How many towers of the Moscow Kremlin: list, description and history

The oldest building in Moscow, the Kremlin, today is the visiting card of the Russian capital. The way it is seen in our time by residents and visitors of the city is the work of masters and architects for 5 centuries. From it began the future Russian capital, when Yuri Dolgoruky on the site of the settlement on the Moskva River commanded to build a fortress. It is perfectly preserved, and modern Muscovites well know how many towers the Kremlin has, and tourists from all over the world come to admire their greatness.

History and description of the Moscow Kremlin

During the centuries of Moscow's construction, Russian tsars invited the best Italian architects to expand and fortify its fortress, which gradually delineated the border. At different times, it was built 20 "vege" - that's how many towers in the Kremlin.

Each of them has not only its own story, but also a name, except two, which the people called it - Unnamed. The Kremlin began to build around Vyatichi settlement in the middle of the 12th century. Thus, in 1156 the first 850 m of the defensive structure were built. Almost a century the fortress was erected, but it was completely destroyed by the Mongols in 1238.

After its restoration in 1264, the Moscow princes made it their residence, and in 1339 it had the first towers, but still of wood. Only during the reign of Dmitry Donskoy in 1366 wooden walls and towers were replaced by a white stone, which was mined near Moscow. Hence the name of the city - "white stone".

How many towers the Kremlin had at that time is unknown, as they were destroyed, then restored. This realignment began under Ivan III. This was facilitated by the fact that the white local stone was short-lived and began to crumble, but the modern look of the fortress began to acquire since 1485. In those days, how many towers the Kremlin had in Moscow, they were all sorted out with the walls and erected again from the burnt brick.

The fortress acquired its final form in 1516, while its internal structures were constantly altered. The towers of the Moscow Kremlin (list below) and the walls are an irregular triangle. This form he acquired during the reign of Ivan III. It was he who determined the boundaries of the fortress. The list of Kremlin towers:

1. Spassky.
2. Vodovzvodnaya.
3. Borovitskaya.
4. The Armory.
5. Commandant's.
6. Nikolskaya.
7. Troitskaya.
8. Kutafia.
9. Tsarskaya.
10. The Senate.
11. Average Arsenalnaya.
12. Angular Arsenal.
13. Beklemishevskaya.
14. The alarm.
15. Konstantin-Yelenin.
16. The First Nameless.
17. The Second Nameless.
18. Petrovskaya.
19. Taynitskaya.
20. The Annunciation.

The towers of the Moscow Kremlin (the description of each separately below), like the walls, are perfectly preserved, unlike the internal buildings. The greatest damage was inflicted on the ancient churches in Stalin's time.

Tainitskaya Tower and Borovitsky Gate with a Tower

How many towers the Moscow Kremlin has, so many stories. For example, Taynitskaya was named so because from her to the Moscow River led a secret passage in case a fortress was attacked or a long siege occurred.

Its height is 38.4 m, at one time there were gates in it, which were subsequently immured. It was first built in a brick version in 1485 under the direction of architect Anton Fryazin.

How many towers in the Kremlin, but only 3 of them are round, and the rest have the shape of a square. That Borovitskaya is a tall square structure, crowned with a stepped elevation. It is located on the highest hill in Moscow, therefore at its "growth" 54.05 m is well visible from afar.

It is interesting to know: built in 1490 by Italian master Pietro Solari, it was named by the tsar's decree from 1658 called the Predtechenskaya Tower, named after the Church of St. John the Baptist and the icon of the same name, mounted above its gates.

Moskvoretskaya, Blagoveshchenskaya and Vodovzvodnaya towers

Beklemishevskaya, or, as it is now called, Moskvoretsky, the tower crowns the southeast side of the Kremlin. This structure of round shape with narrow loopholes was built by the Italian architect Marco Ruffo in 1488.

The name of this tower was obtained thanks to the adjacent court of Boyar Beklemishev. Under Vasily III, this place served as a prison for the boyars who had fallen into the disfavor of the tsar. At one time it had an important strategic significance, as it was located at the intersection of the Moskva River and the defensive ditch, so it was the first to come under fire.

Crown stone cylinder 46.2 m tall mashikuli (hinged loopholes for vertical shooting on the enemy), surrounded by a combat platform. In this form, it stood until 1680, when it was decorated with a pointed octagon with a narrow tent. So it looks today. Her new name is due to the nearby Moskvoretsky bridge.

The Annunciation tower is named after the miraculous icon, which was kept in it. Later, for the icon, a church was built, but the name remained.

The Vodovzvodnaya Tower is a corner tower and is named so because there was once a car pumping water from the river and supplying it through lead pipes to the Kremlin's palace.

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's Towers

Once the Armory tower stood on the shore of Neglinka, but then the river was "tucked" into a pipe underground. The building owes its name to the Armory built next to it, where weapons and jewelery workshops were once located. Now it houses a museum in which unique military and jewelry exhibits of antiquity are presented. The height of the building is 32.65 m.

The commandant's tower was erected in 1495, but the modern name was given only in the 19th century, when the commandant of the fortress moved to the nearby Poteshny Palace.

Troitskaya, Kutafia and Petrovskaya towers

How many towers in the Kremlin, almost all of them were rebuilt by Italian craftsmen in the 15th century. Here and Trinity built Aloysio da Carrezano in 1495-1499. This is the highest building of the Kremlin. Its height is 80 m, together with the spire and the star that crowns it. His name was given to the building along the nearby Trinity Church.

It is interesting to know that at one time this building had different names, for example Rizopolozhenskaya, Karetnaya or Znamenskaya, until in 1658 it received its current name. Once there was a prison on its two-story basis. Until 1935, her spire was crowned by the royal eagle, which was replaced by a ruby star for the anniversary of the revolution.

Kutafya tower stands at the beginning of the Trinity Bridge and is not similar to other structures of the Kremlin. It is the lowest (18 m), squat and wide, so it was called. Kutafia in Russia was teased by thick, slow-moving women.

Since the weakest, from a strategic point of view, was the southern wall of the Kremlin, an additional tower was built there. It was for a long time unnamed, but then the name Petrovskaya was found on the nearby church of Metropolitan Peter.

Medium and Corner Arsenal towers

The middle Arsenalnaya tower (1493-1495 gg.) Found its name according to the armament warehouse built near it. She goes to the Alexander Garden.

The name of the Angular Arsenal Tower speaks for itself. It is rounded and famous for its well, which is more than 500 years old. It is located at the base of the building and is still filled with the purest water from the underground river.

Nikolskaya, Senate and Spassky towers

How many towers in the Kremlin, and almost all of them have names associated with nearby churches. That's Nikolskaya among them. This passageway was equipped with a lifting bridge over the moat and bars, which were lowered during the danger so that the enemies did not pass. It was through her that Minin and Pozharsky broke into the army and liberated the city from the Polish-Lithuanian intervention.

The Senate Tower (1491) is located behind the mausoleum of Lenin and is named after the Senate building, which is located behind the Kremlin wall.

Spassky tower was built on the site of the former main gates of the Kremlin. Above the passage was installed the icon of the Savior, and the entrance itself was venerated among the people by the saints, it was necessary to enter it on foot with an uncovered head. In our time it is equipped with famous chimes.

The rest of the Kremlin towers

The first and second towers were of exceptionally strategic importance, for example, in one of them there was a powder cellar.

The alarm tower was indeed equipped with a bell and a viewing platform, on which the archers were on duty. In the 18th century, when the bell rang, a riot began in the city, and when it was suppressed, they deprived the "culprit" of the language. So hung the silent bell until it was sent to the museum.

Tsarskaya can hardly be called a tower, since it's just a hip superstructure, where Ivan the Terrible liked to look at the city.

The Konstantin-Eleninskaya tower was also named after the church of the same name. Built in 1490 and famous for the fact that it was through her Russian soldiers went to war, for example, Dmitry Donskoy with the army.

That's how many towers adorn the Moscow Kremlin today.