Our Planet’s Landmarks Series #43
Kremlin Red Square Moscow Russia
I grew up in the 1960s and 70s. At the height of the cold war. Before Gorbachev was the leader of Russia. The two oft-heard terms in the news were the ‘Kremlin’ and the ‘White House’. These hallowed precincts would smack out statements that affected world politics and economy. And being from a war-torn region (1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars), the global power these buildings wielded fascinated me.
Today, I’ll talk about one of the two – The Kremlin. The seat of government of erstwhile USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) and today’s RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic).
The Mute Witness
Since 1156 CE, the walled complex of Kremlin observed in silence, the goings-on involving Eurasia. An ensemble of splendid churches and palaces, aggressors had razed it to the ground a few times over. Like a phoenix, it has risen from its ashes every time.
Not all from the past has survived. But the structures here date across 7 centuries – from the 14th to the 20th.
Moscow River on the South and the Red Square on the East flank this 27.5-hectare rough triangle. UNESCO has inscribed the complex, along with The Red Square and the St Basil’s Cathedral, on the World Heritage Sites List.
What started as a wooden fortification wall with watchtowers, is today a solid brick-and-mortar stronghold. While its raison d’être at the start was defence, several splendid churches got integrated.
Kremlin Means Large?
During my short three days in Moscow, I made a whistle-stop at the Kremlin en route Sheremetyevo – Moscow’s main airport. Don’t blame me, but St Basil’s Cathedral fascinated me more than the Kremlin. As a child, I had been a regular reader of ‘Sputnik Junior’. The colourful illustrations of the cathedral were a routine feature in that magazine. Those candy-coloured onion domes had charmed me ever since.
I was glad it was not a Thursday, as the Kremlin has a weekly close that day. As I entered, a modern structure welcomed me. State Kremlin Palace. Well, not that modern either. The Palace came about between 1959 and 1961. Its modern lines did little to hide its gigantic size. A little further, a yellow, white and green Grand Kremlin Palace filled the vision. Built between 1839 and 1849, it exudes class. I had limited time. Seeing any of the on-site museums was not an option. But the exteriors were enough to leave me awestruck.
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I turned a corner and found myself surrounded by shiny golden domes. No, not all belonged to one structure. There were a few of them, the tallest, 82 metres high. It was a massive plaza. All around, some glorious churches stood proud and majestic. Photographing them, I figured the challenge. The normal lens did not capture them in totality. Hapless, I did my best.
The Layout Plan
During a stroll around the plaza from one opulent structure to the next, I could not orient myself to the general layout. But I figured that arrangement out later.
The domes of multi-domed Annunciation Cathedral had a pyramidal formation. The three domes of Assumption Cathedral arrayed like Orion’s Belt. The large dome of the Church of Laying our Lady’s Holy Robe led the smaller domes as mama tiger would her cubs. A single massive golden dome of Archangel Cathedral. The tall golden dome of Ivan the Great Bell Tower soared over the humble smaller golden dome. The little green domes seemed the stepchildren in a family dominated by white and gold.
Soon after I had to head out. On my way, spotted the massive Tsar Cannon and Tsar Bell. A broken part of the bell lay alongside. The sloping path that led out gave a fantastic view of the sweeping red wall dotted with towers. The well-manicured gardens by the path were in bloom.
The palaces house exquisite collections in the museums. The churches and cathedrals have classical period interiors. The bell tower offers a bird’s-eye view of the complex. A paucity of time deprived me of experiencing any of it. I regret spending so little time in a landmark so magnificent!
