The Moscow Kremlin is the center of the Russian capital and its main historical and architectural landmark. Today, anyone can easily enter the territory of the modern Kremlin through the famous Trinity Gate.
But before you climb the bridge leading to the high Trinity Tower, you need to go through the squat powerful architecture called Kutafya Tower. This is what will be discussed in this article.
History of the tower
When building fortress walls and siege towers of the Moscow Kremlin, ancient architects were guided primarily by fortification goals. The entrances to the fortress were to be reliably covered by bridgehead structures. The Kutafya tower of the Kremlin is the only such building that has survived to this day.
It was erected in 1516 under the leadership of the Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin, specializing in fortification construction. The purpose of the tower was to protect the entrance to the Trinity Bridge. To strengthen impregnability, a deep moat was dug in front of the Kutafya Tower and filled it with water. On the other side of the tower was the Neglinnaya River.
origin of name
Why was the building given such an unusual name - Kutafya tower? And you look at it carefully, whom does it remind you of with its breadth and massiveness, on the one hand, and its original intricate beauty, on the other? Perhaps a discharged burly woman, clumsy and awkward? In any case, among Moscow residents of the 16th century, this tower apparently caused precisely such associations. So she was nicknamed "Kutafya" - as a fat and awkward woman.
True, there is another interpretation of the name of this fortification. Some scholars write that the root of the word "kutafya" is "kut", i.e. corner or shelter. If we take into account the fact that the fortification was so named , then the latest version sounds more believable.
Destination Kutafia tower
Now it’s hard for us to imagine that once the present center of Moscow was a very dangerous place: foreign invading enemies could flood at any moment. That is why in the Middle Ages it was so important to build defensive fortresses with thick high walls and huge towers, in which entrances and loopholes were located at the same time.
The Kutafya tower was the only gate opening the passage to the highest tower of the Kremlin - the Trinity. The two towers were connected by a bridge, under which the Neglinnaya River flowed. Later in the XIX century, the river was enclosed in an underground pipe (now it can not be seen), but the bridge still stands still. From the outside, the tower was equipped with another bridge - a lifting one. At the first sign of danger, he rose and the enemy could no longer get to Kutafie, because right in front of her was a deep moat.
This amazing structure was surrounded on all sides by water. Kutafya tower was originally planned as a separate island fortress, inside which guards were constantly on duty below. Above were loopholes through which it was possible to shell the enemy.
Kutafia Kremlin tower on the map
If you look at the map of the Moscow Kremlin, you can see that the Kutafya tower is located on the west side, and its central entrance is turned towards the Alexander Garden.
The nearest metro stations are the Alexander Garden and the Lenin Library. It is difficult to walk past the tower and not notice it - it has such an impressive and powerful appearance. A lot of tourists are constantly crowding around it. To get to the territory of the Kremlin, you must first purchase tickets that are sold in the Alexander Garden, and then go through the Kutafya Tower, Trinity Bridge and the Trinity Tower to the Kremlin.