Kremlin
Encyclopedia
A kremlin same root as in kremen ' onMouseout='HidePop("91618")' href="/topics/Flint">flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
) is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin
Moscow Kremlin
The Moscow Kremlin , sometimes referred to as simply The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River , Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square and the Alexander Garden...
, or metonymically to the government that is based there. Outside Russia, the name Kremlin is sometimes mistakenly thought of as being Saint Basil's Cathedral
Saint Basil's Cathedral
The Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat , popularly known as Saint Basil's Cathedral , is a Russian Orthodox church erected on the Red Square in Moscow in 1555–61. Built on the order of Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan, it marks the...
because of its distinctive environment, although the cathedral is not a part of the Moscow Kremlin.
Russia's presidential administration is located in the Moscow Kremlin. During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, the government of the USSR
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
was located in the Moscow Kremlin, but now the Russian government occupies a building outside it.
The short list of Russian cities with kremlins
- World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s- Moscow KremlinMoscow KremlinThe Moscow Kremlin , sometimes referred to as simply The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River , Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square and the Alexander Garden...
- Novgorod KremlinNovgorod KremlinNovgorod Kremlin stands on the left bank of the Volkhov River about two miles north of where it empties out of Lake Ilmen.-History:...
- Solovetsky MonasterySolovetsky MonasterySolovetsky Monastery was the greatest citadel of Christianity in the Russian North before being turned into a special Soviet prison and labor camp , which served as a prototype for the GULag system. Situated on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea, the monastery braved many changes of fortune...
- Kazan KremlinKazan KremlinThe Kazan Kremlin is the chief historic citadel of Tatarstan, situated in the city of Kazan. It was built on behest of Ivan the Terrible on the ruins of the former castle of Kazan khans...
- Moscow Kremlin
- Extant
- Astrakhan KremlinAstrakhan KremlinAstrakhan Kremlin is a fortress in Astrakhan, Russia. Located on river island, on the most high hill, washed by Volga, Kutum, Tsarev and narrow anabranch Cossack’s....
- Kolomna KremlinKolomna KremlinKolomna Kremlin is a very large fortress in Kolomna, Russia. The stone Kolomna Kremlin was built from 1525—1531 under the Russian Tsar Vasily III. Before its reconstruction in 1531, the Kolomna Kremlin was made of wood...
- Nizhny Novgorod KremlinNizhny Novgorod KremlinNizhny Novgorod Kremlin is a fortress in Nizhny Novgorod, the historic city center.- History :The first attempt to replace the wooden fort on the stone Kremlin refers to 1374, but construction limited to only one tower, known as the Tower of Dmitrov...
- Pskov Kremlin
- Rostov Veliky Kremlin (a bishop residence, not formally considered a kremlin)
- Smolensk KremlinSmolensk KremlinSmolensk Kremlin is a kremlin enclosing the center of the city of Smolensk in western part of Russia. The partially preserved fortress wall was built between 1595 and 1602, durings the reign of Tsars Fyodor I Ioannovich and Boris Godunov. The length of the walls is about , of which less than the...
- Tobolsk KremlinTobolsk KremlinThe Tobolsk Kremlin is the sole stone Kremlin in Siberia. It is located in Tobolsk, Tyumen Oblast, Russia.- History :Tobolsk was founded in 1587. Moscow encouraged the construction of stone buildings there. In 1683-1686, masons sent from Moscow and Veliky Ustyug built the stone St....
(the sole stone kremlin in Siberia) - Tula KremlinTula KremlinTula Kremlin is a fortress in Tula, Russia. Monument of the 16th century.There are 2 Cathedrals inside the Kremlin:*Assumption Cathedral *Epiphany Cathedral - History :...
- Zaraysk Kremlin
- Ivangorod FortressIvangorod fortressIvangorod Fortress is a Russian medieval castle established by Ivan III in 1492 and since then grown into the town of Ivangorod....
(not formally considered a kremlin) - Oreshek FortressShlisselburgShlisselburg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated at the head of the Neva River on Lake Ladoga, east of St. Petersburg. From 1944 to 1992, it was known as Petrokrepost...
(not formally considered a kremlin) - Staraya LadogaStaraya LadogaStaraya Ladoga , or the Aldeigjuborg of Norse sagas, is a village in the Volkhovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Volkhov River near Lake Ladoga, 8 km north of the town of Volkhov. The village used to be a prosperous trading outpost in the 8th and 9th centuries...
- Alexandrov KremlinAlexandrov KremlinThe tsar’s residence in the Alexandrovskaya village is an old Russian fortress which served as the actual capital of the oprichnina in the Moscow state from 1564 until 1581...
(a czar residence, not formally considered a kremlin) - Korela FortressKorela FortressKorela Fortress , at the town of Priozersk, was founded by the Karelians who named the place Käkisalmi.- Origin :...
(not formally considered a kremlin) - Izborsk KremlinIzborskIzborsk is a rural locality in Pechorsky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia. It contains one of the most ancient and impressive fortresses of Western Russia....
- Astrakhan Kremlin
- In ruins
- Gdov KremlinGdov KremlinThe Gdov Kremlin is located on a bank of the Gdovka River, overlooking the Russian town of Gdov.- Origin :Gdov was established as an outpost of the Pskov Republic. It occupied a strategically important position, being close to Lake Peipus, separating Livonia and Rus. Located on an important road...
- Porkhov Kremlin
- Serpukhov Kremlin
- Velikie Luki Kremlin
- Torzhok Kremlin
- Mozhaysk Kremlin
- Fortress of KoporyeKoporyeKoporye is a historic village in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located about 100 km to the west of St. Petersburg and 12 km south of the Koporye Bay of the Baltic Sea...
(not formally considered a kremlin) - Vyazma Kremlin (one tower)VyazmaVyazma is a town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk and Mozhaysk. Throughout its turbulent history, the city defended western approaches to the city of Moscow...
- Syzran Kremlin (one tower, 1683)Syzran KremlinThe Syzran Kremlin is located in the russian town Syzran Samara Oblast, on the Kremlin hill at the confluence of the Volga, Syzranka river, Krymza river, overlooking the main historic street «Soviet»....
- UfaUfa-Demographics:Nationally, dominated by Russian , Bashkirs and Tatars . In addition, numerous are Ukrainians , Chuvash , Mari , Belarusians , Mordovians , Armenian , Germans , Jews , Azeris .-Government and administration:Local...
- Gdov Kremlin
- Unwalled
- Vladimir Kremlin (Tower Golden Gate and bank)VladimirVladimir is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway. Population:...
- DmitrovDmitrovDmitrov is a town and the administrative center of Dmitrovsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located to the north of Moscow on the Yakhroma River and the Moscow Canal. Population: -History:...
- RyazanRyazanRyazan is a city and the administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Oka River southeast of Moscow. Population: The strategic bomber base Dyagilevo is just west of the city, and the air base of Alexandrovo is to the southeast as is the Ryazan Turlatovo Airport...
- VologdaVologdaVologda is a city and the administrative, cultural, and scientific center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the Vologda River. The city is a major transport knot of the Northwest of Russia. Vologda is among the Russian cities possessing an especially valuable historical heritage...
(a bishop residence, not formally considered a kremlin) - Yaroslavl (two towers)YaroslavlYaroslavl is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historical part of the city, a World Heritage Site, is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl Rivers. It is one of the Golden Ring cities, a group of historic cities...
- Pereslavl-ZalesskyPereslavl-ZalesskyPereslavl-Zalessky or Pereyaslavl-Zalessky , is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow on the main Moscow Yaroslavl road and on the shores of Pleschevo Lake. It was called Pereyaslavl until the 15th century. The town is located on the southeastern shore of the Lake...
- Khlynov (Vyatka)Kirov, Kirov OblastKirov , formerly known as Vyatka and Khlynov, is a city in northeastern European Russia, on the Vyatka River, and the administrative center of Kirov Oblast. Population: -History:...
- VolokolamskVolokolamskVolokolamsk is a town and the administrative center of Volokolamsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Gorodenka River, not far from its confluence with the Lama River, northwest of Moscow. Population: -History:...
- Vladimir Kremlin (Tower Golden Gate and bank)
- Only traces
- BorovskBorovskBorovsk is a town and the administrative center of Borovsky District of Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located just south from the oblast's border with Moscow Oblast. It is situated on the Protva River, about southwest of Moscow.Population: 12,000 ....
- OpochkaOpochkaOpochka is a town and the administrative center of Opochetsky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on the Velikaya River, south of Pskov, in the proximity of Alexander Pushkin's family home Mikhaylovskoye. Population:...
- ZvenigorodZvenigorodZvenigorod is an old town in Moscow Oblast, Russia. Population: -History:The community has existed since the 12th century, although its first written mention is dated 1338. The town's name is based either on a personal name or on a hydronym Zvenigorod is an old town in Moscow Oblast, Russia....
- StarodubStarodubStarodub is a town and the administrative center of Starodubsky District of Bryansk Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Babinets River , southwest of Bryansk. Population: 16,000 .-History:...
- TverTverTver is a city and the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia. Population: 403,726 ; 408,903 ;...
– a wooden fortress was burned down in a fire in 1763 - Sknyatino – underwater since flooding during the 1930s.
- Yam FortressKingiseppKingisepp , formerly Yamburg , Yam , and Yama , is an ancient town and the administrative center of Kingiseppsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located along the Luga Riverw west of St. Petersburg, east of Narva, and south of the Gulf of Finland...
(not formally considered a kremlin) - Fortress of RadonezhRadonezhRadonezh , formerly known as Gorodok is a historic village in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located about from Sergiyev Posad.The old town of Radonezh is known to have existed since the first half of the 14th century, when it belonged to Ivan Kalita. In 1328, he settled there many captives from Rostov,...
- RyazanRyazanRyazan is a city and the administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Oka River southeast of Moscow. Population: The strategic bomber base Dyagilevo is just west of the city, and the air base of Alexandrovo is to the southeast as is the Ryazan Turlatovo Airport...
- Old Ryazan (60 km from modern Ryazan)
- Ostrov (traces of bank of fortress, 14-15 centuries)
- Belgorod (bank of fortress)Belgorod-Twin towns/sister cities:Belgorod is twinned with: Wakefield, England, United Kingdom Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia Opole, Poland Vyshhorod, Ukraine Kharkiv, Ukraine-External links:...
- VereyaVereyaVereya is a town in Naro-Fominsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Protva River southwest of Moscow. Population: 6,500 ....
- KalugaKalugaKaluga is a city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Population: It is served by Grabtsevo Airport.-History:...
- Kleshchin
- KostromaKostromaKostroma is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian towns, it is located at the confluence of the Volga and Kostroma Rivers...
- PustozyorskPustozyorskPustozyorsk was the administrative center of Yugra and Pechora krais of Muscovy and Imperial Russia. It was situated in what is today Nenets Autonomous Okrug of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia....
- UglichUglichUglich is a historic town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, which stands on the Volga River. Population: A local tradition dates the town's origins to 937. It was first documented in 1148 as Ugliche Pole...
- StaritsaStaritsaStaritsa is a town and the administrative center of Staritsky District of Tver Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River, from Tver. Population: -History:...
- SviyazhskSviyazhskSviyazhsk or Zöyä is a rural locality in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located at the confluence of the Volga and Sviyaga Rivers...
- CheboksaryCheboksary-Twin towns/sister cities:Cheboksary is twinned with: Eger in Hungary Antalya in Turkey Santa Clara in CubaAlso Partnerships are shown with: Rundu in Namibia -External links:****...
- Yuryev-PolskyYuryev-PolskyYuryev-Polsky is an old town and the administrative center of Yuryev-Polsky District of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located in the upper reaches of the Koloksha River, northwest of Vladimir. Population: 23,000 ....
- AleksinAleksinAleksin is a town and the administrative center of Aleksinsky District of Tula Oblast, Russia, located northwest of Tula. Population: -History:...
- OpochkaOpochkaOpochka is a town and the administrative center of Opochetsky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on the Velikaya River, south of Pskov, in the proximity of Alexander Pushkin's family home Mikhaylovskoye. Population:...
- OryolOryolOryol or Orel is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow...
- Rurikovo gorodishche
- MtsenskMtsenskMtsensk is a town in Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Zusha River northeast of Oryol. It stands on the Moscow–Simferopol highway. Population: 28,000 ....
- Borovsk
- Modern imitations
- Izmaylovo Kremlin
Kremlins outside borders of modern Russia
After the disintegrations of the Kievan Rus, the Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and the USSR
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, some fortresses considered Kremlin-type, remained beyond the borders of modern Russia. Some are listed below:
- BelzBelzBelz , a small city in the Lviv Oblast of Western Ukraine, near the border with Poland, is located between the Solokiya river and the Rzeczyca stream....
, Ukraine (only traces) - KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Ukraine (reconstructed tower of the Golden Gate) - Chełm, Poland (only traces)
- PutyvlPutyvlPutyvl or Putivl is a town in north-east Ukraine, in Sumy Oblast. Currently about 20,000 people live in Putyvl.-History:One of the original Siverian towns, Putyvl was first mentioned as early as 1146 as an important fortress contested between Chernigov and Novgorod-Seversky principalities of...
, Ukraine - Novhorod-SiverskyiNovhorod-SiverskyiNovhorod-Siversky is a historic city in the Chernihiv Oblast of Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Novhorod-Siversky Raion, and is situated on the bank of the Desna River, 330 km from the capital, Kiev, and 45 km south of the Russian border. Current estimated population:...
, Ukraine - Grodno, Belarus (only traces under the castle)
- ChernihivChernihivChernihiv or Chernigov is a historic city in northern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Chernihiv Oblast , as well as of the surrounding Chernihivskyi Raion within the oblast...
, Ukraine (only traces) - Kamyanyets, Belarus (shafts and Belaya Vezha tower)
- Belgorod KievskyBelgorod KievskyBilhorod Kyivsky was a city-castle of Kievan Rus' on the right bank of Irpin River. The city was quite prominent in the 10th-12th centuries but ceased to exist after 1240 destruction of Kiev by the Mongols. Currently there is a small village of Bilohorodka, Kiev Oblast near the location of the...
, Ukraine (now village Belgorodka)
Many Russian monasteries
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
have been built in a fortress-like style similar to that of a kremlin. For a partial list, see Monasteries in Russia.
Further reading
- Воронин Н. Н. Владимир, Боголюбово, Суздаль, Юрьев-Польской. М.: Искусство, 1967.
- Кирьянов И. А. Старинные крепости Нижегородского Поволжья. Горький: Горьк. книжн. изд., 1961.
- Косточкин В. В. Русское оборонное зодчество конца XIII — начала XVI веков. М.: Издательство Академии наук, 1962.
- Крадин Н. П. Русское деревянное оборонное зодчество". М.: Искусство, 1988.
- Раппопорт П. А. Древние русские крепости. М.: Наука, 1965.
- Раппопорт П. А. Зодчество Древней Руси. Л.: Наука, 1986.
- Раппопорт П. А. Строительное производство Древней Руси (X—XIII вв.). СПб: Наука, СПб, 1994.
- Сурмина И. О. Самые знаменитые крепости России. М.: Вече, 2002.
- Тихомиров М. Н. Древнерусские города. М.: Гос. изд. полит. лит-ры, 1956.
- Яковлев В. В. Эволюция долговременной фортификации. М.: Воениздат, 1931.