The Kremlin is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow surrounded by walls and occupying 90 acres. It contains many iconic buildings at its center including Cathedral Square with the Cathedral of the Assumption and Ivan the Great Bell Tower. Other notable structures are the Grand Kremlin Palace, Senate Building, Faceted Palace, Terem Palace, and several cathedrals. The Kremlin has long served as the symbolic political center of Russia.

2. The Kremlin in the city of Moscow is known simply as the Kremlin. Triangular and
surrounded by a crenellated wall, it occupies 90 acres (36.4 hectares) in the historic core of
Moscow. It is bounded by the Moscow River (to the south), the Red Square (to the east), and
the old Alexander Gardens (to the west).
The name Kremlin means "fortress", and is often used as a metonym to refer to the
government of the Russian Federation and the Russian President.

4. Cathedral Square
(Sobornaya Square)

5. Cathedral Square was for centuries
the symbolic heart of Tsarist rule. The
square is centered on the impressive
Cathedral of the Assumption.
Cathedral Square is famous as the site
of solemn coronation and funeral
processions of all the Russian tsars,
patriarchs, and Grand Dukes of
Moscow. Even today, the square is
used in the inauguration ceremony of
the President of Russia. The square is
also the scene of the daily changing of
the Horse Guards. Clustered around
the square are a series of cathedrals,
towers, and palaces that together
constitute almost the entire history of
that period.

6. Palace of Facets

7. The Palace of Facets (Faceted Palace or Chamber) was commissioned by Ivan III. Its construction
started in 1487 and was completed in 1492. The palace is located in Kremlin Cathedral Square,
between the Cathedral of the Annunciation and the Dormition Cathedral. It holds the imperial
thrones. This brick building is made up of a single-pillared chamber atop a very high ground floor.
Despite its minimal support, the main chamber covers an area of about 500 sqm; it is 9 m in height.
The southern end of the chamber joins the famous Red Porch, where Russia's rulers traditionally
appeared before their people. The chamber has a cross vaulted ceiling propped up by a massive
pillar in the middle lavishly decorated with white-stone gilded ornaments representing dolphins,
birds and beasts. Currently, it is an official ceremonial hall in the residence of the President of the
Russian Federation and thus closed to the public. Only its eastern façade facing toward Cathedral
Square can be viewed.

9. Close to the Facets Palace is the Small Golden Palace
built in the early 16th century. In the 1580s it became a
reception room of the Russian tsarinas and was then
called the Tsarina’s Golden Chamber. The Gala Hall
of the Palace was used by the tsarinas for large
receptions in connection with marriage ceremonies, for
funeral repasts when tsarinas died, and also for
receptions of members of royal families of foreign
states. The Golden Palace is less official and majestic
than the Facets Palace. The inside looks like a precious
painted box and it seems to retain the spirit of
feminism and kindness, which is so characteristic of
the Russian women in Old Russia, whose names are
remembered by their descendants. At present, the
Golden Tsarina’s Chamber in the Kremlin Grand
Palace is a hall of the President’s residence.

10. Terem Palace

11. The Terem (Teremoy) Palace (Palace of Chambers) was commissioned by Ivan III, but
most of the existing palace was built in the 17th century. The new structure was
surrounded by numerous annexes and outbuildings, including the Boyar Platform,
Golden Staircase, Golden Porch, and several turrets. On Mikhail's behest, the adjoining
Golden Tsaritsa's Chamber, constructed back in the 1560s for Ivan IV's wife, was
surmounted with 11 golden domes of the Upper Saviour Cathedral. The Palace served
as the Imperial residence until the removal of the capital to St. Petersburg in 1712. Its
name is derived from the Greek word τερεμνον (i.e., "dwelling"). The eastern side of the
Terem Palace houses a group of home churches. Currently, the structure is not
accessible to the public, as it belongs to the official residence of the President of Russia.

12. Upper Savior's Cathedral
(with 11 golden domes)

13. Terem churches is a complex of churches build to the west of the Church of the
Deposition of the Robe. It can be spotted by its 11 golden cupolas. These churches are
located at different levels and connected with the passages.

14. Grand Kremlin Palace

15. The Grand Kremlin Palace was commissioned by Nicholas I.
The construction started in 1837 and was completed in 1849
(arch. Konstantin Thon). The largest structure in the Kremlin,
it cost an exorbitant sum of eleven million rubles to build and
more than one billion dollars to renovate in the 1990s. It
contains dazzling reception halls, a ceremonial red staircase,
private apartments of the tsars, and the lower storey of the
Resurrection of Lazarus church (1393), which is the oldest
extant structure in the Kremlin and the whole of Moscow. It is
linked to the Palace of Facets and the Terem Palace.

17. Cathedral of the Assumption

18. Cathedral of the Assumption (or Dormition)
Built 1475-1479. It is located on the north side of the Cathedral Square. It was the
place for coronation of the Russian emperors and tsars. It stands on the site of a small
cathedral erected by Ivan I around 1330 to mark Moscow's new status as the seat of
Russian orthodoxy.

19. Cathedral of the Annunciation

20. Cathedral of the Annunciation
The golden-domed Cathedral of the Annunciation served as the private chapel of the
Tsars. It was raised by Ivan III in the late 1440s on the foundations of a much earlier and
more modest church and has been damaged, repaired, enlarged, and altered on numerous
occasions since then.

22. Cathedral of the Archangel

23. Cathedral of
the Archangel Michael
It is located in Cathedral Square of
the Moscow Kremlin, between the
Grand Kremlin Palace and the Ivan
the Great Bell Tower. It was the
main necropolis of the Tsars of
Russia until the relocation of the
capital to St. Petersburg. It was
constructed between 1505 and 1508
on the spot of an older cathedral,
built in 1333.

24. Cathedral of the Archangel (left) and base
of Ivan the Great’s Bell Tower (right)

25. Ivan the Great Bell Tower

26. Ivan the Great Bell Tower
is the tallest of the towers in the Moscow
Kremlin complex, with a total height of 81
metres (266 ft). It was built in 1508 for the
Russian Orthodox cathedrals in Cathedral
Square, namely the Assumption, Archangel
and Annunciation cathedrals, which do not
have their own belfries. It is said to mark
Moscow's precise geographic center. The Bell
Tower is an ensemble with three components.
All of the buildings are made of brick, and are
whitewashed in accord with the neighboring
buildings of Cathedral Square. The tower
itself consists of three octagonal drums,
narrowing towards the top, and surmounted
by a golden dome and seven-meter high cross.
Each section has cut-out windows for the
bells, and the upper third has a series of
kokoshnik ornamentation.

28. The Tsar Bell

29. The Tsar Bell is located between the
Ivan the Great Bell Tower and the
Kremlin Wall. Made of bronze, the bell
was broken during casting and has never
been rung. The bell is currently the
largest bell in the world, weighing
201,924 kg (445,170 lb), with a height
of 6.14 m (20.1 ft) and diameter of 6.6
m (22 ft), and thickness of up to 61 cm
(24 in). The broken piece weighs 11,500
kg (25,000 lb). The bell was
commissioned by Empress Anna
Ivanovna, niece of Peter the Great.
The bell is decorated with relief images
of baroque angels, plants, oval
medallions with saints, and nearly life-
size images of Empress Anna and Tsar
Alexey, who was reigning at the time
the previous Tsar Bell was cast.

30. The Tsar Cannon
The Tsar Cannon, located nearby the Tsar Bell, was cast in 1586 and weighs 40 tons.

31. Church of the Twelve Apostles and Patriarch’s
Palace

32. The Patriarch’s Palace was built in 1653-1655 by Russian craftsmen for Patriarch
Nikon. On the palace’s ground floor there were household services, the second floor
housed living quarters of the Patriarch. The ceremonial chambers were located on
the first floor. Nowadays, the Patriarch’s Palace houses a museum of applied art and
life-style of 17th-century Russia. This occupies the first floor of the building.

33. Church of the Twelve Apostles
is a minor cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin,
commissioned by Patriarch Nikon as part of his
stately residence in 1653 and dedicated to
Philip the Apostle three years later.

34. Church of the Deposition of the Robe
Its construction began in 1484 by masters
from Pskov and was completed in 1488.
Its name is said to refer to a festival
dating from the 5th century AD,
celebrating when the robe of the Virgin
Mary was taken from Palestine to
Constantinople, where it protected the
city from being conquered.

35. The Senate

36. The Kremlin Senate construction began in 1776 and was completed in 1788. It is located in the
northern part of the Kremlin grounds, between the Kremlin Arsenal and Kremlin Presidium. It is
shaped like an isosceles triangle with each side approximately 100 m (330 ft) in length, and with
one side directly adjacent to the Kremlin Wall parallel to Red Square. It is a graceful neoclassical
Senate building, commissioned by Catherine the Great. Particularly interesting is the famous
circular hall of the Senate, which has a diameter of almost 25 m, and is an incredible 27 m high.
Imposing colonnades run round the perimeter of the space, and it is topped by a dome containing
24 windows. Sculptured bas-reliefs fill the space between the columns and the windows. Since
1991, the building has been the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

38. Kremlin Presidium (also known as Building 14)
is located in the northern part of the Kremlin grounds, next to the Kremlin Senate, forming
one side of Ivanovskaya Square. It was built between 1932-1934.
Currently, it houses various offices of the Russian presidential administration, the
Kremlin Commandant’s office and offices of the FSO and is thus a highly secured and
restricted area closed to the public. At present, only the southern corner façade, opposite
the Tsar Bell, can be viewed.

39. Kremlin Presidium and Ivanovsky (Ivan’s) Square

40. IvanovskySquare is the largest Kremlin square.
Its name comes from the Ivan the Great Bell Tower.

41. The Arsenal

42. The Arsenal
It was commissioned by Peter the Great to serve as a weapons depot and manufactory.
After Napoleon's disastrous retreat from Moscow this building became a museum
commemorating the Russian victory. Most of the cannons arrayed along its side were
captured from the fleeing, tattered remains of Bonaparte's Grande Armee. The Arsenal is
now the headquarters of the Kremlin Guard.

43. The Armoury
The Kremlin Armoury originated as the royal arsenal in 1508. Until the transfer of the
court to St Petersburg, the Armoury was in charge of producing, purchasing and storing
weapons, jewellery and various household articles of the tsars. The Kremlin Armoury
is one of the oldest museums of Moscow, established in 1808.

44. The State Kremlin Palace

45. The State Kremlin Palace, a modern glass and concrete structure, completed in 1961, is
the Kremlin's most recent edifice. It was built during Khruschev administration to host
Communist Party congresses and was executed in appropriately magnificent style. The
key of the building is a 6000-seat hall, equipped either for performances or public
meetings and congresses. The building houses 800 rooms. Nowadays, the palace is a
public building and a theatre.

46. The Amusement Palace
(Poteshny Palace)
The Poteshny Palace is situated at the western Kremlin wall, between the Commandant and Trinity
towers. It was built in 1651 as living quarters for Boyar I.D. Miloslavsky. After the owner's death, the
interior of the building was reconstructed to form a theatre for comic performances that gave the palace
its current name - the Amusement Palace. Nowadays, the palace houses Kremlin Commandant
Services.

47. The Kremlin Wall

48. The Kremlin Wall

49. The irregular triangle of the Kremlin wall encloses an area of 275,000 sq m (68 acres). Its
overall length is 2,205 m, and the height ranges from 5 to 19 m, depending on the terrain.
The wall's thickness is between 3.5 and 6.5 m The wall is topped by swallow-tailed
crenellations. Running along the top of the walls is a walkway up to 4 meters in width. The
Kremlin wall and towers were built by Russian masons under the supervision of Italian
engineers and architects.

50. Spassky Tower

51. Spassky Tower
The Kremlin’s symbol is the slender ten-storeyed
Spassky (Saviour’s) Gate-Tower named in honor
of the Icons of our Saviour of Smolensk and the
Vernicle. The gate of the Spassky Tower has been
the official entrance to the Kremlin for centuries.

52. The Kremlin Clock

53. Tsar’s Tower Alarm Tower Beklemishevskaya Peter’s Tower
Tower
(Nabatnaya )
Nameless Tower 1 Nameless Tower 2 Secret Tower Annunciation Tower

54. Water-Pump Tower Vorovitskaya Armoury Tower Commandant’s Tower
Tower
(Gate-tower)
Middle Arsenal
Trinity Tower Kutafya Tower
Tower
Gate-tower)
Gate-tower

55. Corner Arsenal
St Nicholas Tower Senate Tower Konstantin-Elena
Tower
Tower
(Gate-tower)
Originally there were eighteen Kremlin towers, but their number increased to twenty in the
17th century. All but three of the towers are square in plan. The height of the towers, which
had wooden tents added to them in the 17th century, with stars crowning them, varies from 28
to 73 m. The highest tower is the Troisky Tower (73.9 m), built up in 1495. The oldest tower
is Tainitsky Tower which dates to 1485, whilst the newest one is Tsarsky Tower -1680. Four
gate towers exist, all crowned with ruby stars; they are Spassky, Vorovitsky (or John the
Baptist’s), Troitsky, and Nikolsky. The distance between the towers was determined by the
weapon range. The towers were built closer to each other on the most vulnerable south side
of the fortress. The Kremlin wall and towers were built by Russian masons under the
supervision of Italian engineers and architects.

62. The Secret Garden

63. The Secret Garden (Taynitsky Garden) is an urban park located within the walls of the
Moscow Kremlin. The park is named after the Taynitskaya Tower in the Kremlin Wall,
and is part of the portion of the Kremlin which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

69. Images and text: Internet
Andre Rieu : “Kalinka” Adriana