Wandering around The Red Square and The Kremlin

 ( "Moscow Kremlin and The Red Square" is an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990 )  

It was suffocatingly crowded during our visit . There was a country Fair ( Jatre) atmosphere . We were told that it was the fag end of the visitors season  and soon, everything would shut down for the harsh winter season. 

The Red Square is the historic City Square that separates The Kremlin from a merchant quarter known as The Great Possad. It is the heart of Moscow , with all arterial roads of the city passing by it. 

The left side of the Square is lined by a long palatial two storey edifice , with glass skylights , dating from the 1890s . Built as a posh super market during the time of Peter The Great in a grand neoclassical style , it still functions as a super market . Called GUM ( acronym for the Russian phrase meaning ‘Main Universal Store’, pronounced ‘Goom’ . )

 Dozens of souvenir vending kiosks outside the  old Market building were  doing great business . On the other side , a large temporary stadium was erected for a rockmusic concert , while another temporary arcade was getting ready for an exhibition of Formula 1 cars. All of which made for a very noisy atmosphere which upset our dear Guide. She kept saying "Sorry for this mess" , as it aggrieved her that the most beautiful spot of her beloved City had been subjected to such undignified accretions !

The word Red does not denote any political colour . It just indicates ‘Beautiful’ , because the words for the colour Red and Beauty sound very similar in Russian .

Kremlin means “ Fortress “ . There are many kremlins around Russia . This one , the most well known and important one , is called “Moskovskiy Kreml” and stands at the center of Moscow , overlooking River Moskva , with The Red Square to the east . It began life as a “grad”( fortified town” ) built by the Slavs , expanded and strengthened by Yuri The Long Armed , (the Rurikid founder of the city of Moscow) in 1156 . The original structure was made of Oak Wood . 

Wood was replaced by Limestone in the 14th century to beat off the Blue Hoard descendants  of Ghenghis Khan . Kremlin’s present stone structure is the vision of Ivan The Great , who recruited Italian architects to make it a grand edifice in the 16th Century .

Its shape is  Triangular and occupies an area of Area : 275,000 square metres. There are 20 towers to the Fort and it encloses  five palaces , four Cathedrals and many churches ( Orthodox Christianity ) .

Tourist entrance is through a side gate that leads directly to the  magnificent "Fountain of The Prancing Horses ". 

 It is popularly known as The Geyser . The Bronze  horses , said to represent the four seasons , were created  by Russian-Georgian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli . 

The fountain stands in The Alexander Gardens ( Aleksandrovskiy Sad)  the first urban park of Moscow , which was created in 1821 to commemorate Russia’s victory over Napoleon . The Ticketing office and Museum shops are located in this garden which is divided into The Upper Garden, The Lower Garden and The Middle Garden. Important monuments like The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier, The  Grotto of The Arsenal Tower ( built with the rubble from buildings destroyed during French Occupation of Moscow) , The Obelisk , that originally listed  the names of the Romanovs but later re-carved with names of Communist Leaders,  and a long winding pond with scenes from fairytales dotting it. 

                                   

The Lower Garden leads into the Kremlin.

Sobornaya Square or Cathedral Square , the central square of Kremlin is the most beautiful part with three Cathedrals , two churches and one Palace . It really is an awe inspiring place . It has been the venue for Coronations and Funerals of Tzars, Patriarchs  and Dukes of yore. Now, serves as Inauguration venue for Presidents of Russia. 

Cathedral of Dormition , in its current form dating from 1479 but originating in the 12th Century, is the most attractive because of its domes . It has amazing  interiors ,  rich with frescos .

Cathedral of The Annunciation of Theotokos ( 1489)  has a large iconostasis with icons dating from 14th century to 19th . The floor of its alter is laid with sheets of yellow agate and red jasper brought from Constantinople . The cupolas are covered in real gold .

The Spasskaya Tower (233 ft high) dated to 15CE . Above the main ceremonial gate used for receiving dignitaries . The clock , with a diameter if 20ft , is called The Kremlin Chimes and the hourly chimes are heard all over the fortress .

At designated times, there is a Change of Guard ritual at the memorial to the unknown soldier, which is a very silent, grim ritual by soldiers who move eerily like automatons , with even the watching crowds maintaining utter silence. 

The Kremlin Armoury or The Royal Arsenal is one of the oldest museums of Russia and is part of "The Kremlin Museums " . It exhibits historical arms, armaments and treasures  once held by the Tsars, Cathedrals , monasteries and private collections . It also houses what is  called the Russian Diamond Fund - riches from 5th to 20th Cent , including stuff like The Orlov Diamond , Faberge trinkets, Ivory throne of Ivan The Terrible , The Monomokh Cap etc . 

A Cannon called Bombarda or The Tzar Cannon was cast in 1586 , mostly as a ceremonial piece and was never used in war. 5.34 meters long , it has some fine embellishments , making it a popular photo-op  for shutterbugs. 

St Basils

Cathedral of Vasily The Blessed , popularly known as St. Basil’s Cathedral , dominates The Red Square. One of the most recognised icons of the world, a cultural symbol of the country. It is now a ticketed Museum ; in the 16th and 17th Centuries, it was one of the most holy Russian Orthodox shrines, called " Cathedral Of The Intercession of The Most Holy Theotokos of The Moat " , an earthly symbol of "Heavenly City." 

Consecrated in 1561 , it reaches a maximum height of 156 ft . It is a conglomeration of seven churches around a central core , one church under each dome with two in the center . The architecture is an unprecedented medley of Greek, Byzantine , Italian and Russian styles creating a very unique , whimsical monument with no parallels . The bright colour scheme is maintained unchanged since the 17 th century , though it reminds strongly of cupcakes with festive frosting .  The architecture seems more Disneyland Fairytale Castle than a somber  place of worship . But there is no denying its magnetic charm . As with all iconic monuments , this too has the attendant legend that the Tzar Ivan IV blinded the architect, upon completion of the project, so that it could not be replicated ! And surely , this very  unique curio has no parallel or copy anywhere else in the world . 

Its history is as colourful as its onion domes. The Great Fire of 1812 which gutted the Market , spared St.Basil’s . When Napoleon ordered his troops to blow it up , the troops failed to do a good job , leaving it with only a minor damage that was soon repaired.Stalin prevented his cronies from clearing it off the Red Square . The Bolsheviks did not touch it . It braved two World Wars reasonably well. It is a great survivor !

 Needless to add , it is the most photographed and most selfied-with structure in Moscow . Ofcourse, getting it fully into a frame without visual disturbances was quite a task !