History and secrets of the Kremlin towers. Commandant tower of the Moscow Kremlin Old name of the commandant tower

Commandant (Deaf, Kolymazhnaya) tower of the Moscow Kremlin

1493-1495. Moscow, Russia

The Commandant's (Deaf, Kolymazhnaya) tower of the Moscow Kremlin was built in 1493-1495 under the Grand Duke, Emperor Ivan III. It stands south of the Trinity Tower on the northwestern side of the Kremlin wall, stretching along the present Alexander Garden. The tower was erected by Russian craftsmen under the leadership of Aleviz Fryazin.

In the 17th century this tower was called Deaf, and sometimes Kolymazhnaya, after the Kolymazhny yard located next to it, where the royal carriages were kept and the stables were located. The building received its modern name at the beginning of the 19th century. after being transferred to the Amusement Palace of the Administration and the apartment of the Kremlin commandant, located next to her.

In 1676-1686, the tower, like all the others, was built with a hipped top for decoration. Initially, all the Kremlin towers were without these superstructures and ended with a belt of overhanging archers, which gave the Kremlin fortifications a gloomy and menacing appearance. But inside the Kremlin, high towers and gilded domes of cathedrals created a picturesque picture in combination with Italian fortifications.

Later and gradually, due to the Russian weather conditions, wooden canopies appeared over the walls, and wooden tents above the towers. Erected in late XVII centuries, brick hipped roofs represent national forms of architecture, very close to ancient wooden traditions. For these buildings, under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, masons and brickmakers were forcibly collected throughout Rus', who scattered in all directions so as not to go to Moscow. The king even had to issue a special decree that “if any of them are buried, then their wives and children should be thrown into prison until their husbands show up.”

In its architectural design, the Commandant's Tower is similar to the nearby Armory. This is a massive quadrangular tower with machicolations and parapet. Above it stands an open tetrahedron, completed by a pyramidal roof, an “observation” tower and an octagonal tent.

Now persistent rumors are circulating around Moscow that a pale, disheveled woman with a pistol wanders around the Commandant’s Tower at night. This is the famous Fani Efimovna Kaplan, who was accused by the Bolsheviks of the assassination attempt on Lenin and who was shot in the Kremlin by its then commandant Malkov.

Bibliography

To prepare this work, materials were used from the site http://artclassic.edu.ru/

The Commandant's Tower of the Moscow Kremlin has a wall thickness of 1.7-3.3 m, rising 41.25 m from the side of the Alexander Garden. The length of the outer perimeter at the base is 30.5 m. It is located between the Trinity and Armory towers. Erected during the reign of Ivan III, in 1493-1495.

Names of the Commandant's Office

Throughout the history of the existence of the Commandant's Office, it had three names. In the 17th century it was called Deaf due to the lack of passage gates. It was also called Kolymazhnaya, since the Kolymazhny yard was located nearby - a kind of garage for the royal carriages and stables.

The current name, Commandant’s, was given in the 19th century, almost 4 centuries after its construction. They called it that when the commandant of Moscow moved into the Amusement Palace, standing next to it.

Architect

The architect was, of course, the Italian architect from Milan - Aleviz Fryazin (Aloisio da Carcano). It was he who was invited to continue the construction of the Moscow Kremlin after the death of his compatriot Pyotr Fryazin (Pietro Antonio Solari).

Like its “sister”, Komendantskaya has a quadrangle at the base and a stone hipped top (it was erected in 1676-1686). It consists of 3 cylindrical tiers.

Near Komendantskaya

You can approach it through the Alexander Garden. Having walked along it a little more, we will see in front of us the majestic Trinity Tower - the highest passage tower of the Moscow Kremlin, considered second in importance after

At first it was called Kolymazhnaya because of its proximity to the Kolymazhny yard, where the royal carts and carriages were kept. The tower was also called the Second Konyushennaya (Konyushennaya was the name of its neighbor -). And in the 19th century, a commandant settled nearby, in the Amusement Palace, and the tower received a new name - the Commandant's.

Many people remember the footage from the film “Lenin in October”, where on August 30 the evil terrorist Fanny Kaplan shoots and wounds Lenin. But historians say she is innocent.

First, the testimony of the witnesses differs in significant details. Secondly, they write about three shots from the Browning, and 4 cartridges were found at the scene. Thirdly, during the shots, Fanny Kaplan stood 20 steps from Lenin, but the investigation proved that they were shot at point-blank range. Fourthly, at the time of arrest, Kaplan’s hands were occupied with an umbrella and a reticule. In addition, she had too little vision to be a sniper. She was even called “blind Feiga.” And, having regained consciousness, Lenin immediately asked: “Has he been caught?”

But there was no trial of Fanny Kaplan. Under pressure, she admitted her guilt. “Blind Feiga” was sentenced to death, and on September 3, 1918, 4 days after the assassination attempt on Lenin, Kremlin commandant Pavel Malkov carried out the sentence by shooting Fanny in the back of the head.

According to legend, Kaplan’s body was burned and her ashes were buried in the Tainitsky Garden. Later there were rumors that Lenin pardoned Fanny, and she lived to a ripe old age. There were even witnesses who saw her in the 1930s and even in the 1940s.

There are 20 towers and they are all different, no two are alike. Each tower has its own name and its own history. Only two towers did not get names, they are called that First Nameless And Second Nameless. Behind them comes the Petrovskaya Tower, but the rightmost tower has two names at once. Nowadays it is called Moskvoretskaya and once upon a time they called Beklemishevskaya by the name of the person next to whose yard it was laid. Somehow it turned out that enemies most often attacked from the side of the Moscow River, and the Moskvoretskaya Tower had to be the first to defend itself. That is why it is so formidable and with so many loopholes. Its height is 46.2 m.

The first tower that was founded during the construction of the Kremlin was Tainitskaya. Taynitskaya Tower so named because from it to the river there was a secret underground passage. It was intended to be able to take water in case the fortress was besieged by enemies. The height of the Tainitskaya tower is 38.4 m.

Vodovzvodnaya Tower– so named because of a car that was once here. She lifted water from a well located below to the very top of the tower into a large tank. From there, water flowed through lead pipes to royal palace in the Kremlin. This is how in the old days the Kremlin had its own water supply system. He worked for a long time, but then the car was dismantled and taken to another city - St. Petersburg. There it was used to construct fountains. The height of the Vodovzvodnaya tower with a star is 61.45 m.

At the Vodovzvodnaya Tower the Kremlin wall turns away from the river. Here on the corner there is another tower - Borovitskaya. This tower stands near Borovitsky Hill, on which a pine forest grew a long time ago. This is where its name comes from. The height of the tower with the star is 54.05 m.

Next after Borovitskaya is Weapon Tower. Once upon a time there were ancient weapons workshops located next to it. They also made precious dishes and jewelry. The ancient workshops gave the name not only to the tower, but also to the wonderful museum located nearby behind the Kremlin wall -. Many Kremlin treasures and simply very ancient things are collected here. For example, helmets and chain mail of ancient Russian warriors. The height of the Armory Tower is 32.65 m.

Kutafya and Trinity towers of the Moscow Kremlin

If we walk a little further along the Kremlin walls, we will see the Trinity Bridge. It was thrown across the Neglinnaya River many centuries ago, even before it was hidden underground. Trinity Bridge leads to the gates of one of the tallest Kremlin towers - Trinity. The bridge connects the Trinity Tower with another low and wide tower. This . In the old days, this was the name given to a clumsily dressed woman. The tower was decorated already in the seventeenth century. Before this, Kutafya was very harsh, with drawbridges at the side gates and hinged loopholes. She guarded the entrance to the Trinity Bridge. Previously, there were more such bridgehead towers. But only one has survived to this day. The height of the Trinity Tower with a star is 80 m. This is the tallest tower of the Moscow Kremlin. The Kutafya Tower is only 13.5 m high. It is the lowest tower in the Kremlin.

We go further along the Kremlin wall. She turns again. There is another tower here. From a distance it seems round, but if you get closer, it turns out to be not at all, because it has 16 sides. This corner Arsenal Tower. Once upon a time she was called Sobakina, after the name of a person who lived nearby. But in the 18th century, a tower was built next to it, and the tower was renamed. There is a well in the dungeon of the corner Arsenal Tower. It is more than 500 years old. It is filled from an ancient source and therefore it always has clean and fresh water. Previously, there was an underground passage from the Arsenal Tower to the Neglinnaya River. Tower height 60.2 m.

Middle Arsenal Tower. It was built in 1493-1495. After the construction of the Arsenal building, the tower got its name. A grotto was erected near the tower in 1812 - one of the attractions of the Alexander Garden. The height of the tower is 38.9 m.

Alarm tower. Once upon a time there were guards on duty here all the time. From above, they vigilantly watched to see if the enemy army was approaching the city. And if danger was approaching, the watchmen had to warn everyone and ring the alarm bell. Because of him, the tower was called Nabatnaya. But now there is no bell in the tower. One day at the end of the 18th century, at the sound of the Alarm Bell, a riot began in Moscow. And when order was restored in the city, the bell was punished for divulging bad news - they were deprived of their tongue. In those days it was a common practice, just remember the story. Since then, the Alarm Bell fell silent and remained idle for a long time until it was removed to the museum. The height of the Alarm Tower is 38 m.

To the right of the Alarm Tower is Tsar's Tower. It is not at all like other Kremlin towers. There are 4 columns right on the wall, and on them there is a peaked roof. There are neither powerful walls nor narrow loopholes. But she doesn’t need them. Because the tower was not built for defense at all. According to legend, Tsar Ivan the Terrible loved to look at his city from this place. Later, the smallest tower of the Kremlin was built here and called it Tsarskaya. Its height is 16.7 m.

Konstantino - Eleninskaya Tower (Timofeevskaya). It was built in 1490 and was used for the passage of the population and troops to the Kremlin. Previously, when the Kremlin was made of white stone, there was another tower in this place. It was through her that Dmitry Donskoy and his army went to the Kulikovo field. New tower was built for the reason that there were no natural barriers on its side, not from the Kremlin. It was equipped with a drawbridge, a powerful diversion gate and passage gates, which later, in the 18th and early 19th centuries. were dismantled. The tower got its name from the Church of Constantine and Helena, which stood in the Kremlin. The height of the tower is 36.8 m.

Senate Tower At first it did not have a name, and received it only after the construction of the Senate building. After which they began to call her Senate. The tower was built in 1491, its height is 34.3 m.

Nikolskaya Tower. It was built in 1491. architect Pietro Antonio Solari to strengthen the north-eastern part of the Kremlin, not protected by natural barriers. There was a gate in it, it had a diversion arch with a drawbridge. Branch archer or a barbican was a tower outside the fortress walls that guarded the approaches to a gate or bridge. For example, the Kutafya Tower is a barbican. The name of the Nikolskaya Tower comes from the name of the icon of St. Nicholas, installed above the gates of her barbican. At this icon they decided controversial issues. In ancient times, a clock was also installed on the tower. Now they are not there, but the top of the tower is crowned with a red star. The height of the tower with the star is 70.4 m.

Petrovskaya Tower together with two unnamed ones, it was built to strengthen the southern wall, as it was most often attacked. Like the two nameless ones, the Petrovskaya Tower at first had no name. She received her name from the Church of Metropolitan Peter at the Ugreshsky Metochion in the Kremlin. In 1771 during construction Kremlin Palace the tower, the church of Metropolitan Peter and the Ugreshskoe metochion were dismantled. In 1783 the tower was rebuilt, but in 1812. The French destroyed it again during the occupation of Moscow. In 1818 The Petrovskaya Tower was restored again. Kremlin gardeners used it for their needs. The height of the tower is 27.15m.

Commandant's Tower (Kolymazhnaya). It was built in 1495. It received its first name - Kolymazhna - from the Kolymazhny yard of the Kremlin. In the 19th century, when the commandant of Moscow began to live in the Kremlin, not far from it, it began to be called Komendantskaya. Tower height 41.25m.

Annunciation Tower. According to legend, the miraculous icon of the Annunciation was previously kept in this tower, as well as in 1731. The Church of the Annunciation was added to this tower. Most likely, the name of the tower is associated with one of these facts. In the 17th century for the passage of laundresses to the Moscow River, a gate was made near the tower, called Portomoyny. In 1831 they were pawned, and in Soviet time The Church of the Annunciation was also dismantled. The height of the Annunciation Tower with a weather vane is 32.45 m.

Spasskaya Tower (Frolovskaya) was erected on the site where the main gates of the Kremlin were located in ancient times. It, like Nikolskaya, was built to protect the northeastern part of the Kremlin, which had no natural water barriers. The passage gates of the Spasskaya Tower, at that time still Frolovskaya, were considered “holy” by the people. No one rode through them on horseback or walked through them with their heads covered. The regiments setting out on a campaign passed through these gates; kings and ambassadors were met here. In the 17th century the coat of arms of Russia - a double-headed eagle - was installed on the tower; a little later, coats of arms were also installed on others tall towers Kremlin - Nikolskaya, Troitskaya and Borovitskaya. In 1658 Kremlin towers renamed. Frolovskaya turned into Spasskaya. It was named so in honor of the icon of the Savior of Smolensk, located above the passage gate of the tower from the side of Red Square, and in honor of the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, located above the gate from the Kremlin.

In 1851-52 A clock was installed on the Spasskaya Tower, which we still see today. Kremlin chimes. They are called chimes big clock, which have a musical mechanism. The bells play music at the Kremlin chimes. There are eleven of them. One large one, it marks the hours, and ten smaller ones, their melodious chime is heard every 15 minutes. The chimes contain a special device. It sets the hammer in motion, it hits the surface of the bells and the Kremlin chimes sound. The Kremlin chimes mechanism occupies three floors. Previously, chimes were wound manually, but now they do it using electricity. The Spasskaya Tower occupies 10 floors. Its height with the star is 71 m.