Great Kremlin Palace architect tone. Grand Kremlin Palace

BKD halls

The territory of the Grand Kremlin Palace is controlled by the Federal Security Service, so you can only get inside with an expensive and rare excursion, and even then only if the security service considers you trustworthy. Therefore, please take your time Special attention virtual panoramas of the interior, because it is difficult to see with your own eyes. It is useless to view this link on a mobile phone. On the other hand, there are rich photo posts by LiveJournal users il-ducess and kukmor, where you can see a lot of details. And in addition to our descriptions, you can look at the BKD drawings.

The main entrance is from Borovitskaya Street. It looks more than modest. You may not even notice the door in a series of identical arches. Behind the door is the entrance hall of the Main Entrance and the Main Staircase. We won’t go up the stairs yet, but will walk along the first floor.

If we go to the right of the entryway, we will find ourselves in a large room for the courtiers. It is called Tafeldeker, Cafeschen, Mundschen, Swiss. There are storage rooms here. Tafeldeker is a server at the royal table, that is, an analogue of the pre-Petrine steward. Cafeshenk is a coffee maker, Mundshenk is a cupbearer. By the way, the basements of the Middle Golden Chamber have been preserved under these premises.

We go north - we find ourselves in the vestibule of the Annunciation entrance. From here there is also a staircase going up, but we will go further north and end up in the Service Room.

To the left of the Service Room is the Kitchen. There is a suspicion that this is where the Special Kitchen is located, where they cook for the President. If you go forward from the Service Room, you will see the basement of the Holy Entrance Hall. Theoretically, from here you can get into the basement and southern corridor of the Terem Palace.

But let's return to the Front Entrance. To the left of them is a corridor. By right hand immediately there will be the Front Hall and the Great Buffet, on the left is the Dining Room. Further on the right are the rooms of the court officials on duty, and on the left are the Living Room, the Entrance Room, the Empress's Study and the Junker's Chamber. Then the corridor ends in the vestibule of the Own entrance. The elevator remains on the right, and the Boudoir on the left.

Let us enter the aforementioned entryway. To the left of them is the Bedchamber, to the right is the staircase of the Feldjeger entrance. If you go straight and to the right, there will be a Reception Room and a Courier Room, and if you go straight and to the left, there will be a Reception Room and the Emperor’s Office (in the very corner of the building).

In addition, in the courtyard there is a Soviet guest annex on the site of the Church of the Savior on Bor, and on the first floor of the wing opposite the Armory there are servants’ rooms. This wing itself is Their Majesties' Apartments.

Well, let's go back to the main staircase and go up to the second floor. We are met by the Antechamber (interesting details on link). To the right of it is St. George's Hall, dedicated to the Order of St. George the Victorious (Russia's highest military award). The hall glorifies the victories of Russian weapons. It is better to read about the decoration of the state rooms, and we will not clutter our article with descriptive details.

If you turn left after leaving the Antechamber, you will see the Vladimir Hall, dedicated to the Order of St. Vladimir. If you take it to the left again, you will see the Winter Garden, and if you take it to the right, you will see the Holy Entrance Hall and. If you go forward, you will find yourself in the White Corridor of the Terem Palace.

Let's return to St. George's Hall and walk through it from north to south. Let us now turn right into the Alexander Hall, dedicated to the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky.

If you turn right from the throne, you will see the Cavalry Guard (Picket) Hall. From it you can exit to the gallery of the Catherine’s half along the courtyard. The Alexander and St. Andrew's halls also had a gallery, but now there is the Antechamber of the guest annex.

So, let's continue moving towards the Terem Palace from the Cavalier Guard Hall. The enfilade is as follows: Catherine's Hall, State Living Room, State Bedchamber, Walnut Dressing Room. And then there is the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The Catherine Hall is dedicated to the only women's order in Russia - the Order of St. Catherine. This is also a throne room, like St. Andrew's.

And on the third floor there is only this: a cache above the Holy Entrance, the choirs of the Vladimir Hall and the Meeting Hall in the Guest Annex. The main halls are two-height, that's the point.

Ancient layout

Now let's go back to the dashing 1690s and examine the old royal palace (follow the drawing!). Of all the following, only the basements of the Middle Golden Chamber, the Holy Entrance and.

The palace consists of a picturesque jumble of extremely diverse buildings and does not have a common facade. Roofs - of all imaginable types: with gilded domes, tiled patterned chimneys, with all sorts of turrets, with unicorns and lions instead of weather vanes. Most of the roofs and domes in the royal palace are covered with gold.

There is one scout. During Operation Trap in the Afghan-Iranian border zone, he participated in the liquidation of Ismail Khan’s troops. He carried three soldiers out of a mined area under fire, but was then seriously wounded. Subsequently, he became one of the initiators of the creation of Afghan veterans' organizations in Russia. And the name of this intelligence officer is Ilyas Daudi.

2008

2006

Boris Yeltsin's anniversary in St. George's Hall (75 years). An event notable for its scope and diversity. The evening is hosted by Mikhail Shvydkoy. First, a concert of classical music: Bashmet, Matsuev, Spivakov. Then Bregvadze and Pelageya sing, Butman saxophones.

They say they had a nice, homely sit-down. The feast ended with the Kuban Cossack choir and Yeltsin’s colorful speech, full of signature phrases like: “Those who know him well can talk about Lukashenko. And he knows... me!

2004

Second inauguration of Vladimir Putin.

2000

First inauguration of Vladimir Putin.

In addition, nine people received the Hero's Star in the St. George's Hall.

The first, a tanker, fought in Afghanistan, then in Dushanbe with his division he held back the civil war, protected the Russian population, eliminated the most aggressive gangs, and fought drug trafficking across the Afghan border. Then he fought in Chechnya and repelled the militant invasion of Dagestan. And then he carried out a surprise landing operation on the Georgian border and took the Argun Gorge, repelling four major attacks by militants. This is how Mukhridin Ashurov became a Hero of Russia.

The second, an artilleryman, being the head of the missile forces and artillery of the North Caucasus Military District, personally led the artillery in the defense of Dagestan from militants and in the subsequent attack on Chechnya. The hero's name is Vladimir Bokovikov.

The third, an operative, cut his teeth on detaining dangerous criminals in Voronezh, and then, during one of his combat missions to Chechnya, he personally carried out a brilliant operation to free a captured Russian pilot. The SOBR detachment did not suffer any losses, but the militants were killed. The hero's name is Yuri Anokhin.

The fourth, a radio operator, went with a reconnaissance group to the rear of the militants as part of a business trip to Chechnya. Near the village of Sernovodskaya, the group discovered Chechen fortifications, but the enemy spotted Russian soldiers. Enemy reinforcements surrounded the reconnaissance group. During the 7 hours of battle, half of the squad died, and the radio operator lost his hearing due to concussion, but covered the scouts when they went into the breakthrough. In total, up to 60 militants were destroyed in that battle, and the hero accounted for at least a dozen. And the hero's name is Ivan Anureev.

The fifth, a doctor, participated in hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh, Transnistria, Abkhazia, North Ossetia and Ingushetia. During the first Chechen war, he was seriously wounded during the storming of Grozny. Then there was Yugoslavia and the second Chechen war, in which the hero carried a total of 23 wounded soldiers out of the fire. Several times he and his men broke through to military units surrounded by militants and took the wounded out of there. This hero's name is Igor Milyutin.

The sixth, a military pilot, flew more than 300 combat missions in the second Chechen war, and more than 100 in the first, of which one is the most notable. Once Dudayev's men shot down a Russian plane, and the hero suppressed anti-aircraft weapons militants, and then with fire from the sky drove them away from the place where the pilot of the downed plane landed until a rescue helicopter arrived. Victor Bondarev is the name of the hero.

The rest are test pilots Gennady Ireikin, Sergey Borisov and Andrey Soldatenkov.

1999

The first reception in the restored St. Andrew's and Alexander halls (on the occasion of Independence Day).

1994—1998

St. Andrew's and Alexander's halls were restored under the leadership of the Presidential Administration Pavel Borodin and Professor Podyapolsky. At the same time, they approached the matter with all possible care: they followed the original in all its luxury (for example, 50 kilograms of gold went into gilding). In place of Ivanov-Shitz’s interiors, a Malachite Foyer appeared in the lobby in front of the Guest Annex. But malachite is not real, but simply painted.

The financial side of the project is a separate matter.

1997

In the St. George's Hall, awards are presented to two Heroes of Russia.

The first commanded the Black Wing tank battalion and, during the first Chechen war, thoroughly battered the militants throughout almost the entire territory of Chechnya, without suffering any losses of their own. The hero's name is Vadim Makarov.

The second was a test pilot and major general of aviation. Created the Berkut aerobatic team. He made a significant contribution to the development of the capabilities of the Black Shark helicopter. True, in the end he died in it, but only after he became a Hero of Russia. And his name was Boris Vorobiev.

The pictures are signed and clickable.

Late USSR

1990

First Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR. This transitional form highest state power between the Supreme Council of the RSFSR and Federal Assembly. The Congress of People's Deputies resolved any issues within the jurisdiction of the RSFSR, and also formed the Supreme Council of the RSFSR as its permanent parliamentary body.

So, the first congress elects Boris Yeltsin as Chairman of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR, Ivan Silaev as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, and also adopts the Declaration of state sovereignty RSFSR. This Declaration began constitutional reform. Key points: priority Russian legislation over the Soviet; equality of political parties and associations; separation of legislative, judicial and executive powers; expansion of the rights of subjects of the RSFSR. All this was an attempt to establish a democratic Russia within the USSR.

The pictures are signed and clickable.

1970

That's it, the era of independence is over, we are plunging into the era of dependence. Sessions of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR move from the BKD Meeting Hall to the main hall of the Kremlin Presidium.

1962

Congresses of the CPSU are transferred from the Grand Kremlin Palace to the Palace of Congresses.

1959

Twenty-first Congress of the CPSU in the Conference Hall. The main result was the adoption of a seven-year plan for the development of the national economy. This plan provides for the active construction of communism as such, because socialism, in the opinion of those present, has already been achieved.

At the congress, Khrushchev disparages the Yugoslav revisionists, excludes the revival of capitalism in the USSR, and convinces of the inevitable victory of the USSR over the West in the peaceful economic competition of growing socialism with decaying capitalism...

1958

The Supreme Council of the USSR adopts the law “On criminal liability for state crimes.” It contains the following article: “Propaganda of war, in whatever form it may be carried out, is punishable by imprisonment for a term of three to eight years and with or without exile for a term of two to five years.” How is war propaganda defined in law? No way.

1957

The Supreme Council of the USSR indicates the restoration of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the RSFSR. Chechens and Ingush are beginning to return to their homeland from deportation. The Kalmyk and Karachay peoples will also be rehabilitated with the restoration of their territorial entities.

1956

Twentieth Congress of the CPSU. The peaceful coexistence of capitalist and socialist countries and the variety of paths to socialism were discussed. A decision was made to stop building steam locomotives and instead introduce diesel and electric locomotives.

And a few days later, on June 30, a reception in honor of the anniversary of the Academy of Sciences takes place in the same scenery.

The Supreme Council also establishes a new military rank - Generalissimo of the Soviet Union. The next day this title was awarded to Stalin. The State Defense Committee is also being abolished, its functions are transferred to the Council of People's Commissars. There was also an amnesty on the occasion of the victory over Germany.

1944

The Supreme Council of the USSR passes laws according to which the union republics are granted powers in the field of foreign relations and are ordered to create their own military formations.

And the Supreme Council also indicates that the Tuvan People's Republic should be accepted into the USSR at the request of the workers there.

And they also indicate to evict everyone Balkars from Kabardino-Balkaria for cooperation many Balkars with the Germans, and settle Kabardian collective farmers in their place.

They also indicate that all Chechens and Ingush should be evicted, the Chechen-Ingush Republic should be liquidated, and the land should be divided between the Stavropol Territory, Dagestan, North Ossetia and Georgia.

1943

The Supreme Council of the USSR orders the deportation of the Karachais and Kalmyks. Karachay Autonomous Okrug is divided between Georgia, Stavropol and Krasnodar territories. Kalmykia turned into the Astrakhan region, and some of its parts went to Stalingrad and Rostov region and Stavropol region.

1942

The Supreme Council of the USSR establishes a commission to investigate German atrocities, as well as a decree “On the establishment of complete unity of command and the abolition of the institution of military commissars in the Red Army.”

In August, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived at the Grand Kremlin Palace. He brought sandwiches from London, believing that during the war they lived from hand to mouth, but the luxurious reception stunned him. It was not possible to agree on the opening of a second front, but Churchill used it well and was led out by hand.

1941

Reception for participants of the decade of Tajik art.

The Supreme Council of the USSR passes a decree prohibiting enterprises from selling equipment and materials to third parties.

And then the war began, and a bomb fell on the Big Concert Hall, breaking through the ceiling of St. George's Hall. The Supreme Council adopts decrees on mobilization and martial law, establishes the State Defense Committee, presents awards, grants amnesty to Polish citizens languishing in Soviet camps, and also deports the Volga Germans with the accompanying destruction of their Republic.

In October, the Supreme Council evacuated to Kuibyshev (Samara) and already there adopted an interesting decree “On the tax on bachelors, single and childless citizens of the USSR.”

1940

Receptions for participants of the decades of Belarusian and Buryat-Mongolian art, as well as for participants of the decade of Leningrad art.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Council of the USSR passes an interesting decree, popularly known as the “Law on Absenteeism.” An eight-hour working day is established (previously it was less) and a seven-day working week (one day off - Sunday). It is prohibited to leave an enterprise without permission or to move from one enterprise to another without permission (for this you will be imprisoned for 2-4 months). For absenteeism without a good reason, they are assigned six months of correctional labor (and previously they were simply fired). The heads of enterprises who did not bring the truant to trial or accepted the “defector” themselves go to trial.

The Supreme Council also passes decrees on the annexation of Bessarabia and Bukovina, as well as the creation of the Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian, Karelo-Finnish and Moldavian SSRs. Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians consider this an occupation.

1939

The Supreme Soviet of the USSR passes laws on the inclusion of Western Ukraine and Belarus into the Ukrainian and Belarusian SSRs, respectively. The opinion of modern residents of Western Ukraine on this matter is known.

A detailed law, consisting of 8 chapters, “On universal military service” was also adopted. And two more decrees cancel parole for prisoners of camps, colonies and prisons. And only miners, pensioners, disabled people and military families are allowed to live in mining camps.

A big reception in honor of pilots Vladimir Kokkinaki and Mikhail Gordienko - they successfully completed a non-stop flight from Moscow to North America. And then the reception of military pilots from Khalkhin Gol (there was an unannounced local war Empire of Japan and Manchukuo against the USSR and Mongolia). And then a reception for participants of the decades of Armenian and Kyrgyz art.

And this year the Eighteenth Congress of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) took place. The congress approves the third five-year plan, sums up the results of the transition period from capitalism to socialism and sets the course for the transition to a communist society. The task has been set to catch up and overtake the West.

1938

Meeting of the Papaninites in the Grand Kremlin Palace. The Papanins are employees of the world’s first polar drifting station “North Pole” (Ivan Papanin, Evgeny Fedorov, Ernst Krenkel, Pyotr Shirshov). The station was located on a drifting ice floe, but it began to crack and melt, so there was a whole epic to save the expedition, which was followed by the whole country.

There was also a reception in honor of the participants of the decade of Azerbaijani art.

1937

Second gala reception in honor of Chkalov, Baidukov and Belyakov. They made their second ultra-long flight. Then the same reception in honor of pilots Mikhail Gromov, Andrei Yumashev and Sergei Danilin. And also a reception for the first polar expedition.
And also a reception for participants of the decades of republican art: from Georgia and Uzbekistan.

1936

A gala reception in honor of pilots Valery Chkalov, Georgy Baidukov and Alexander Belyakov. They made an ultra-long flight and became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Baidukov, by the way, lived until 1994 and during this time managed to create the USSR air defense system and receive 22 orders.

1935

The first “big Kremlin reception” in honor of graduates of military academies. And also a reception in honor of the railway workers who solved the problems of rational movement of freight trains.

1934

The Seventeenth Congress of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), also known as the “Congress of the Winners” and the “Congress of the Executed.” The congress adopts the second five-year plan: to finally liquidate capitalist elements and classes, complete collectivization and technical reconstruction of the national economy, etc. More than half of the congress delegates after a few years went to the camps or immediately to the wall.

In the same year - breakfast for participants of the May Day parade (mainly pilots). And then - a gala dinner in honor of the Chelyuskinites. The Chelyuskinites are not Semyon Chelyuskin’s associates, but the crew of the ship named after him. These polar explorers drifted in the Arctic Ocean until the ship was crushed by ice. They were evacuated from the ice floe by plane, but before that they lived on the ice floe for two months in polar winter conditions. The pilots became the first Heroes of the Soviet Union. The very first Gold Star was received by Anatoly Lyapidevsky.

In the same year, on the site of the Winter Garden, in the transition from the BKD to the Amusement Building, a cinema hall was built for Stalin.

1933—1934

St. Andrew's and Alexander's halls are connected into a meeting room. First of all, the Supreme Council of the USSR met. The appearance of the hall is official, the shape is very elongated.

The pictures are signed and clickable.

Revolution

1927

Fifteenth Congress of the CPSU(b). The delegates approve the Directives for drawing up the first five-year plan and accept the collectivization plan. Summing up the results of the struggle against Trotskyism. Leon Trotsky, Grigory Zinoviev, 75 active members of their bloc and about 10,000 ordinary supporters are expelled from the party. Representatives of the left opposition Timofey Sapronov were also expelled from the party.

1925

The Fourteenth Congress of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in St. Andrew's Hall (“Congress of Industrialization”). Rename RKP(b) to VKP(b). They are smashing the “Leningrad opposition” led by Grigory Zinoviev and Lev Kamenev. In terms of the economy, a course has been adopted towards industrialization, the predominance of socialist elements over capitalist ones, etc. Interesting quote:

By the way, a few words about one of the sources of the reserve - vodka. There are people who think that socialism can be built with white gloves. This is a grave mistake, comrades. If we have no loans, if we are poor in capital, and if, in addition, we cannot go into bondage with the Western European capitalists, we cannot accept the enslaving conditions that they offer us and which we rejected, then one thing remains: to look for sources in other areas. It's still better than enslavement. Here you have to choose between bondage and vodka, and people who think that they can build socialism with white gloves are sorely mistaken.

From the report of J.V. Stalin.

1924

Thirteenth Congress of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks). It was decided that the NEP had justified itself, the economy was being restored, and now it was necessary to develop metallurgy and light industry. And at the insistence of Nadezhda Krupskaya, two days before the congress, Lenin’s “Letter to the Congress” was read out at a meeting of the Council of Elders. Presumably, Lenin wrote this document in 1922 during an illness, but this is a debatable issue: there is an opinion that the author is Krupskaya. Be that as it may, in the letter Lenin calls for Stalin to be removed from the post of General Secretary for his rudeness, intolerance and capriciousness. The question was put to a vote of the elders, and in the end everyone voted for Stalin except Trotsky’s supporters. The document was announced at closed meetings of individual congress delegations, but reference to it was strictly prohibited.

And in the same year, the Fifth Congress of the Communist International takes place in St. Andrew’s Hall. Main question: what to do after the suppression of communist uprisings in Germany, Bulgaria and Greece and after the fascists came to power in Italy? In the end, we decided to strengthen discipline.

1921

Third Congress of the Communist International in St. Andrew's Hall. The Profintern was established, which European countries was supposed to be an alternative to social democratic trade unions and a transition to the tactics of a “united labor front”.

1917

During the October events, the Grand Kremlin Palace was practically not damaged. Catch your breath from the Red March, we are heading to Tsarist Russia.

silver Age

1904

A collection of aid was organized in the Grand Kremlin Palace for participants in the Russo-Japanese War.

1896

Coronation celebrations in honor of Nicholas II.

The pictures are signed and clickable.

Great reforms

1883

1870

On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the Don Army, the Cossacks presented their August Ataman, Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich, with a silver sculptural group with the figures of Count Platov and Ermak. This exhibit still stands in a glass case in the St. George's Hall.

The pictures are signed and clickable.

Nicholas I

1855

1849

Consecration of the finished Grand Kremlin Palace on Easter in the presence of Nicholas I. The Emperor personally inspects the ensemble of the palace and the Armory and is very pleased. He instructs to decorate the walls of the St. George's Hall with marble plaques with the names of all regiments holding St. George's banners.

The ceremony with the boards was like this. Metropolitan Philaret leads the prayer service in St. George's Hall. The Tsar gives a sign, and the gray-haired grenadiers raise a board with the name of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. As soon as they begin to nail it to the wall, the Tsar shouts “Hurray!”, and the Preobrazhensky men loudly take it up. After the ceremony, the emperor personally showed the soldiers the premises of the palace.

1847

Renewal of the Holy Canopy.

1842—1845

Redesign of the Red Staircase.

1839

Rebuilding the Holy Canopy.

1838

Bookmark BKD. Construction began simultaneously with the Cathedral of Christ the Savior by the same architect Ton. Konstantin Ton is the chief architect, Fyodor Solntsev is the chief artist, Pyotr Gerasimov and Nikolay Shokhin are “architectural assistants,” Fyodor Richter and Nikolay Chichagov are interior designers.

1837

Konstantin Ton begins developing a project for the Grand Kremlin Palace. During this pre-revolutionary time, the architect used revolutionary construction technologies: lightweight, long-span brick vaults, metal roof trusses, and the first use of cement.

By official version, the palace fits harmoniously into the ancient ensemble and develops the composition of the Terem Palace in monumental Russian-Byzantine forms. However, there is also a critical opinion: the bulky monotonous facade of the barracks style is unjustifiably expensive construction etc. The dinosaur of local history Sergei Romanyuk bonfires Nicholas I and Ton on the pages of his book as best he can.

1830s

Liquidation of the basements of the Golden Chamber.

1826

The pictures are signed and clickable.

Alexander I

1817

Peter the Great

1699

The Burmist Chamber (Town Hall, Zemsky Chancellery) is mentioned in the second embankment chambers.

1696

The tents and roof of the Golden Red Staircase are burning. The Semyonovsky Amusement Court (the center of royal falconry) is removed from the jurisdiction of the Grand Palace Order, which is transferred to the newly formed Preobrazhensky Order.

1691

The Upper and Lower Gardens are surrounded by new trellises. Rangehouse chambers (greenhouses) appear.

The pictures are signed and clickable.

Early Romanovs

1687

Construction of a special water tower with a clock near the Upper Garden, which transferred water from the Kremlin Water Tower.

1686

Lions and eagles on the Golden Red Staircase.

1685

Copper gilded roof over the Golden Red Staircase.

1683

Decoration of the Lower Garden with perspective writing. Peter Engles paints walls, gazebos, pillars, trellises and everything else.

1681

The dining room and its garden were dismantled, and a square was built in their place. The Naugolnaya and Panikhidnaya Embankment Chambers were restored, where the Dining Room was moved, which is why it has since been called the Panikhidnaya Chamber of the Dining Room.

The second embankments of the chamber (more precisely, basements) are given over to a pharmacy. Previously, there were Carving and Carpentry Chambers here.

The foundation of the Lower Red Garden Embankment is on a special stone building, to which a buttress is brought from the Tainitsky Gate. Garden buildings from the abolished garden in the Front Yard are being moved here.

A lead-lined pond is being built in the Upper Embankment Garden. Water came into it through a lead water pipeline from the Vodovzvodnaya Tower. It was here that Tsarevich Peter began sailing on fun boats, komyagi, shnyags, carbuses, oshnyaks, ships and shavings.

1680

A temporary wooden flooring is being constructed for the royal procession from the Armory to the Amusement Palace.

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1672

A theater is set up above the order of the Apothecary Chamber, in which Master Yagan Godfried “performs a comedy, or comedy act,” with a troupe of 26 bourgeois comedians.

1667

1666

The Armory Chamber is painted in the building of the Palace Orders.

1663

Sretensky Cathedral loses its status as a palace temple after the construction of the Verkhospassky Cathedral.

1662

Poles carry out carving, gilding and painting work in the Dining Hut.

1661

Instead of the old Dining Hut, the sovereign builds a new one and magnificently decorates it with carvings, gilding and painting in a new overseas taste, according to the imagination of the engineer and colonel Gustav Dekenpin.

1660

The palace chamber, which housed the Apothecary Order and the Pharmacy, is being restored. The masonry apprentice Vavilka Savelyev makes windows, doors and new vaults in it, and the bannerman, that is, the draftsman, Ivashka Solovey paints the walls. This chamber is located near the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin.

1643

1606

, the Pretender's favorite, kills clerk Timofey Osipov. According to patriotic legend, the clerk exposed False Dmitry as an Pretender, but there is a version that he tried to stab the Tsar in his sleep. One way or another, the clerk is killed and thrown out the window onto the Zhitny Dvor.

A few hours after this, Tatishchev kills Basmanov himself at the entrance to the mansion. Then False Dmitry ran through his mansion, pursued by the crowd, and climbed out through the window, but stumbled and fell, again, onto the Zhitny Dvor, dislocating his leg, breaking his chest and losing consciousness.

In this state, the tsar was found by a detachment of archers, to whom he promised the property of the rebellious boyars. The conspirators, however, sent their man Ivan Golitsyn to Queen Martha so that she could once again confirm that this was her son and the real Dmitry. The messenger, of course, brought accusations of imposture, and then the beaten and torn to pieces False Dmitry was shot at point-blank range by Grigory Valuev, the ancestor of the same Peter Valuev who demolished Kremlin antiquities 200 years later. Then there was a sophisticated posthumous insult, but in a different place.

After all this new king Vasily Shuisky builds timber mansions for himself and his queen, so as not to live in the mansions of False Dmitry.

1605

False Dmitry demolishes Godunov's mansions and puts in their place, that is, on the roof of the Reserve Palace, new elegant mansions “in Polish taste.” The façade looks out onto the river. In sources these chambers are also called the Fornication Chambers.

A contemporary and eyewitness tells the following about the construction of these mansions:

Above the great Kremlin wall, False Dmitry ordered the construction of a magnificent building, from where all of Moscow could be seen. It was built on a high mountain, under which the Moscow River flowed, and consisted of two buildings, located one next to the other and meeting at an angle. One was intended for the future queen, and the other for the king. So the palace stood on top of high triple walls. In this palace, Dimitri ordered very expensive canopies to be gilded, the walls to be upholstered with expensive brocade and felt velvet; cover all nails, hooks, chains and door hinges with a very thick layer of gold plating; make excellent stoves inside and decorate them with various works of art; The curtains at the windows should be made of excellent scarlet-colored fabric. He ordered the construction of luxurious baths, beautiful towers and a stable next to his palace, although it already had one large stable. In the palace described above, the king ordered the construction of many secret doors and passages...

But the music didn’t play for long, Dmitry didn’t dance for long...

1601—1602

Tsar Boris Godunov builds a Reserve Palace on a vzrub (a low wooden basement) to reduce the consequences of crop failure and hunger (“to feed people”). There were also wooden living chambers of Boris Godunov.

1599

Around this time, Godunov was rebuilding the second embankments of the chamber.

The pictures are signed and clickable.

Ivan groznyj

1560-70s

Construction of the economic chambers of the Palace orders.

1571

Fire from Devlet-Girey. During restoration, all reception chambers were decorated with murals.

1561

Renovation of the royal palace.

1560

Ivan the Terrible builds wooden mansions for his sons on the cutting, as well as the Sretensky Cathedral.

Maximilian I The Ambassador presents the princess with “a bird that has fallen and a piece of gray cloth.” This happens in Sophia Fominichna’s “embankment sennik and middle vulsha.”

1488

Mention of the embankment of the Grand Duke's upper room.

1487

Foundation of the Holy Canopy. Marco Ruffo lays the foundation for the Small (Embankment) Chamber on the site of the embankment tower of Dmitry Donskoy.

1479

Ivan III c. the middle upper room gives a table to Metropolitan Gerontius and the spiritual authorities.

1404

The prince of the great plan set a chapel in his yard behind the church, for St. Annunciation. This clock-keeper will be called the Hour-Meter; at every hour he strikes the bell with a hammer, measuring and calculating the hours of the night and day; not striking a person, but human-like, spontaneously and self-propelled, in a strange way; it was created by human cunning, dreamed and cunning.

Chronicle

Another chronicler adds that the clock was “wonderful and with the moon...”, or with the lunar flow, as they later expressed about similar clocks. The master and artist of these famous clocks was the monk Lazar, a Serb by birth, who came to Moscow from Mount Athos.

Appanage principality

1380

According to “The Tale of the Mamaev Massacre,” the news of the approach of Mamaev’s forces finds Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy at a feast in the embankment towers: he drank a cup for his brother Vladimir Andreevich. Further, when the Moscow army set out on a campaign with the prince, the story describes the cry of his wife: “The Great Princess Evdokia went into the golden-domed tower on the embankment, into her vestibule and sat down under the glass window on a bed... shedding tears...” According to other lists: “... I’ll sit under the southern windows... down into the embankments of the canopy and sit on the rundutse (chair) under the glass window..."

Beginning of Moscow

XIII century

The princely court moves from the Borovitsky Gate to the place where the Grand Kremlin Palace is now. Details unknown.

March 24th, 2015

"The earth begins
as you know, from the Kremlin"
(c) V. Mayakovsky.

How many different palaces have we visited on our travels? But the most important thing in our hometown, the Grand Kremlin Palace, remained completely unattainable for us. In the Kremlin you can officially visit the Armory Chamber, the Diamond Fund, cathedrals, but for some reason the beautiful Grand Kremlin Palace is not on the visit list. Strange. Delegations of all kinds of foreigners and separate excursions for some organizations are taken there, apparently to raise the level of patriotism. We always dreamed of going there and as soon as we had the opportunity to visit the BKD, we gladly took advantage of this opportunity. The object is secure. That’s why you can shoot here, but not here. What this is connected with is again unclear. But those are the rules. As a result, it was possible to film in the state rooms of the Faceted Chamber, but not on the ground floor or in the Terem Palace. But what he saw was still amazing.
1. The Grand Kremlin Palace is one of the most massive buildings inside the Kremlin. Construction of the palace began at the same time as the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Its construction was completed in 1849. The palace was supposed to symbolize the new Moscow. However, the old Kremlin buildings were not lost as a result of large construction. And as a result, the Grand Kremlin Palace is connected with the Terem Palace and the Faceted Chamber and forms one whole with them.

2. Let's start with the Chamber of Facets. Here in the distance are the doors that lead to the Red Porch.

3. And this room itself is the Holy Entrance. By the way, the Chamber of Facets was restored in 2012 and now appears before visitors in all its splendor. By the way, does anyone know what that thing is on the right side of the wall? Maybe these are the air ducts of the ventilation or heating system.

4. Beautiful painting and gilding all around - it looks very rich.

By the way, here is an archival photo. Here you can see that the current parquet is much more interesting than in the photo from the beginning of the last century.

5. Paintings in arches on religious themes. It is surprising that in the time of Peter I the paintings were painted over and the vaults were covered with a rag with the image of a double-headed eagle.

6. A little more parquet.

7. There are very beautiful chandeliers here.

8. And door handles.

9. The door portals are also very richly decorated.

10. Chamber of Facets. All the walls are painted here. It can be seen, by the way, that the walls in the room are quite thick.

11. In the middle of the chamber there is a pillar on which the ceiling vaults rest.

12. The vaults themselves are also richly painted.

13. Very beautiful. By the way, the carpet on the floor is also a restored authentic part of the interior.

Here is the reception in honor of the coronation of Alexander III. The royal place attracts attention. A kind of podium with a canopy.

Here's another interesting thing. The interior before restoration of its historical appearance. The walls are draped, the vaults are whitewashed. Around the pillar are shelves with dishes.

And here is the same interior after restoration. Even the royal place looks different.

14. Now there is no royal place in the interior; most likely it was lost in Soviet times, since the chamber was used for receptions in modern times. But the lamps remained authentic.

15. In general, the Chamber of Facets is a special place. For example, the coronation of Alexander III was celebrated here, meetings of the boyar duma were held here, and the capture of Kazan in 1552 was also celebrated here. A place with a lot of history.

16. The painting on the lower part of the walls also looks very cool, as if it were covered with fabric.

17. Very, very beautiful authentic lamps. Fine work.

18. I understand that the paintings on the walls mainly tell about scenes from the life of the king.

19. Another general view of the room. By the way, the hall is not that big. Many people now rent premises or even larger ones to celebrate weddings.

20. However, as I already said, this place is not simple, but with history. By the way, the pattern of the carpet is clearly visible here. In general, the Faceted Chamber looks very authentic... in the old Russian way, so to speak. It was very interesting to visit here.

21. We leave the Faceted Chamber and passing through the Holy Entrance Hall we find ourselves in the Vladimir Hall.

22. The hall is very solemn and beautiful. In fact, it connects the state halls of the Grand Kremlin Palace, the Faceted Chamber and the old Terem Palace.

23. The hall is named after the Order of St. Vladimir. By the way, the upholstery of the banquettes here is exactly the same color as the order’s ribbon.

24. The staircase leads to the Terem Palace.

It is interesting that during the Russo-Japanese War, a sewing workshop was organized in the halls of the Kremlin Palace where they sewed things to be sent to the front. But in the Vladimir Hall the packing of things took place.

25. Ceiling with a translucent lantern that lets light in. The vaults are decorated with gilded ornaments and images of the Order of St. Vladimir. There is also a very beautiful gilded chandelier.

26. The doors leading to the St. George's Hall repeat their shape as the windows on the facade of the building.

27. On the glass there is an ornament and an image of the Order of St. George.

28. The same goes for door handles.

29. The most pompous, most beautiful of all the halls is St. George's Hall.

30. There is a beautiful and complex pattern on the parquet. Huge gilded chandeliers. High ceilings.

31. The hall is huge. There are windows in two rows on both sides.

Here is an interesting shot from Soviet times. It looks like a Kremlin Christmas tree for Soviet pioneers.

32. In the niches there are tablets with the names of the holders of the order. The upholstery of the banquettes also follows the colors of the St. George ribbon.

33. The decoration of the St. George's Hall does not have as much gilding as in other parts of the BKD. Everything here is done in white colors, with stucco on the vaults and supporting columns. The only gold ones here are the images of the St. George's Stars.

34. Let’s appreciate the amazing parquet flooring again. A large number of types of wood, a complex pattern - this is a very delicate work.

35. Very beautiful. On the left side, the shape of the niches for nameplates follows the shape of the windows, as does the far wall with doors. So St. George's Hall was designed in the spirit of symmetry.

36. The parquet is protected and walking on it is not allowed. No wonder, such beauty.

37. In the ceiling you can see water camouflaged ceiling moldings, I think they are ventilation holes.

38. Another view. Pay attention to the sculptures standing on the columns between the windows.

39. Chic bronze gilded chandelier.

40. The numbers are impressive. The length of the hall is 61 meters, width 20.5, ceiling height - 17.5. The ceiling is supported by 18 pylons. The weight of one of the six chandeliers is 1.3 tons

41. The next hall is Alexandrovsky. It is interesting that in Soviet times, the Alexander and the next St. Andrew’s halls were united, all the beauty was dismantled.

It looked like this. This was the meeting room of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Quite sad.

42. In the mid-90s, a decision was made to reconstruct the Alexander and St. Andrew’s halls in their original form. And from 1994 to 1998 they were restored. In fact, these are replicas of the original interiors.

43. There is much more gilding here, especially after the “modest” St. George’s Hall. On the doors there is an image of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. Even the chairs are decorated with his image.

44. A very elegant hall, and even the curtains match the ribbon.

45. Here again, there is complete symmetry, the openings on the “blank” wall repeat the window openings. Mirrors also give the effect of light pouring from the windows.

Here is another photo from the time of the Russo-Japanese War.

46. ​​There are also luxurious chandeliers and a richly decorated ceiling with images of orders woven into the ornament.

47. Gilded columns.

48. The view is very formal.

49. On the door handle there is again an image of the order.

50. Next is another hall - Andreevsky. It was he who was the throne room of the Kremlin Palace. Accordingly, there is a throne, or rather three, and above them is the sign of the all-seeing eye.

51. Doors between the halls. Each is decorated with a ribbon with its own order.

52. Wall decoration and curtains in the color of the ribbon of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called - blue.

Here is a unique photo from the 90s. Restorers at work.

And here's another.

53. This is exactly what the miniatures on the columns at the top are painting.

Restoring parquet. In general, it is very interesting to see how all this was done.

54. Above the first row of windows along the perimeter are the coats of arms of the Russian provinces.

55. The design is again stucco with gilding.

56. Above the three throne seats there is an ermine canopy. They say that.... ermine is not real! The thrones are also not real - they are copies, but the real thrones have been preserved, now they are in the Armory.

57. The Order of St. Andrew the First-Called is the only one that is equipped with a chain. That is, the ceremonial version of the holder of the order should include such a chain, which is depicted on the doors of the hall.

58. Let's take another look at the throne. Very festive.

59. By the way, the side windows of the Andreevsky and Alexander halls overlook the Moscow River, from here there should be a beautiful view of Bolotny Island and Zamoskvorechye.

Other rooms on the second floor are not accessible to the public, as they contain the working premises of the Russian President. And no one is allowed there even in his absence. We also visited the Malachite Hall, which runs parallel to the Andreevsky and Alexander Halls, the Terem Palace - a very beautiful, authentic place, as well as the living quarters of the emperor and his family on the first floor, but it was impossible to film in all these rooms, which is a pity, there is something there look!

P.S.
I usually find all archival photos on

Not everyone has been there. Virtual tour of the Russian "Forbidden City".

St. Andrew's Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace of the Moscow Kremlin. Imperial throne. via

On the site President of Russia kremlin.ru, signed “Administration of the President of the Russian Federation”, where the first three sections are called: Russia. State. Putin(I wonder if this is a hint that Putin is president forever?), on the page Kremlin it says this:

"The Kremlin is open! Welcome!
Getting to the Moscow Kremlin is not difficult. No one is forbidden.[...]" I think it was said brilliantly.

2.

St. Andrew's State Hall in a watercolor by Konstantin Andreevich Ukhtomsky, 1849. The decoration in the Russian-Byzantine style was designed by Fyodor Grigorievich Solntsev. via

"But, no matter how many times you visit the Kremlin, no matter how well you become acquainted with its sights, some places in the Kremlin probably remain inaccessible to you. These are buildings and territories that are reserved for government agencies and services supporting the activities of the President of Russia.

A virtual tour will help fill this gap. It opens, unfortunately, hitherto closed to tourists objects that are part of the Kremlin complex of the President's residence. Moreover, it reveals - in unique pictorial detail.

The Senate Palace and the Grand Kremlin Palace will appear before you in every detail - right down to the inscriptions on the spines of books standing in the cabinets of the Presidential Library, and barely noticeable details of the ancient paintings of the Faceted Chamber. You will examine every stone, every piece of furniture, every monogram on high ceilings, every leaf in the Kremlin gardens as if you were in close proximity to them."

And according to the good old tradition: article from AD Russia magazine unchanged about the insides of the Grand Kremlin Palace:

We usually see the interiors of the Grand Kremlin Palace only on TV - as a background political events. We brought them to the forefront.

Grand Kremlin Palace

The Grand Kremlin Palace has about seven hundred rooms. The main staircase made of Reval stone leads to the second floor to the five main order halls. Its walls are made of artificial marble (the columns are made of real marble), the interior is designed in the spirit of the Renaissance and allows you to appreciate the innovative construction solutions of Konstantin Ton, who covered a large span with the help of metal structures. The figured castings on the ceiling are made of cement - an innovative technique at the time of construction of the palace.

3.

Vladimirsky Hall

The Vladimir Hall is one of the most unusual in the palace. In plan, it is a square with a side of sixteen meters, but the niches arranged in the corners give it the appearance of an octahedron. The decor reproduces the colors of the Order of St. Vladimir. The sixteen-sided hipped vault is made of hollow ceramic pots to lighten the structure and improve acoustics. The hall is illuminated by overhead light through a special opening. The staircase leads to the old part of the complex - the Terem Palace.

4.

St. Andrew's Hall

St. Andrew's Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, built in 1849 by Konstantin Ton, in the 19th century was considered the main one in the enfilade of ceremonial rooms dedicated to the main orders of the Russian Empire. St. Andrew's Hall, as its name suggests, glorifies the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, the very first Russian order, established by Peter I in 1699. Ten gilded pylons of the hall and gilded doors are decorated with chains and crosses from the symbols of the order. At the end of the hall are three throne seats with an ermine canopy above them, and above the windows are the coats of arms of the Russian provinces.

5.

Alexander Hall

The Alexander Hall in the Grand Kremlin Palace is dedicated to the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, established in 1725 by Catherine II. Its walls are lined with pink marble, the domed ceiling and the sail vaults supporting it are covered with images of the order's coats of arms and stars.

6.

The same stars are woven on the backs of the chairs: the velvet upholstery is the same color as the sash. Along the walls of the hall there are paintings from the life of Alexander Nevsky. This hall, like St. Andrew's, was rebuilt during the Soviet era and restored in the 1990s. Sometimes the hall is used for meetings of the State Council.

7.

St. George's Hall

St. George's Hall is the first in the front suite of the Grand Palace. Its theme is the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, established by Catherine II in 1769. On the walls of the hall there are marble panels with the names of the holders of the order (golden caskets with lists once stood on the southern wall of the room).

8.

The main motif of the decor is the order cross; on the top of the columns there are statues - allegories of lands and kingdoms that became part of Russia from the 15th to the 19th centuries. They are created by Ivan Vitali. In the photo below are carved doors leading from the St. George's Hall to the Alexander Hall.

9.

Antechamber

The antechamber is a small room leading from the main staircase to the St. George's Hall. The central place on its light green walls is occupied by a painting by the famous French battle painter Adolphe Yvon, depicting the Battle of the Kulikovo Field (1850).

10.

Terem Palace

The holy vestibule is located in the oldest part of the Grand Kremlin Palace complex - the Terem Palace. It was built in 1635 by a team of Russian craftsmen - Bazhen Ogurtsov, Trefil Shaturin, Antip Konstantinov and Larion Ushakov. From the Red Porch, facing Cathedral Square, through the Holy Entrance Hall you can get to the Faceted Chamber and the Vladimir Hall.

11.

Faceted Chamber

The faceted chamber of the Terem Palace is the most ancient room of the palace complex. It was built in 1491 by Italian architects Marco Ruffo and Piero Antonio Solari and served as the throne room for the king. Ivan III. Passed here Zemsky Sobors and meetings of the Boyar Duma, received foreign ambassadors. The walls of the chamber are decorated with 16th-century paintings with religious scenes. In 1668 they were renovated by the painter Simon Ushakov with a team of folk craftsmen from Palekh.

12.

Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The main building of the Kremlin's Cathedral Square. It was built in 1479 by the Italian Aristotle Fioravanti. In 1547, it was here that the first Russian Tsar, Ivan IV the Terrible, was crowned.

13.

Original article.

Built in 1838-1849 by order of Emperor Nicholas I by a group of Russian architects under the leadership of K. A. Ton (N. I. Chichagov, F. F. Richter, P. A. Gerasimov, V. A. Bakaryov).

Story

The new imperial palace was built on the initiative of Nicholas I in 1838-1850. on the site of the dismantled ancient grand-ducal palace of Ivan III and erected on its foundation in the 18th century. Palace of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. Design and construction were carried out by a group of architects consisting of: N.I. Chichagov, V.A. Bakarev, F.F. Richter, P.A. Gerasimov, F.G. Solntsev and others under the general leadership of K.A. Ton, recognized as the founder of the “Byzantine-Russian style”.

The palace complex, which later received the name “Grand Kremlin Palace”, in addition to the newly built building, included part of the surviving buildings of the late 15th-17th centuries, which were previously part of the ancient grand ducal and later royal residence. These are the Faceted Chamber, the Golden Tsarina Chamber, the Terem Palace and palace churches. After the construction in 1851 of the Armory Chamber and the Apartment building adjacent to it from the north, connected by an air passage to the palace complex, a single ensemble of the Grand Kremlin Palace was formed, connected compositionally and stylistically.

By setting up new buildings, K.A. Ton to a certain extent reproduced the layout of the ancient ensemble, and the design of the facades developed the architectural theme of ancient buildings. The arcade of the first tier of the palace is a remake of the Aleviz basement; the terrace on top of the arcade repeats the old walkways and connects the ensemble in space; the winter garden above the new passage is reminiscent of the hanging gardens of antiquity; carved figured frame of window openings of the two-story second floor, profiled pilasters between them, central elevated part with kokoshniks, covered with a dome, echo the architecture of the Terem Palace. However, the dryness and monotony of the facades deprives the building of the picturesqueness inherent in the Terems.

Nevertheless, the work of K.A. Ton is marked by innovation: long-span lightweight brick vaults, metal truss roof structures, unique to Russian architecture, and the use of new building materials, in particular cement for figured castings, were highly appreciated by contemporaries.

The internal layout of the imperial palace, numbering about seven hundred rooms, includes a main vestibule with a staircase; five ceremonial order halls; reception rooms of the Empress; residential quarters of the imperial family, the so-called “Own Half” and service premises located on the ground floor. Luxurious interior decoration in the spirit of the times is made in different styles - from “Renaissance” to “Byzantine-Russian” and is distinguished by elegance, subtle taste and high quality works The palace is rightly called the museum of Russian palace interior.

In 1933-1934. The Alexander and Andreevsky halls of the palace were rebuilt into the meeting hall of the Supreme Council of the USSR, on long years having lost the splendor of its interiors. In 1994-1998 the halls, by decision of the President of the Russian Federation, were restored.

The palace, as conceived by Nicholas I, was a monument to Russian history and the glory of the Russian army. Five ceremonial halls on the second floor of the palace - Andreevsky, Alexandrovsky, Georgievsky, Vladimirsky, Catherine - are dedicated to Russian orders, elements of which are included in the stucco decoration of each room.

In the 19th century, the main hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace was Andreevsky(throne room. In the mid-90s of the 20th century, St. Andrew's Hall was restored to its original splendor. The hall is decorated with 10 gilded pylons and gilded doors with order crosses and chains of the St. Andrew's Order, established by Emperor Peter I. The walls are covered with blue, the color of the St. Andrew's ribbon, silk moiré, decorated with chains and signs of the order. The coats of arms of the provinces and regions of Russia are placed above the windows. 10 bronze chandeliers and 35 sconces illuminate the hall. A worthy decoration of the interior of the hall and the entire palace are two fireplaces made of gray-violet jasper. Three throne seats under ermine have been restored near the eastern wall. On especially solemn occasions, the highest military officials gathered here. Today it is the venue for the most solemn events of national importance.

Adjacent to Andreevsky, Alexandrovsky The hall was created in honor of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, established in 1725 by Empress Catherine I. The walls of the hall are decorated with pink artificial marble. Along them stand gilded chairs, upholstered in ribbon-colored velvet with an order star woven on their backs. The sail vaults carry a spherical dome, also decorated with order insignia and state emblems. The walls of the hall are hung with paintings by Moller depicting scenes from the life of Alexander Nevsky.

Georgievsky- the largest and most solemn hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace. The hall is dedicated to one of the most honorable royal awards - the military Order of St. George, established in 1769 by Empress Catherine II. The huge vaulted ceiling of the St. George's Hall rests on eighteen massive pylons, decorated with sculptures by Ivan Vitali. The snow-white walls and vaults of the hall are decorated with relief ornaments, into which images of the insignia of the order are inscribed. On the marble walls and boards covering the walls and pylons, the names of the regiments awarded the Order of St. are carved in gold letters. George, and names Knights of St. George. In the semicircles of the transverse walls there are high relief sculptures of St. George on a horse by sculptor Pyotr Klodt.

Currently, the entire complex of the Grand Kremlin Palace, except for the Armory Chamber, is the main Residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

Photos

St. George's Hall. Interior

Vladimirsky Hall. Interior

Catherine Hall. Interior

Alexander Hall. Interior

St. Andrew's Hall. Interior

Guest annex. Antechamber

Guest annex. Petrovsky Hall

Guest annex. Shtofny hall

State apartments. Green living room

State apartments. Red living room

Own half. The Empress's drawing room

Own half. The Empress's Cabinet

Own half. Emperor's office

Own half. Bedchamber

(Russian: Grand Kremlin Palace; English: Grand Kremlin Palace)

Opening hours: The palace is closed to the public. You can visit it only as part of organized excursions, upon prior request, with the submission of passport data and agreement on the date of the visit.

Big Kremlin Palace- one of the palaces of the Moscow Kremlin. It stands on the high Borovitsky hill. The palace was built in the period from 1838-1849. Previously, there was a palace on this site, built in the 18th century by the architect B.-F. Rastrelli, and before that - the Grand Duke's Palace of Ivan III. The first stone buildings of the Grand Kremlin Palace were built by the Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin in 1499-1508.

Historically, after the capital was moved from Moscow to St. Petersburg, the Kremlin palaces lost their former significance. During the reign of Tsarina Anna Ioannovna, who spent a significant part of her time in Moscow, more attention was paid to the palaces, but the large Kremlin Palace of that time was increasingly dilapidated. Under Anna Ioannovna, new imperial apartments “Winter Annenhof” - a wooden palace in the Baroque style (architect B.-F. Rastrelli) were erected on the basement of the old palace.

Under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, the imperial court again lived in St. Petersburg, but in the Kremlin, anyway, it was decided to build a new royal residence. The new building externally resembled the Great Peterhof Palace.

When Catherine II ascended the throne, this palace was recognized as not corresponding to the greatness of the Russian Empire, and it was decided to replace it with a new building. The new palace was to be located throughout the riverine territory of the Kremlin, spreading from the banks of the Moscow River to the entire Borovitsky Hill.

On June 1, 1773, the ceremonial laying of the new palace took place. However, it soon became clear that such large-scale construction was impractical and work was stopped in 1774. The destroyed Kremlin wall and towers were restored, and instead of a grandiose palace, only a building was built for the Moscow branch of the Senate.

Until 1812, there were no new attempts to renovate the palace, but the start of construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior again raised the question of building a new Kremlin palace, which would symbolize the renewal of Moscow.

The new residence was built on the initiative of Nicholas I. The design of the palace was entrusted to the famous architect Konstantin Ton, the author of the design of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. As a model for the stylistic solution of the proposed palace, Thon was instructed to take the design solution of the Kolomna Palace (1836, architect Stackenschneider, the project was not implemented), which developed the composition of the Kremlin Terem Palace in monumental forms.

Initially, the Grand Kremlin Palace and the Armory were considered as a single complex, which was to be built simultaneously. In 1842, construction was divided into two phases.

The palace building forms a rectangle with a courtyard. Externally, the palace is decorated in the style of previous centuries: its facades are decorated with carved white stone pediments, and the windows are decorated with carved frames with double arches and a weight in the middle, as in the towers of the 17th century. From the main façade the building appears to be three stories high, but in reality it has only two floors. Thanks to the arched windows separated by thin partitions, this first floor of the palace looks like an enclosed gallery. In the center of the palace above the roof there is a tribune, completed with a gilded balustrade.

The length of the Kremlin Palace is 125 meters, height is 47 meters, and the total area is 25,000 m². The palace complex, known as the Grand Kremlin Palace, in addition to the building of the palace itself, also includes some buildings from the period of the 15th - 17th centuries, which in the past were part of the grand duke and then the royal residence (the Faceted Chamber, the Golden Tsarina Chamber, the Terem Palace, palace churches) .

The total number of rooms in the palace complex reaches 700. Five halls of the palace (George, Vladimir, Aleksandrovsky, Andreevsky and Catherine), named after the orders of the Russian Empire, are currently used for state and diplomatic receptions and official ceremonies, and the palace itself is the ceremonial residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

When constructing the palace complex, Konstantin Ton to some extent repeated the layout of the previous palace, and the architectural design echoes the legendary architectural structures of antiquity. For example, the arcade of the first tier of the palace is a remake of the Aleviz basement; the terrace on top of the arcade repeats the old walkways and connects the ensemble in space; the winter garden, above the new passage, is reminiscent of the hanging gardens of antiquity; carved figured frame of window openings of the two-story second floor, profiled pilasters between them; the central elevated part with kokoshniks, covered with a dome, echoes the architecture of the Terem Palace. But Ton was not afraid to introduce innovations in the construction of the palace - it was the first structure in Russian architecture with long-span lightweight brick vaults and metal truss roof structures.

P The grand entrance of the Grand Kremlin Palace is inconspicuously located in the southern facade of the building, that is, from the side of the Moscow River, from where the visitor enters a marble vestibule with monolithic columns made of Serdobol granite (Serdobol is a city on the shore of Lake Ladoga). On the left side of the lobby there is the so-called Own half of them imperial majesties, stretching in a long suite of rooms along the main facade. A remarkable decoration of the main palace entrance were four bronze floor lamps, cast and assembled in Moscow at the Krumbugel factory.

A staircase consisting of sixty-six gentle steps leads to the second floor of the Grand Kremlin Palace, to the state halls. The main staircase is decorated with yellow Kolomna marble, which is used to line the columns along the flights and flights of the stairs. The pointed arches of the main staircase are installed on this marble colonnade. The flights of stairs are illuminated by twelve bronze chandeliers, made in the same style as the floor lamps of the Grand Entrance Hall.

On the second floor, on both sides of the main staircase, ten pylons made of yellow Kolomna marble frame the side platforms - galleries. On the right hangs a painting depicting the battle of Dmitry Donskoy with the Tatars on the Kulikovo Field in 1380. It was painted in 1850 by the French artist A. Yvon, a student of P. Delharosh. The left platform leads to the State Halls.

The magnificent interior decoration of the palace is made in different styles, from the Renaissance to the Byzantine-Russian style. The most beautiful hall is St. George's, named after the Order of St. George the Victorious - the highest and most revered order in the Russian army, established by Empress Catherine II in 1769 to reward officers and generals. The motto of the order is “For service and courage.” This was the most honorable award for the military, the highest order of the Russian army. The appearance of the St. George's Hall in the Grand Kremlin Palace thus turned the imperial residence into a monument to the military exploits of Russian weapons. This hall does not amaze with its boundless luxury, but rather with its severity and scale.

The longitudinal walls of the hall are cut with deep niches. In the niches and on the walls there are marble plaques on which the names of famous military units and the names of the St. George cavaliers are written in gold letters. Here are the names of 545 regiments, naval crews and batteries and more than 10,000 names of officers and generals awarded this order. Among the holders of the Order of St. George are such people as Alexander Suvorov, Mikhail Kutuzov, Pyotr Bagration, Fyodor Ushakov, Pavel Nakhimov.

St. George's Hall is the largest room of the palace. Its length is 61 meters, width – 20.5 meters, height 17.5 meters. White and gold are the main colors of the St. George's Hall, white are the vaults, walls and sculptures, gold are the names of the St. George's Knights and military formations on the boards and edges of the piols. The hall is decorated with 18 powerful twisted columns, covered with ornaments and crowned with statues of victories with laurel wreaths and memorable dates. The marble statues, on pylons, allegorically symbolize the regions and kingdoms that make up the multinational state. On the southern and northern walls of the room there are bas-reliefs depicting St. George and the serpent, their author is Pavel Kladsh. The insignia of the order decorate top part walls of the snow-white St. George's Hall.

During ceremonial receptions, officers gathered in the hall, on whose uniforms the same signs that decorated the walls of the hall sparkled. In 1945, in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, a ceremonial reception for participants of the Victory Parade on Red Square was held. Here, the world's first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, was greeted with honors.

To illuminate the hall, there are six openwork gilded bronze chandeliers, weighing 1,300 kilograms each, 40 wall sconces, and gilded furniture upholstered in silk, the colors of the St. George's ribbon. The ceiling is decorated with stucco in the form of floral patterns. The original parquet flooring, made in 1845, has been preserved in the St. George's Hall. To complete it, 20 rare types of wood were required: Indian rosewood, African padauk, beech, ash, plane tree and many others.

The Alexander Hall was built in honor of the Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, established on May 25, 1725 by Empress Catherine I. The motto of the order is “For Labor and the Fatherland.” Six historical paintings were created and mounted in the upper niches of the end sides of the hall. On the western side are the military exploits of the prince, on the eastern are scenes from his peaceful life, a builder of monasteries, an enlightened and just ruler.

The hall has a rectangular shape and occupies the central part of the second floor, along the southern facade of the Grand Kremlin Palace. In the central part of the hall there is a large elliptical dome resting on four powerful pylons. In the golden bas-reliefs of the dome, the insignia of the order with the monogram S.A. - Sanctus Alexander - St. Alexander stands out clearly. At the corners of the dome and above the massive gilded doors there are double-headed eagles.

The huge, two-tier windows of the Alexander Hall face south and literally flood all the rooms with light reflected in numerous mirrors. The walls are decorated with white and pink artificial marble, red velvet, and the furniture is upholstered in the color of the sash. The luxurious gilded decoration of the hall is in harmony with the unique parquet floor made of 20 types of trees.

According to the project of academician F.G. Solntsev, in the St. Petersburg workshop of Yegor Skvortsov, enfilade swing doors covered with wooden carvings and gilding were made. An important decorative element in the decoration of the hall was the gilded and silver-plated copper coats of arms of the provinces and regions of the Russian Empire, made by Vasily Krumbugel, painted oil paints on gold and silver boards to look like enamel.

St. Andrew's Hall (throne room), which was the main hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace in the 19th century, has been recreated in its original splendor. St. Andrew's throne room was erected in honor of the highest order of Russia - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, established by Peter the Great on March 10, 1698. The motto of the order is “For faith and fidelity.” St. Andrew's Hall has gilded doors with order crosses and chains of the Order of St. Andrew, 10 bronze chandeliers and 35 sconces, two unique fireplaces made of gray-violet jasper, as well as three thrones under ermine and a unique parquet mosaic made of many valuable types of wood. The walls of the hall are covered with blue silk fabric the color of St. Andrew's Order Ribbon.

This is one of the five ceremonial order halls of the Grand Kremlin Palace, located along the main ceremonial southern facade of the palace. Its huge space is strictly organized by five pairs of powerful supports. They divide its entire volume into three naves - large, central and smaller side ones. With its gilded pointed arches, two rows of majestic tetrahedral pylons, with the image All-Seeing Eye, in golden rays, above the imperial throne - the hall resembles a temple.

Three throne seats rise against its eastern wall, under ermine canopies. During the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II, they were intended for the emperor, empress, and dowager empress - the mother of Nicholas II. The imperial throne is surrounded by a tent, with an entrance of six steps, and covered with gold brocade. The tent is decorated with a magnificent ermine mantle. On the ceiling of the tent is the state emblem of the Russian Empire - a double-headed eagle. The wall above the tent is also decorated with the image of the state coat of arms, and on the sides of the tent there are double-headed eagles with St. Andrew's cross on the chest.

St. Andrew's Hall is illuminated through eighteen windows and two balcony doors to the southoh walls, cut into two tiers, strictly one above the other. WITH opposite side there are doors leading to the Cavalry Hall and the Antechamber. The most solemn events of national importance are held in the St. Andrew's Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

Mirrored doors in the northern wall of the St. George's Hall lead to the Vladimir's Hall. The Vladimir Hall conveys the history of the Order of St. Vladimir - one of the first Russian princes. It was established in honor of the Kyiv prince Vladimir, under whom the baptism of Rus' took place. The motto of the Order of St. Vladimir is “Benefit, honor and glory.” Many honored citizens were awarded the order, including one of the creators of the Kremlin Palace, architect Konstantin Ton.

This tall, octagonal hall from the 19th century ties together palaces from five centuries. The walls and pilasters of the Vladimir Hall are lined with pink marble. The Vladimir Hall amazes with its artistic design: pink marble walls and pilasters, molded gilded ornaments of vaults and cornices give this hall a fabulous beauty. The vault of the Vladimir Hall resembles Russian tents, the arches of the bypass side galleries seem to repeat the outlines of ancient arches.

The wide arches of the first tier give way to the triple, tighter arches of the second tier to go into the vaults of the dome covered with solid, gilded stucco. This molded gilded ornament was made, as on the cornices, by the molders the Dylev brothers.

In this hall during the day, light penetrates the glass lantern on the dome arch, and in the evening it is illuminated by a huge bronze gilded chandelier, the weight of which is about three tons. It is lowered to the height of the galleries of the second tier, and seems to float in the center of the space. The floor, according to a drawing by Academician F. G. Solntsev, is made of numerous valuable types of wood. From the hall you can get to the Faceted Chamber, St. George's Hall, Terem Palace and other rooms of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

On the Front half of the palace there is the Catherine Hall - in the past it was the throne room of Russian empresses. It is located somewhat away from the enfilade of ceremonial order halls on the second floor of the Grand Kremlin Palace. The Order of St. Catherine was established by Peter I in 1714 - this is the only women's order in Russia, its motto was “For love and the fatherland.” In the middle of the 19th century, this is where the throne of Her Imperial Majesty was located.

The Catherine Hall is relatively small - its length is 21 meters. The splendor of this hall is successfully combined with the special sophistication of decoration, comfort and intimacy. Badges of the order with the motto “For Love and the Fatherland”, sprinkled with large artificial diamonds, are located on the walls and doors of the hall. A gilded image of the Order of St. Catherine, placed on a silver field, also decorates the doors of the Empress's throne room.

The hall is illuminated by bronze gilded chandeliers and six crystal candelabra, unusual in design and beauty, made at the Imperial Glass Factory in St. Petersburg. The walls are covered with gray moire and a scarlet border of an order ribbon. On the massive pillars there are pilasters decorated with a pattern made of small pieces of malachite. The vaults and cornices of the hall are decorated with gilded stucco. The parquet of the Catherine Hall is of high artistic value.

Directly adjacent to the Catherine Throne Hall is the Green Living Room. It is intended to receive especially honored guests.

The ceiling of the semicircular hall is painted with floral patterns, and the walls are upholstered in fabric (artist Giuseppe Colombo Artari). The arrangement of furniture here was thought out and coordinated with the architectural features of the living rooms.

The main decoration of the living room is richly inlaid furniture, bronze crystal chandeliers and floor lamps. In the front living room there are three huge candelabra, two of which are made in the Chinese style and one in the Japanese style. The furniture was covered in gold brocade with a green pattern. The same fabric was also used for wall upholstery.

Behind the Catherine Hall, in the Front half, there are the former royal State drawing room and the State bedchamber. The interior of the State Drawing Room (now the Red Drawing Room) is exceptionally elegant. It has an alcove with monolithic columns made of gray-green marble, which harmonize well with the bright crimson upholstery of the walls and furniture. For cladding the fireplace, jasper of a green-blue tone with a beautiful wavy pattern is used, well presented by the Russian master stone-cutter, who managed to highlight the advantages of the Ural ornamental stone.

The red living room is decorated in the Renaissance style. Its design uses white, pinkish-gray and green marble. In the 19th century, the walls and “Gambs” furniture were covered with silver brocade with golden flowers. They were fully combined with pilasters, friezes and columns supporting the vaults. Rosewood doors inlaid with gilded bronze and mother-of-pearl in the boule style lead to the adjacent Green Living Room and the Catherine Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

Its own half, intended personally for the emperor and his family, is located on the first floor of the palace. The enfilade of residential premises of the Own Half is stretched along the main facade of the palace, and consists of seven main living rooms and four small passage rooms intended for duty and waiting for courtiers. The interiors of the Own Half correspond to the monumental architecture of the palace, and at the same time, they are characterized by intimacy and homeliness. In the design of these premises, decorators used artistic methods of Baroque, Rococo, and Classicism styles.

Its own half consists of seven rooms: Dining Room, Living Room, Empress's Study, Boudoir, Bedroom, Emperor's Study and Reception Room. Despite the fact that each room has its own style, all rooms together represent one whole. Its own half is a museum of Russian residential palace interiors, almost entirely preserved without significant alterations or additions.

The artists who decorated the palace paid great attention not only to architectural details, but also to the selection of furniture, candelabra, fireplaces, and chandeliers. The fireplaces are made of malachite and marble. The Boudoir, Living Room, Study and Bedroom are decorated with a variety of porcelain items - vases, floor lamps, a chandelier that looks like a luxurious bouquet topped with a pineapple fruit. A significant place in the former living rooms of the palace is occupied by bronze objects - clocks, candelabra. On the fireplaces made of malachite and marble there are clocks of French work - they were ordered specifically for the Grand Kremlin Palace.

Lighting was important. It was supposed to add even more splendor to the interiors, which is why each crystal chandelier in the palace is original, each with its own design and shape of pendants. Huge mirrors, as well as gilding, inlay, modeling, carving, give the palace rooms an unusually solemn and pompous look. Interior doors, made of valuable wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, made on spikes without a single nail. The door patterns in the palace are never repeated. To cover the walls, as well as for curtains and other things, fabric of a certain color was used in each room. Those that were especially dilapidated were remade by craftsmen from Pavlovsky Posad.

The enfilade of the Own half opens with the huge Dining Hall. Its walls are lined with white and yellow artificial marble. The vaulted ceilings, with stucco decoration, rest on a massive central pillar, which visually connects the appearance of this room with the architectural design of the Chamber of Facets. Decorative principles of classicism are used in the decoration of the Dining Room. There is a calm combination of artificial marble tones, white marble statues of the mythological characters Leda and Hymen, and vases in the Borghese style.

The Empress's boudoir is created in soothing colors, the walls and furniture are upholstered in pink silk. Boudoir furniture includes 24 items - different shapes: sofas, tables and chairs. The furniture is made of walnut wood.

In the boudoir there is also one of the most beautiful fireplaces in the palace; it seems to be hewn from solid stone - the malachite plates are so tightly fitted and polished. The shape, proportions, smoothly curved lines of all its designs only emphasize its beauty, and the applied gilded decorations add special sophistication. Mantel clocks attract attention with their intricate shape and fancy mechanism. The enamel circle is a calendar that shows the months, days of the week and the phase of the moon (the lower part of the watch). Above it is a vase-shaped clock with a fixed lizard-shaped hand and two rotating dials. Arabic numerals showed minutes, and Roman ones showed hours. All this is in bronze and gilded design.

Behind the Empress's Boudoir is the Bedchamber. Blue-pearl tones, combined with white and gold, create the feeling of a clear night sky. The bedchamber is dominated by two colors – blue and gold. The Empress's bedchamber is luxurious and sophisticated at the same time. An atmosphere of peace and piety reigns here.

The entirely gilded furniture set is created in the Renaissance style. This set contains 31 items. The fireplace, made of white Carrara marble, is decorated with a clock called “Night”.

The “Night” watch has a dial in the form of a dark blue ball with applied numbers, stars and two bronze figures of cupids on the sides, stands on a gilded stand, with cast gilded female figures.

The Empress's office is emphatically decorative and decorated in the "boule" style. The dominant color is dark crimson, in tune with the spirit of the interior of French palaces of the late 17th century. early XVIII century. Huge mirrors, the production of which began in Russia precisely at this time, and the chandelier repeatedly reflected in them increase the feeling of pomp and fabulous luxury.

The elegance of the interior is given by gilded stucco decorations on the walls and vaults, doors superbly made of valuable wood, and inlaid with tortoiseshell, bronze, and mother-of-pearl. Unknown craftsmen made them without nails or glue, on spikes. The furniture here is upholstered in silk and gold fabric. Gilded exquisite clocks and vases complement the decoration of the Cabinet.

The Empress's living room is snow-white and gold, eight plaster bas-reliefs are symbols of art, and four more, depicting the seasons, decorate it. The furniture set, in the Louis XV style, made of turquoise wood, is also gilded and upholstered in patterned damask. The furniture here is of soft curving designs, in the Rocael style, abundantly decorated with whimsical curls and flowers.

The main decoration of the living room are porcelain products - vases and floor lamps. The ceiling is decorated with a large chandelier with stucco flowers, reminiscent of a lush bouquet topped with a pineapple fruit. It was made by ceramists of the St. Petersburg Imperial Porcelain Factory, in a single copy, especially for the interiors of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

Currently, the entire complex of the Grand Kremlin Palace, except for the Armory Chamber, is the main Residence of the President of the Russian Federation.