The Moscow Kremlin Museum-Reserve was founded in 1991 on the basis of existing Kremlin state museums. The need to unite disparate cultural formations arose long ago, but the scale of the new project did not allow the usual integration scheme to be applied - preparations for the rapprochement of the subjects of architecture took several years. As a result, a new unique museum was created in the Kremlin. Moscow, the capital-metropolis of the world scale, has found another grandiose exhibition complex.
Residence
After a number of scientific studies, the largest architectural ensemble of Russia received the status of a museum-reserve. In 2001, Elena Yuryevna Gagarina, daughter of the legendary cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, became the general director of the united museums. The Moscow Kremlin Museum-Reserve has historically always been the residence of Russian tsars, and later presidents. It currently houses the headquarters and apartment of Russian President VladimirVladimirovich Putin.
History of the Kremlin
The towers and walls of the Moscow Kremlin were built at the end of the 15th century, during the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. At the same time, a number of architectural structures were erected, located inside the perimeter of the Kremlin. Today the unique museum-reserve "Kremlin" includes three cathedrals: Assumption, Annunciation and Arkhangelsk. All of them have significant historical value. The ensemble also includes other Kremlin museums: the Armory, the Church of the Deposition of the Robe, the bell tower of Ivan the Great, the Church of the Twelve Apostles. In the lower tier of the Cathedral of the Annunciation there is an exposition that reveals in detail the theme of the archeology of the Kremlin. Almost all genres of art are widely represented in museums, reflecting the traditions of the royal court and the higher clergy to one degree or another. Each building is a unique building of architecture, reflecting the era of past times. The interiors of the masterpieces of ancient architecture amaze with their splendor, conveying to visitors the charm of the style of the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as the middle of the 19th century.
Popularity
The Moscow Kremlin, whose museums are not only the place where the rarest exhibits are located, but are themselves cultural monuments, is under the patronage of the highest security institution of UNESCO. Attendance at the main museum complex in Moscow beats all records, during the year more than two million tourists from all over the world pass through the Borovitsky Gates and the Spasskaya Tower on Red Square. People's interest in ancient Russian culture is notweakens, well-trained guides are at the service of visitors, who willingly tell about the history of the Moscow Kremlin, as well as about the life of the royal family and its entourage.
Royal carriages
The main treasury of the Kremlin expositions is considered to be the Armory, from which all excursions begin at the entrance to the Kremlin from the side of the Borovitskaya Tower. The Moscow Kremlin, whose museums are distinguished by a variety of exhibits, has a unique collection of carriages on which members of the royal family, representatives of the highest nobility close to the emperor, advisers and nobles went out into the world. The exposition is presented in a wide range, from a simple carriage to a multi-seat carriage. The personal convertible of Empress Catherine is next to the long-distance phaeton, and the treasurer's carriage is next to the double carriages for evening walks.
A separate room is reserved for clothes that were in fashion at that time, a special place is occupied by royal headdresses, studded with precious stones, trimmed with sable fur. The main exhibit is Monomakh's cap with a rich trim, trimmed with emeralds and rubies. The next room houses the Faberge Easter Eggs collection. The court goldsmith Carl Faberge, together with his assistants, created a whole series of masterpieces of jewelry art, which made up an extensive exposition. The main exhibit in the Faberge collection is the Moscow Kremlin Easter egg. This is a stylized image of the two most famous Kremlin towers - Spasskaya and Vodovzvodnaya.
The towers are cast from a bronze alloy, gold and silver. Between them is located directly "Easter egg", inside which the jeweler placed the interior of the Assumption Cathedral. You can see the miniature icons on the tabla iconostasis by looking through the lancet windows. This masterpiece of jewelry art is also famous for the fact that it never left Russia, although foreign exhibition companies would consider it an honor to include it in their expositions at least for a while. A unique product of the famous jeweler rests on a heavy base made of a single piece of onyx.
Bombard
Under the open sky stands one of the most famous exhibits of the Moscow Kremlin, the Tsar Cannon, a unique artillery piece cast in bronze by Andrey Chokhov in 1586. The gun belongs to the "bombard" category, and according to the new classification it is a mortar. Each core weighs about 2 tons, the diameter of the cannon muzzle is 890 mm, the Tsar Cannon weighs 42 tons. The mortar can only be fired theoretically, since it takes incredible effort to load it.
Masterpiece iron casting
Another grand exhibit is the Tsar Bell. In 1730, by order of Empress Anna Ioannovna, work began on casting the largest bell in the history of foundry. Matorina's father and son contracted to do the work. During the preparatory work, the elder Matorin died, and his son had to do all the work. In 1735, everything was ready for the pouring process, bronze was boiling in six melting furnaces, the molding pit was ready to receive the molten metal. Readythe bell weighed 200 tons, its height was 6.3 meters. However, the bell was damaged during the fire, because of the temperature difference, the metal cracked, and a huge piece broke off from the mass. Thus, the grandiose construction ceased to exist as a church bell for the belfry and became a museum exhibit. The Moscow Kremlin, whose museums are regularly replenished with new rarities, has become a haven for the unique Tsar Bell.
Assumption Cathedral
One of the first white-stone churches in Moscow, the Assumption Cathedral, was built at the end of the 15th century by the architect Aristotle Fioravanti. Seven years after the construction, the famous icon painter Dionysius laid the foundation for painting the walls of the temple. Work continued until 1515. In the middle of the 17th century, the Assumption Cathedral was repainted, but the old frescoes have been partially preserved and are by far the oldest icon-painting examples in the entire territory of the Kremlin.
In the Assumption Cathedral there is a vast necropolis, in which the ashes of the metropolitans of Kyiv, Moscow, as well as nine patriarchs of Moscow, who died in the 17th century.
Annunciation Cathedral
The temple is located on the Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin. It was built in 1489 on an ancient white stone basement left from the former cathedral. In 1547, the temple was seriously damaged by fire and was restored only in 1564, while the architects built on two domes from the side of the altar aisles. In 1572, the so-called Grozny Porch was added to the cathedral. The iconostasis bears two rows of icons,"deesis" and "festive" works by Andrey Rublev and Theophan the Greek. On the porch are images of Greek philosophers: Aristotle, Homer, Anaxagoras, Plutarch, Ptolemy. The north gate is decorated with bas-reliefs of ancient Roman sibyl prophetesses. The floor of the cathedral is made of jasper plates.
Until the 18th century, the temple was used as a house church of the Moscow tsars. And during the period of St. Petersburg dominance, the Church of the Annunciation was a representative of protopresbyterianism.
Arkhangelsk Cathedral
The five-domed temple with eight aisles was built at the very beginning of the 16th century. The interior decoration of the cathedral was completed only 150 years later through the efforts of icon painters Fyodor Zubov, Stepan Ryazanets, Joseph Vladimirov. Later, a wooden table iconostasis, painted with gold, appeared in the interior. Its height was 13 meters.
The Archangel Cathedral is famous for its vast necropolis, which includes 54 burials, among which are the shrines of Tsarevich St. Dmitry Ivanovich and Mikhail of Chernigov. The necropolis also contains 46 tombstones with ornaments and bronze burial cases. In 1928, the remains of women from the Romanov and Rurik clans, who had previously rested in the church of the Ascension Monastery, were transferred to the basement chamber of the temple.
Kremlin Museums, opening hours
One of the most important exhibition complexes in Russia operates throughout the calendar year. Below is the daily schedule of exhibitions included in the museum"Kremlin". The opening hours of the museum sectors are distributed as follows:
All museum halls are open from 10 am to 5 pm daily. During the summer period - from 10 am to 6 pm.
Thursday is a day off.
The ticket office is open daily (except Thursday) from 9.30 to 16.30, in summer - until 17.00. Tickets can be bought in Alexander Garden, metro station "Library named after Lenin".
Museum "Armory" is open according to the rules of sessions: 10.00, 12.00, 14.30, 16.30. Tickets are sold at the box office 45 minutes before the session.
The exhibition "Antiquities of the Kremlin", located in the Annunciation Cathedral, is open daily (except Thursday): excursions at 10.15, 11.15, 12.15, 13.15, 14.15, 15.15, 16.15.
Ticket price to enter Cathedral Square - 350 rubles for adults, 150 rubles for schoolchildren.
On public holidays and weekends, family tickets are available for two adults and two children. The price of one ticket is 100 rubles.
The price of a ticket to the Armory is 700 rubles for adults and 200 rubles for pensioners, students and schoolchildren.
Souvenirs and postcards
The Kremlin Museums, exhibitions, vernissages, thematic shows and other events are subject to a system developed over the years. Each visitor to the Moscow Kremlin is greeted as a dear guest, providing him with everything necessary already at the entrance. Booklets, layouts, souvenirs, postcards - all this is available in any quantity. The Moscow Kremlin, whose museums are of interest to people in everythingworld, continues to receive guests.
