KREMLIN, Outer Perimeter
Language: English / USA
The Kremlin is surrounded by imposing crenellated walls as thick as 5 meters that reach up to 17 meters in height and stretch for about 2 kilometers. There are also 20 towers around the perimeter, the five largest are topped with large golden stars that weigh up to a ton and a half. One of them is the 62-meter-high Water Tower .
One of the most beautiful towers on the perimeter is the Spasskaja Bašnja or Savior Tower, where the tsars once entered the Kremlin. It was designed by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari at the end of the 15th century, but it was modified in the 17th century when a carillon of 10 bells was added, taking up three floors of the building and weighing 25 tons!
Before entering the Kremlin, visit Alexander Garden , which extends along the entire side of the walls where the entry gate is located.
This is where the Neglinnaya River, a small tributary of the Moskva, once flowed, serving as a moat. Around 1823 it was diverted underground to create the garden named after Alexander I, Emperor of Russia from 1801 to 1825.
I'd like to point out some interesting monuments in the garden.
At the foot of the Angular Tower, look for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is where the changing of the guard ceremony takes place every hour.
Nearby is an obelisk from 1914 dedicated to the Romanov dynasty, who reigned from 1613 to 1917. For political reasons, the monument was modified in 1918 with the engraving of the names of revolutionaries and socialist and communist intellectuals such as Marx and Engels.
From the garden, look at the walls and look for the only tower that protrudes from the perimeter of the fortification: this is the Kutafya Tower, dating back to the beginning of the 16th century, which is the entrance to the Kremlin. It is a defensive structure with a ramp that connects it to the citadel, originally a bridge across the moat. The ramp leads to Trinity Tower, which is the highest tower in the Kremlin, at 80 meters. Its dungeons were once used as a prison.
An interesting fact: did you know that the carillon of the Savior Tower chimes four times a day? At 6 a.m. and 12 p.m., you can listen to the Russian National Anthem, and at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., it plays a melody called “Gloria” by the composer, Michail Ivanovič Glinka.
