Visiting Kremlin and the Red Square in Russia
The
Kremlin is a vast, fortified, roughly triangular complex of buildings at
the heart of Moscow, and its name conjures up visions of Stalinism and
KGB agents. Today, however, Moscow is at the center of post-Communist
capitalism, and is buzzing with enterprise and energy.
The Kremlin is
surrounded by gardens to the west, the Moscow River to the south and Red
Square to the east. In the fourteenth century it became the headquarters
of the Russian orthodox Church, and three great cathedrals were built
here during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. There is a great deal
to be seen. The Annunciation Cathedral contains some superb icons and a
most beautiful iconostasis; Ivan the Great Bell Tower, with its two
golden domes, can be seen from up to 30 km (20 miles) away, and stands
next to the Assumption belfry which contains the Kremlin's biggest bell;
the Armoury contains a multitude of treasures, including the royal
regalia. Among other things you can also see the Poteshny Palace, where
Stalin lived, and the Senate, which houses the offices of the President.
The 700 meters
(2,300 feet) Red Square (Krasnaya ploschad) is dominated by the glory
that is St Basil's Cathedral, its fabulously colorful onion domes topped
by golden needles and its main tower topped with a smaller, golden dome
of its own, the epitome of a Russian church. Lenin's tomb is at the foot
of the Kremlin wall, and queues still form to walk past his embalmed
body. Red Square's sheer scale and the contrast between the beautiful
churches and palaces and the stark Kremlin wall create a lasting, if
unsettling, impression.
