Address: Russia, Moscow, Moscow Kremlin
Coordinates: 55 ° 45'13.3 "N 37 ° 36'58.6" E
Content:
The Arsenal is where weapons and ammunition are kept. Its significance is so great that arsenals were often built in the form of entire fortresses. The square building appeared in the northern corner of the Kremlin at the beginning of the 18th century. Then it was called Zeikhgauz and was used not only as an armory. By order of Peter I, interesting trophies from the battlefields and samples of ancient weapons were brought here.
South facade of the Arsenal from Senate Square
History of construction and reconstruction
Translated from German "tseikhhaus" means "war house". The reason for the construction of a new weapons house was a fire that happened in Moscow in 1701. The fire damaged the northern part of the Kremlin territory, and burned down the Tsar Zhitny Dvor, which has been used to store grain reserves since the days of white-stone Moscow.
The Russian Emperor Peter I took the initiative to erect a large building on the resulting wastelands. In his order, the sovereign demanded to demolish all buildings from Nikolsky to Troitsky gates "to the seams" and build a Tseikhgauz on the vacated place. For the new Arsenal, the Kremlin dismantled the Sugar Chambers, the old temples of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem and Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, as well as the estates owned by the Streshnevs and Trubetskoy.
Construction began in 1702, however, it did not proceed at a rapid pace. At the beginning of the 18th century, Russia took part in the protracted Russian-Swedish war and spent most of its budget on it. For this reason, the construction of the new Zeichhaus took 34 years.
At various times, the construction was supervised by architects Christopher Konrad, Dmitry Ivanov, Mikhail Choglokov and Johann Schumacher. By 1717, the building was brought under the roof, and the finishing work on the two-story building was completed only in 1736. It was the largest building built in Moscow during the reign of Peter I.
Arsenal entrance arch
The new Arsenal did not last long. Less than a year later, there was a big fire in the city, which went down in history as Trinity or the Great. The flames driven by the wind destroyed almost the entire center of Moscow and seized the territory of the Kremlin. The Arsenal, like other buildings and palaces, received significant damage - all its wooden parts, as well as the roof, were completely burned down.
In 1786, money was found to restore the Kremlin, and the famous Russian architect Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov was appointed to supervise the reconstruction of the burned-out buildings. He was assisted by the privy councilor and engineer Ivan Kondratyevich Gerard. He was well known to Muscovites, because thanks to him, the first water supply system appeared in the city.
The arsenal was restored, but a new test awaited the building-square. In 1812, when Napoleon's troops were retreating from Moscow, they blew up part of the Kremlin armory.
The two-storey Arsenal, which has survived to this day, was built almost anew from 1814 to 1828. The new building appeared thanks to the efforts of four talented architects - Alexei Nikitich Bakarev, Ivan Lvovich Mironovsky, Ivan Trofimovich Tamansky and Evgraf Dmitrievich Tyurin. At first, they wanted to house a museum telling about the battles and heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812. 875 captured French guns were brought to the Arsenal. But the museum was never opened, and the cannons were placed in a row on a small pedestal.
View of the eastern facade of the arsenal against the background of the Nikolskaya tower
In the days of the October armed uprising of 1917, the old building was subjected to another test. As a result of the fighting on the territory of the Kremlin, the walls and windows of the gun pulp were damaged by shots. The Arsenal was restored in 1922, and a little later, memorial plaques were fixed on it in honor of the dead officers who served in the Kremlin garrison.
In 1960, when the old building of the Armory was demolished, guns made by Russian gunsmiths in the 16th-17th centuries appeared next to the French cannons. They were installed on carriages and placed along the facades.
Architectural features
The arsenal is precisely inscribed in the northern corner of the Moscow Kremlin and looks like an elongated trapezoid. On two sides it adjoins the Kremlin wall. The longest facade of the building runs from the Corner Arsenal Tower to the Trinity Tower, through which all tourists enter the Kremlin. The opposite facade stretches from the Nikolskaya Tower to the center of the Kremlin territory. It overlooks the Senate Square, which separates the Arsenal from the majestic Senate Palace.
The building stands next to a blank wall, so the lighting problem had to be solved during its construction. To ensure that there was always enough light in the Arsenal, the height of the Kremlin wall was almost halved.
Artillery pieces at the southern facade of the arsenal
One of the entrances to the courtyard is from Troitskaya Square. Visitors who enter the Kremlin through the Trinity Tower can see the southern entrance arch, set right in the center of the representative façade. It is decorated with a beautiful portico made in the traditions of Baroque and Classicism. Another entrance through the courtyard is located from the Senate Square. This area is closed to visitors.
The Kremlin Arsenal was built in the style of late classicism and looks very monumental from all sides. This is facilitated by the strict white-stone decor of the facades, two rows of paired window openings and rustic-finished corners. The yellow building is also decorated with relief images of banners and weapons.
Outwardly, Arsenal resembles an old fortress. This impression is created thanks to the deep slopes of arched windows, a gentle gable roof and powerful walls, the thickness of which reaches 2.84 m.Despite the fact that the building has only two floors, it rises by 30 m, which corresponds to the height of a 10-storey building ...
Arsenal today
Nowadays, the Arsenal is a closed object for tourists, and you cannot get into it. The historical building houses the services of the Kremlin commandant's office. In addition, the Presidential Regiment is stationed here. The soldiers and officers serving in it ensure the protection of the territory of the Kremlin and Red Square, the meeting of eminent guests, and also guard the Eternal Flame and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
To the left of the entrance arch to the Arsenal, you can see a memorial plaque on which the names of the servicemen of the Kremlin garrison are immortalized. They died during night bombing during the Great Patriotic War.
Antique tools
Today, the two facades of the Arsenal house an interesting museum collection. The first exhibits were brought to the Zeikhgauz under construction by Peter I. These were captured weapons obtained by Russian troops near Poltava and Smolensk.
Today, artillery pieces are collected near the building - 14 Russian cannons and 15 foreign-made guns, cast in the 16th-17th centuries. In addition, 754 captured guns were installed here, recaptured by the Russian army during the battles of the Patriotic War of 1812. Among them are cannons, howitzers and mortars made in France, Austria, Holland, Prussia, Italy and Spain.
The greatest interest among tourists is caused by old Russian cannons mounted on high carriages. The best gunsmiths of their time worked on their manufacture - Andrei Chokhov, Yakov Dubinin and Martyan Osipov. These craftsmen knew how to cast not only cannons, but also sonorous bells. Each of the weapons exhibited near the Arsenal has its own unique design and even a name - "Aspid", "Troilus", "Gamayun", "Unicorn", "Eagle" and "Pers". On the cannons, you can see relief inscriptions telling about the craftsman, the weight of the gun and the time when the casting was made.
Unfortunately, visitors cannot view the entire collection of weapons exhibited near the Arsenal, since they are allowed to approach the building only from Troitskaya Square, that is, from the south.
How to get there
The Arsenal building is located in the northern part of the Moscow Kremlin, next to the Senate Palace. One can reach the Kremlin entrance on foot from the Aleksandrovsky Sad, Lenin Library and Borovitskaya metro stations of the Moscow metro. To get to the Arsenal, you need to pass the Alexander Garden, go through the Kutafya Tower and the Trinity Bridge. The two-storey building of the Arsenal is located behind the Trinity Gate, to the north of Trinity Square.
