The Kremlin, located on the Moskva River in Moscow, is a historic fortified complex situated in the middle of the city. It overlooks the Red Square and Saint Basil’s Cathedral in the east, River Moskvar in the south and the Alexander Garden in the west.
The word “Kremlin” is a Russian word and means fortress, castle or citadel. Till the 14th century, this site in Moscow was known as the Grad of Moscow. The name “Kremlin” was first used in 1331. Now, it is often used as a metonym referring to the Soviet Union Government and all its highest members, which includes presidents, general secretaries, commissars, ministers and premiers.
Kremlin towers and Walls, which exist today, were built by Italian Masters during the period of 1485 to 1495. The area enclosed by the irregular walls of the Kremlin is around 68 acres (275,000 square metres). The length of the Moscow Kremlin is 2,444 yards and the height varies from 5 to 19 metres due to its terrain. The thickness of the walls ranges between 3.5 and 6.5 metres.
The Cathedral Square is the heart of the Moscow Kremlin, which is surrounded by three cathedrals and six buildings. The main church of Moscow, which is the Cathedral of Dormition, is a massive limestone facade having five golden cupolas capped on it. Arsenal is located in the north east corner of the Kremlin. It was built in 1701 for Peter the Great. Kremlin holds the famous Armoury building in the North West section, which was built to a Renaissance Revival design in 1851.
Among all the Russian cathedrals, Kremlin is the best known of all the Kremlins and includes four cathedrals along with four palaces. It encloses the Kremlin Towers & Kremlin Walls and also serves as the official residential complex to the President of Russia.
