Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
138
The Armory Museum
(
&
495/621-4720
), despite its name, holds much more
than guns. The Russo-Byzantine building, dating from the 19th century, occupies the
spot where royal treasures were housed since the 14th century and offers a sweeping
introduction to Russian history. Exhibits include the Fabergé eggs exchanged by Russia's
last royal couple, Czar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra, on Orthodox Easter for 3
decades; the silver goblet used by the man considered Moscow's founder, 12th-century
Prince Yuri Dolgoruky; the velvet caftan Peter the Great wore while training in Holland's
shipyards; and the gold brocade robes he wore at his coronation. The throne display, a
Goldilocks-style delight, includes a compact throne for the diminutive Czar Paul and a
double throne for Peter the Great and his co-ruler, his feeble half-brother Ivan. The impe-
rial carriages will simultaneously satisfy fashion fans and car buffs. The weaponry
through the ages is also impressive. Admission is limited to four sessions per day of 1
hour and 45 minutes each, at 10am, noon, 2:30, and 4:30pm. Audioguides in English
are available and worth the 150 ruble price tag if you're not with a group.
The Diamond Fund
holds the crown jewels, including Catherine the Great's corona-
tion crown, the 89-carat Shah diamond presented to Nicholas I by the Shah of Persia in
the early 1800s, and the 190-carat Orlov diamond that one of Catherine the Great's lov-
ers gave her in an (unsuccessful) effort to keep her attentions. The fund can be visited
only with a 30- to 40-minute tour, held every 2 hours and reserved ahead; it costs 500
rubles on top of the ticket to the Kremlin grounds. If you're short on time or money, skip
it. The entrance is through the Borovitsky Gate of the Kremlin (
&
495/629-2036;
www.almazi.net). Open Friday to Wednesday from 10am to 5pm.
The Grand Kremlin Palace,
not open to tourists, is used to receive foreign dignitar-
ies. Watch television footage of a Kremlin reception and you may glimpse luxurious St.
George's Hall, encircled with statues representing Russia's military victories throughout
the centuries. The building, originally erected in the 1840s, underwent a costly renova-
tion in the 1990s that uncovered a massive corruption scandal involving the Kremlin
property department and questionable Swiss construction companies.
The staggeringly huge
Czar Cannon
and
Czar Bell
are two striking and bizarre fea-
tures of the Kremlin and indeed of Russian history. The cannon, with a 40-ton barrel,
was designed in 1586 to defend the Kremlin's Savior Gate, but it has never been fired.
The chassis and the cannonballs alongside were built 3 centuries later and give a sense of
the enormity of the weapon (though it was designed to fire stones and not cannonballs).
The bell is by far the largest in the world, at 200 tons, 6.1m (20 ft.) high, and nearly
6.6m (22 ft.) in diameter. It was built in the 1730s but was abandoned and cracked
before it could be rung. Both remain monuments to Russian ambition and royal excess.
Kremlin entrepreneurs recently reintroduced the centuries-old changing of the guard
on Cathedral Square—but for a fee. The elaborate and carefully choreographed cere-
mony, which involves 12 horses, 45 soldiers in czarist-era uniforms, and the presidential
orchestra, is held every Saturday at noon for visitors who pay 700 rubles for a special
ticket. In addition to the guard-changing ceremony, the ticket includes tours of the
churches on Cathedral Square (but not the Armory or Diamond Fund).
Note:
The Kremlin is sometimes closed to the public during state visits, and other
important ceremonies. Check with your hotel concierge or tour guide before you go.
You can buy Kremlin tickets at Kutafya Tower in Alexander Gardens (
&
495/697-
0349;
www.kreml.ru/main.en.asp). Access to the grounds costs 350 rubles for adults, 100
rubles for students with ID and for children 7 and up. Admission to the Armory costs 700
rubles for adults, 200 rubles for students and for children 7 and up. An audioguide costs
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