Description of the attraction
Among other structures and buildings of the Moscow Kremlin, the Grand Kremlin Palace stands out especially. Its architectural ensemble includes not only the main building of the palace, but also the Armory, temples, Terem Palace and apartments of the great dukes. The Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow was built in the first half of the 19th century by the architect Konstantin Ton.
History of the Kremlin palaces
The construction of the palace complex of the Moscow Kremlin first began at the end of the 15th century. Then the architect Aleviz Fryazin supervised the construction of several chambers, including the Faceted one, and the Terem Palace. According to his project, the Palace of Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna and mansions for princesses were also rebuilt, the Naberezhny Garden was laid out.
At the beginning of the 18th century. the capital was moved to St. Petersburg, and the original significance of the palace complex in the Moscow Kremlin was lost. Some buildings have housed employees of various government agenciesremaining in Moscow, other buildings were gradually dilapidated and destroyed without supervision and maintenance.
Anna Ioannovna visited Moscow often and her yard stayed in the Kremlin buildings. Who succeeded her on the throne Elizaveta Petrovna took up the reconstruction of the imperial residence. It was decided to build a Winter Palace, where the Empress and her retinue could stay during their Moscow voyages. For the successful implementation of the project, several buildings had to be demolished, including the Embankment and the Middle Golden Chamber. Their basement floors later served as the basis for a new palace. His project was created by a famous court architect Rastrelli.
Catherine II did not appreciate the beauty of the Baroque palace of Rastrelli, numbering almost a thousand rooms, halls and offices, and considered it "not corresponding to the imperial grandeur." Despite the decree issued by her on the preservation of the Kremlin walls and towers, some of the buildings, including the palace of Elizabeth Petrovna, were dismantled. Architect Vasily BazhenoHe came up with a new project for the development of the territory of the Moscow Kremlin, which involved the construction of new structures and combining them with the existing ones into a single ensemble.
Construction of the Grand Kremlin Palace
Summer 1773 g. the foundation stone of the new imperial residence was laid. However, the author of the project is the architect Bazhenov did not take into account all the features of the soil and terrain, and soon after the start of work, there was a danger of the collapse of the Archangel Cathedral. The wall of the temple adjacent to the construction site was covered with cracks, and its foundation began to sink into the ground. The work was stopped. Until 1838, the Kremlin was only renovating and restoring old buildings, rebuilding them after fires in 1812 … and added additional floors to existing residences and palaces.
Yet the new era required fresh ideas, and the renewal of Moscow after the victory over Napoleon was not just a technical necessity. Society needed a modern symbol of the status of imperial power, and Nicholas I decided to build in the Kremlin coronation palace.
On behalf of Konstantin Ton coped perfectly well. In 1837, the workers, under the leadership of the architect, dismantled the old palace of Elizabeth Petrovna together with the Konyushenny yard. The project assumed the compositional unity of the new building with the ancient Kremlin buildings. The complex of the new imperial residence was supposed to include the Amusement Palace with the Faceted Chamber, house churches and the new building of the Armory. In March 1838, a tsarist decree was issued on the immediate start of construction. On June 30, the first stone was laid in the foundation of the palace, and a copper plate with information about the customer, Emperor Nicholas I and the contractor, architect Konstantin Ton, was laid under the base of the corner part.
Special technologies and design
Konstantin Ton took into account the basic requirements of the emperor - compliance with fire safety standards and the use of modern advanced technologies in construction:
- The Grand Kremlin Palace became the first structure in the empire in which the roof had metal constructions in the form of rafters, and the large-span vaults were made of bricks and turned out to be lightweight.
- The use of modern building materials - concrete and cement - allowed the architect to design and implement the grandiose construction idea suspended ceiling in the St. George Hall.
- In the palace dome, equipped with four dormer windows, installed chime chimestransferred to the palace from the Trinity Tower. A flagpole was placed at the top of the dome, and the spire was surrounded by a circular viewing gallery. For fire safety purposes, the dome and the roof were tied with metal lightning rods.
- The palace was heated by the system heatersinstalled in basements. Heat from more than fifty devices was uniformly supplied to all palace premises through thermal channels.
Interiors The Grand Kremlin Palace was decorated on a grand scale. The main materials used by the supervised practical construction Fedor Richter and his team, became valuable wood species, Kolomna marble, Revel stone, fabrics and draperies with gold and silver threads. The furniture was made at famous Moscow factories, where experienced cabinetmakers worked. They also skillfully carved the doors of the front and residential apartments.
The Emperor highly appreciated the efforts of architects and builders and awarded many of them with medals and prizes. The Grand Kremlin Palace was consecrated on April 3, 1849 on the day of Easter in the presence of the imperial family and Metropolitan Filaret … The construction was fully completed in 1851 g., when the Armory and the building of the apartments of the Grand Dukes were handed over.
Before and after the revolution
In the 19th century, the Grand Kremlin Palace continued to be rebuilt and equipped. The works also affected the ancient buildings that were part of the ensemble. So for the premises Terem Palace made new furniture and window frames from solid oak, and its walls and vaults were re-painted.
In the Great Palace itself, the roof was primed and the plaster was repaired every year, and the throne canopies made of ermine fur were kept intact. In 1883, temporary electric lighting was installed in the palace, and the coronation celebrations were held in full illumination. Own power supply system the palace received in 1895. This made it possible to provide an alarm for the premises where especially valuable items were stored, and to install in the palace elevators … At the beginning of the 20th century, the imperial residence in the Kremlin was connected to the city sewerage system, and its water supply and drainage communications were thoroughly reconstructed.
The year 1917 brought global changes. In the premises of the palace, despite the appeal of the People's Commissar of Education Lunacharsky, arranged not only the seat of the government, but also residential apartments for family members of representatives of the new government and their servants. People's Commissar Lunacharsky, as well as scientists, historians, artists unsuccessfully tried to draw attention to the values and rarities kept in the palace. Antique tapestries of the 18th century were soaked in the steam of boiling samovars, and housewives dried and ironed linen on handmade wooden Bavarian tables. In the 30s. the bulk of the residents still received apartments in the city and moved out, although the most stubborn centenarians continued to remain in the Grand Kremlin Palace until 1962.
In 1934 it was decided to rebuild the palace. The new government dismantled the Red Porch of the Faceted Chamber and arranged in its place dining room for delegates to congresses and plenums. Cathedral of the Savior on Bor was dismantled to erect hotel, and the Andreevsky and Alexander halls of the palace were turned into proletarian boardroom … The dismantling of the fundamental wall between the halls led to the formation of numerous cracks in the facade of the palace. To avoid destruction, the builders had to reinforce the structure with a massive balcony, which protruded into the middle of the resulting meeting room. On the site of the emperor's throne, they installed Ilyich's sculpture.
During the Great Patriotic War, the roof of the palace was masked with paint to make the structure not too visible from the air - there was a fear of bombing. And yet, despite all the efforts, the palace was badly damaged … One of the bombs pierced the vaults of the St. George Hall, damaging the parquet floor and ceiling. Another shell exploded at the entrance, and the blast wave shattered glass and broke the front door. During the war, soldiers who served in the Kremlin garrison defused hundreds of incendiary bombs and actually saved the palace from significant destruction.
The Grand Kremlin Palace in our time
In the 90s of the last century, according to the surviving drawings, it was possible to restore the original appearance Andreevsky and Alexander halls … Restorers have recreated royal seat and thrones, returned the ancient bas-reliefs to the palace facade, repaired the marble walls and steps of the main staircase.
Today the palace houses residence of the President of Russia … During the tour, visitors to the palace can see most of the rooms and halls:
- The largest ceremonial hall of the palace is Georgievsky … He was named part of the Order of St. George the Victorious. In this hall, solemn ceremonies for the presentation of awards and prizes are held.
- Alexander Hall named part of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. Particularly noteworthy are doors covered with silver and decorated with gold ornaments, and an elliptical dome containing images of the order's stars and coats of arms. The parquet floor of the Alexander Hall is made of wood of thirty species of trees.
- Vladimirsky hall illuminated in the daytime through a hole in the hip dome. In the evening, a chandelier made at the F. Chopin factory in St. Petersburg is lit in it. The parquet is made of precious woods, and the walls and pilasters are faced with pinkish marble.
- V Andreevsky Hall, according to tradition, only the king could sit, and therefore there was no furniture in it, except for the imperial throne.
- Furniture Cavalry Hall made of plane trees. Thus, the designers paid tribute to the traditions of the Caucasian peoples, whose representatives served in the military guard of honor of the palace.
The first floor of the Grand Kremlin Palace also houses the personal chambers of the emperor and his family, the imperial dining room, study rooms and bedchambers. On the second floor, tourists are especially attracted by the elegantly decorated Green living room, in which the empress received guests of honor.
