Moscow Kremlin Wall
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The Moscow Kremlin Wall is a defensive wall that surrounds the
History
One of the most symbolic constructions in
Nevertheless, the young knyaz
Dmitry Donskoy's walls stood for over a century, and it was during this period that
In the following centuries Moscow expanded rapidly outside the Kremlin walls and as Russia's borders became more and more secure their defensive duty has all but passed. The cannons which were installed in the walls were removed after the turn of the 17th century, as was the second, smaller wall which repeated the perimeter on the outside.[citation needed] During the reign of Czar Alexei Romanov, the towers were built up with decorative spires and the walls were restored. However their historical mightiness was dampened as the material became brick not stone.[citation needed] Successive restorations of varying scale took place during the reigns of Empress Elizabeth and Alexander the First as well as the later Soviet and Russian times, preserving their original character and style.[citation needed]
Specifications
With an outer perimeter of 2,235 metres (7,333 ft),[8] the Kremlin appears as a loose triangle, deviating from the geometric ideal on the southern side where instead of a straight line, it repeats the contours on the original hill on which the Kremlin rests. Because of this the vertical profile is by no means uniform, and the height at some places ranges from no more than 5 metres (16 ft) quadrupling to 19 metres (62 ft) elsewhere.[citation needed] The thickness of the walls also varies from 3.5 to 6.5 metres (11 to 21 ft).[8]
The top of the walls, along their entire length, have outwardly-invisible battle platforms which also range from 2 to 4.5 metres (6 ft 7 in to 14 ft 9 in) in width (in proportion to the thickness).[9] A total of 1,045 double-horned notched "teeth" crown the top of the walls, with a height ranging from 2 to 2.5 metres (6 ft 7 in to 8 ft 2 in) and thickness from 65 to 75 centimetres (26 to 30 in).[10]
Some of the interior corridors inside the walls have rooms with no exterior illumination (kamoras) where particularly dangerous criminals were contained.[citation needed]
To date twenty towers survived, highlighting the walls. Built at a different time, the oldest one, Tainitskaya dates to 1485 whilst the newest one-Tsarskaya to 1680.[11] Three of the towers, located in the corners of the castle have unique circular profiles. From the ground level it is only possible to enter six of the towers, the rest only from the walls.[citation needed]
Four gate towers exist, all crowned with ruby stars, they are Spasskaya, Borovitskaya, Troitskaya and Nikolskaya. Although up to the 1930 it was also possible to enter the Kremlin via the gates of Tainitskaya tower, however these were covered up yet leaving their portal clearly visible.[12]
The main gates in the Spasskaya tower are normally (with the exception of official and religious ceremonies) closed to the public. The gates under the Nikolskaya tower are often used for service duties only. Visitors to the Kremlin normally enter the premises via the gates under the Troitksaya tower, except for those who wish to visit the Armoury chamber and the Treasury fond, which are accessible via the gates of the Borovitskaya tower.[citation needed]
Before 1917 it was also possible to book an excursion, lasting over two hours, to walk along the perimeter of the Kremlin walls, beginning at the Borovitskaya tower.[citation needed]
The southern part of the wall faces the
Restoration
Various sections of the Moscow Kremlin Wall are periodically restored and the condition of the battlements is constantly monitored. In 2015, the largest restoration in recent memory began. Brickwork and white stone decorations were repaired along the 500-metre stretch. Some of the bricks were replaced with new ones made of the same materials using the old technology. Waterproofing works were carried out.[14] For the first time in 150 years, the Troitskaya Tower was restored. In 2016, restoration work was carried out on a 500-metre-long section of the wall.[15]
As part of the restoration, the Borovitskaya Tower was renovated and preparations were made to preserve three unique relief white-stone emblems on its outer corners. One of them is the oldest known emblem of the Moscow state in the era of Ivan III, established during the construction of the tower in 1490.[16] It is planned to restore the removed drawing and transfer it to the Moscow Kremlin Museum for safekeeping, and a copy is to be made for the Borovitskaya Tower.
Kremlin walls are studied by non-destructive methods, for example, using geophysical radars and pits. During the pits, wooden piles used by ancient builders to compact soils were found. It was also during this period that the bases of the walls were examined for the first time. It was found out that the foundation was 7-11 metres deep and there were also found pieces of granite, presumably from Valday.[17]
See also
References
- ISBN 9781455613281.)
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ Collier's. Crowell-Collier Publishing Company. 2017-05-08. p. 20.
- ISBN 9781136639449.
- ISBN 9785878862790.
- ISBN 0300116780.
- ISBN 9788847619494.
- ISBN 9785852503091.
- ^ ISBN 9781317973256.
- ISBN 9780714717371.
- ^ Ivanov, Vladimir Nikolaevich (1981-01-01). The Moscow Kremlin: Photoguide. Planeta. p. 22.
- ISBN 9788847619494.
- ISBN 9780569090285.
- ISBN 9780743428538.
- ^ "Кирпичи в кремлевской стене заменят на новые". www.mk.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-10-19.
- ^ "Более 500 метров стены Московского Кремля отреставрируют в 2016 году". РИА Новости (in Russian). 2015. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
- ^ "В Троицкой башне Кремля отремонтировали звезду и засекретили подвалы". www.mk.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-10-19.
- ^ ГАМОВ, Александр (2016-10-18). "Тайны кремлевских стен. 2-я часть". perm.kp.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-10-19.