The Moscow Kremlin is a fortress in the center of Moscow and its oldest part, the main socio-political, historical and artistic complex of the city, the official residence of the President Russian Federation. It is located on the high left bank of the Moskva River - Borovitsky Hill, at the confluence of the Neglinnaya River. In plan, the Kremlin is an irregular triangle with an area of ​​27.5 hectares (ha). The southern wall faces the Moscow River, the northwestern one faces the Alexander Garden, the eastern one faces Red Square.

Antiquity

The first settlements on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin date back to the Bronze Age (II millennium BC). A Finno-Ugric settlement dating back to the early Iron Age (second half of the 1st millennium BC) was found near the modern Archangel Cathedral. At that time, the Dyakovo-type settlement occupied the center of the upper floodplain terrace of Borovitsky Hill (the area of ​​modern Cathedral Square) and may have already had fortifications. From the northeast, the village was protected by two ravines: one, to the north of the current Trinity Gate, went to the Neglinnaya River, the other lay between the Petrovsky and Second Nameless Towers of the modern Kremlin.

XI - XIV centuries

Following the Dyakovites, with the beginning of the Slavic colonization of the Oka and Moskva River basins in the 10th century, the top of Borovitsky Hill was settled by the Vyatichi (possibly, mastering the former settlement). Presumably, the Vyatichi settlement on the hill consisted of two fortified centers - the first, larger in area, was located on the site of the modern Cathedral Square, the second occupied the tip of the cape. Presumably, both centers were protected by a ring fortification, consisting of a moat, a rampart and a palisade. Vyatichi included in the defensive structures and two ravines connected by a ravine, which performed the same function even in pre-Slavic times; the ravines were transformed into a moat up to 9 meters deep and about 3.8 meters wide. Presumably, a certain political and administrative center was located on the cape of the settlement: during archaeological excavations, a Kyiv hanging seal of the late 11th century was found here. Both parts probably had their cult centers - the upper one in the area of ​​Cathedral Square, the lower one - "under Bor", on the site of the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist that stood here. The Kremlin toponyms “Makovitsa”, “Mountains” and “Bor” also belong to the pre-princely time. These two centers were surrounded by a settlement stretching along the Neglinnaya and Moskva rivers. The development and prosperity of the settlement was connected with the trade routes running here: there was a lively trade between East and West along the Moscow River. Apart from waterway two land roads passed nearby - one to Novgorod (later Volotskaya), the other from Kyiv through Smolensk to the northeast; both roads were connected at the foot of the Borovitsky Hill by a ford across the Moskva River (in the area of ​​the current Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge). The first chronicle mention of Moscow dates back to 1147. In 1156, the first fortifications with a total length of about 850 meters and an area of ​​about 3 hectares were built on the territory of the modern Kremlin. The fort was surrounded by a moat…

Route: Kutafya Tower - Trinity Bridge - Trinity Tower - Ivanovskaya Square - Cathedral Square - Trinity Tower - Alexander Garden.

Length: 2.2 km.

View of Kutafya Tower, Trinity Bridge and Trinity Tower

The territory inside the fortress walls of the Kremlin has the status of a museum-reserve. It is a specially protected object, since the residence of the President of the country is located in the heart of Moscow. All travelers start at the Moscow Kremlin from the western side, because tourists can only get inside through the Trinity Gate. The most convenient way to the Trinity Tower is from the Alexandrovsky Sad metro station, the exit from which is located 50 meters south of the squat Kutafya Tower.

View of the southern facade of the arsenal

The territory of the Kremlin is open on any day except Thursday, from 10.00 to 18.00. To visit it, you must have a ticket for events held at the State Kremlin Palace, or entrance tickets for visiting the Armory, the Diamond Fund, temples and museums of Cathedral Square and the Ivan the Great Bell Tower.

If the ticket has already been purchased, you can safely go to the checkpoint on the Kutafya Tower. Those who do not have a ticket yet must buy it at the box office located nearby, in the middle part of the Alexander Garden.

Cannons at the walls of the arsenal

Ticket offices are open from 9.30 to 17.00. There are also left-luggage offices where you need to leave bulky luggage and backpacks. It should be borne in mind that in summer and on days school holidays long queues line up at the Kremlin cash desks. Tickets cannot be purchased in advance. Here they sell only tickets valid for the day of visiting the Kremlin.

Through the Kutafya tower, tourists get to the red-brick Trinity Bridge, laid over the place where the full-flowing Neglinka River used to flow.

View of the State Kremlin Palace

The bridge leads to the gates of the Trinity Tower, which stands exactly in the middle of the northwestern wall. This is the most high tower Kremlin. It rises to 80.1 m. The Presidential Orchestra is located inside the fortification and there are special rehearsal rooms and studios.

Behind the tower to the right is the narrow Palace Street. At its beginning there is a post, beyond which tourists are not allowed. It is worth paying attention to the bright facade of the Poteshny Palace, which is located 150 m south of the Trinity Gate.

Senate Palace from the south

On the left along the way you can see the picturesque two-story building of the Arsenal, and in front of it there is an exhibition of captured guns. Some of the ancient artillery pieces lie directly on the paving stones, others are mounted on metal carriages or laid on special stone platforms. Cannons stand along other facades of the Arsenal, but tourists are allowed only to the southern facade of this historic building.

Opposite the Arsenal rises the massive State Kremlin Palace, which many out of habit call the Palace of Congresses.

Ivan the Great Bell Tower from Ivanovskaya Square

This is one of the main concert venues Russia, where ballet performances are shown all year round, as well as concerts with the participation of the country's best singers and dancers.

From here you need to go along Troitskaya Street a little to the east. The wide steps leading to the entrance to the Palace of Congresses will remain on the right. And the green one will open on the left Senate square, which lies between the building of the Arsenal and the majestic Senate Palace.

Tsar bell near the walls of Ivan the Great Bell Tower

Travelers are also not allowed into this part of the Kremlin, so they have to admire the intricate southern facade of the Senate Palace and the blue fir trees growing in front of it in the distance.

Soon, Troitskaya Street turns right (southeast) and leads to the spacious Ivanovskaya Square, dominated by the tall Bell Tower of Ivan the Great. At the beginning of the 17th century, when Tsar Boris Godunov ruled Russia, the building of the bell tower was completed to 81 m. After that, for more than a century it was the most tall building in the country.

Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles

Cathedral of the Archangel

In the west of the square stands the snow-white Chamber of Facets. And if you go around it to the north side, then the domes of the Church of the Position of the Robe of the Mother of God and the Verkhospassky Cathedral open.

One of the main ones on Cathedral Square is the ascetic Ascetic Cathedral, which occupies a place opposite the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. It was built in the 70s of the XV century and until 1917 had the status of a cathedral church in Russia. Inside the cathedral there is a tomb, where tombs with the ashes of Moscow metropolitans and patriarchs are installed.

Blagoveshchensky cathedral

Behind the Assumption Cathedral, you can see the white facade of the Patriarchal Palace and the silver domes of the Church of the Twelve Apostles, which close the Cathedral Square from the north side. Hierarchs of the Russian Empire lived inside the palace for many centuries. Orthodox Church. Today, this building houses a unique exposition of works of church art, a collection of old clocks, as well as personal belongings of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible and Patriarch Nikon.

Assumption Cathedral

This is where the main part of the trip to the sights of the Moscow Kremlin ends. After examining the facades of churches and museums, you need to go back - to Troitskaya Street, walk along it to the Trinity Gate and exit into the Alexander Garden.

Those who are not in a hurry can stroll through this green park, which stretches along the entire northwestern wall of the Kremlin.

Monument to Alexander I in the Alexander Garden

A few years ago, an expressive monument to Alexander I appeared 250 meters south of the exit from the Kutafya Tower, in the center of the Alexander Garden. From here it is easy to return to the entrance to the Aleksandrovsky Sad metro station.

Panoramic 3D in high quality, sightseeing tour of the Kremlin, a panorama of the streets of Moscow.

3D Panorama of Moscow from a bird's eye view - Moscow from a quadrocopter

Interesting 3D virtual walk in the capital of Russia, Moscow 3D panorama from a bird's eye view, from different and unusual angles, a full-fledged virtual trip to Moscow, without leaving home, on the monitor screen - the Moscow Kremlin, Red Square, Novodevichy Convent, the Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye ...

Unreal Moscow from a bird's eye view - Moscow from a quadrocopter | Amazing View Of Moscow From Quadrocopter

Moscow 3D panorama – aerial photography of the Kremlin

Moscow - Kremlin, Moscow City, Bolshoi Theater

Moscow is the capital of the Russian Federation, a city of federal significance. The largest city in Russia in terms of population, is among the top ten cities in the world in terms of population. Moscow is the most important tourist and business center of Russia.

The city is the most important transport hub. Moscow is served by 5 airports, 9 railway stations, and 3 river ports. Since 1935, it has been operating in Moscow (metro scheme)

• Overview of all 3D Panoramas on the map:

Moscow Kremlin and its famous architectural ensemble- the most visited tourist attraction in Moscow. However, not always the center Russian capital looked exactly like that.

The history of the Kremlin and its reconstruction

The first wooden city fortification arose in ancient times. However, it did not look at all as large as after its reconstruction into white stone, which was carried out on the orders of Dmitry Donskoy. But the unreliability of the material forced Ivan III, already in the middle of the 15th century, to start building a large fortress from durable brick, which had previously undergone special firing.

Yes, and the first representatives of the Romanov dynasty contributed to the appearance of the Moscow Kremlin. If their predecessors built mainly churches and cathedrals, then the new rulers began to build secular buildings and palaces on the fortified territory. However, Peter I did not want to settle in the main residence of the Russian tsars. He moved to St. Petersburg, thereby giving Moscow and its golden-domed symbol a secondary status. But already in 1812, the invasion of Napoleon's troops caused serious damage to many buildings of the Kremlin. However, the explosives planted by the French did not destroy everything, allowing the restoration of its former grandeur and unique architectural objects.

The famous Grand Kremlin Palace, built by order of Nicholas I in 1849, became the decoration of the fortress. However, more than half of the buildings of the ensemble were destroyed when the revolutionary-minded masses came to power at the beginning of the 20th century. The builders of communism, having declared war on religion, did not spare the ancient temples. Many of the majestic cathedrals were demolished, and the rest of the buildings were converted to the needs of the Bolsheviks. The new leaders of the USSR returned the status of their residence to the main fortress of the country, closing access to it for outsiders.

The Kremlin in the 21st century

The modern appearance of the Moscow Kremlin with massive walls crowned with 80-meter jagged towers and 5-pointed stars on them, which have become a legacy of the Soviet era that has gone down in history, has become a symbol of Russian power and the main political and cultural center of the country. Rising above the Moskva River, the massive city fortification, with an area of ​​more than 27 hectares, has become a real brand of the capital. For many centuries, the fortress burned repeatedly, turning almost to ashes, and was reborn from ruins again thanks to the efforts of Italian and Russian architects.

Today, the Moscow Kremlin has become not only the official residence and representative office of the President of the Russian Federation, but almost all of its territory is open to the public. The museum complex, which consists of seven separate exhibition buildings, attracts many tourists. The world-famous Diamond Fund and the Armory contain thousands of copies of the great heritage of princely Russia, imperial Russia and the era of Bolshevism. Their exposition includes: priceless royal jewels, unique collectible weapons, works of famous jewelers, etc.

Guests of the Russian capital get acquainted with the decoration of the Patriarch's Chambers with interest, visit the Assumption Cathedral, which has become the burial place for almost all Russian church hierarchs. Unique museum complex continue: the Faceted Chamber, the Archangel and Annunciation Cathedrals, the Tsar Cannon, the Grand Kremlin, Senate, Terem and Amusement Palaces, the Tsar Bell, the Tainitsky Garden, the Church of the Deposition of the Robe and the building of the Arsenal. However, this is not the whole list. famous buildings and historical monuments worth seeing when visiting the Moscow Kremlin.

Date: 2013-04-07

For those who have not yet seen the Moscow Kremlin, but want to see it right now. Thanks to the magnificent site airpiano.ru you can be anywhere in the world without leaving your home. And on this page I will introduce you to the Moscow Kremlin, tell the story of its origin. You will see a photo of the Moscow Kremlin, a video about the Moscow Kremlin and, of course, a 3D panorama from airpiano.ru.

Click here for full screen format

Moscow Kremlin

Moscow Kremlin- a very ancient part of the capital of Russia - Moscow. It is believed that this architectural structure is one of the most beautiful assemblies in the world. The construction of the Moscow Kremlin began in 1842 and was completed in 1495. If we talk about the area of ​​the Kremlin, then it is 27.7 hectares (0.277 km2). The number of towers is twenty pieces, the number of gates is four, the thickness of the walls of the towers is about twenty-four meters, the height of the walls is from five to nineteen meters, the thickness of ordinary walls is from three to seven meters.

The Moscow Kremlin is located on the high left bank of the Moscow River - Borovitsky Hill. At one time, the Moscow Kremlin was once a powerful fortress. In 1368 and 1370, the Kremlin was able to withstand the attack of the Lithuanian prince Olgerd, and in 1382, 1408, and 1451 the Kremlin retained its impregnability for the Tatar-Mongol troops Tokhtamysh, who in 1382 captured the Kremlin solely by deception. However, watch the video of the origin of the Moscow Kremlin

Moscow Kremlin video

Moscow Kremlin photo

Click on the picture to view it in gallery mode.

View from the dome of the Senate on Red Square.

The Kremlin is open! Welcome!

Getting into the Moscow Kremlin is not difficult. Nobody is prohibited.

If you have been, you must have walked along Ivanovskaya Square, walked in the Tainitsky Garden, admired the ensemble of Cathedral Square. Probably, they were inside these ancient churches - the Assumption, Arkhangelsk, Annunciation. Perhaps even - they got acquainted with the collection of the Armory. Well, if you happened to be among the rare visitors to the Diamond Fund, then, probably, your friends were very jealous of you ...

But, no matter how many times you visit the Kremlin, no matter how well you get to know its sights, some places in the Kremlin have probably remained inaccessible to you. These are buildings and territories that are reserved for state institutions and services that ensure the activities of the President of Russia.

Help fill this gap virtual tour. It opens hitherto, unfortunately, objects closed to tourists, which are part of the Kremlin complex of the President's residence. Moreover, it opens - in a unique pictorial detail.

The Senate Palace and the Grand Kremlin Palace will appear before you in every detail - down to the inscriptions on the spines of books in the cabinets of the Presidential Library, and barely noticeable details of the ancient paintings of the Faceted Chamber. You will examine every stone, every piece of furniture, every monogram on high ceilings, every leaf in the Kremlin gardens as if you were in close proximity to them.

In addition to the interiors, the Otkritie Kremlin site has many breathtaking street views. FROM high points You will see such corners of the Kremlin, the existence of which you do not even suspect, walking along it. And at the same time, you will see a panorama of almost the entire center of Moscow, and, as if through powerful binoculars, you will examine the territories adjacent to the Kremlin. Filming for this project was carried out over two years, from 2003 to 2005. During the filming, some frames managed to become historical - they depict objects that no longer exist. Moscow is changing so fast!

I present to your attention the screenshots that I made during my virtual tour. Enjoy.

Library of the President

View of the Terem Palace

Staircase to the Terem Palace

View from the dome of the BKD on Zamoskvorechye

Zamoskvorechye

House on the Embankment - Monument to the First One (Zurab Tsereteli)

View from XXC

St George's Hall

Faceted Chamber

Terema, Throne Chamber

Office of the President - Desktop of the President

red porch

From the Red Porch - Archangel Cathedral - Cathedral of the Annunciation

Apple trees near the Archangel Cathedral - Tainitsky Garden

Make your own virtual tour you can start from the page http://tours.kremlin.ru/#/ru&1_5

Alexey Batalov: a story about the Kremlin

Of course, a tour of the Moscow Kremlin would not be complete without a story about its history, about how it lives today. And, perhaps, it would hardly have been possible for anyone to do this better than Alexei Vladimirovich Batalov. It is his voice that is heard in the background.

"Dear visitors of the site! Helping my colleagues in the work on this project, I myself went through the entire virtual tour of the Moscow Kremlin with interest - from beginning to end. Of course, I have been to the Kremlin many times, I have seen it magnificent palaces- in a strict, gray decoration of the past decades. I saw them resurrect. But what can be found here on this site is truly unique. It's amazing how beautiful Moscow is when you look at it from the dome of the Grand Kremlin Palace. And what a delicate, complex mechanism is hidden behind the walls of the Spasskaya Tower! Unfortunately, none real excursion won't show you what you can see here. But fortunately - there is this virtual tour ... The Moscow Kremlin lives, its history is not interrupted. And his appearance on the Internet is probably also a continuation of history, this is a small step into the future."
A.V. Batalov