The initiative to build the Kremlin belongs to Prince Vasily III. Due to the frequent invasions of the Tatar troops, the Russian city needed a fortress to defend it from the south. For this reason, the prince issued a corresponding decree. In the late spring of 1525, the construction of the Kremlin began. The construction work, which lasted 6 years, involved both the townspeople and the peasants of the villages around Kolomna.
A brief history of the Kremlin
General view of the Kolomna Kremlin
However, the Kremlin was built of wood. Therefore, it was not strong enough and could not serve as reliable protection. Due to the annexation to Moscow, which took place in 1301, Kolomna remained a border outpost for many years.
Each subsequent enemy raid ended in fire for the Kremlin. It is quite natural that over time it was decided to build a stone fortress. A new fortification was built along the perimeter of the former wooden fortress, which, as soon as the next section of the stone wall was completed, was dismantled.
Diagram of the Kolomna Kremlin. The surviving towers are highlighted in red
Who was in charge of the construction of the new Kremlin? Historians have no consensus on this score. But based on the architectural similarity between Kolomenskoye and Moscow Kremlin the version that the best architects of that time, Aleviz Bolshoi and Aleviz Maly, who supervised the construction of the Kremlin in Moscow, worked on the construction of both structures, received the right to life. It is worth noting here that the number of towers, the length and thickness of the walls, and the area of both buildings are almost identical.
Kolomenskaya (Marinkina) tower
The new defensive structure turned out to be very strong - for all the years of its existence, none of the invaders was able to take the ancient city by storm. However, over time, Kolomna gradually lost its defensive significance and was reincarnated into a solid industrial and commercial center. Therefore, the ancient fortress, as unnecessary, began to decline. These changes in the history of the city took place in the middle of the 17th century, and only in the 2nd half of the 19th century, some of the Kremlin towers were restored.
Mikhailovskie gates
Architectural features of the Kremlin
The ancient Kremlin in the plan is a polyhedron, the shape of which is close to an oval. All towers were distributed along the walls at an equal distance, which made it possible to simultaneously defend the territory and shell enemy forces from different sides. As for the location of the ancient fort, it promised benefits to protect the city from everywhere. Judge for yourself - from the north and north-west it was covered by the valleys of Moscow and Kolomenka, from other directions a deep moat paved with stone provided protection. The total height of the Kremlin walls varied from 18 to 21 m.Only in the lowest part, the defensive wall rose by 4.5 m.
Yamskaya (Troitskaya) tower
Kremlin gates
From the east, the main or main Pyatnitsky gates led to the ancient Kremlin. The adjacent two-tier tower was of considerable size. It had a length of 23 m, a height of 29 m and a width of 13 m. At its top there was a bell that warned the population about the danger with a resounding warning ring. This building stands here to this day.
Other important gates, which were called Ivanovsky, were dismantled in the first half of the 19th century. A similar fate also affected several other gates.
Pyatnitskiy gates of the Kremlin
The third significant gate is Mikhailovsky. They stand on the section of the wall between the Marinkina and the Faceted Towers. At the end of the 16th century, this passage to the Kremlin was laid, but after a while the building material collapsed and the opening spontaneously opened.
Then the Mikhailovsky Gates were restored, and today they are cordially open for visitors to the old Kremlin. It is through them that tourists enter its territory.
View of the Faceted Tower from the inside of the Kremlin
The main attractions of the Kolomna Kremlin
Unfortunately, descendants cannot appreciate the entire grandeur of the ancient Kremlin, because today only a few towers and sections of walls are left of it. But even these insignificant remnants convey the full power of the defensive structure in the ancient Russian city.
Semyonovskaya (Simeonovskaya) tower
Of the 17 towers, only 7 remain today, the most attractive of which is the Marinkina (Kolomenskaya) tower. Its 31-meter structure is a whole watchdog observation post. The building got its name because of the wife of False Dmitry I and II, a Polish woman, Marina Mnishek, who lived in the city. In times of troubles, she, as a queen, was here with her son Ivan. The facade of the 8-storey Marinkina tower is assembled from 20 faces, therefore, when viewed from the side, it seems almost round.
View of the Cathedral Square of the Kolomna Kremlin
The faceted tower has a combined shape. From the inside it is a rectangle, from the outside it is a hexagon. Such an unusual shape is the reason for the name of the Faceted Tower. The 22-meter tower was subdivided into 5 tiers, each of which was hidden under the ground. On all floors 3-4 loopholes were cut through.
Assumption Brusensky Convent
The 24-meter high Yamskaya, also known as the Trinity Tower, owes its name to the Yamskaya Sloboda, located nearby. Also, this tower was adjacent to the hunting, stables and yamsky farmsteads.
Simeonovskaya, or Semenovskaya tower, is identical in size with the Spasskaya tower and Pogorela (Alekseevskaya). The height of all structures is 24 m, the width is 8 m, and the length is 12 m each.In the lower part of the walls, their thickness is 2.9 m, and at the top - 1.85 m. A cozy gazebo is attached near the Burnt Tower, where you can relax in hot weather.
Tikhvin temple of the Kremlin
On the other side of the defensive walls is Cathedral Square. Here is the main temple of the ancient Kremlin - the Cathedral of the Assumption, built in the XIV century. Next to it you can see a high hipped bell tower. From the moment of its construction, and this is the 17th century, and to our time, it remains the most sonorous bell tower of this type in Russia. There are two more shrines nearby - the Tikhvin Church and the Church of the Resurrection. In 1366, in front of the altar of the Resurrection Church, a solemn wedding ceremony took place, connecting the fate of Prince Dmitry Donskoy and Princess Evdokia.
Church of the Resurrection of the Word
The modern life of the Kremlin
Nowadays, the territory of the ancient architectural monument is owned by the military-historical and sports-cultural complex. Among the ancient stone walls and towers, folk festivals and fairs are held, knights fight and knights, fighters, fighters and marksmen show their skills. One of the Kremlin premises was occupied by an exhibition of ancient Russian weapons and uniforms. Visitors have the opportunity to put on real chain mail, practice using an ancient sword, as well as archery or crossbow shooting.
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