The ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square is a masterpiece of human creative genius and the main symbol of the country. Architectural monuments of the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square are the finest examples of national architectural school. Moscow Kremlin was the residence of Great Princes and later the Tzar's residence. Currently it is the seat of the President of the Russian Federation.
The Moscow Kremlin is located high on the left bank of the Moscow River on the Borovitsky hill. According to the XVth century chronicle, the first wooden fortress was erected here in 1156. In the second half of the XIVth century a young Moscow Prince Dmitry, later to be nicknamed Donskoi, decided to build a new stone fortress. It took only one year to erect walls and towers of white stone. The territory of the fortress had been expanded northeastward, almost up to the present day size. Since then Moscow was to be called "the white-stone city". The present-day red-brick walls and towers of the Kremlin were built in the late XVth century. Prince Ivan III who was nicknamed the Great invited the architects from the North Italy to perform the renovation work. The construction project got started in 1485. The first tower Tainitskaia was erected under the supervision of an Italian architect Anton Friasin. By 1495 the new walls and towers had been completed. More than 100 Italian craftsmen and architects had been working in the Moscow Kremlin. In the XVIIth century the beautiful stone marquees on top of the Kremlin's towers were built, they changed considerably the outlook of the medieval citadel.
Construction of the Grand Prince Palace was started by Marco Fryazin and Pietro Antonio Solari in 1487. The Faceted Chamber is the only part of the palace that survived to our days. The Patriarch's Palace with the Cathedral Church of the Twelve Apostles is the most interesting example of the civil architecture of the mid-XVIIth century in the Kremlin. Built by order of Patriarch Nikon, the palace was rebuilt many times.
Ivan the Great Bell-Tower was opened to the public in 2005. Unique white stone spiral staircases, initial cornices and white stone rosettes remained in the interior of the Bell-Tower. Today there is the exposition, dedicated to the centuries-old history of the development of the Moscow Kremlin architectural complex, in the Bell-Tower. Here the guests can see the original architectural fragments of ancient buildings that were destroyed, the ancient Kremlin schemes and images.
The Archangel's Cathedral, Russia's first state necropolis is one of the most original monuments of the Cathedral Square. The white stone Renaissance portals are certainly the most interesting architectural details of the Archangel's Cathedral. he Italian architect known in Russia under the name of Alevis Noviy, was specially invited to Moscow from Venice to supervise the construction project. From the outside the Archangel's cathedral looks very much like a Venetian palazzo.
Assumption Cathedral, erected by Aristotele Fioravanti, is a unique monument of the ancient Russian architecture. During the last years the facades and the roof of the cathedral were restored. At the same time, restoration was conducted on the north and south portals, with the replacement of the destroyed white stone blocks in the socle. During the restoration of the portals, new door frames executed in compliance with the existing samples, were built and installed. Old metal doors were also restored.
In 1990 the architectural complex of the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square were included to the World Heritage List of UNESCO. One of the most important aspects of the Kremlin museum's activity is the preservation of the unique architectural monuments of the Moscow Kremlin. All the restoration works are preceded by pre-project study, including archival, architectural and field studies.
A tour to the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square give a possibility to see a unique artistic ensemble, a masterpiece of creative genius of many generations of outstanding artists. Now the world-famous museum, which is visited annually by more than two million guests from all over the world, is situated here.