Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If possible, buy your ticket to the Armoury when you buy your ticket to the Kremlin.
Your ticket will specify a time of entry. A one-hour audio guide is also available to point out
some of the highlights of the collection.
Diamond Fund of Russia
If the Armoury hasn't sated your lust for diamonds, there are more in the separate
Diamond
Fri-Wed)
. The fund dates back to 1719, when Peter the Great established the Russian Crown
treasury. The bulk of the exhibit is gemstones and jewellery garnered by tsars and
empresses, including the 190-carat diamond given to Catherine the Great by her lover
Grigory Orlov. The Great Imperial Crown, encrusted with 4936 diamonds, was the corona-
tion crown of Catherine the Great and successive rulers. Security is super tight and you are
not allowed to bring cameras, phones or bags of any sort.
Alexander Garden
Aleksandrovsky Sad)
sits along the Kremlin's western wall. Colourful flower beds and im-
pressive Kremlin views make it a favourite strolling spot for Muscovites and tourists alike.
Back in the 17th century, the Neglinnaya River ran through the present gardens, with dams
and mills along its banks. When the river was diverted underground, the garden was foun-
ded by architect Osip Bove, in 1821.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Garden is a kind of national pilgrimage spot, where newlyweds bring flowers and have their
pictures taken. The inscription reads: 'Your name is unknown, your deeds immortal.'
There's an eternal flame, and other inscriptions listing the Soviet hero cities of WWII -
those that withstood the heaviest fighting - and honouring 'those who fell for the mother-
land' between 1941 and 1945. South of the tomb, a row of red urns contains earth from the
'hero cities'.
