Back in 1147, the prince of Kiev and Rostov-Suzdal, Yuri Dolgoruky, founded Moscow. The city was surrounded by wooden walls - this is how the construction of the Kremlin, the future main attraction of Moscow, began. A shaft 8 meters high was also built around the wall.
Unfortunately, the Moscow Kremlin, together with the city itself, did not last long - already in the winter of 1237, Khan Batu plundered and burned all wooden buildings.
But Moscow is being rebuilt, and along with it - and its fortress. In 1339-1340, Ivan Kalita erected powerful defensive fortifications, and in the Kremlin itself he built white-stone cathedrals, chambers of princes and his own mansions. Moscow becomes the main city among other Russian cities.
After 20 years, Prince Dmitry Donskoy encloses the fortress with white stone walls. This is where the famous expression “Moscow white stone” came from.
By the beginning of the 16th century, the Kremlin is not directly recognizable - Prince Ivan III laid the foundations of the new Kremlin - he built the famous towers, erected the Assumption, Annunciation and Archangel Cathedrals. Finally, he built himself magnificent new chambers. Thanks to the efforts of the Russian and Italian workers in Europe, the most formidable and powerful fortress appeared - the Moscow Kremlin. In addition, it was not white-stone - Ivan IV the Terrible built brick walls, making the Kremlin the famous red.
During the Troubles, the history of Moscow, and with it the history of the Kremlin, could have ended. The Poles seized the city and barricaded themselves in the Kremlin. The royal treasury was ravaged, buildings were burned, and churches were desecrated.
But the enemy was driven out, and the Kremlin began to rebuild again. By the 17th century, it became the seat of tsars and future emperors, and by the 18th century, European ideas were added to it. The Winter Palace, the Armory Chamber, the building of the Apartments were erected in the Kremlin, which formed the new Palace Square. And although the capital of Russia was moved to St. Petersburg, the Moscow Kremlin still remained almost the main attraction of the country.
In 1917, thunder struck - the Great October Revolution captured Russia. The first Soviet government sat in the Kremlin, and it was closed for free visits. The monasteries were demolished, and a new building was built in their place - the Military School.
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With the outbreak of World War II, the Kremlin disappeared from all enemy maps and radars - the main fortress of the country was hidden with the help of huge shields, the stars were turned off, and the entire structure was covered with dark paint. Only after 4 years will it shine with its lights again.
Ten years later, in 1955, the Kremlin will be reopened for visits. In another 6 years, the State Kremlin Palace will be built there. And in 1991 - the Moscow Kremlin Museum-Reserve.
Today, the Kremlin together with the Red Square are the main places for tourists to visit. In addition, the President of the Russian Federation works and lives in it.
The Kremlin is not a unique structure, almost every city has its own Kremlin, because this word means “fortress, city”. Novgorod, Pskov, Kazan and many others. But it was the Moscow Kremlin that became the symbol of Russia and one of the most picturesque and colorful buildings in its history.