Contrary to popular belief, it is not Europe that can boast of the oldest fortress walls, but Asia and the Caucasus. Forbes magazine has selected nine places where you can look at more or less preserved fortresses, compared to which medieval ones are a remake. As a rule, the word “fortress” first of all brings to mind associations with the Middle Ages, Western Europe, Teutonic and other knights. Such fortresses related to all of the above - Romanesque and Gothic - are a dime a dozen in Europe, and everything is clear with them. As for truly ancient fortresses, the word “fortress” often means one and a half preserved walls, or even just a few stones. For some, it will be a disappointment to discover that the declared attraction is just ruins, and for others, the fact that these are the ruins of something that was built before our era will make them want to travel just for them.
Aleppo
Where is it located: Syria, Aleppo In Syria, in one of the most ancient cities in the world, Aleppo, there is a fortress of the same name. Construction of its first walls began in 944 AD. The fifty-meter hill itself on which the fortress stands was inhabited already in the 3rd millennium BC. e. The fortress took 13 years to build, and then came a period of impressive scale development of both the fortress and the city itself. Until, as usual, the Mongol invaders came running, so the walls of Aleppo suffered greatly. Having restored and strengthened the fortress after their first raid, in the 14th century the city's inhabitants were forced to defend themselves against the Mongols again. Finally, in the 15th century, the Mongols returned again, already led by Tamerlane. In addition to the assassination attempts of the great Timur, the fortress survived the conquest by the Ottomans, the invasion of the Crusaders and much more. And in 1828, an earthquake destroyed the Aleppo fortress so badly that it is still being restored.Koloa
Location: Vietnam, Hanoi
The fortress of Koloa is located where until 207 BC. e. there was the kingdom of Aulak, founded by the ancient Vietnamese tribes - the Auviet and Laquiet. Now it is a suburb of Hanoi. Aulak became the second Vietnamese state - the first was Van Lang, whose capital was captured by the Au Viet An Duong Vuong, who created Aulak and became its first ruler. He launched all this activity precisely at a time when Van Lang was vulnerable, and the Chinese intentions to occupy Vietnamese lands became especially serious. So thanks to the first and only king of Aulak, the freedom of the Viet from the Chinese lasted 50 years longer than it could have, but in the end the Chinese still captured the northern possessions of the Viet, and then Aulak. Tradition says that the defeated An Duong Vuong committed suicide by throwing himself into the river from the wall of his fortress: the surviving remains of the walls of Koloa even now reach 12 meters in height. Maiden Castle
Location: UK, Dorset
The so-called Maiden Fortress, which arose already in the Iron Age, is such an ancient structure that it can only be related to fortresses in the usual sense of the word only formally. In fact, this is a fortification built by people of the Neolithic era, consisting of ditches and embankments, which were subsequently repeatedly improved by people of subsequent eras. The second generation of Maiden inhabitants came to these places around the 20th century BC; With their efforts, the length of the embankments increased to 546 meters. But having rebuilt the Maiden settlement, this generation of inhabitants soon left it. The third change of inhabitants in Maiden appeared around the 3rd century BC. e. Then the fortifications were first lined on the inside with wood, and later, in the 1st century, with stone. Soon the Romans attacked the site, destroyed its inhabitants, settled there themselves and built a real castle in Maiden, which has not survived to this day, however. Ujarma
Location: Georgia, Sagarejo district, Ujarma village
Ujarma is a village in the municipality of Sagarejo, located on the route from Tbilisi to Telavi. In the very distant past - a fortified city, part of the state of Kartli, one of the first states on the territory of modern Georgia. Although almost all of Georgia can be considered an archaeological reserve, the Ujarma fortress deserves special attention. According to the chronicles, it was founded by King Aspagur, also known as Varaz-Bakur, a protege of the King of Persia Shapur, in the 3rd century BC. In the 10th century, the fortress was destroyed by the Arabs and restored in the 12th century by Tsar George III - there are not many well-preserved buildings with such a long history. And most importantly, the chronicles say that it was in Ujarma that Saint Nino installed one of the three crosses marking the adoption of Christianity in Georgia. Inkataka
Location: Bolivia, Chunga Mayu River valley
Discovered quite recently, in April of this year, the ruins of a fortress in the Ilyimani Mountains area have puzzled archaeologists. The fact is that the discovery was twofold: the found remains of the fortress, which were so well preserved that it would be somehow incorrect to call them remains, are not associated with any of the ancient civilizations known today. The discovery - and this is not only a fortress, but also several other buildings, including a temple - of course did not come as a surprise to the Indians living in this area: they had known about the existence of the citadel for a long time. Scientists currently assume that the civilization whose representatives built this fortress stands between the Incas and the Tiwanakus who preceded them in the history of Andean cultures. The unstudied culture was named after the river in the valley of which the find is located - Chunga Mayu. Janbas-Kala
Location: Uzbekistan, Karakalpakstan (sovereign republic within Uzbekistan)
Khorezm, the most powerful ancient state, occupied territories belonging to modern Uzbekistan, Karalpakstan and Turkmenistan. Before the capital was moved to Urgench (nowadays an Uzbek city) in the 5th century, the center of Khorezm was located in the Karakalpak lands. The largest number of surviving buildings of early Khorezm is concentrated there - in an area called Elikkala, which, by the way, translates as “fifty fortresses”. Of course, you can’t count 50 intact fortresses here, but there are about 300 archaeological sites as such in this area. Many of them are monuments of Zoroastrianism, such as the Janbas-Kala fortress, whose inhabitants professed this religion. Built in the 4th century BC, Dzhanbas-Kala was inhabited until the 1st century AD. e., when, according to scientists, the settlement located inside the walls of the fortress was captured and destroyed by nomads. Erebuni
Location: Armenia, Yerevan
The Erebuni fortress, located near Yerevan on the Arin-Berd hill, was built during the heyday of the Urartu state - in 782 BC. There was no stronger state in Western Asia at that time, and the king of Urartu, Argishti I, did nothing but expand the territories of his kingdom, grabbing tidbits of neighboring lands, including in the Ararat Valley. The power of Urartu was undermined by the Assyrians, but Erebuni, like Teishebaini - another Urartian fortress city, the ruins of which are also located in Armenia - survived a long history of struggle between the Urartians and Assyrians. The Urartian kingdom was destroyed by steppe tribes - the Scythians, Cimmerians and Medes. Erebuni surrendered without a fight: the Urartians simply abandoned it, fleeing to Teishebaini. For descendants, this turned out to be a good deed: since Erebuni, unlike Teishebaini, was not stormed or burned by anyone, even the paintings on the walls of the fortress were preserved. Asandra
Location: Ukraine, Crimea, Sudak
Not far from Sudak there is Mount Karaul-Oba. On a cliff in its foothills are the ruins of the walls of the Asandra fortress - perhaps the oldest in the Crimea. The fortress is named after the Bosporan king Asander, who in 46 BC. e. completely seized power over the kingdom after the previous ruler of the Bosporus, Pharnaces, rashly chose him as his governor, and he himself went to conquer Rome. Historians have enough reason to believe that it was Asander who began the construction of this fortress, which was necessary for the Bosporan kingdom to protect against sea pirates. For approximately 2500 sq. m of the fortress area there was a garrison of approximately 100 people. Oddly enough, despite the scale of the fortress ruins, they were discovered only in 1982 by archaeologist Igor Baranov and his expedition. Rurik fortress
Location: Russia, Staraya Ladoga
There are many discrepancies regarding the history of Staraya Ladoga. What is most reliable is that the first buildings on this site appeared before 753 and they were erected by the Scandinavians, and in the 760s their settlement was demolished by the Ilmen Slovenes. According to historians, the Slovenes were replaced by the Varangians in the 830s. Regarding what happened after this, as in everything connected with the Varangians, disagreements begin in the sources. According to one version, Rurik was called to reign first in Ladoga and only then moved to Novgorod. Whether this is true or not, the Ladoga fortress is called Rurik. Perhaps the Prophetic Oleg is buried in Ladoga - and again, it is not known whether this is so or whether Oleg’s grave is still in Kyiv. The fortress was built in the 870s, but in 997 it was destroyed by the son of the Norwegian ruler Hakon the Mighty, Eirik. In 1114, the fortress was rebuilt from stone, and in 1495 it was thoroughly strengthened. For many centuries, great Russia underwent numerous changes, the cause of which were various wars and other historically significant events. Defending the borders of their homeland is the main task of the residents of every state. For many centuries, stone fortresses served as the main means of defense.
Thanks to powerful fortifications, strong protection was provided from the enemy encroaching on the territory of the Russian state. A sufficient number of fortresses have survived to this day.
Many of them are only partially destroyed. Of course, most ancient structures were destroyed for one reason or another. But we are obliged to protect what our predecessors managed to preserve, and also to do everything possible to ensure that our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren have the opportunity to study the history of their own homeland not only from books. Let us list the great fortresses of Russia, unique examples of ancient architecture, preserved in one form or another to our times.
Staraya Ladoga Fortress
Let's start, perhaps, with a description of Staraya Ladoga. This one belongs to the oldest fortresses in Russia. Archaeologists date its foundation to the 9th century.
This is one of the most ancient stone fortresses, partially preserved to this day. Over the entire period of its existence, Staroladoga has undergone several destructions. Thus, after the attack of the Swedes in the 12th century, the fortress was completely destroyed and restored only in the 16th century. Over the following years, the rebuilt structure again succumbed to destructive influences. Only two towers, a church and several wall elements have survived to this day.
Koporskaya Fortress
According to ancient chronicles, the fortress was founded in 1240 by the Crusaders. But the son of Alexander Nevsky managed to complete it after the crusaders left the territory of Rus'. Like many other fortresses in Russia, ancient Koporye went to the Swedes.
It was possible to return it back only at the beginning of the eighteenth century. For some time, the Koporye Fortress was the military-administrative center of the first province of Russia - Ingria. All that remains of this fortress to this day are 4 towers, wall elements and underground passages.
Ivangorod fortress. Historical reference
What are the most famous fortresses in Russia? For example, this is Ivangorodskaya. The foundation of the fortress city of Ivangorod was laid at the end of the 15th century in honor of the great Russian prince. Having existed for another two centuries. The fortress was significantly expanded. It was completed with the aim of being used in the future as a strategically important center of Rus', in which control of ships entering the Baltic Sea was carried out.
During the height of the Great Patriotic War, the fortress was significantly damaged. However, most of it has survived to this day. Restored and brought into proper shape, the Ivangorod Fortress is one of the Russian landmarks.
Shlisselburg Fortress, or Noteburg
Founded in the 14th century on the territory of what is now the Leningrad region, this fortress was destroyed and rebuilt more than once. The reconstruction of the 15th - 16th centuries has survived to this day. It is based on the stone remains of the very first structure. Throughout the 17th century, the fortress was under the control of the Swedes. However, Peter I managed to win it back. At the beginning of the 18th century, Noteburg was turned into a prison, where prisoners of the royal families, favorites, schismatics, Decembrists and many others were kept.
The walls of this fortress have seen a lot of human suffering. During the siege of Leningrad it was never captured. Modern Noteburg is a repository of museum exhibits and a unique monument of medieval architecture in itself.
Pskov fortress. Description
Pskov was originally built as a fortified city. Its mention in the chronicle dates back to 903. The center of the city was Krom, or the Kremlin, built at the confluence of two rivers. The central fortification housed the treasury, stored archival documents, weapons, and supplies in case of hostilities; the veche met and held court. The Pskov fortress was the largest in the entire territory of Rus' - stone walls 9.5 km long, forty towers and four belts of stone fortifications.
At that time, the bulk of city buildings were built from wood. But Pskov was built up with stone buildings from the very foundation. The real power of the Pskov fortress allowed the townspeople to withstand the crushing influx of Swedes. Most of the buildings of ancient Pskov have survived to this day.
Izborg Fortress
One of the very first cities founded on the territory of Ancient Rus' was Izborg. The date of its foundation is considered to be 862. For a long time, ordinary city buildings were erected here. But in 1330, a decision was made to build a defensive fortress here. The length of the stone walls was 850 meters. However, later the structure was slightly changed. Like many other fortresses in Russia, Izborgskaya has suffered more than one destruction. However, the city residents worked diligently every time to restore it. After the 14th century, no one else managed to take the fortress, for which the city began to proudly be called “Iron Izborg.” Calm within the walls of the Izborg fortress remained until the Great Patriotic War. During it, part was destroyed. Restored once again, the Izborg Fortress continued its existence to this day. Now on its territory the “Iron City” is traditionally held - a festival of military-historical reconstruction. Several springs gush out near the walls of this fortress, which in the spring turn into a real waterfall flowing into the lake.
Porkhov Fortress. Historical reference
The Pskov region is rich in ancient monuments. Another fortress located on its territory is Porkhovskaya. Founded in the fourteenth century, it was relatively small in size. However, later this defensive structure was completed, like many other fortresses in Russia. The city of Porkhov flourished for a long time while Alexander Nevsky was in power and served as cover for the Pskov-Novgorod waterway. For the next period of history, the fortress was preserved in its original form, and already with the coming to power of Catherine II, a botanical garden was founded within the walls of the fortress. Today, tourists from different parts of the world have the opportunity to get acquainted with the unique plants of this botanical garden, most of which are medicinal. And in the center of the fortress itself there is a museum post office. The city of Porkhov attracts with a large number of architectural monuments, but the most important of them is the Porkhov Fortress.
Fortress of Veliky Novgorod
Velikonovgorodskaya is deservedly included in the list of ancient Russian fortresses that have survived to this day. Veliky Novgorod is the largest and richest city in Rus' in the 11th-15th centuries. Until 1487, it was the center of the Novgorod Republic. And then it became part of the Moscow Principality. The heart of Veliky Novgorod was the Detinets (Kremlin), built of wood. However, during one of the enemy invasions it was burned, and after restoration it became a real stone fortress. Today, Detinets of Veliky Novgorod is included in the UNESCO heritage list. It is one of the most visited places by tourists in the entire Russian Federation.
Peter-Pavel's Fortress. Description
This fortress is a unique architectural, historical and military monument. It was founded in 1703 for the purpose of defensive actions during the Northern War with Sweden. The Peter and Paul Fortress originally had the name St. Petersburg. And only many years later, when a city with the same name was built around it, it was renamed Petropavlovskaya. Today, this fortress is an example of the unique military engineering art of the Middle Ages.
Kronstadt
The later historical era of Russia is characterized by the appearance of such an architectural monument. Kronstadt is a fortified city located on Kotlin Island. Its periphery has many forts of the complex, which is today the largest fortification structure in all of Europe. In total, there are three Russian fortresses on the UNESCO heritage list, and Kronstadt is one of them. Despite its relatively small age, many parts of the fortification today look very neglected. The forts “Emperor Alexander I”, “Constantine”, “Kronshlot” and “Grand Duke Constantine” are available for tourists to visit.
Moscow Kremlin. History and external changes
When listing the most famous fortresses in Russia, it is impossible not to include the most important one - the Moscow Kremlin. This place has played a decisive role at various times.
And today this function remains with the Moscow Kremlin. The fortress is located on Borovitsky Hill near the Moscow River. The date of its foundation is considered to be 1156. The initial appearance of the Moscow Kremlin was a wooden fortification. But already in the 14th century, the fortress was rebuilt with stone, and only a special type of white stone was used in construction. It is believed that it was for this reason that Moscow was called white stone for a long time. Thanks to this material, Moscow was able to withstand many enemy attacks. However, the white stone has practically not survived to this day.
The restructuring of the Kremlin took place during the reign of Ivan III Vasilyevich. During this period, the fortress was significantly expanded and thoroughly fortified. After some time, several more temples and cathedrals were built nearby. However, with the coming to power of Peter I, the Kremlin ceased to be the residence of the Tsar. And in 1701 it was completely destroyed by a great fire. After this tragedy, the Moscow Kremlin was reconstructed more than once. However, with each subsequent restoration it lost its original appearance. Today, the Moscow Kremlin again plays an important role in the life of the state and tops the list, which includes the most famous medieval fortresses in Russia.
A little conclusion
In our article you got acquainted with many buildings. We hope that this information was interesting to you. As you can see, not all medieval fortresses in Russia have survived to this day. Some of them, unfortunately, we cannot see. Others have changed dramatically recently. But, despite everything, it is definitely worth visiting the fortresses. It is worthy of the attention of every tourist.
V. NEDELIN, teacher at the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.
In pre-Mongol Rus' there were about 400 cities and towns. The basis of each city was a fortress, which was originally called Detinets, and in the 14th century the term “kremlin” (krom) appeared. According to some researchers, the new name comes from the word “kromstvo” - inside. The Kremlin is a whole city with churches and outbuildings, residential buildings and administrative offices. And even when Russian cities grew and spread their suburbs widely, their kremlins remained fortresses “for sitting under siege.” In 1999, the All-Russian symposium "Kremlins of Russia" was held at the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve "Moscow Kremlin". Historians, restorers, art historians and architects from different cities of the country came together to recall the children-kremlins that give special originality to the ancient Russian cities, in need of restoration, study and protection.
This is what Detynets (the city of Vladimir) looked like in Kyiv in the 12th-13th centuries.
Novgorod Detinets - fragment of the wall and towers of Kukuy and Knyazhaya (after restoration). Written sources date the emergence of the Novgorod Kremlin to 1044. Nine towers have survived to this day in the Kremlin.
Mtsensk Kremlin. End of the 17th century.
The wooden fortress Sokol was built using a prefabricated method during the Livonian War near the city of Polotsk. 16th century engraving.
Oryol Kremlin. 17th century
Pskov Kremlin from the Pskova River.
This is what the fortress in Smolensk looked like during the siege of the city by the Poles in 1609-1611. 17th century engraving.
Spasskaya Tower of the Tula Kremlin. The Kremlin was built at the beginning of the 16th century by order of Vasily III. For a long time it was the main defensive line in the south of the Moscow state.
Kremlin of Nizhny Novgorod. Rocker tower. Photo from the beginning of the 20th century.
The Slavs have been building fortresses to protect their lands from enemies since time immemorial. No wonder the Scandinavians called the Slavic lands a country of fortresses, which sounded like Gardariki. And the words themselves city, city in the 9th-17th centuries they were synonymous with the word “fortress”. In Rus', any settlement surrounded by a fortress wall was traditionally called a city.
The first fortresses of the Slavs were quite primitive, which nevertheless fully corresponded to the level of military art of that time. The Arab geographer Al-Bakri, who lived in the 10th century, saw how the Slavs built their fortifications. “And in this way the Slavs build most of their fortresses: they go to meadows, abundant with water and reeds, and mark a place there as round or quadrangular, depending on the shape that they want to give to the fortress, and according to its size, they dig a ditch around it, and dump the excavated earth "into the shaft, strengthening it with boards and piles like beaten earth, until the wall reaches the desired height. And then the door is measured out from whichever side they want, and they approach it along a wooden bridge."
A wooden fence was placed along the crest of the rampart - a palisade or fence (a wall made of logs dug vertically at some distance from each other, connected to each other by horizontally laid logs or blocks). A similar fence was later replaced by a more reliable fortress wall made of log buildings.
Wooden fortifications were preferred in Rus' mainly due to the abundance of material, rich carpentry traditions and speed of construction. The first stone, or rather stone-wooden, fortress, dating back to the 8th century, was discovered by archaeologists near Staraya Ladoga at the Lyubsha settlement. The oldest Russian stone fortifications also include fortresses at the Truvorov settlement near Izborsk (IX century) and in Staraya Ladoga (late 9th century).
In the 11th-13th centuries, among the many wooden fortresses that covered the Russian land with a dense network, stone fortifications began to appear. As a rule, these are separate towers and wall sections (the space between the towers). In Kyiv, for example, the Sophia Gate and the Golden Gate with the Annunciation Gate Church were built. In Pereyaslavl one should remember the Bishop's Gate with the Church of St. Theodore Stratelates and the adjacent sections of walls, in Vladimir - the Golden and Silver Gates.
Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in 1158-1165 built the first white-stone fortified courtyard (castle) in Rus' near Vladimir in Bogolyubovo. In Vladimir, under Vsevolod the Big Nest, a stone fence with the gateway Church of Joachim-Annenskaya is being built around the detinets.
In Novgorod Detinets, the Prechistenskaya towers were erected in 1195, and the Fedorovskaya road towers, topped with gate churches, in 1233.
Stone vezha towers became the core of the defense of the border fortresses of western and southwestern Rus'.
FIRST TEST
By the beginning of the Mongol-Tatar invasion, there were still too few stone fortifications in Rus'. The feudal fragmentation of Rus' and the excellent siege technology of the Mongols led to the fact that Russian wooden fortresses, after desperate and mostly short-term resistance, were swept away by the Mongols. The capitals of the principalities of Ryazan and Vladimir, which had first-class fortifications for those times, fell respectively on the sixth and fifth days of the siege. And the phenomenal seven-week defense of small Kozelsk can be explained not only by the power of the fortifications and the courage of the defenders (other cities defended no less fiercely), but also by its exceptionally advantageous position in the river loop. The invasion of the conquerors interrupted the natural development of domestic stone fortification architecture for one and a half hundred years. Traditions were preserved and developed only in the Novgorod and Pskov lands, which were not affected by the Mongol invasion.
Rus''s northwestern neighbors - the Swedes and Livonian Germans - knew how to take fortresses, and only stone strongholds could stop their invasion. That is why “stone cities” were built in the west: Koporye (1297), Izborsk (1330), Orekhov (1352), Yam (1384), Porkhov (1387), Ostrov (14th century). In the 15th century, the walls of Staraya Ladoga were renewed, stone-wooden and simply wooden fortresses of Gdov, Velye, and Opochka were built. The fortifications of Novgorod were repeatedly strengthened and expanded. Pskov became one of the strongest Russian fortresses; in terms of the number of sieges it withstood, it had no equal in Russia.
AND STARTED BUILDING AGAIN
The revival of stone fortress architecture in Central Russia is associated with the reign of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich, under whom in 1367, in anticipation of the coming confrontation with the Horde, the construction of the white stone Moscow Kremlin began. Many historians of Russian architecture believe, however, that Dmitry Donskoy’s Kremlin was not entirely stone, but stone and wood. The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin was also partially made of stone.
Terms kremlin, kremlin first found in the chronicles of 1317, which tells about the construction of a fortress in Tver. The eternal rival of Moscow, Tver, although it was not ready to build a stone fortress, but a wooden flint During construction, they were coated with clay and whitewashed.
In the 16th-17th centuries, about 30 stone fortresses were built in the Russian state. These are the Moscow, Tula, and Kolomna Kremlins. Fortresses appeared in Zaraysk, Serpukhov, Kazan, Astrakhan and Smolensk. They were built by domestic and foreign craftsmen. They also erected fortress walls around the monasteries. Monastic fortifications either duplicated or replaced state fortresses in particularly important areas. About 40 similar fortress monasteries were built.
THE WOODEN FORTRESSES WERE AMAZING
The stone strongholds that protected the most important cities and roads became the backbone of the defense of the Moscow state, and its flesh can be considered the wooden fortresses that covered Russia in a dense network from the Far East to Sweden. There were especially many wooden fortresses in the south, where they served as cells of numerous fortified lines and abatis that blocked the way for the Crimean Tatars to the central districts of Russia. In the annals of Russian history, there are many cases when the enemy, armed with the most modern battering guns of that time, trampled for weeks in helpless rage at the charred walls of one or another wooden town and eventually left in disgrace.
In artistic and aesthetic terms, wooden fortresses were almost as good as stone ones. The impression they made on their contemporaries is described in the diary of the Antioch Archimandrite Paul of Alleps (1654). Here is what he writes about the Sevskaya fortress (not far from the city of Bryansk): “The fortress is magnificent, with extremely strong towers and with numerous large cannons placed one above the other, with wide and deep ditches, the slopes of which are lined with wood, with a wooden double wall. We marveled at these fortifications and buildings, for this fortress is stronger than a stone one: and how could it be otherwise, when these are royal fortresses and are constantly being strengthened... Then we were taken to the second fortress, also with walls, towers, ditches, then to the third, which is even larger , stronger and more inaccessible than the first two; it has a secret door through which they go to its great river to draw water, for the fortress stands on the top of a high hill..."
Wooden fortresses can be built very quickly, and this is one of their main advantages. Even a small stone fortress needs to be built over several years, while the construction of a large wooden fortress in one season, or even less, was common. For example, in 1638, during fortification work in Mtsensk, the fortress walls of the Great Fort and the Wicker City with a total length of about 3 kilometers with 13 towers and an almost hundred-meter bridge across the Zusha River were erected in just 20 days (not counting the time spent on logging).
In theaters of war and in areas where construction was unsafe due to a possible enemy attack, the prefabricated construction method was widely used. The papal envoy described the military-technical technique that amazed him: “After the engineers have previously examined the places to be fortified, somewhere in a fairly distant forest they cut down a large number of logs suitable for such structures; then, after fitting and distributing them according to size and in order, with signs allowing them to be disassembled and distributed in the building, they are lowered down the river, and when they reach the place that is intended to be strengthened, they are pulled to the ground, from hand to hand; the signs on each log are disassembled, they are connected together and in an instant they build fortifications, which are immediately covered with earth, and at that time their garrisons appear."
In a similar way, during the campaign against Kazan in the spring of 1551, the city of Sviyazhsk was built. Fortress walls with a length of about 2.5 kilometers, many houses, warehouses and churches were erected in just a month. And during the years of the Livonian War, several Russian fortresses were erected using the prefabricated method near Polotsk “with unheard-of speed”: Turovlya, Susha, Krasna, Kozyan, Sokol, Sitna, Ulu, Kopiye.
THE FATE OF FORTRESSES IN THE 18TH CENTURY
The 17th century was shrouded in gunpowder smoke. The country's borders have moved far to the west, east, north and south. The old fortresses, which had served Russia faithfully for centuries, found themselves in such a remote place from which “even if you ride for two years, you won’t reach any state.” In addition, they were hopelessly outdated from a military point of view: the place of the ancestral stone and wooden walls and towers on the new borders of the empire was taken by more modern bastion-type fortresses, corresponding to new methods of warfare and built according to the latest trends in European fortification.
The old kremlins and fortresses were gradually removed from the state of fortresses and transferred to the possession of civil authorities. In the 18th century, the dilapidated wooden fortresses in the European part of Russia completely disappeared. They either burned in the fire of countless city fires, as happened, for example, in Mtsensk, Livny, Novosil and some other cities, or were dismantled during the redevelopment of cities in the last quarter of the century, or were stolen by ordinary people for firewood.
More durable stone towers were used mainly for household needs. They housed arsenals, barns, salt warehouses, storage facilities for old papers and junk, and prisons. But they too were dilapidated, since the state did not allocate money for repairs, and local authorities did not see the need for their repair, and the meager city budgets did not allow this. The ruins turned into city dumps and served as a refuge for dashing people, so already during the reign of Catherine II, a number of fortresses were sold for scrap, while the local authorities and merchants used the stone for their own needs.
This is how the largest stone fortress in Russia was dismantled - the walls and towers of the White City in Moscow (about 9 kilometers); The Mozhaisk Kremlin was completely demolished; broke the fortress in Yamburg; walls and towers of the fortified residence of Tsar Boris Godunov in Borisov Gorodok, where the Borisoglebskaya Church was also demolished - the tallest tented church in Russia, not inferior in height to the bell tower of Ivan the Great. The “dependence” of the local merchants smashed into rubble the unfinished walls and towers of the fortress in Yuryev-Povolzhsky, the towers of the Yaropolch fortress in Vyazniki, most of the Kolomna Kremlin and the walls of the White City in Astrakhan were taken to bricks, and in 1810 the fortress in Guryev was demolished...
The monastery fortresses found themselves in a better position, the repairs and repairs of which were monitored by the spiritual authorities, but this was no longer done to maintain defense capability, but for the general external splendor of a particular monastery.
ANCIENT MONUMENTS SHOULD BE PRESERVED
The barbaric attitude towards fortifications that became ancient monuments was put to an end by a decree of Emperor Nicholas I in 1826, which prohibited the destruction of ancient buildings and ordered the beginning of collecting historical information about them. Experienced cartographic engineers were sent to take panoramas and take measurements of ancient strongholds. By personal command of the sovereign, the last tower of the Vyazemskaya fortress, Spasskaya, was saved from demolition. Work began on restoration and improvement in the Ivangorod fortress, in Pskov, Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod, Kazan and other ancient Kremlins. In their updated form, they were supposed to become the decoration of provincial cities and the location of the administration. Large construction is taking place in the Moscow Kremlin, which, after a long break, is once again becoming one of the royal residences.
In Soviet times, there were some hurtful losses. In the 1930s, for example, the walls of the Serpukhov Kremlin were completely dismantled, leaving only two small spinning walls. And the white stone from which they were made was used for the construction of the Moscow metro. Several towers and spindles, as well as the Malakhovsky Gate, were demolished in Smolensk. A “partial demolition” of the Tula Kremlin was planned, but, fortunately, it was able to be defended, although the Kremlin territory was subjected to “cleansing”: the bell tower, the tallest building in the city, was demolished, and the heads of the Epiphany Cathedral were knocked down. The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin was cleaned out even more thoroughly, where all religious buildings were destroyed. Miraculously, only the Archangel Cathedral survived, and then, apparently, because Kuzma Minin was buried there. This cup has not passed and the sacred Moscow Kremlin has not passed.
AND AGAIN IN THE LINE OF FIRE
During the Great Patriotic War, Russian fortresses, hopelessly outdated from a military point of view, once again served the Fatherland with glory. Everyone knows the Brest Fortress in Belarus. In the towers of the Smolensk fortress in 1941, the last defenders of the city fought, underground fighters and partisans took refuge. The ancient Novgorod citadel of Oreshek was at the forefront of the defense of Soviet troops near Leningrad for a year and a half. The fire from German guns knocked down its walls to almost half their height, but the Germans never took the old fortress.
The Trinity Belopesotsky Monastery near Kashira was prepared for a serious defense, with powerful concrete pillboxes installed in its towers. Machine-gun loopholes and embrasures were punched through the walls of the Golutvin Monastery in Kolomna, but, fortunately, it did not come to a battle for them - the enemy was driven back from Moscow.
After the war, many Russian fortresses were restored. And some were simply raised from ruins, such as the Pskov Krom (Kremlin), which at the beginning of the 20th century was a pile of ruins. Kremlins, restored using the most modern methods, were turned into museum-reserves. Their updated facades have become a decoration of the centers of many Russian cities - a living reminder of hoary antiquity.
In Russia there are now about 50 kremlins and fortresses of the 15th-17th centuries in varying degrees of preservation.
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Belgorod line- Defensive line (Akhtyrka - Tambov) on the southern border of the Russian state in the 17th century. for protection from the Crimean Tatars. Included the fortified cities of Belgorod, Voronezh, Kozlov and other fortified areas. With the advance of Russia's borders to the south, it lost its significance.
Vasiliev- Old Russian fortress city of the 10th-13th centuries. on the river Stugna. Founded by Vladimir I. Since 1157 the center of the appanage principality. Destroyed by the Mongol-Tatars. Since 1796 - now the city of Vasilkov in Ukraine.
Derbent- Founded in 438 on the Caspian metro. Fortress in the 6-15 centuries, citadel of Narin-Kala (6-19 centuries). City in the Russian Federation (Dagestan).
Dorpat- see Yuriev.
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Kazymsky fort- see Yuilsky fort
Kargopol- Known since 1380 as a fortress on the river. Onega. Until the beginning of the 18th century. wooden walls with nine chopped towers covered with tents. In 1612 a wooden fort was erected. At the end of 1612, three attacks by the Polish-Lithuanian army on the fort were repulsed and they refused a further assault. In 1630, work began to replace the old fort with wood and earth fortifications. City in the Russian Federation (Arkhangelsk region).
Kars- In the 10th-11th centuries. center of the Armenian Kars kingdom. From the 16th century Turkish fortress. During the Russian-Turkish wars of the 19th century. Russian troops besieged and occupied Kars in 1828 and 1855, and took it by storm in 1807 and 1877. In 1878-1918 as part of Russia, from 1921 - Turkey. A city in northeastern Turkey.
Karsun- The fortress was built in the 40s of the 17th century on the river. Karsunka (Karsun settlement, Ulyanovsk region) as the main fortress of the Karsun abattoir of the Simbirsk abattoir, the Zasek included, in addition to the Karsun fortress, Malo-Karsun, Sokol, Tal, Argash, and Sur. On the ramparts of Karsun there were walls cut with taras (72x36 fathoms), 6 towers (two of them were travel towers). In 1661 the garrison numbered 1011 people.
Cafe- Founded in the 6th century. BC e. Fortress 14-15 centuries. Renamed in 1783 to Feodosia. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1768-74, the commander-in-chief of the army, Prince, Russian Chief General Dolgorukov-Krymsky, captured the Perekop fortifications (June 14, 1771), defeated the Turkish-Tatar army in the battle of Kafa (June 29), and occupied Crimea.
Kexholm- Known since 1143 as a fortress on the shores of Lake Ladoga. called Korela, in 1611-1710 as part of Sweden, in 1918-40 as part of Finland (called Käkisalmi). Since 1948, the city of Priozersk in the Russian Federation (Leningrad region).
Kerkyra (Corfu)- In the 14th-18th centuries. Venetian fortress on the island of the same name. In 1797 it was captured by France along with the other Ionian islands. During the Mediterranean campaign of F. F. Ushakov 1798-1800 in November 1798, the fortress was besieged by Russian landing troops and surrendered on 19.2 (2.3) 1799. Greek island in the Ionian Islands group.
Kerensk- The fortress was built in 1636 at the confluence of the rivers Vad, Kerensk, Chengar (now the village of Vadinsk, Penza region), and was one of the first on the Simbirsk abatis line. The fortress was located behind the line, had wooden walls on ramparts in the shape of a quadrangle and 8 wooden towers (4 of them were travelable). In the 1660s the garrison consisted of 833 men. The fortress ramparts and features have been partially preserved.
Kizlyar- Known since 1609. In the delta of the river. Terek (?).
Lubny- Founded in 988 on the river. Sula is like a guard fortress. Since 1783 a city in Ukraine (Poltava region).
Mokshan- A fortress built in 1679 on the river. Mokshe, was part of the Penza Zaseka. It had the shape of a square, the walls on the ramparts (100 fathoms per side) had a design rare for fortresses - noticeably, 6 towers (2 of them were roadways). Remains of earthen fortifications have been preserved.
Penza- The fortress was built in 1663 on the river. Penza and Sura(?) as the main fortress of the Penza zaseka, which blocked the interfluve of the Sura and Moksha south of the Atemar-Saransk and Insarskaya zaseki, as a result of which the latter became secondary. The abatis also included the fortresses of Ramzai and Mokshan. The walls of the fortress on ramparts in the shape of a 4-gon were cut with taras (total length 931 m), there were 8 towers (two of them were travel towers). The fortress covered the passage in the aisle from the rear. In 1717 Penza withstood a siege during the Great Kuban Pogrom. City in the Russian Federation.
Przemysl (Przemysl)- Przemysl was founded in the 10th century. on the river San. In the 12th-14th centuries. as part of the Galicia-Volyn principality, in the 14th-18th centuries. - Poland, in 1773-1918 - Austria. During the 1st World War, the Austrian fortress of Przemysl in September 1914 - March 1915 (with an interval) was besieged by Russian troops and capitulated on March 9 (22), 1915.
Pereyaslavl (Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky)- Old Russian city, founded in 1095 by Prince Yaroslav Svyatoslavich. From ser. 13th century capital of the Ryazan principality. In 1778 it was renamed Ryazan.
Pernov- Fortress on the river. Pärnu, at its confluence with the Riga Hall. Known since the 13th century, in the Russian chronicles of Pernava. Taken by Russian troops in 1710(?) Since 1917 - the city of Pärnu in Estonia.
Saransk- Laid out in 1641 on the river. Saranka as a fortress of the Atemar section of the Simbirsk abatis line (now the city of Saransk, Mordovia). The ramparts of the fortress formed a quadrangle with sides of approximately 145, 88, 146, 65 m, the walls were cut with taras, there were 6 towers (two of them were passable). The initial garrison is about 200 people. In the early 50s of the 17th century, in connection with the transfer of voivodeship control of the line from Atemara to Saransk, the fortress was expanded from the front by adding a crown tower with two corner towers and one road tower. After the start of construction in the early 60s of the Penza serf line south of Saransk, the fortress, along with other fortresses in this section of the serf line, became secondary. In 1670, the fortress was taken by storm by the troops of Stepan Razin. In the mid-18th century, the fortress was dismantled and the ramparts were later razed.
Saratov- Founded in 1590 on the Volga as a fortified point on the southeastern borders of Russia. Since 1780 the city has been in the Russian Federation.
Simbirsk serif line- Defensive line built in the mid-17th century, starting in 1638, on the southern border of Russia. Served as a continuation of the Belgorod line. It ran from Tambov through the territory of modern Tambov, Penza regions, the Republic of Mordovia and the Ulyanovsk region to the river. Volga. It included the following abatis: Kerensko-Lomovskaya, Insarskaya, Atemarsko-Saranskaya, Karsunskaya, Simbirskaya.
Ust-Kamennaya- Originated in 1720 on the river. Irtysh as a fortress Ust-Kamennaya. Since 1868 the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk in Kazakhstan.
Ust-Kutsky- Founded in 1631 on the river. Lena is like the Ust-Kutsk prison. Since 1954, the city of Ust-Kut in the Russian Federation (Irkutsk region).
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Kharkiv- Founded in mid. 17th century like a fortress. City in Ukraine.
Kholmogory- Known since the 14th century. like Kolmogory, Kolmogory town (on the Northern Dvina). The first wooden fortifications of the ancient Novgorodians dating back to the XIV-XV. In the fall of 1613, the quadrangular wooden Kholmogovsky Kremlin with 5 towers was erected. On December 8, 1613, it was attacked by detachments of Polish-Lithuanian interventionists. The siege of the Kremlin ended with the retreat of the Poles. In 1621, due to the destruction of the Kremlin by a flood, a new polygonal wooden Kremlin with 11 towers and a wall length of 962 fathoms was built on the other, high bank, which burned down in a fire in 1669. After which a new wooden-earth fortress was built, which at the end of the 17th century was rebuilt with a wall length of 822 fathoms. Nowadays the village is in the Russian Federation (Arkhangelsk region).
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Tsaritsyn- Founded in 1589 on the Volga, from 1615 on the present site. Since 1925 the city of Volgograd (until 1961 Stalingrad) in the Russian Federation.
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Chebarkulskaya- Coepost of 1736 in the “Primias area”.
Chelyabinsk- Founded in 1736 on the river. Miass as a Chelyaba fortress. Since 1743 the city has been in the Russian Federation. “In 1736, 3 fortresses were built in the “Primias area”: Chebarkul, Miass (now the village of Miass) and Chelyabinsk. The latter laid the foundation for the modern city. The founder of the Chelyabinsk fortress, founded on the right bank of the Miass River in the Chelyaba tract, is Colonel A.I. .Tevkelev, assistant to the head of the Orenburg expedition. The area of the fortress was not large, but gradually it was overgrown with suburbs and towns. In 1743, the Chelyabinsk fortress became the center of the Iset province. Thanks to its favorable geographical position (the fortress was located at the intersection of roads going to Ufa, Orenburg, Yekaterinburg and Siberia) it began to emerge as a trading center for a large agricultural region." “During the Peasant War of 1773-1775, the fortress was occupied by detachments of Pugachevites and was held by them for almost three months.” "Academician P.S. Pallas, traveling around the Urals in 1770: Chelyabinsk at that time, although it was the center of the Iset province with fortifications “modeled on the local fortresses,” but most of the houses “were built according to village taste, and the practice of most of the residents was arable farming"
Cherven, Cherven- Old Russian fortified city of the 10th-13th centuries, the center of the Cherven cities (a group of Old Russian fortified cities in the 10th-13th centuries in Volyn: Cherven, Volyn, Suteisk, etc.). Nowadays the settlement in the village. Chermno (Poland).
Cherkessk- see Batalpashinsk.
Chernoyarsk new prison- Founded in 1627, the district town of Cherny Yar, Astrakhan province, since 1925 a village, regional center of the Astrakhan region.
Chuchin- Old Russian fortress city of the 11th-12th centuries. on the right bank of the river. Dnieper. Settlement near the village Balyko-Schuchenka, Kagarlyk district, Kyiv region. (Ukraine). Archaeological excavations 1961-65.
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Shishkeevo- The fortress was built on the river. Shishkeevka in the early 40s of the 17th century (Ruzaevsky district, Mordovia). The fortress was part of the Atemar-Saransky section of the Simbirsk abatis line. On the ramparts (100x80 m) there are guard walls, 6 towers (two of them are passage towers). The initial Cossack garrison was 250 people. In the early 80s of the 17th century, the walls were already heavily destroyed. The remains of the fortress ramparts and abatis have survived to this day.
Shlisselburg- Founded by the Novgorodians as a fortress on Orekhovy Island (Lake Ladoga, at the source of the Neva River) in 1323; before 1611 - Nut. In 1611 it was captured by the Swedes, and until 1702 - Noteburg. During the Northern War of 1700-21, it was taken by storm on October 11, 1702 by Russian troops. Since 1702 it has been called Shlisselburg. In 1944-92 - Petrokrepost. During the Great Patriotic War in 1941-43, the city fortress on the island remained in the hands of Soviet troops. City in the Russian Federation (Leningrad region).
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Erivan- Mentioned since 782 century BC as the Urartian fortress of Erebuni. Since 1440 it has been the administrative, trade and craft center of Eastern Armenia. After the annexation of Eastern Armenia to Russia in 1828, the city was called Erivan, located on the Hrazdan River. Provincial city of Erivan province. In 1936 the form Yerevan was adopted. Capital of Armenia.
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Yamyshevskaya fortress - Founded in 1715, razed after the siege of the Dzungars in the same year, restored again in 1717. It was part of the Irtysh fortified line.
Yandashsky fort - Founded in 1661 on the Angara at the mouth of the Irkut River. Named after the local prince Yandash Dorogi. Since 1686, the provincial city of the Irkutsk province is Irkutsk. Now the center of the Irkutsk region.
Yaroslavets- Founded in con. 14 in on the river Puddle., before 1485 Yaroslavets. City in the Russian Federation (Kaluga region).
Yaroslavl - Founded in 1010 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise on the site of the pagan village of Medvezhiy Ugol at the confluence of the Kotorosl River with the Volga River. It was a chopped wooden fortress. His task was to guard the route from the Volga to Rostov. It was first mentioned in the chronicle in 1071. Since 1218 the capital of the Yaroslavl principality. In 1463 Yaroslavl was annexed to the Moscow Principality. City in the Russian Federation. Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery built in the 16th-19th centuries.
N. P. Lerebur. View of the Moscow Kremlin. 1842
The Moscow Kremlin is the world's largest medieval fortress - this is an indisputable historically proven fact.
The main symbol of Russia, a building of such status, significance, and outstanding that only such world-famous historical architectural objects as the Egyptian pyramids or the Tower of London can compare with it...
The Moscow Kremlin is the oldest part of the Russian capital, the heart of the city, the official residence of the country's leader, one of the world's largest complexes with unique architecture, a treasury of historical relics and a spiritual center.
The importance the Kremlin has acquired in our country is evidenced by the fact that the very concept of “Kremlin” is associated with the Moscow complex. Meanwhile, Kolomna, Syzran, Nizhny Novgorod, Smolensk, Astrakhan and other cities not only in Russia, but also in Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus have their own kremlins.
Why is the Kremlin called the Kremlin?
According to the definition given in Vladimir Dahl’s “explanatory dictionary”, “krem” is a large and strong timber forest, and “kremlevnik” is a coniferous forest growing in a moss swamp. And the “Kremlin” is a city surrounded by a fortress wall, with towers and loopholes. Thus, the name of these structures comes from the type of wood that was used in their construction. Unfortunately, not a single wooden Kremlin has survived on the territory of Russia, except for the guard towers in the Trans-Urals, but the stone structures, which until the 14th century were called detinets and performed a protective function, remain, and the Moscow Kremlin is, of course, the most famous of them.
Location
The main symbol of Russia is located on Borovitsky Hill, on the higher left bank of the Moscow River, in the place where the Neglinnaya River flows into it. If we consider the complex from above, the Kremlin is an irregular triangle with a total area of 27.7 hectares, surrounded by a massive wall with towers.
The first detailed plan of the Moscow Kremlin, 1601 The architectural complex of the Moscow Kremlin includes 4 palaces and 4 cathedrals, the southern wall faces the Moscow River, the eastern wall faces Red Square, and the northwestern wall faces the Alexander Garden. Currently, the Kremlin is an independent administrative unit within Moscow and is included in the UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage List.
Legends of the Moscow Kremlin
Like any ancient, historical building, the Moscow Kremlin has its secrets, legends associated with it and often quite dark secrets.
Most of these legends are connected specifically with the Kremlin dungeons. Since their exact map was lost a long time ago (possibly destroyed by the builders themselves), many underground passages, corridors and tunnels of the Moscow Kremlin have not yet been fully studied.
For example, the search for the famous library of Ivan the Terrible has been resumed several times, but the vast repository of books and documents from that time has still not been found. Scientists argue whether the legendary library actually existed, burned down during one of the fires that repeatedly raged on the territory of the complex, or was hidden so well that modern archaeologists are not able to find it in the huge square of the Moscow Kremlin.
Most likely, until the 18th century, all the towers and walls of the Kremlin were literally “pierced” with numerous secret passages and tunnels.
It was during the search for Liberia (as the library of Ivan the Terrible is usually called) that archaeologist Shcherbatov in 1894 stumbled upon a mysterious underground structure located under the first floor of the Alarm Tower. Trying to examine the found tunnel, the archaeologist came to a dead end, but then discovered the same tunnel leading from the Konstantin-Eleninskaya Tower.
Konstantino-Eleninskaya (Timofeevskaya) tower Archaeologist Shcherbatov also found a secret passage connecting the Nikolskaya Tower with the Corner Arsenal, but in 1920 all information, photographs taken by the scientist and reports on the passages found were classified by the Bolsheviks and became a state secret. It is quite possible that the new authorities decided to use the Kremlin’s secret passages for their own purposes.
According to scientists, since the Moscow Kremlin was built according to all the rules of fortification of the Middle Ages and was primarily a fortress designed to protect citizens from enemy attacks, the Italian architect Fioravanti also built places for lower battles and “rumors” - secret corners from which one can it was secretly to observe (and eavesdrop) on the enemy. Most likely (it is now quite difficult to collect evidence), until the 18th century all the towers and walls of the Kremlin were literally “pierced” with numerous secret passages and tunnels, but then, as unnecessary, most of them were simply walled up and filled up.
By the way, the very name of the Taynitskaya Tower clearly indicates that there was a hiding place under it; there are references to the construction of secret passages in chronicles that recorded the process of constructing towers in the 15th century.
Tainitskaya tower with a gate in the 19th century There were also rumors about the dungeons of the Beklemishevskaya Tower, which, by the way, enjoys the most notorious reputation - it was here that the torture chamber was located, created by order of Ivan the Terrible. In the 19th century, Archpriest Lebedev, who served in the Kremlin for more than 45 years, counted 9 failures that formed on the vaults of various underground structures. It is known about a secret passage leading from Tainitskaya to the Spasskaya Tower, another secret road leads from Troitskaya to the Nikolskaya Tower and further to Kitay-Gorod.
Beklemishevskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin And Ignatius Stelletsky, a famous historian and specialist in “dungeon archeology”, the founder of the digger movement in Moscow, intended to go from the Beklemishevskaya Tower to the Moscow River, and from the Spasskaya Tower through a secret underground passage directly to St. Basil’s Cathedral, and then along the existing one near the temple descent into a large tunnel under Red Square.
The remains of underground passages were found in various parts of the Moscow Kremlin many times, during almost every reconstruction, but most often such dead ends, gaps or vaults were simply walled up or even filled with concrete.
On the eve of his coronation, the ghost of Ivan the Terrible was seen by Emperor Nicholas II himself, which he informed his wife Alexandra Feodorovna .
The Moscow Kremlin, of course, has its own ghosts. Thus, in the Commandant's Tower they saw a disheveled, pale woman with a revolver in her hand, who was allegedly recognized as Fanny Kaplan, who was shot by the then Kremlin commandant.
For several centuries now, the ghost of this Russian tyrant has been seen on the lower tiers of the bell tower of Ivan the Terrible. By the way, the ghost of Ivan the Terrible also has a crowned witness - on the eve of his coronation, Emperor Nicholas II himself saw him, which he told his wife Alexandra Fedorovna.
Emperor Nicholas II on the roof of the Grand Kremlin Palace, 1903 Sometimes the ghost of the Pretender - the False Dmitry executed here - flashes over the battlements of the Moscow Kremlin. The Konstantino-Eleninskaya Tower also enjoys a bad reputation - there was also a torture chamber here in the 17th century and a case was recorded of drops of blood appearing on the stonework, which then disappeared on their own.
Another ghostly inhabitant of the Moscow Kremlin is, of course, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, who was seen both in his office and in his former apartment. Stalin’s famous comrade-in-arms, head of the NKVD Yezhov, also “visited” his former office... But Joseph Vissarionovich himself was never noted for appearing in the Kremlin after March 5, 1953.
It is not surprising that such an ancient structure, replete with burials, secrets and secret rooms, arouses the interest of not only archaeologists, scientists and historians, but also mystics.
Facts about the Kremlin
The Moscow Kremlin today is the largest fortress in the entire territory of Russia, as well as the largest surviving and operating fortress in Europe.
The secret of the absolutely accurate time of the Kremlin chimes now lies underground: the chimes are connected by cable to the control clock of the Sternberg Moscow Astronomical Institute.
Chimes of the Spasskaya Tower The appearance of the teeth on the walls of the Kremlin is quite interesting. Their project, delivered from Spain, was ordered by the designer of the Moscow Kremlin, Pietro Antonio Solari. They are dovetail-shaped in appearance and in Italy they were used on the castles of the Italian Guelphs and Ghibellines.
During the Second World War, or more precisely, in 1941, the Kremlin began to be camouflaged: all the ancient buildings were stylized as ordinary houses, the green roofs were painted over, dark paint was applied to the gilded domes, the crosses were removed, and the stars on the towers were covered up. Windows and doors were painted on the Kremlin walls, and the battlements were covered with plywood, simulating the roofs of houses.
The Kremlin stars can withstand the maximum pressure of hurricane winds, each up to approximately 1200 kg. The weight of each star reaches one ton. During windy days, the stars rotate several times a day, changing their position so that their side faces the wind. This greatly reduces the wind pressure on the star.
50 billion US dollars, or 1.5 trillion Russian rubles - this is the amount the Moscow Kremlin was valued at. The Uphill consulting group was involved in its assessment.