Moscow Kremlin

The Moscow Kremlin stands on Borovitsky Hill above the Moskva River in central Moscow, beside Red Square. Slavs had settled the hill by the 11th century, Yuri Dolgorukiy fortified it in 1156, and the site became the seat of the grand princes of Moscow and later the tsars.

The present red brick walls and towers were built between 1485 and 1495 under Ivan III with the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari among the designers. The walls run for about 2.2 kilometres around a triangular site and include 20 towers, the tallest being the Troitskaya Tower and the best known the Spasskaya Tower with its clock above Red Square. After Peter the Great moved the capital to St Petersburg in the early 18th century, the Kremlin lost its political role, then regained it in 1918 when the Soviet government moved back to Moscow. Today it is the official residence of the President of Russia. The Kremlin and Red Square were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.

Cathedral Square, at the heart of the complex, is surrounded by the Assumption Cathedral, where tsars were crowned, the Archangel Cathedral with tombs of the grand princes and tsars, the Annunciation Cathedral and the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. Nearby stand the Tsar Bell, a huge bronze bell that cracked before it ever rang, and the Tsar Cannon. The Armoury Chamber displays royal regalia, carriages, Fabergé eggs and arms, and the Diamond Fund shows crown jewels and large gemstones.

Visitor access is by ticket to the architectural ensemble of Cathedral Square, with separate tickets for the Armoury and the Diamond Fund. Opening days are set by the Moscow Kremlin Museums, and access can close at short notice for state events.

Walls, towers and the 27.7 hectare grounds

The Kremlin covers about 27.7 hectares. Its brick wall runs for about 2,235 metres, stands 5 to 19 metres high depending on the ground, and is 3.5 to 6.5 metres thick. There were 18 towers at first and two more were added in the 17th century. The Troitskaya Tower rises to 80 metres.

The largest building inside is the Grand Kremlin Palace, built between 1839 and 1849 at a cost of 11 million roubles, and renovated in the 1990s at a reported cost of more than a billion dollars. The Terem Palace goes back to a commission by Ivan III, though most of what stands today dates from the 17th century. The Senate building by Matvey Kazakov is the President's main workplace, and Lenin chose it as his residence after 1918.

The Ivan the Great Bell Tower, completed in 1600, is 81 metres high, holds 21 bells, and remained the tallest structure in Moscow until the Russian Revolution. The Tsar Bell beside it is described as the largest bell in the world. The red stars on the towers replaced the double-headed eagles in the Stalin era.