sorry - too many pictures - you will have to wait until they are all uploaded :-( It does make sense to start from the most famous (and probably the only world-known) landmark of Moscow – the Kremlin. I think it has become more of the “symbol” then of the place of interest…being somewhat a traditional background for the news reports it seems to have lost the historical meaning nowadays. Apart from being the expression for the Government of Russia (the same way as White House, for example), the Kremlin is in fact, a fortress. Within its walls there are four palaces, four cathedrals and few other buildings, parks and squares. The site has been known as populated from around 11th century, but the name Kremlin came from the 14th, when the first stone structures were built there. For some long time the Kremlin used to be the residency of the Tsars and has been periodically occupied and abandoned, rebuilt and neglected, held by enemies and liberated, and finally has been left alone from around 1710, when Peter The Great made St Petersburgh the capital of Russia. And it was only when the Bolsheviks returned the capital back in Moscow, the Kremlin got his second life chance. Anyway, this is just to make a point that the Kremlin is not just the political figure of speech, but actually a beautiful historical site, not to be missed if visiting Moscow. I’m going just to list the wonders of the Kremlin and show some pictures. There is little point to tell all the stories – plenty of info out there for those who might suddenly got struck with interest. The pictures turned out to be pretty much a “postcard” cliché type, as it is rather difficult to find something unfamiliar in such a well-known sights. Let’s start with the views outside. The very classical one, I’m sure many would recognize - the view of Kremlin from the Moscow-River.
The other no less famous view is of the Spasskaya tower, with its ruby star. It is the main tower with a through-passage on the eastern wall of the Moscow Kremlin, which overlooks the Red Square. The clock on it, known as The Kremlin Clock, was there since some early 1500!
And since we are walking around the Kremlin still, let’s take a look at another classical landmark of Moscow – the Red Square.
If you think that the name Red Square derives from the colour of the bricks around it or from the link between the colour red and communizm, you are wrong. The name, actually, comes from the archaic meaning of the Russian word “red” – “beautiful”. The word was originally applied to the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin which is truly unbelievably beautiful. And eventually the name transferred to the nearby square.
And just to proof myself about the Cathedral – this is it – the fairy tale creation right in the middle of the very politically coloured place: the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin or, its more known name – Cathedral of Saint Basil the Blessed. Legend has it that on completion of the church the Tsar ordered the architect to be blinded to prevent him from ever creating anything to rival its beauty again. Sad, isn't it?
There is one more no less famous building on the Red Square – the Lenin’s Mausoleum - Lenin's Tomb. Let’s just say that there is little interest nowadays to the embalmed body of the ex-communist leader, though I do remember queuing for 4 or 5 hours to get a glimpse of it when I was 5 or something…
Since we are still outside the Kremlin, let’s see one more memorial that touches my heart as the heart of every Russian, I’d say. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is a war memorial, dedicated to the Soviet soldiers killed during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. It is located at the Kremlin Wall. The Eternal Flame of Glory illuminates a bronze inscription saying "Your name is unknown, your deed is immortal”…I think every Russian has these words engraved in his heart from the very childhood…well, at least, my generation – for sure – we still remember granddads and other relatives whose life was affected by The War – it seems that every family had at least someone who participated…the monument is pretty modest but does pull heart’s strings.
I think, we’ve seen pretty much everything more or less interesting that is there around the Kremlin. Let’s look inside the Kremlin for a change. There are few cathedrals there that worth mentioning.
Dormition Cathedral - is the mother church of Muscovite Russia, stands there from around 14th century and used to be the place for tsar’s coronations and installation rituals of Russian Orthodox Patriarchs.
The other one I personally liked more though: Ivan the Great Bell Tower. There is something very divine in the combination of the white and gold.
Noticed a little bell at the bottom of the tower? Well, here is it – The Tsar Bell – the curious structure-to-impress. It weights about 200 tons and sizes 6 meters in diameter. Made from bronze. It is still the biggest bell in the world, though same time the most useless, as you can imagine, it has never rung. (and I just have to make a point that although I can be a troublemaker sometimes, it deffinitely wasn’t me who broke off the 11-tons piece of it!)
The other curious&useless thing displayed in Kremlin is the Tsar-Cannon. Again, built to impress, never fired, but sure amuses by the craftsman’s fine work and its size
I’ll add few more pictures, no comments; they are just some of the cathedrals inside the Kremlin:
Guess, this is more or less all that worth to be shown, at least to my opinion. There are, of course, plenty more of the wonderful views within the fortress of the Kremlin. But I’m not the tour guide and I’m somewhat tired from the typing and guess, you are tired of scrolling, so I’ll share one more view – this time – view from the Kremlin. And it is one of my personal favourites
More to come…