Description of the attraction
On Ivanovskaya square In the Moscow Kremlin, an artillery piece has been installed, which is considered the most significant work of Russian gunsmiths. The Tsar Cannon is not just a masterpiece of the fortress artillery of the modern era, but also one of the largest cannons among all known in the world.
The Tsar Cannon has been serving as a museum relic since the 1830s, when it was installed near the entrance to the Armory. Today, a masterpiece of foundry art made by a master Andrey Chokhov, is an exhibit of the Moscow Museum of Artillery Guns.
History of Russian firearms
The invention of gunpowder was the impetus for the development and improvement of throwing weapons, which until the XIV century were widely used during the siege. Fortress structures were now subjected to shelling from primitive artillery guns, the barrels of which were made of iron, and the shells were iron or stone cannonballs. Imperfect technology for the production of charges became the cause of injuries received by gunners when firing. After the technology for the production of powder in the form of a free-flowing mass was mastered, the effectiveness of the artillery guns increased, and the caliber of the guns increased.
Moscow cannon yard was created at the end of the 15th century and was located on the Neglinka River in the area where today Lubyanskaya Square is located. As a state-owned enterprise, the Moscow Cannon Yard had modern smelting furnaces, hundreds of craftsmen worked there, and in a technical sense, this manufactory was one of the most advanced among such enterprises. The most famous products of the Moscow Cannon Yard are the bronze pishchal by master Jacob in 1483, the guns installed in the Grisholm castle in Sweden and the Moscow sights Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon.
In the 16th century, appeared Russian artillery … The masters of the Moscow Cannon Yard cast heavy weapons called bombards, and by the beginning of the 18th century, there were 9,500 gunners professionally operating with heavy artillery in the Russian army. Collapsible molds began to be used to cast the barrels of guns.
How the Tsar Cannon appeared
In 1584 he sat on the Russian throne Tsar Fedor I Ioannovich, the third son of Ivan the Terrible. Boris Godunov was the royal brother-in-law. Since 1587, his position at court was so significant that he actually ruled the state. It was Godunov who had the idea to cast a huge artillery piece from bronze, which would symbolize the military might of the Russian army and the entire state. The name given to the gun, according to some historians, appeared due to its size. Others believe that the cannon is named after Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich.
In 1586 the master Andrey Chokhov fulfilled the royal decree and made a tool that became the largest and glorified the name of the caster in the centuries. At that time, Chokhov had been working at the Cannon Yard for about 20 years and had extensive experience in casting artillery pieces. After the Tsar Cannon was ready, Andrei Chokhov took a special position among the rest of the foundry workers, and numerous students began to adopt his experience.
The Tsar ordered to install the Tsar Cannon on Red Square near the Execution Ground. The symbol of military power symbolically guarded the Spassky Gate and the Intercession Cathedral and, at the same time, served as a passing reminder of Boris Godunov's role in the Russian state.
Despite the full-fledged combat characteristics that were assigned to the weapon by the master, it never showed itself in a real battle. Only once the Tsar Cannon was ready to fire, but it did not have to - the troops of the Crimean Khan Kazy-Gireya retreated before the help of the main weapon of the Russian army was needed.
Rearrangement of the tool
In the first third of the 18th century, a grandiose construction was launched in the Moscow Kremlin. Appeared by order of Peter I Arsenal located between Nikolskaya and Troitskaya towers. In it, the sovereign intended to arrange a military warehouse and store military trophies. The Tsar Cannon interfered with the implementation of the project and was moved to Arsenal yard … The French, retreating, blew up many buildings of the Kremlin, and the Arsenal suffered significantly. The Tsar Cannon, fortunately, lost only its wooden carriage, and itself remained unharmed.
In 1817, the gun was moved to the gates of the restored Arsenal, and a couple of years later by the architect Henri Montferrand the idea was born to perpetuate the memory of the feat of the Russian army in the Patriotic War of 1812. Montferrand suggested using the Unicorn cannon and the Tsar Cannon as central elements of the memorial composition. However, the project was not approved and the gun carriages received cast-iron carriages only in 1835.
Engineer worked on the carriage of the Tsar Cannon Pavel de Witte and architect Alexander Bryullov … Their project was implemented by employees of the Byrd plant in St. Petersburg. Four cannon balls were also cast there, installed next to the gun carriage. Each of the shells weighs almost two tons.
The Tsar Cannon, along with other Kremlin artillery pieces, moved again in 1843. They were moved to Armory … Its old building was later turned into a barracks, and the cannon guarded the entrance to them until the 60s of the twentieth century. Then the barracks were demolished, in their place they erected Kremlin Palace of Congresses, and the Tsar Cannon set off on the last known journey of her life - to the northern facade of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower.
Specifications and features
Military historians believe that the Tsar Cannon is rather bombard, since its design is more typical for heavy siege weapons:
- A cannon is considered to be an artillery gun with a longer barrel, and according to modern classification, it generally belongs to the class of shotguns. Moreover, it was conceived as a defensive weapon and it was even called at one time "Shotgun Russian".
- The alloy from which the Tsar Cannon was cast consists mainly of copper - 91.9%. The cannon also contains tin, lead, antimony, aluminum, and even traces of silver.
- If the Tsar Cannon had to shoot, it would have to be loaded with stone cannonballs, the weight of which would be from 750 kg to one ton. Powder for each charge would require from 85 to 120 kg.
- The outer diameter of the barrel is 120 cm, the patterned belt adorning the barrel is 134 cm. The cannon has a caliber of 89 cm, and its weight is almost 40 tons.
- The opinion of some historians that the country's main cannon fired at least once is refuted by restorers. They found that the gun had not been completed - the craftsmen had not cleaned the inside of the muzzle from irregularities and sagging and did not drill a dummy hole.
- The barrel of the Tsar Cannon is decorated with reliefs depicting the Tsar. Fyodor I Ioannovich sits on a horse, and above and on the sides of the sovereign are inscriptions about the tsar's command to cast a cannon, the date of completion of the work and the master who completed them.
- The carriage is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting ornaments and a lion's mask.
The Tsar Cannon occupies a worthy place in the Guinness Book of Records as an artillery weapon with the largest caliber.
