The Moscow Kremlin is an amazing place. All the guests of the city strive to visit it. But even among the residents of the capital, interest in the heart of Russia does not disappear. The Armory of the Moscow Kremlin is a unique exposition. Here, visitors get acquainted with the past of the country through the presented rarities. All exhibits have not only material and historical, but also scientific value. Many seek to see with their own eyes the objects that were touched by the hands of Peter 1, Catherine the Great.
Story
By order of Peter the Great, the sovereign's workshops and warehouses were to be transformed into a museum. This institution should have been named after the oldest repository – the Armory. But only Alexander I managed to complete this work in 1806.
A separate building was built for the new exposition. During the work, the study and inventory of the collection were carried out. The Honorary Member Malinovsky supervised everything. The first part of the catalog was published a year later. The circulation was paid personally by Emperor Alexander I. Malinovsky first described the exposition section – State regalia.
The building for the collection was built by the architect Egotov. It was completed in 1809, but the finishing work continued until the summer of 1812.
During Bonaparte's entry into Moscow, the building was damaged. The valuables were evacuated, but due to the fact that they were stored in boxes, the exhibits lost their former splendor. Restoration was required. After the reconstruction of the building and work with artifacts, the exposition moved to a permanent place. This happened only in 1814.
The purpose of the organization of the exhibition is the education of patriotic feelings among the citizens of Russia, a reminder of feats of arms.
It soon became clear that the building did not meet many requirements. There was no heating, the exhibits were damp and affected by fungus. Wooden structures could easily ignite. It was decided to place the Kremlin garrison in the building of Yegotov, and to build a new room for the exposition.
Photo: pastvu.com
The Yegotovskaya building was used as barracks for more than 100 years. Then the Soviet government decided to build the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, and the first building of the Armory was demolished.
Architecture
Egotov built the first building in the style of classicism. The cornice was decorated with heroes who glorified the country at different times, and diplomats.
Here were the images:
The facade was decorated with scenes of the heroic events of Russia. One could see pictures of Vladimir‘s choice of Orthodoxy, Russia's access to the seas in the south and north, getting rid of the Tatar-Mongol yoke.
The building had 2 floors. The first housed the archive, a model of the Grand Kremlin Palace designed by Bazhenov, and carriages. On the second – the actual exhibition. In the Crown Hall one could see the sovereign's regalia, among them – the Cap of Monomakh.
The new building was built on the Kolymazhny yard according to the project of Ton. It organically combines with the Grand Kremlin Palace: the same columns, double-height windows. The building is located on a plinth, which has a different height. The combination of styles is quite bizarre: the features of Russian architecture of the 17th century and Gothic are traced.
The enfilade has an axis, from which 2 round halls are separated. The halls are separated by gratings depicting double-headed eagles. In the imperial treasury, marble medallions are inserted into the walls. They depict the rulers of the state.
exposition
The main part of the exhibition is the rarities of emperors. They are made in the palace workshops, received as a gift from the ambassadors of states. Exhibited here:
A whole section of the center is dedicated to arts and crafts. Items from Russia, the countries of the West and the East are presented.
Halls
Artifacts are distributed in several halls:
- Hall 1 displays the most ancient treasures. Jewels once belonged to the princes, and then to the kings of the state. The stands display items brought from Byzantium in the 4th-15th centuries. No one is left indifferent to the exhibits of pre-Mongol Rus. Objects of arts and crafts are made in Suzdal, Kiev, Chernigov, Ryazan. The showcases contain gold and silver jewelry made in Muscovy in the 15th-16th centuries. A separate stand is dedicated to silverware made by masters of Veliky Novgorod.
- Hall 2 presents jewelry made by craftsmen from the 17th to 20th centuries. The core of the exposition is the treasures of the Golden and Silver Chambers of the Kremlin. In addition, products of provincial craftsmen from Solvychegodsk, Veliky Ustyug, Kostroma, Veliky Novgorod are on display. The following stands exhibit the products of master jewelers of famous houses: Faberge, Ovchinnikov, Semenov, Khlebnikov.
- Hall 3 exhibits weapons that were produced in different countries of the West and East. Weapons were either specially purchased or donated by ambassadors.
- Hall 4 displays weapons made by Russian craftsmen of the 12th-19th centuries. It has an extensive collection of cold and firearms. Ceremonial and hunting weapons are exhibited separately. It is richly decorated.
- Room 5 is dedicated to Western silverware. Basically, artifacts are gifts from ambassadors of friendly countries.
- Room 6 displays the ceremonial and coronation costumes of the imperial family. In addition, vestments of metropolitans and patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church are exhibited here.
- Room 7 is dedicated to items that were used in ceremonies. Some of them were inherited and eventually began to have political significance.
- In hall 8 you can get acquainted with the elements of ceremonial harness.
- Hall 9 will delight visitors with parade royal carriages.
Main exhibits
By analogy with the 7 wonders of the world, 7 unique exhibits can be distinguished in the Armory:
Excursions
The armory is a limited space. Therefore, the number of visitors is also limited. Excursions are organized for guests. You can rent an audio guide in Russian or a foreign language, use the mobile application.
The administration of the exposition warns that at the entrance through the Borovitsky Gates there may be a queue for 30-40 minutes.
Interesting Facts
Under Ivan 3, the Great Treasury was located on the territory. Historians consider it the forerunner of the future Armory. In the first half of the 16th century, the Armory Order was formed. It was used to store weapons. In the second half of the 16th century, the name changed to the Armory.
Few people know that Ivan 4 organized workshops in the weapon storage. They produced various items according to the sovereign order. In the second half of the 17th century, the vault was supplemented with art objects. It was from that time that the pantry became the center of all-Russian national art.
In the state workshops they produced:
The funds of the chamber were damaged during the fire of the Kremlin in the first half of the 18th century. The banners of the regiments of Charles of Sweden, captured in the Battle of Poltava, burned down. Some of the rarities were damaged and could not be restored. Treasures that survived the fire were temporarily placed in the Terem Palace.
The building built for the treasury had no heating. In addition, it was made of wood, that is, a fire hazardous material. The rarities either dried up, then dampened, molded and rusted. It turned out to be too expensive to refurbish the old building. Therefore, a new building had to be built.
By the beginning of the war of 1812, the exposition funds were quite impressive. They were evacuated to Nizhny Novgorod. Unfortunately, the conditions at the place of temporary storage turned out to be unsuitable: some of the items needed restoration.
During the Great Patriotic War, the question of preserving rarities arose. At first it was supposed to hide the exhibits in the Taynitskaya tower. But by autumn it became clear that evacuation was inevitable. The treasures were loaded into wagons and sent to Sverdlovsk. 11 employees went with valuables. The operation was secret, controlled by the NKVD.
In Sverdlovsk, the rarities were taken into custody by the local NKVD. The employees were placed in barracks. But the values were not left unattended. The evacuated workers inspected the treasures, carried out restoration on their own.
Exhibits that were difficult to transport were left in the Kremlin Armory: carriages, thrones. They were kept by the employees who remained in Moscow. The work was supervised by the commandant of the Kremlin and the director of the museum. In 1943 they were awarded orders.
Preparations for the return of rarities began after the threat looming over Moscow had passed. This took several years. The treasures returned to their permanent place only in February 1945.
Visiting Rules
Citizens wishing to visit the exposition must comply with the following rules:
In case of violation of the rules, the administration has the right to remove the visitor from the territory of the exposition. In case of active disobedience, measures may be taken in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation.
Working hours
The exposition is open to visitors from 10 am to 6 pm (except Thursday). You can view it by session:
More information on the official website of the museum
How to get there
The easiest way to get to the exhibition is by metro. You should get off at one of the stations: Borovitskaya, Lenin Library, Alexander Garden. Then walk towards the Borovitsky Gates of the Moscow Kremlin.