THE
KREMLIN
- Moscow -
G'day guys,
What better day to feature the Moscow Kremlin - May 1st! So, what is it?
Moscow Kremlin is a group of fortifications and
civic and religious buildings in the heart of Moscow, opposite the
Moscova River in the south, the Red Square in the East and the Alexander
Garden in the west.
The Kremlin
includes four Russian and four palace cathedrals, grouped inside an
enclosure delimited by the walls of the Kremlin, including the towers of
the Kremlin.
In the eleventh and twelfth centuries it was a Slav
population, with a small town, the fortified home of the local boyars
Kuchka. In ancient times the word "kreml" was used to describe the walls in
the center of a city.
In 1147 Moscow was mentioned first in the annals.
In 1156 a trench was dug and built, plus a wall of earth. By the end of the
twelfth century a fortress was built, around a strong colony of merchants
and artisans who gathered in Moscow as a haven. Moscow then occupied the
entire third part of the area of the current Kremlin. In 1238 the city opposed the Mongol hordes. Then, in the thirteenth century, while the
country recovered from the devastation by the Mongols and the Tatars,
Moscow gained prominence.
In the seventeenth century the old buildings of the
Kremlin were modified and subjected to an overhaul. From 1635 to 1656
were built the Houses of the Patriarch and the small Cathedral of the
Twelve Apostles. The fire of 1710 destroyed all the wooden buildings in
the northwestern part of the Kremlin.
Moscow in 1713 gave the site to the new capital, St. Petersburg and the
Kremlin became the temporary residence of the czarist court. In 1812, Napoleon's forces occupied the
Kremlin. Between 1815 and 1835 restoration work was carried out with the
best architects of the time: O. Bové, K. Rossi and D. Gilardi. From
1838 to 1850 was built the Great Hall of the Kremlin and the Kremlin Armory.
After the Great
October Revolution of 1917, Moscow again became the capital. In March
1918 the Soviet government moved from Petrograd to Moscow and held the
Kremlin. The Kremlin was closed to visitors and the ancient monasteries (Chúdov
and Ascension) were demolished and replaced by a government building
(1932-1934). In 1935 the two-headed eagle was removed from the towers of
the Kremlin and in each of the five towers was placed star rubies.
From 1946 to 1958 the cathedrals, palaces and other monuments
of the Kremlin were restored. Since 1955 the Kremlin has been open to the public and since 1990 the Kremlin has been listed as a Unesco World Heritage site.
Morning, comrade - sir!
In 1991 the State Museum of History and Culture of the
Kremlin was established, consisting of the Armory, Assumption Cathedral, Archangel Michael
Cathedral, Annunciation Cathedral and Museum of Applied Arts.
In the building there are three buildings
which are used as official residences of the president of the Russian
Federation, plus the Senate, the Grand Kremlin Palace and the Military
School building.
'Kremlin' is the word often used to refer
to the government of the Soviet Union (1922-1991) and its senior
members (such as general secretaries, heads of state, presidents,
ministers and members of the commissar). Just as Downing Street
refers to the English government or the White House refers to the U.S.
government. To some extent Kremlin is also used to refer to the policy of
Russia.
Clancy's comment: May 1st is celebrated in many countries as a traditional springtime festival or as an international day honouring workers. It is International Workers’ Day, a holiday founded to
honour the long and bloody struggle of working people throughout the
world against their oppressors. And, it is the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker.
Mm ... it also happens to be your blog host's birthday. Most people who know me reckon it is no wonder I became an activist, aggitator, negotiator and social justice campaigner for the downtrodden, having been born on this day. Maybe so, but who dares wins, eh?
Life's short ... use it ... there's plenty to do.
I'm ...
