Aschermann Red Square and the Kremlin

Red Square and the Kremlin--- two places that I never thought that I would see! Following will be photos that I took. Use the added webpages with photos to see what I did not see or photos that I was unable to take.

With the exception of the days when Peter the Great moved the capital city from Moscow to St. Petersburg, Red Square and the Kremlin have been the symbols of Russia. The "heart of Russia and the Soviet Union" were Red Square and the Kremlin.

Within the Kremlin walls one will find government offices and churches that survived the rule of the communists. In modern times a major theatre has been added.

It is said that in "modern times" [1147 AD] Prince a Russian prince built a wooden fort on the hill above the confluence of two major rivers. Some historians contend that the site was used by people as far back as 500BC.

The word "kremlin" means simply "fortification" or "citadel" in Russian, and is thought to derive from either the Ancient Greek words kremn or kremnos, meaning a steep hill above a ravine, or the Slavonic term kremnik, meaning thick coniferous forest, that being the likely material from which the original fort was constructed.

Red Square, with an average length of 440 yd [remember that a football field is 100 yards] and average breadth of 165 yd. . Since the time of Ivan III(15th century), this has been the scene of great public events, mainly political - rallies, demonstrations, and processions. In earlier times, Red Square was also a place of execution.

Many people have incorrect information regarding the name of the public square in Moscow. It was assumed that since the principal color of the Soviets or communists was red, the name "red square" comes from that era.

Its name does not come from the blood which has been spilled here: in Old Slavonic "Krasny" ("red") also meant "beautiful", since red was regarded as a particularly beautiful color. The translation "Red Square" (instead of "Beautiful Square") which is now universally used, became established only in the 20th century.

Originally the Kremlin was surrounded by easily defended battle works. 105 ft wide and a moat 40 ft deep. The moat was removed when the Kremlin was rebuilt after the visit by Napoleon.

At the foot of the Ivan the Great Bell-Tower, is the world's largest bell, the 210 ton Tsar Bell. It was cast in the Kremlin by the foundry man Ivan Motor in and his son Mikhail in 1733-35. A fire that swept Moscow in 1737 also engulfed the Kremlin, and when water was poured on the hot bell it cracked and an 11.5 ton piece broke off. The bell stands 20 ft high and has a diameter at the base of 22 ft. It consists of just under 80 per cent copper.

In 1812, the French army stabled their horses in St. Basil's Cathedral. Before leaving Moscow, Napoleon ordered it to be blown up, but cold, hunger and fear of sabotage by the people of Moscow prevented the order from being carried out.