Description of the attraction
Moscow's Red Square is the most recognizable landmark in Russia. The architectural ensemble of the square is a World Heritage Site and is under the protection of UNESCO. There is a monument to Minin and Pozharsky, Lobnoye mesto, a necropolis with burials of prominent people of the Soviet period and the Lenin Mausoleum.
Red Square is an exclusively pedestrian zone; traffic on cars, bicycles and mopeds is prohibited on it.
History of Red Square
The history of the square begins at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th century during the reign of Ivan III, when the Kremlin was rebuilt, and the Great Posad with Torg was located on its northeastern side. After a big fire in 1493, a large space between the Torg and the Kremlin walls burned out and was left empty.
At the beginning of the 16th century, a moat was dug and filled with water around the Kremlin, bridges were laid across it, there were river docks nearby, and the main streets of the city - Varvarka, Ilyinka and Nikolskaya - led to the square, which made it an ideal place of trade. Again they began to erect wooden houses and churches, which were often demolished or simply burned out. This is where the first names of the square come from - Hollow Place or simply Fire.
To restrict trade and leave the space open, wooden shopping arcades were built, and later, identical stone cells were erected in their place, connected into arcades. Ilyinka and Varvarka were divided into Upper, Middle and Lower trading rows.
By the decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, since the spring of 1661, the square officially changes its name and bears the name of Red Square, but remains a trading one.
Towers and gates on Red Square
In 1491, during the reign of Ivan III, the architect Peter Antonio Solario erected a tower on the site of the Frolov strelnitsa, which was renamed by the decree of Alexei Mikhailovich on April 16, 1658 into Spasskaya, after the icon that hung over its gate. From 1516, the tower could be accessed through a wooden drawbridge, which was replaced by a stone one in the 17th century. The Spassky Gate became the main entrance to the Kremlin.
During the reconstruction in 1625, a clock with Slavic letters without arrows was installed on the Spasskaya Tower, which were replaced by German ones during the reign of Peter I, and later by English ones. The modern chimes were installed in the years 1851-1852.
Interesting facts about the chimes of the Spasskaya Tower:
- The chimes of the Spasskaya Tower occupy the seventh, eighth and ninth floors. They are powered by three weights of 160-224 kg. The accuracy of the watch is provided by a pendulum weighing 32 kg.
- The clock striking mechanism consists of ten quarter bells and a bell striking a full hour. The weight of the quarter bell is 320 kg, the hour bell is 2160 kg. The bells were cast in the 17th-18th centuries, decorated with ornaments, some of them have inscriptions.
- Until 1937 the watch was wound manually. Then, after a major overhaul, they were started by three electric motors.
- Four dials, located on the sides of the tower, have a diameter of 6, 12 m; height of numbers - 72 cm; hour hand length - 2.97 m; minute - 3, 28 m. The rim, numbers and hands of the hours are gilded. The total weight of the watch movement is approximately 25 tons.
In 1533, the moat around the Kremlin was fenced off with thick battlements made of brick. In the Kremlin wall at that time there were three entrances to the square - Konstantino-Eleninsky, Spassky and Nikolsky gates. In 1535, the two-arched Resurrection Gates were built in the Kitay-Gorod wall, in 1680 they were supplemented with two towers and in this form they exist until their destruction in 1931 by the Bolsheviks.
Churches and monuments
The Intercession Cathedral on the Moat (St. Basil's Cathedral) is a complex of nine churches on one foundation, built in 1555-1561 by order of Ivan the Terrible in honor of the fall of Kazan and the conquest of the Kazan Khanate. In 1588, the relics of the holy fool Basil were placed in one of the chapels and the cathedral was consecrated in the name of Basil the Blessed.
The cathedral was originally red brick with white details. The currently existing in some places motley coloring of the cathedral belongs to the XVII-XVIII centuries. The vaulted outer galleries, encircling the side-altars, and the bell tower were built in the second half of the 17th century.
In Soviet times, the cathedral housed a museum, and services began to be held again in 1991.
Under Ivan the Terrible, the Execution Ground was built, from where the royal decrees were read. It is a round stone platform one meter high and 13 meters in diameter. The Execution Ground was never used as a scaffold, but actions of intimidation were repeatedly carried out on Red Square during the reign of Peter I, such as, for example, the execution of the archers in 1698.
In 1804 the square was paved with stone, in 1813 the moat was filled up and trees were planted in its place. In 1818, the only sculptural monument on the square was erected - to Minin and Pozharsky. And in 1892 the square was illuminated with electric lanterns.
In 1929-1936, the Kazan Cathedral and the Iverskaya Chapel with the Resurrection Gate were completely demolished. interfered with the holding of military parades. The Iberian chapel was previously plundered, precious salaries were stolen and paraphernalia burned. St. Basil's Cathedral still survived.
In the 70s of the twentieth century, the foundation of the square was reconstructed, the ancient paving stones were replaced with Crimean dolomite. In the 1990s, the Kazan Cathedral was completely restored, in 1994 the foundation stone of the Iverskaya Chapel and the Resurrection Gate was consecrated, and in 1995 they were opened.
Shopping arcade
From 1702 to 1737, the first public theater in Russia was located near the Nikolsky Gate, which was later destroyed by fire. The Provincial Board was erected near the old mint. At the end of the 18th century, the shopping arcade was rebuilt.
The GUM building was built in the 10s of the XIX century, after the famous Moscow fire, by the architect O. Bove. Half a century later, it was rebuilt. This is a building with three aisles (passages), where numerous shops and boutiques are located on three floors. The glass roof and fountain add to the decoration.
Interesting facts about GUM:
- In the 19th century, it was the most high-tech building in Moscow. It had ventilation and heating systems, its own snow melter and a tiny railroad for transporting goods.
- GUM became the first shopping center in Russia, where they began to hang price tags on goods, which no longer allowed sellers or buyers to bargain.
- There is a toilet museum in GUM. It was in the store even before the revolution, but the Bolsheviks broke it, considering it a bourgeois relic. In 2012, the toilet was restored according to the preserved drawings. This is not only a museum, but also a modern restroom, where you can not only use the toilet, but even take a shower and shave.
Museums on Red Square
On the site of the Zemsky Prikaz in 1874-1883, the Imperial Historical Museum was built according to the project of the artist V. Sherwood and the engineer A. Semenov. This dark red brick building is richly decorated with turrets and cornices, and the interior is decorated with frescoes and bas-reliefs.
Until 1917, the collection of the Historical Museum was replenished mainly with exhibits from private collections. Currently, exhibits come here from archaeological expeditions, from private donors and through official purchases.
Lenin's mausoleum is also a museum. At first it was a wooden building, in 1930 a stone mausoleum was built. Here, since 1924, the body of Vladimir Lenin has been kept in a transparent sarcophagus. The mausoleum was built by the architect. A. V. Shchuseva. Repeated attempts were made to destroy the sarcophagus: a hammer, stones, a sledgehammer were thrown into it, they tried to smash it with their feet, and even planted explosives. Cases of throwing rolls of toilet paper, brochures, as well as spills of ink and sprinkling with holy water were recorded.
Red Square and the Kremlin are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. At present, concerts, folk festivals and parades are organized on Red Square. In winter, a skating rink is flooded here.
On a note:
- Nearest metro stations: Okhotny Ryad, Teatralnaya, Ploschad Revolyutsii, Borovitskaya, Arbatskaya, Lenin Library, Aleksandrovsky Sad
- No tickets required, admission is free. The entrance to the Mausoleum is also free.
