Its height is 80 m together with the spire and the star crowning it. The building got its name from the nearby Trinity Church.
Interesting to know: at one time this building had different names, for example Rizopolozhenskaya, Karetnaya or Znamenskaya, until it received its current name in 1658. Once there was a prison in its two-story base. Until 1935, its spire was crowned with a royal eagle, which was replaced with a ruby star for the next anniversary of the revolution.
The Spasskaya Tower was built on the site of the former main gates of the Kremlin. An icon of the Savior was installed over the passage, and the entrance itself was revered by the people as saints, it was necessary to enter it on foot with an uncovered head. Nowadays, the famous chimes are installed on it.
Other Kremlin towers
The First and Second Nameless Towers were of exceptional strategic importance, for example, one of them had a powder magazine.
Indeed, it was equipped with a bell and an observation deck, on which archers were on duty. In the 18th century, a riot began in the city at the ringing of a bell, and when it was suppressed, they deprived the “culprit” of the language. So the silent bell hung until it was sent to the museum.
The Tsar’s tower can hardly be called a tower, since it is just a tent superstructure, where Ivan the Terrible liked to come to look at the city.
The Konstantin-Eleninskaya Tower was also named after the church of the same name. It was built in 1490 and is famous for the fact that it was through it that Russian soldiers went to war, for example, Dmitry Donskoy with the army.
That's how many towers adorn the Moscow Kremlin today.
Towers and walls of the Kremlin
The second half of the 15th century is the time of the formation of the Russian national state. Ivan III united the Russian lands. By this time, the white-stone Kremlin had partially collapsed and no longer corresponded to the international position and wealth of the Moscow state.
For the first time, the white stone was replaced with red. They baked it in ovens like bread. And he weighed eight kilograms. A half-pound stone was taken with two hands.
Ivan III commissioned the construction in the Kremlin Vasily Dmitrievich Ermolin. Italian architects also built a lot in the Kremlin, but according to primordially Russian motives. The Kremlin was conceived by Ivan III not only as a reliable fortress, but also had to become the main place of Muscovite Rus'. The architects were inspired by these ideas. And the walls, churches, towers rose ...
Everything in the Kremlin was then provided for protection from enemies. The plan is polygonal in order to see the enemy from different sides, the distance between the loopholes does not exceed the range of a projectile weapon. The towers interrupt the progress on the wall. And they themselves are either round or polygonal, so that it would be more difficult to destroy them with battering rams.
First, fortifications were built: thick brick walls and watchtowers, and this was in the spring of 1485. The length of the entire building is 2235 meters. The walls were very thick, in some places their thickness reached 3.5 meters. The height of the walls was also different, reaching in some places up to 14 meters. This was probably due to the fact that Moscow "stands on seven hills." At the top, the walls were made in the form of a forked "dovetail", resembling the letter "M", they were equipped with loopholes. This gave the thick walls originality and decorative effect. On top of the battlements was a plank gable roof, covering the defenders of the Kremlin from rain and snow.
There were 20 towers, in ancient times they did not look the same as they do now, elegant and tall. The tents appeared two centuries later. Under Ivan III, they were built as formidable impregnable bastions. All of them are completely different from each other.
For four centuries, the Kremlin remained the only fortress in Moscow that protected Muscovites during the days of invasions. But in the 6th century, the overgrown and rapidly growing Moscow could no longer get by with these walls alone. The walls of Kitay-gorod joined the walls of the Kremlin, and these walls merged into one fortification of unprecedented power and size. The new walls and towers took up the architectural motif set by the Kremlin. Now the length of the walls has reached 15 km, and there are 50 towers!
Spasskaya (Frolovskaya) Tower
The main tower of the Kremlin is Frolovskaya, named after the neighboring church of Flora and Lavra. During the repair of the tower in 1464-1466, the architect V.D. Yermolin installed on it white-stone relief images of the patrons of the Moscow princes - St. George the Victorious and Dmitry Solunsky. The tower was built in 1491 by the architect Pietro Antonio Solari. The Frolovsky gates were the main entrance to the Kremlin: in the 16th-17th centuries, tsars traveled through them, on holidays the patriarch went out with a procession of the cross, foreign ambassadors who arrived in Moscow were met at the gates. In 1624 - 1625, the architects Bazhen Ogurtsov and the Englishman Christopher Galovey crowned the tower with a complex superstructure and a high stone tent. So this tower was the first to get its characteristic pointed silhouette. Clocks were built into the superstructure - the predecessors of the Kremlin chimes. In 1658, by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the Frolovskaya Tower was renamed Spasskaya (in honor of the icons of the Savior of Smolensk and the Savior Not Made by Hands), which were placed on the outside and inside of the Kremlin. The Spassky Gates were especially revered by the people and were considered "holy": men, entering the Kremlin through them, bared their heads, and the riders dismounted and led their horses on a leash.
Taynitskaya tower
According to the time of birth, this is the tower number 1. Over the long history, this guard of the Kremlin had many different names - Potainitskaya, Water Gates, Cheshkovy, Sheshkovy, Chushkovy Gates. In the 15th century, the court of Cheshka, the boyar Danil of Galitsky, stood nearby, hence the last three names, and Vodyanyye and Taynitsky - because there was an ancient well-hiding place here. It was also possible to enter the Kremlin through the Tainitskaya tower. The Tainitskaya tower was large, it had not only a passage, but a clock and a bell. The watchmaker lived right on it, having built two wooden huts at the top. As the inventory of 1647 tells: "And on the tower there is a wooden closet, and in the closet there is a clock. Two wooden huts are placed on the same tower. And the watchmaker said that he put those huts on his own money and put them up without hitting his brow, without a decree." That is, he built huts without receiving official permission. The watchmaker's life was hard, the roof of the huts collapsed. Apparently, in the middle of the 17th century, the dilapidated tower was demolished and rebuilt. The tower stands, having risen in five tiers with a tent at 38.4 meters.
Nikolskaya tower
The Nikolskaya Tower resembles a Gothic cathedral. A slender red-white spire with lancet slit-like openings rises up from a rectangular, squat base. From red brick and white stone, Russian craftsmen built something like a bell tower with narrow window slits. On its sides there are four small turrets of the same type. This Gothic spire adorned the tower relatively recently, after 1812, when the Kremlin was being restored after a fire. It was then that the Nikolskaya Tower was built on with a high top. In the old days, disputes were resolved at the Nikolskaya Tower, which often arose on the trading floor. Disputants came here and kissed the cross, calling as witnesses the image of Nikolai Ugodnik hanging on the gate - "the intercessor and comforter of all those who mourn", who, as they believed, punishes perjurers. But this has happened as well. Once, during a religious procession in front of hundreds of people, a fearless rebel, captured and tried, threw a stick at this image. "Sankt-Peterburgskiye Vedomosti" reported that "the blasphemer and iconoclast of the Shuya district Vasily Zmiev, the peasant Ivashka Krasny, was burned on the square." And on the Nikolskaya tower, "watchmen" were on duty, and in the past there was a clock on it, last mentioned in 1612. Then, after the expulsion of the Polish interventionists, "the whole army and all the Orthodox peoples in the city of the Kremlin entered through this gate in a lot of joy."
Trinity Tower
The most massive tower of the Moscow Kremlin. Its bulk is best felt when you look at it from the foot in the Alexander Garden. A brick colossus rises up from the ground like a mountain. Asymmetrical windows cut through the thickness of the walls, there are six of them in the upper tier. And although the tower is decorated at the top with white stone columns, figurines, arches like the Spasskaya Tower, it still has not lost its medieval severity. The height from the foot to the star is 80 meters. One meter below the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, nine meters above the Spasskaya Tower. When you enter this gigantic tower, you find yourself in a multi-storey building. He is inhabited. Musicians come here to serve with trumpets, clarinets, saxophones. The tower is full of sounds, like the orchestra pit of a theatre. Until now, well-known musicians and composers come to the Trinity Tower to listen to new works, to give them a start in life. In the same tower is the control panel of the Moscow stars. A shield similar to those found in power plants. Five switches, like five ruby stars. A constant voltage of 80 volts is maintained. They burn day and night, in any weather.
Corner Arsenalnaya (Sobakina) Tower
Before the Arsenal appeared here, this tower was called Sobakina, because here was the courtyard of the boyar Danila Sobaka. When the Kremlin exploded in 1812, half of the Arsenal flew into the air, and this tower only cracked. This is the strongest tower of the Kremlin. A feature of the architecture of the tower is its faces, there are eighteen of them, they merge into one powerful rounded pillar. It protected not only the walls of the Kremlin (located just at the corner of two walls), but also a source of water, so the tower was built doubly impregnable. At the end of the last century, researchers tried to find out what kind of water it was. For days they pumped it out with pumps and did not drain it - which means that the underground key is inexhaustible. Through a stone gutter, water from the spring flows into the Neglinka, which flows in a pipe underground. This spring is called one of the "miracles of the ancient Kremlin", and in order to see it, we open the iron door to the tower. We take a step forward - and the summer heat is replaced by darkness, eternal coolness and the breath of living water. She makes herself felt as soon as we cross the threshold. However, there is no moisture on the walls. And this made it possible in the last century to place a large archive inside the tower. The papers did not suffer from such a neighborhood. Before going down deeper, we stop at the window - loopholes. Standing near it, you see the incredible thickness of the masonry - four meters. The staircase that Peter Antonio Solario laid out in the thickness of the stone leads to the source. She goes down steeply. Its width is such that it allows you to pass one at a time without bending. After counting about forty steps, we carefully descend. The beam of the lantern highlights from the darkness underfoot a brick pipe growing out of the ground. Large bricks, excellent masonry, five meters in diameter. Above the head is a vault, as if we were in an underground temple. There is a round opening in the center of the vault. And on the side there is a narrow slot designed for overhead light. At the bottom of the pipe, bluish water, quiet and calm, sleeps in this underground vault guarded by a tower. How old is this spring? It is not known, perhaps he is the same age as Moscow itself. The water is delicious, cool and clear, purified by nature itself. There is another secret in the Corner Arsenal Tower. If you go along the same stairs that lead to the key, then turn to the side - we will find ourselves in a narrow side passage. Another turn - again a corridor in the thickness of a brick. In the beam of a lantern, a vaulted hall protrudes from the darkness. No windows, not even a narrow gap, reminiscent of the existence of light. Even a strong sound does not reach here. It's a dungeon to hide something in. When this dungeon was dug up, they hoped to find the library of Ivan the Terrible here. But it did not turn out, although there are still many possible secrets in the thickness of the walls and towers of the Kremlin.
Beklemishevskaya (Moskvoretskaya) Tower
This tower stands near the Moscow River. S.P. Bartenev writes about it like this: "The most elegant in proportions. With its beauty in the overall impression of the Kremlin, in the symphony of its architectural forms, the Beklemishev Tower gives a charming consonance." It was not immediately so harmonious, at first its height was 10 meters lower. Then it was built up. Maschikuli - openings for shelling the enemy from top to bottom - appeared much higher than the former ones, laid with bricks. Admiring the beauty of the tower, Bartenev was also amazed that for hundreds of years it had not undergone major repairs! The tower got its name from the courtyard of the boyar Vasily Beklemishev, located near it. The tower stands under a cliff in a strong wind, so it even leaned a little. The second name, of course, received from the proximity of the tower to the Moscow River.
Annunciation Tower
This is a big tower, there was a passage here, a "port washing gate". Through them they went to the river to wash clothes. The name of the tower comes from the nearby Church of the Annunciation, and the tower itself at one time was its chapel and bell tower. There were seven bells on it. All this appeared at a later time, when the Kremlin lost its role as a city fortress. In the 16th century, under Ivan the Terrible, there was a prison in the tower, where, according to legend, a miracle happened: the Mother of God appeared to one of the prisoners with the good news, advising him to file a petition to the tsar. After that, pilgrims began to come here, the Church of the Annunciation appeared.
Borovitskaya tower
Another star tower. By royal decree, it was given the name Predtechenskaya, but this name did not take root, they could not erase the old name from the consciousness of Muscovites at the location near Borovitsky Hill. It is not known why, but the builder of the Borovitskaya Tower built it unlike all the other corner and walk-through towers. This Kremlin archer is laid out according to the plan of a stepped pyramid. Above its lower rectangular main mass rise one another less than three more of the same form of volume. S.P. Bartenev called it the most original tower of the Kremlin. You enter the Borovitskaya tower and find yourself in a spacious house: eight floors with deep spacious cellars. On the lower floors there are whitewashed chambers flooded with light. We go to one, then we go up to another. Even on a gloomy day, it is light in it, because it is two-light, the rays enter through two tiers of windows. The Borovitsky Gate is the ancient door of the Kremlin, it served as a convenient exit to the river, where they went for water. Also, these gates were used when it was necessary to secretly pass to the Kremlin.
Vodovzvodnaya tower
This tower went down in history by building the first water pipeline in Moscow. This is a corner tower, so it is much higher, smarter, larger than the other towers. Suffice it to say that its height to the star is 57.7 meters, that is, almost twice as high. "Vodovzvodnaya Tower is an integral, completely finished work, its proportions are excellent, architectural processing is rich and at the same time moderate," - this is how S.P. Bartenev characterizes this Kremlin peak. In appearance, it is very reminiscent of the architectural buildings of Italy. The tower stands almost at the very river, in the place where the Neglinka, which goes around the Kremlin, flows into the Moscow River, now hidden in a pipe, underground. The tower got its name from the fact that in 1663 it served as a water station. A water-driven machine appeared in it, the mechanisms of which pumped water from the well up, where there was a pond lined with lead. From here, water flowed by gravity through lead pipes to the Kremlin Palace. This overseas car cost several barrels of gold. The first Kremlin water supply system served until the fire in 1737.
Commandant (Kolymazhnaya) tower
The tower got its name because the commandant lived in the building next to it. This tower is taller than the Armory. Its foundation is located at the level of the Neglinnaya River, so it suffered the most from water. I had to strengthen it, so that the wall here lost its straightness, it thickens towards the base.
Armory Tower (Konyushenny)
This low tower stands on a high coastal hill. It has four tiers. Previously, it was called the Konyushenny - after the stables that stood here. This tower was also a travel tower. It began to be called the Armory from being near the Armory.
Petrovskaya (Ugreshskaya) Tower
Unlike others, it has an octagonal top that crowns this four-story building. This is a tower-warrior, tower-watchman. On its second tier was the church of Metropolitan Peter, which belonged to the courtyard of the Ugresh monastery standing next to it. Therefore, the tower was also called Ugreshskaya, and even Nameless.
Senate Tower
Behind this tower is the building of the former Senate, hence the name. The somewhat elongated shape of the tent gives the Senate Tower an air of severe inaccessibility.
Kutafya Tower
The name of the Kutafya Tower comes from the word kutafya, which means clumsy, unsightly. But the word kut has a different meaning - a corner, hence - a nook (V. Dal). The tower stood somewhat away from the Kremlin, which is why it was called Kutafya. And then she did not seem clumsy, unsightly. Once it looked like everyone else, and it was very similar to Troitskaya. But later they did not build a tent over it, the only one, moreover, even the vault that appeared later was dismantled, so that it stands uncovered by anything. This tower is a bridgehead - a bridge is thrown to it from the river.
As promised, with today's entry, I am starting a cycle of stories about the sights of our capital in my blog. Without claiming to be absolute truth (still I am not a professional guide, not a historian and not a local historian), I will tell you about the interesting places in Moscow, about the historical events associated with them. I hope that this cycle will be as interesting and popular as the dental one. Well, when it gets a little warmer outside, I would like to invite you on excursions to these very places.
This and the next few posts will be devoted to the Moscow Kremlin - the real pearl of the Russian capital. I understand that even a 500-page book will not suffice even for brief overviews of the Kremlin, but I will try to embrace the immensity - albeit in small portions.
So, the first photo tour will tell you about the Towers of the Moscow Kremlin. For even without getting into its territory, you can inspect them in the most thorough way.
Introduction
The Kremlin was not always the way we see it now. Over the centuries, it has repeatedly changed, its outlines, meaning and purpose have changed. Previously, it was an impregnable fortress, stopping the enemy with only its appearance, and its entire purpose was dictated by one goal - to withstand a siege.
Today, the Moscow Kremlin has already lost its defensive function and has become, rather, a symbol of power and decoration of our capital. Its walls seem to have become the boundary between the authorities and the people, showing how far they are from each other.
Ivan III, enclosing the Kremlin Hill with a wall, attached even more importance to it - he ignored the order of the Golden Horde, which forbids building stone walls around cities and, thereby, laid the foundation for the independence of the Russian state. And these walls, together with the towers, more than once saved this very independence.
Since the Kremlin towers were built exclusively for defensive purposes, they looked something like this:
High spiers and tents were built on them later, when the Kremlin walls and towers lost their military purpose and became just a decoration of Moscow.
In addition, the towers, like all the buildings of the Kremlin, were repeatedly reconstructed and rebuilt.
During the Patriotic War of 1812, Napoleon set out to blow up the Kremlin, surrounding it with explosives from all sides. He even sent a mocking letter to Emperor Alexander I: "Your Kremlin is no more!" But at that moment, when the French soldiers had already set fire to the fuse, suddenly, in the middle of a clear day, a heavy downpour came, which put out the fire. As a result, only a small part of the charges went off, several towers were destroyed and the fortress walls were damaged. But the Kremlin itself resisted.
After this, how can one not say that Russia is protected by God?
We will start our tour from Red Square, from its main attraction. Then we will go down to the Moscow River, go around the Alexander Garden and return to Red Square. This is a route that takes less than one hour at a fast pace.
1. Spasskaya Tower.
The most recognizable and, perhaps, the most important of all the towers. It houses the entrance gate through which tsars and metropolitans entered the Kremlin during solemn events and holidays. Through them they went through the procession. And now all of Russia checks the time on them.
Previously, they were called Frolovsky, after the church of St. Frol and Laurus, located behind them. The special status of the Frolovsky Gates is also evidenced by their location - opposite the Execution Ground.
By decree of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich (grandfather of Peter I), a pyramidal clock tower was built on the site of the gate. True, the clock was located one tier below.
Later, it was forbidden to pass through the Frolovsky Gate with a covered head, as well as to accompany animals or pass on wagons. It should be noted that the royal decree simply legitimized the tradition, because these gates were already revered among the people, so no one in a hat dared to pass through them.
In the 17th century, an image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, brought from Vyatka, was installed above the gate, and an inscription in Latin was made under it (now there is no icon, but you can see the place where it was - a white rectangle). And the gates, and with them the tower, began to be called Spassky.
The current clock on the Tower (chimes) was installed in the 19th century and occupies three floors. Prior to the installation of the clock on the Moscow State University building, it was the largest analogue clock in Russia.
2. Tsar's tower.
The smallest and one of the youngest towers of the Kremlin. From it, the tsar appeared during ceremonial events on Red Square.
Some researchers believe that royal decrees and orders were also announced from the Tsarskaya Tower. However, I personally am skeptical about this, because it is far and inconvenient to shout from there, and for decrees and the royal will there was a Execution Ground.
Later, this tower housed the fire service bells. This is indirectly evidenced by the X-shaped beams in the vault, apparently intended for hanging bells.
3. Alarm tower. 
As the name implies, it was intended for Nabat - a signal bell announcing a fire and some disturbing and important events in the life of the city. For the fact that the alarm bell in the 18th century called the people to the "plague riot", it was removed and exiled to Siberia. Now this repressed bell is in the Armory.
4. Constantino-Eleninskaya Tower.
Previously, this place was the Konstantinovsky Gate (named after the Church of the Blessed King Constantine, which was nearby). Through these gates, which were then the main ones in the Kremlin, Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy went to war with Mamai, through them he returned with a victory after the Battle of Kulikovo.
Under Mikhail Fedorovich, the gates were walled up (you can see the remains of gate structures on the outer wall), and under Peter I, the Church of St. Konstantin and Helena was built behind them, which gave the name to the tower - Konstantin-Eleninskaya.
5. Beklemishevskaya tower.
The tower got its name by the name of the boyar Beklemishev, whose courtyard was located in this part of the Kremlin. In the tower, as in all the corner ones, there is a well that provided the besieged with water.
In modern guidebooks, this tower is sometimes called Moskvoretskaya.
6.Petrovskaya tower.
Guess who it was named after?
Little is known about this tower. In the 18th century, Catherine II decided to reshape the Kremlin and build a huge palace in it. For this, part of the wall and several towers, including this one, had to be demolished. The palace was never built (a common thing), and the demolished towers were restored according to old drawings.
7. The second nameless tower.
This tower also fell under demolition due to the construction project started by Catherine II, but was later restored. She never came up with a name.
8. The first nameless tower.
And this tower inherited from Catherine... A true manifestation of the Russian mentality: first we demolish, therefore we think, then we restore what was demolished.
9. Taynitskaya tower.
This tower is known primarily for the fact that through it there was a secret exit to the Moskva River, which was used both to replenish supplies of provisions and water, and for partisan attacks. Some historians have an opinion that the underground passage led from the Tainitskaya tower all the way to the other side of the river, but there is no documentary or any other evidence of this theory.
In the tower itself, in its upper tier, at one time there was a cathedral of the Chernigov miracle workers, and now their relics have been transferred to the Archangel Cathedral.
Previously, there was a gate of the same name, closed up under Mikhail Fedorovich. However, you can see the remains of these same gates on the wall.
10. Annunciation tower
It is named so because of the Annunciation Cathedral, which was once nearby, and was later moved to Cathedral Square.
It should be noted that many buildings of the Kremlin "moved" across its territory, were demolished, rebuilt and rebuilt, so the name of some towers may not be entirely clear.
11. Vodovzvodnaya tower.
In this tower, as well as in all the corner ones, there was a well that supplied water to the besieged Kremlin. Later, pumps (water-lifting machines) and reservoirs with water were installed here, which entered the Grand Kremlin Palace - this is how the first water supply system in Moscow appeared. Hence the name of the tower - Vodovzvodnaya.
In 1812, Napoleon blew up the tower, but it was soon restored with a complete identity.
After the revolution, when the two-headed eagles were removed from the gate towers and replaced with five-pointed stars, a luminous star was also installed on Vodovzvodnaya.
12. Borovitskaya Tower.
Today, the Borovitskaya Tower is the only entrance to the Kremlin territory, moreover, it is carefully guarded. They didn't let me get close to her.
It owes its name to the dense forest that once covered this part of the Kremlin hill.
Previously, it was called Predtechevskaya, after the church of John the Baptist, which was later demolished and transferred to the tent of the Borovitskaya tower. There were gates leading to the economic part of the royal court - in other words, everything that, for ideological reasons, could not be transported through the Spassky gate was imported from here. As, however, and now ...
Many historians believe that it was from this place that the Kremlin began, Moscow began, and, in fact, the whole of Russia. Here in ancient times there was a settlement of Kuchkov, which belonged to a nobleman Stepan Kuchko, who was forced to cede the Kremlin Hill to Yuri Dolgoruky. It was also here that the first Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Bor was erected in Moscow, which became the beginning of Russian Orthodoxy.
So, the Borovitsky Gates and the adjacent territory are the source, a special place, a small piece of land, which later grew to one sixth of the land.
13. Gun tower.
It got its name because of the Armory adjacent to it. And before the construction of the main treasury of the Kremlin, stables were located here, so the tower was called Konyushennaya.
14. Commandant's tower.
Also called so relatively recently - because of the adjoining Commandant's Office of the Kremlin. And earlier workshops, forges and craftsmen's houses were located here, so the tower was called Kolymazhnaya (from the word "kolyma" - to work) or Deaf. The origin of the last name is still unknown to me. Maybe someone will tell?
15. Trinity tower.
Naturally, it was also not always called Trinity.
Previously, in this part of the Kremlin there was a royal chicken coop, and the gates themselves were called Kuryatnye. Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich decided to ennoble this place and ordered to build a tower with chimes on the site of the Chicken Gate. There was not enough money for the chimes, but the tower, as you can see, was built. It received its name from the image of the Holy Trinity, which hung from its inner side. And outside hung the image of the Sign (where the clock is now hanging - the rectangle from the icon remained).
One of the six gates of the Kremlin is also located here, and they are active (two gates are walled up, one is used as an entrance, two are almost always closed). Most of the visitors get to the Kremlin through them.
16. Middle Arsenal Tower.
It owes its name to the Arsenal building built behind it. Previously, when there was no Arsenal on this site, it was even a corner tower, and then, with the expansion of the territory of the Kremlin and the construction of the Coal Tower, it took its place in the wall.
17. Corner Arsenal Tower
Its former name is Coal (from the word "corner") or Sobakina (apparently, in honor of Marfa Sobakina). If you look closely, you will see that this is not an ordinary tower - unlike the square and round towers, it is sixteen-sided.
This is the most powerful tower of the Moscow Kremlin, its task was to control the crossing over the Neglinnaya. The tower also housed a well in case of a siege and had a secret exit to the river.
18. Nikolskaya tower.
The tower owes its name to the image of St. Nicholas, installed on it immediately after its construction (the icon was located where the white rectangle is now. The street of the same name began from it - one of the most important in Moscow. It is also the gate to the Kremlin, now locked.
An interesting story happened to the Nikolskaya Tower.
In 1812, Napoleon managed to blow up the Nikolskaya Tower, and the destruction was colossal - less than one third of it remained. It is surprising that the image of St. Nicholas not only did not fall, but even the glass covering the icon did not crack.
Later, the tower was restored in the image of Spasskaya and old drawings.
19. Senate tower.
It owes its name to the Senate located behind it. There is nothing special about this tower. Unless they almost called her Movzoleina ...
20. Kutafya tower.
Historians are still arguing about the origin of the name of this tower - either from the word "skufya" or from the word "tafya". Considering that both of these words denote hats, the difference is not fundamental - the tower really looks like a hat.
To date, this is the only surviving defensive structure designed to protect the bridges leading to the Kremlin (well, there is only one bridge left - Troitsky). And before, such turrets stood at every bridge leading to the gate, except perhaps for the Tainitsky ones.
There is also a story about this tower during the Patriotic War of 1812.
When the French entered Moscow, their vanguard, led by Murat, hastened to occupy the Kremlin. On the way to the Kutafya Tower they were met with fierce fire. Murat was very surprised, because there was a ceasefire agreement between the warring parties. It turned out that local residents, townspeople, settled in the Kutafya tower, ready at the cost of their own lives to protect a place sacred to every Russian person. It was possible to expel them from there only after the advance detachment received reinforcements.
Unfortunately, I cannot tell you everything I know about the towers and the Moscow Kremlin in general. It would take an entire blog, if not an entire resource. However, I still hope that this little information will be useful to you, and next time, walking near the walls of the Moscow Kremlin, you will feel the spirit of history, those events that these walls witnessed.
After all, every building, every brick and every cobblestone on the pavement is our history. Our Russia is with you.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely, Stanislav Vasiliev.
Ps. As always, I welcome questions if something was not clear.
In Moscow, on Red Square, we see the Kremlin towers, and immediately notice how different they are. But at the same time, each of them is unique and beautiful in its own way. And besides, each tower has its own name, and not random, but arising in the process of historical development and changes in the architectural appearance of the city.
A total of 20 towers are concentrated throughout the Kremlin in Moscow. Each of them has its own name and its own history of construction. According to the features of the architecture, the buildings are divided into round and square towers.
At the same time, only three towers have a circular cross section - these are Vodovzvodnaya, Beklemishevskaya and Arsenalnaya Corner. All other buildings are square in plan. Most of the towers are made in the same architectural style, which allows you to create a single building ensemble. The integrity of the ensemble was given by the decoration, which was produced in the 17th century.
However, the Nikolskaya Tower, which was rebuilt in pseudo-Gothic style at the beginning of the 19th century, stands out noticeably against this background. Consider the distinctive features of each tower, as well as the historical conditions for the construction of buildings.
Beklemishevskaya tower.
The second name of the Beklemishevskaya Tower is Moskvoretskaya. It is located in the southeastern corner of the Moscow Kremlin and is just over 46 meters high. The construction was built during the reign of Tsar Ivan III Vasilievich in 1487-1488.
The tower project was developed and implemented by the Italian Marco Ruffo (Mark Fryazin). The Beklemishevskaya Tower has a round shape in plan. At first, the tower got its name by the name of the boyar Beklemishev, whose courtyard was located next to the tower. Later, the building was renamed after the name of the nearby bridge.
Borovitskaya tower.
This tower was built in 1490 by the architect Pietro Antonio Solari during the reign of Tsar Ivan III Vasilyevich. The Borovitskaya Tower is located at the mouth of the Neglinnaya River. The tower got its name from the name of the hill on the slope of which it was built. In ancient times, a dense forest was located on the hill - a small pine grove. And probably. this is what gave rise to the name.
However, in 1658, by royal decree, the tower was given the name Predtechenskaya in honor of the nearby Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist. The height of the Borovitskaya tower is 54 meters, and its spire is decorated with a ruby star at the top. To date, the gates of the Borovitskaya Tower are used for ceremonial passages of government motorcades.
Weapon tower.
The Armory Tower following it is located next to the Armory Chamber, from which its name arose in the middle of the 19th century. Once upon a time, there were passage gates in the lower part of the tower, and then it was called Konyushennaya, because the royal stable yard was located nearby, and from there it was possible to pass the gates of the tower on horseback.
The armory tower was built in two years, from 1493 to 1495. The height of the structure reaches almost 39 meters. The buildings fit the general style of the ensemble and fit harmoniously into the appearance of the Kremlin wall.
Command tower.
The commandant's tower began to be called so only from the 19th century. Then in the Kremlin Poteshny Palace, next to the tower, there was the commandant of Moscow, and in ancient times it was called Kolymazhnaya, because there was a rattle yard nearby, where the royal carriages, wagons and rattlets stood.
The Commandant's Tower was built in 1495 during the reign of Ivan III Vasilyevich. The height of the building is 41 meters.
Trinity tower.
From afar you can see the giant wall of the highest tower of the Kremlin - Troitskaya. Perhaps, like no other Kremlin tower, it impresses with its harsh power and impregnability. The Trinity Tower was built in 1495 by the Italian architect Aloisio da Milano (Aleviz Fryazin).
Troitskaya Tower is the highest Kremlin tower, because the height of the structure is 80 meters. Also, this tower also has an entrance and passage, and in terms of its significance it ranks second after Spasskaya.
The name of the tower has changed many times, but since 1658 it has been called Troitskaya after the name of the Trinity Compound, which was located near it on the territory of the Kremlin. But even earlier it had other names - Bogoyavlenskaya and Znamenskaya.
At the moment, the gates of the Trinity Tower are the main entrance to the territory of the Kremlin, and the graceful spire of the building is decorated with a luxurious ruby star.
Kutafya tower.
In front of the Trinity Tower, right behind the bridge, the Kutafya Tower proudly protrudes forward. It is much smaller in height and size, but at the same time very solid, squat, stocky and strong. Its name is associated with the word "kut" - corner, but even more often historians associate the name of the building with the word "kutafya". So in some places in Russia they called a wrapped from head to toe or clumsy woman.
The Kutafya tower is so different from all the others in the features of its architecture that it cannot be confused with any other of the towers of the Kremlin ensemble. It was built in 1516 by the architect Aleviz Fryazin during the reign of Vasily III.
The height of the tower is small - only 13.5 meters, and today it is the only one of the surviving free-standing, and not built into the wall, Kremlin towers. In the old days, such bridge towers served to protect bridges, through which it was possible to penetrate into the fortress. The Kutafya Tower is located opposite the Trinity Tower, and between them there is an inclined bridge.
Corner Arsenal tower.
In the northern corner of the Kremlin wall in 1492, the architect Pietro Antonio Solari built a round tower, which was called Arsenalnaya. This building is the most powerful tower of the Kremlin, although it reaches a height of only 60 meters.
The Arsenal Tower got its name at the beginning of the 18th century after the building of the Arsenal - the "Arsenal House" - was built on the territory of the Kremlin. The second name - the Dog Tower - was obtained as a result of the fact that not far from the building was the estate of the boyars Sobakins. A distinctive feature of the Corner Arsenal Tower is that there is a well inside it.
Middle Arsenal Tower.
The second name of the Middle Arsenal Tower is the Faceted Tower. The building received it due to some characteristic features of the building. The tower was erected in 1493-1495 during the reign of Ivan III Vasilyevich.
The height of the structure reaches almost 39 meters. The Middle Arsenal Tower is located on the northwestern wall of the Moscow Kremlin, which stretches along the Alexander Garden. It is noteworthy that the Faceted Tower was built on the site where the corner tower, built back in the time of Dmitry Donskoy, used to be.
Nikolskaya tower.
One of the most beautiful towers of the Moscow Kremlin is Nikolskaya with Nikolsky gates. Once upon a time, the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was placed above them, and even earlier, not far from here was the monastery of St. Nicholas the Old.
The Nikolskaya Tower is located on the eastern wall of the Kremlin in Moscow. It was built in 1491 under Tsar Ivan III Vasilyevich. The architect Pietro Antonio Solari designed the building with a height of just over 70 meters.
At the same time, the Nikolskaya Tower is also a travel card - through the gate in it you can get to the territory of the Moscow Kremlin. The architectural appearance of the Nikolskaya Tower is somewhat different from all other buildings, because in the 19th century it was rebuilt in pseudo-Gothic style. To date, the majestic spire of the Nikolskaya Tower is also crowned with a ruby star.
Senate tower.
Immediately behind the mausoleum of V. I. Lenin rises the Senate Tower with the building of the former Senate located behind it. This tower was built on the eastern part of the Kremlin wall in 1491 during the reign of Ivan III Vasilyevich.
The height of the tower reaches 34 meters, and it was built under the guidance of the architect Pietro Antonio Solari. The tower received its modern name only three hundred years after its construction. This happened after the Senate Palace was built on the territory of the Kremlin in 1787.
Spasskaya Tower.
A little further is the tower, which everyone knows. This is the Spasskaya Tower with the Spassky Gates, the spire of which is crowned with a ruby star. It has been called Spasskaya since 1658 thanks to the icons of the Savior, which used to be on both sides above the gate. At the moment, the gate is decorated with only one restored image of the Savior.
The second name of the Spasskaya Tower is Frolovskaya. The building received it in honor of the nearby church of Frol and Lavr. On the Spasskaya (Frolovskaya) tower, the most important clock of the country is installed - the Kremlin chimes, under the melodic sound of which the Russians see off the outgoing and celebrate the new year.
The Spasskaya Tower was built on the eastern wall of the Kremlin and is the main entrance to the Kremlin. The height of the tower reaches 71 meters, and therefore it is one of the tallest buildings in the Kremlin ensemble. And at the same time one of the most beautiful towers throughout the Moscow Kremlin.
The development of the project and the process of building the structure was led by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari. The Spasskaya Tower was built in 1491 during the reign of Tsar Ivan III Vasilyevich. Today, the building is one of the most recognizable symbols of Russia.
Royal tower.
The smallest of the Kremlin towers is Tsarskaya, located south of Spasskaya. This small turret was installed on the eastern Kremlin wall in the 80s of the 17th century, during the reign of Peter I and then Ivan V.
The Tsarskaya Tower reaches a height of almost 17 meters, which is much less than all the tower structures. It was built in the 1680s on the site of a wooden tower with an alarm bell "Vspolohom" and used to be called "Vspoloshnoy".
The Tsarskaya Tower was built almost 200 years later than all the other towers on the site of a small wooden tower, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible watched the city and admired the view. That is why the erected structure of an elegant design got its name.
Nabat tower.
The Nabatnaya Tower got its name thanks to the bells of the Spassky alarm located in it. This tower once had an important practical purpose. It served as an observation tower, from which the control over the fire safety of the city was carried out.
The Nabatnaya Tower is square in cross section, and it is 38 meters high. The construction was built in 1495 during the reign of Ivan III Vasilyevich.
First of all, the Nabatnaya Tower owes its name to the largest bell that used to hang in its upper part. This bell is famous for the fact that, by order of Catherine II, it was deprived of its tongue as punishment for the fact that the Muscovites who rebelled in 1771 called on the people to a “plague riot” by striking this bell. Now this bell is stored in the Armory.
Constantino - Yeleninskaya tower.
Yeleninskaya Tower also has a second name - Timofeevskaya. It is located on the eastern wall of the Moscow Kremlin and reaches a height of just over 36 meters. Konstantino - Yeleninskaya Tower was built in 1490, during the reign of Tsar Ivan III Vasilyevich.
The square tower was designed by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari. At first, the tower was named after the nearby church of Saints Constantine and Helena. But later it was renamed in honor of the Timofeevsky Gates, which were part of the white-stone Kremlin in the 14th century.
Petrovskaya tower.
On the southern part of the Kremlin wall is the Petrovskaya, or Ugreshskaya tower. Both of its names are explained very simply: here, in the Kremlin, on the former courtyard of the Ugreshsky monastery, there was the church of Metropolitan Peter.
The Petrovskaya Tower was also built during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, and the time of its construction dates back to the 80s of the 15th century. The height of the tower is 27 meters. Its roof is crowned with a hip-shaped octagonal dome.
Unnamed towers.
But the next two towers for many centuries could not come up with names, but this does not mean at all that they were left without a name. Therefore, these towers are called so: the First Nameless and Second Nameless Towers. Both of them were built in the 80s of the XV century during the reign of Ivan the Terrible.
The height of the First Nameless Tower is 34 meters, and the Second - just over 30 meters. Both buildings have a square section in plan, and the buildings are completed with a tent-shaped dome. Only at the First Tower the dome consists of four faces, and at the Second - from eight.
Tainitskaya tower.
The height of the Tainitskaya tower is just over 38 meters. It is noteworthy that this tower, built in 1485 by the architect Anton Fryazin, is the very first in the Kremlin ensemble. Previously, this tower was a travel tower, but today its gates have been laid.
The Tainitskaya Tower got its name thanks to a secret passage that passes through it and leads to the banks of the Moscow River. And in the tower there was a well with water, which would have helped, if necessary, to withstand a long siege of the enemy. Also in the Kremlin there is the Tainitsky Garden.
Annunciation tower.
Immediately behind Taynitskaya is Blagoveshchenskaya Tower. During the time of Ivan the Terrible, it was used as a prison building, where rebels and criminals were kept. The Annunciation Tower was built in 1487-1488, and its height is over 32 meters.
The tower got its name thanks to the icon of the Annunciation, which, according to legend, suddenly appeared on one of the walls of the tower. The Annunciation Tower is located between the Vodovzvodnaya and Taynitskaya towers in the southern part of the Kremlin wall, which runs along the coastline of the Moscow River.
Water tower.
This tower was erected one of the very first in the ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin. The Vodovzvodnaya Tower was built in 1488 by Italian architect Antonio Gilardi (Antonio Fryazin).
The design features of the tower are that a well was located in it, as well as a secret passage leading to the banks of the Moscow River. The height of the Vodovzvodnaya Tower is 61 meters.
The name "Vodovzvodnaya" tower was given in 1633, when a lifting mechanism was built in the building, with the help of which water was supplied to the gardens of the Kremlin. The second name - Sviblov Tower - comes from the name of the boyar Sviblov, who was responsible for its construction.
Twenty majestic towers surround the Moscow Kremlin, and each of them has its own amazing history. Built at different times, the Kremlin towers nevertheless form a single harmonious ensemble, which at all times has been a source of pride for Muscovites and admired by guests of the capital.
Moscow Kremlin - a unique fortress in the center of Moscow and the oldest part of the city. The Kremlin is considered the heart of Russia - both because the Russian capital began its journey from here, and because the center of the state has long been located within the walls of the fortress: first the royal chambers, and now the residence of the President of Russia.
And, of course, great importance has been attached to the protection of the Kremlin at all times.
In terms of the plan, the fortress is an irregular triangle: the Kremlin acquired such a shape during the Ivan III the Great, in which they began to build new red brick walls to replace the old white stone ones built during Dmitry Donskoy. Simultaneously with the erection of the walls, new towers were erected, which formed the defensive lines of the new Moscow fortress. The main array of walls and towers was built in 1485-1495, partially the fortifications of the Kremlin were completed until 1516, when the king was already Basil III. Initially, the towers were erected without tiered tent completions - they were built on only in the 17th century.
In total, there are 20 towers along the Kremlin wall.
Beklemishevskaya (Moskvoretskaya) Tower
Architect: Marco Ruffo.
Years of construction: 1487-1488.
Height: 46.2 meters.
Completion: weather vane flag.
Name given to the building Arsenal built in the early 18th century.
Trinity Tower
Architect: Aleviz Fryazin (Old).
Years of construction: 1495-1499.
Height: 80 meters.
Completion:
It is located on the western side of the Kremlin wall between the Middle Arsenal and Commandant towers. Outwardly, it resembles the Spasskaya Tower; is a quadrangle, which is crowned with a multi-tiered tent completion with a rich decorative design. It has a retractable archer with the Trinity gates. Unlike other travel towers of the Moscow Kremlin, it has retained the Trinity Gate Bridge, connecting it with the Kutafya Tower.
The name is given by the nearby farmstead Trinity Monastery.
Kutafya Tower
Architect: Aleviz Fryazin (Old).
Years of construction: 1516.
Height: 13.5 meters.
Completion: absent.
Located on the western side of the Kremlin wall opposite the Trinity Tower, this is the only tower of the Moscow Kremlin that is located away from the wall and is actually the only surviving barbican of the fortress. In the past, it was surrounded by water and was used to defend the Trinity Bridge across the Neglinnaya River, leading from the Kutafya Tower to the Trinity Gate. Compared to other towers, it resembles an elegant festive Easter cake. Currently, the main checkpoint for visitors to the Moscow Kremlin is equipped in the Kutafya Tower.
The name probably comes from an old word "kutafya", meaning a fat, clumsy, slovenly dressed woman.
Commandant (Kolymazhnaya) tower
Architect: Aleviz Fryazin (Old).
Years of construction: 1493-1495.
Height: 41.2 meters.
Completion: weather vane flag.
commandant's tower located on the western side of the Kremlin wall between Troitskaya and Armory towers. It is an elongated quadrangle with a base expanding towards the bottom and a parapet with machicolations at the top, crowned with a hipped top.
The name is given after the residence of the commandant of Moscow in the Poteshny Palace.
Armory (Stable) tower
Architect: Aleviz Fryazin (Old) - perhaps.
Years of construction: 1493-1495.
Height: 32.6 meters.
Completion: weather vane flag.
weapon tower located on the western side of the Kremlin wall between the Commandant and Borovitskaya towers. It is a quadrangle with a base expanding towards the bottom and a parapet with machicolations at the top, topped with a tiered hipped top.
The name is given by the building of the Armory.
Borovitskaya (Predtechenskaya) Tower
Architect: Pietro Antonio Solari.
Years of construction: 1490.
Height: 54 meters.
Completion: luminous ruby weather vane star.
Borovitskaya tower located on the western side of the Kremlin wall between the Armory and Vodovzvodnaya towers. It represents 4 quarters decreasing towards the top, stacked on top of each other and crowned with a stone tent; on the side, a diversion archer with the Borovitsky gates was attached. Despite the rather poor decoration, the Borovitskaya tower stands out from the rest due to its stepped (pyramidal) shape.
On the outer side of the Borovitsky Gates are the coats of arms of the Lithuanian and Moscow principalities carved from white stone; when and why they appeared there is unknown.
The name is given by the ancient forest, which covered Borovitsky Hill in past.
Vodovzvodnaya (Sviblova) tower
Architect: Anton Fryazin.
Years of construction: 1488.
Height: 61.2 meters.
Completion: luminous ruby weather vane star.
It is located on the southwestern corner of the Kremlin wall near the Kremlin embankment of the Moskva River between the Borovitskaya and Blagoveshchenskaya towers. It is an elongated cylinder with a complex tent completion. The parapet of the tower is crowned with "dovetail" teeth, it is equipped with machicolations for circular firing. The decoration of the tower draws attention: up to the middle of the height it is lined with alternating belts of protruding and sinking masonry, above which there is an arched belt, emphasized by a thin strip of white stone. Interestingly, the star at the top of the Vodovzvodnaya Tower is the smallest among the other Kremlin towers (3 meters in diameter).
In the past, the tower housed a water-lifting machine designed according to the project Christopher Galoway- the first water supply system in Moscow from tanks installed on the upper tiers of the tower to supply water from the Moscow River to the Kremlin. Later it was dismantled and transported to St. Petersburg, where they began to use it to fill fountains with water.
The name is given by the water-lifting machine of Galoway.
Annunciation Tower
Architect: ?
Years of construction: 1487-1488.
Height: 32.4 meters.
Completion: weather vane flag.
Annunciation Tower located on the south side of the Kremlin wall between the Vodovzvodnaya and Taynitskaya towers. It is a quadrangle with a built-in tetrahedral tent and an observation tower. There are machicolations in the parapet of the tower. Under Ivan the Terrible, it was used as a prison, in 1731-1932 - as the bell tower of the Church of the Annunciation (demolished in the Soviet years).
The name is given by the icon of the Annunciation, which, according to legend, miraculously appeared on the northern wall of the tower during the reign of Ivan the Terrible.
Taynitskaya tower
Architect: Anton Fryazin.
Years of construction: 1485.
Height: 38.4 meters.
Completion: weather vane flag.
Taynitskaya tower located in the central part of the southern side of the Kremlin wall between the Annunciation and the First Nameless towers. It is a massive quadruple with a built-in tetrahedral tent and an observation tower. There are machicolations in the parapet of the tower. In the past, the tower housed the Tainitskiye gates, a well-spring and a secret passage to the Moscow River.
The first tower of the Moscow Kremlin in time of construction - it was from it that the construction of modern walls and towers began.
The name is given by the secret exit to the Moscow River.
First Nameless Tower
Architect: ?
Years of construction: 1480s.
Height: 34.1 meters.
Completion: weather vane flag.
First Nameless Tower located on the southern side of the Kremlin wall between the Tainitskaya and the Second Nameless towers. It is a quadrangle with a built-in tetrahedral tent and an observation tower. During its history it has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. In the past, a powder warehouse was located inside the tower, after which the tower was called the Powder Tower.
The modern name is given for a reason that is not entirely clear.
Second Nameless Tower
Architect: ?
Years of construction: 1480s.
Height: 30.2 meters.
Completion: weather vane flag.
Second Nameless Tower is located on the south side of the Kremlin wall between the First Nameless Tower and the Petrovsky Tower. It is a quadrangle with a built-in tetrahedral tent and an observation tower topped with an octagonal tent. In the past, there was a gate in the tower.
The name was given for a reason that is not entirely clear.
Petrovskaya (Ugreshskaya) Tower
Architect: ?
Years of construction: 1485-1487.
Height: 27.1 meters.
Completion: weather vane flag.
Petrovskaya tower located on the south side of the Kremlin wall between the Second Nameless and Beklemishevskaya towers. It consists of 3 fours stacked on top of each other, crowned with an octagonal tent. There are false machicolations in the parapet of the tower. Over the years of its existence, it has been rebuilt several times.
The name is given by courtyard of the Ugreshsky monastery with the church of Peter the Metropolitan, which was located on the territory of the Kremlin near the tower in the 15-17 centuries.
Interesting facts about the Kremlin towers
There are 20 towers along the walls of the Kremlin;
In the past, when the Kremlin was located on an island formed by the Moscow River, the Neglinka River and the Alevizov Moat, bridges were thrown from the travel towers to the "mainland" - only the Trinity Bridge has survived to this day;
The very first in time of construction is the Taynitskaya tower, erected in 1485;
Of the 20 towers, 5 are crowned with ruby stars (Spasskaya, Nikolskaya, Troitskaya, Borovitskaya and Vodovzvodnaya), 1 - with a decorative top (Tsarskaya), 1 - does not have a top (Kutafya Tower), flags-weather vanes are installed on the 13 remaining towers;
Red ruby stars on the tops of the towers rotate from the wind like a weather vane;
Initially, in 1935, gilded semi-precious stars were installed on the tops of the towers, but they quickly faded, and already in 1937 they were replaced with luminous ruby ones;
Double-headed eagles crowned the towers to the stars, except for Vodovzvodnaya - state symbols were not placed on it;
To prevent the stars from overheating from the operation of the lamps, they are equipped with a ventilation system;
Troitskaya Tower - the highest tower of the Kremlin (80 meters);
Kutafya tower - the lowest tower of the Kremlin (13.5 meters);
Kutafya tower - the only surviving bridge barbican of the fortress;
The chimes of the Spasskaya Tower are a symbol of the New Year in Russia;
In past , however, some of the towers - including Spasskaya, Nikolskaya and Troitskaya - could be left red for aesthetic reasons;
The ensemble of walls and towers of the Moscow Kremlin is one of the most popular architectural sights of Moscow.
