Command tower. History and secrets of the Kremlin towers. Next to Commandant's

The Commandant (Deaf, Kolymazhnaya) tower of the Moscow Kremlin was built in 1493-1495 under the Grand Duke Ivan III. It stands south of the Trinity Tower on the northwestern side of the Kremlin wall, which stretches along the current Alexander Garden. The tower was erected by Russian craftsmen under the guidance of Aleviz Fryazin.

In the 17th century this tower was called Deaf, and sometimes Kolymazhnaya, according to the Kolymazhny yard located next to it, where the royal carriages were stored and the stables were located. The building received its present name at the beginning of the 19th century. after being transferred to the Amusement Palace of the Administration and the apartment of the Kremlin commandant standing next to it.

In 1676-1686, the tower, like all the others, was built on with a tent top for decoration. Initially, all the towers of the Kremlin were without these superstructures and ended with a belt of overhanging archers, which gave the Kremlin fortifications a gloomy and formidable look. But inside the Kremlin, high towers and gilded domes of cathedrals created a picturesque picture in combination with Italian fortifications.

Later and gradually, due to the conditions of Russian bad weather, wooden sheds appeared above the walls, and wooden tents above the towers. Built at the end of the 17th century, brick hip roofs are national forms of architecture, very close to the ancient wooden traditions. For these buildings, under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, masons and brick-makers were forcibly gathered throughout Rus', who scattered in all directions so as not to go to Moscow. The king even had to issue a special decree that "if any of them buries, then their wives and children should be thrown into prison until their husbands appear."

In terms of its architectural design, the Commandant's Tower is similar to the nearby Armory. It is a massive quadrangular tower with machicolations and a parapet. Above it stands an open tetrahedron, completed with a pyramidal roof, a "watching" tower and an octagonal tent.

Now persistent rumors are circulating in Moscow that a pale, disheveled woman with a pistol wanders around the Commandant's Tower at night. This is the famous Fani Efimovna Kaplan, whom the Bolsheviks accused of attempting to assassinate Lenin and who was shot in the Kremlin by his then commandant Malkov.

Legendary Thirty, route

Through the mountains to the sea with a light backpack. Route 30 passes through the famous Fisht - this is one of the most grandiose and significant natural monuments in Russia, the highest mountains closest to Moscow. Tourists travel lightly through all the landscape and climatic zones of the country from the foothills to the subtropics, spending the night in shelters.

Trekking in Crimea - 22 route

From Bakhchisarai to Yalta - there is no such density of tourist facilities as in the Bakhchisarai region anywhere in the world! Mountains and the sea, rare landscapes and cave cities, lakes and waterfalls, the secrets of nature and the mysteries of history, discoveries and the spirit of adventure await you... Mountain tourism here is not difficult at all, but any trail surprises.

20 towers and they are all different, no two are the same. Each tower has its own name and its own history. Only two towers did not get names, they are called that First Nameless And Second Nameless. Behind them is the Petrovsky Tower, but the rightmost tower has two names at once. Nowadays it is called Moskvoretskaya and once called Beklemishevskaya by the name of the person next to whose yard it was laid. Somehow it turned out that the enemies most often attacked from the direction of the Moskva River, and the Moskvoretskaya Tower had to be the first to defend itself. Therefore, it is so formidable and with so many loopholes. Its height is 46.2 m.

The first tower, which was laid during the construction of the Kremlin, was Taynitskaya. Taynitskaya tower so named 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 m.

Vodovzvodnaya 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 another city - St. Petersburg. There it was used for the device of fountains. The height of the Vodovzvodnaya tower with a star is 61.45 m.

At the Vodovzvodnaya Tower, the Kremlin wall turns away from the river. Here on the corner stands another tower - Borovitskaya. This tower stands near Borovitsky Hill, on which a pine forest grew a long time ago. From him came its name. The height of the tower with a star is 54.05 m.

Next to Borovitskaya is weapon tower. 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 the wonderful museum located nearby behind the Kremlin wall -. 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 m.

Kutafya and Trinity towers of the Moscow Kremlin

If we go a little further along the walls of the Kremlin, we will see the Trinity Bridge. It was thrown across the Neglinnaya River many centuries ago, even before it was hidden underground. Troitsky Bridge leads to the gates of one of the tallest Kremlin towers - Trinity. The bridge connects the Trinity Tower with another - a low and wide tower. This . In the old days, this was the name of a clumsily dressed woman. The tower was decorated already in the seventeenth century. Prior to this, Kutafya was very harsh, with drawbridges at the side gates and hinged loopholes. She guarded the entrance to the Trinity Bridge. Previously, there were more such bridge towers. But only one has survived to this day. The height of the Trinity Tower with a star is 80 m. This is the highest tower of the Moscow Kremlin. The Kutafya Tower is only 13.5 m high. This is the lowest tower of the Kremlin.

We go further along the Kremlin wall. She turns again. There is another tower here. From a distance, it seems round, but if you get closer, it turns out to be not so at all, because it has 16 faces. This corner arsenal tower. Once she was called Sobakina, by the name of a person who lived nearby. But in the 18th century, it was erected next to it, and the tower was renamed. 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 m.

Middle Arsenal Tower. 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 38.9m.

alarm tower. 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 history. 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 alarm tower is 38 m.

To the right of the Nabatnaya Tower is Royal 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 the tower was not built for defense at all. According to legend, Tsar Ivan the Terrible liked to look at his city from this place. Later, the smallest tower of the Kremlin was built here and called it the Tsarskaya. Its height is 16.7 m.

Constantino - Yeleninskaya Tower (Timofeevskaya). It was built in 1490 and 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 36.8m.

Senate Tower at first it did not have a name, and received it only after the construction of the Senate building. After that, they began to call her the Senate. The tower was built in 1491, its height is 34.3 m.

Nikolskaya tower. It was built in 1491. architect Pietro Antonio Solari to strengthen the northeastern part of the Kremlin, not protected by natural barriers. It had a gate, it had a retractable archer with a drawbridge. Retractable shooter or a barbican was a tower outside the fortress walls, guarding the approaches to the gate or bridge. For example, the barbican is the Kutafya tower. The name of the Nikolskaya Tower comes from the name of the icon of St. Nicholas, installed above the gates of her barbican. This icon resolved controversial issues. In ancient times, a clock was also installed on the tower. Now they are not there, but the top of the tower is crowned with a red star. The height of the tower with a star is 70.4m.

Petrovskaya tower along with two nameless ones was built to strengthen the southern wall, as 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 Ugreshskoe metochion were dismantled. In 1783 the tower was rebuilt, but in 1812. the French during the occupation of Moscow destroyed it again. In 1818 The Petrovsky tower was restored again. It was used for their needs by the Kremlin gardeners. The height of the tower is 27.15m.

Commandant's Tower (Kolymazhnaya). It was built in 1495. Its first name - Kolymazhna - received from the Kolymazhny courtyard of the Kremlin. In the 19th century, when the commandant of Moscow began to live in the Kremlin, not far from it, they began to call it Komendantskaya. The height of the tower is 41.25m.

Annunciation tower. According to legend, the miraculous icon of the Annunciation was previously kept in this tower, as well as 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 Portomoyny. In 1831 they were laid down, and in Soviet times the Church of the Annunciation was dismantled. The height of the Annunciation Tower with a weather vane is 32.45 m.

Spasskaya Tower (Frolovskaya) was erected on the site 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 was erected on the tower - a double-headed eagle, 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 have been renamed. Frolovskaya turned into Spasskaya. She was so named in honor of the icon of the Savior of Smolensk, located above the gate of the tower from the side of Red Square, and in honor of the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, located above the gate from the Kremlin.

In 1851-52. a clock was installed on the Spasskaya Tower, which we still see. Kremlin chimes. Chimes are called large clocks that have a musical mechanism. At the Kremlin chimes, bells play music. There are eleven of them. One large one, it marks the hours, and ten smaller ones, their melodious chime is heard every 15 minutes. There is a special device in the chimes. It sets the hammer in motion, it strikes the surface of the bells and the sound of the Kremlin chimes sounds. The mechanism of the Kremlin chimes occupies three floors. Previously, the chimes were wound by hand, but now they do it with the help of electricity. The Spasskaya Tower occupies 10 floors. Its height with a star is 71 m.

The commandant's tower of the Moscow Kremlin has a wall thickness of 1.7-3.3 m, rises to 41.25 m - from the side of the Alexander Garden. The length of the outer perimeter at the base is 30.5 m. It is located between the Troitskaya and Armory towers. Erected during the reign of Ivan III, in 1493-1495.

Names of the Commandant's

In the entire history of the existence of the Komendantskaya, it had three names. In the 17th century she was called Deaf because of the lack of travel gates. It was also called Kolymazhnaya, as the Kolymazhny Yard was located nearby - a kind of garage for royal carriages and stables.

The current name - Komendantskaya, received in the 19th century, almost 4 centuries after its construction. They called it that when the commandant of Moscow drove into the Amusing Palace, standing next to it.

Architect

The architect was, of course, the Italian architect from Milan - Aleviz Fryazin (Aloysio da Carcano). It was he who was invited to continue construction Moscow Kremlin after the death of his compatriot Pyotr Fryazin (Pietro Antonio Solari).

Like her "sister", Komendantskaya is a quadrangle at the base and a stone tent top (it was erected in 1676-1686). It consists of 3 cylindrical tiers.

Next to Commandant's

You can approach it through the Alexander Garden. Walking along it a little more, we will see before us the majestic Trinity Tower- the highest travel tower of the Moscow Kremlin, which was considered the second after

At first, it was called Kolymazhnaya because of its proximity to the Kolymazhny yard, where the royal wagons and carriages were kept. The tower was also called the Second Konyushennaya (the name of its neighbor was Konyushennaya -). And in the 19th century, nearby, in the Poteshny Palace, the commandant settled, and the tower received a new name - Komendantskaya.

Many people remember the footage from the film "Lenin in October", where on August 30 the vicious terrorist Fanny Kaplan shoots and injures Lenin. But historians say she is innocent.

First, the testimonies of the witnesses differ in significant details. Secondly, they write about three shots from a Browning, and 4 shells were found on the spot. Thirdly, during the shots, Fanny Kaplan was standing 20 steps from Lenin, but the investigation proved that they were shooting point-blank. Fourthly, at the time of detention, Kaplan's hands were occupied with an umbrella and a reticule. In addition, she had very poor eyesight to be a sniper. She was even called "blind Feiga". And, having regained consciousness, Lenin immediately asked: “Has he been caught?”

But there was no trial of Fanny Kaplan. Under pressure, she pleaded guilty. “Blind Feiga” was sentenced to death, and on September 3, 1918, 4 days after the assassination attempt on Lenin, the Kremlin commandant Pavel Malkov executed the sentence by shooting Fanny in the back of the head.

According to legend, Kaplan's body was burned, and the ashes were buried in the Tainitsky Garden. Later there were rumors that Lenin pardoned Fanny, and she lived to a ripe old age. There were even witnesses who saw her in the 1930s and even in the 1940s.