Russia 2019 (9) MOSCOW - First Stop, the Kremlin and Armory

Our bus driver was Andrew and guide was Anna on this first tour day. She was a wealth of information.

On the drive she pointed out many landmarks, including the Russian State Library with a statue of author Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881). 

The Church of St. Nicholas at Tverskaya Zastava. It opened its doors in 1922 servicing the Old Believers community (those that believe in the original ritual practices of the Eastern Orthodox Church before the reforms of the mid-1600s). It didn't function for long. Later it was used as an anti-aircraft defense storehouse, a sculptor's studio, and again as a church starting in 1995. The modern office buildings surrounding it were built in 2007-08. Everywhere in Moscow you see multiple styles of architecture side-by-side.

The first McDonald's in the USSR opened January 31, 1990 on Pushkin Square. It was, however, from a Canadian franchise, not the USA.

OK, back to "old" history. Evidence of human habitation on this land goes back to 500 BC. Originally this area was called the "grad of Moscow." It was built and destroyed and rebuilt several times. The title Kremlin was first recorded in 1331. It was finally recognized as a major municipality when in 1336 the seat of the Orthodox Church moved here from Vladimir, a town east of Moscow.

Remember we have one complimentary tour in each port. The Kremlin was our port tour for Moscow. Kremlin means fortress and there are many "kremlins" in Russia. So here it is not just one building, but a number of buildings, churches, and squares within a walled district.

Here is what the wall looks like. The Moskva (Moscow) River flows by outside the wall.

There are many towers around the wall where I imagine lookouts once protected the fort. Each one has a different name.

I will be reporting on several areas on this map, but we start with the Armory (#13 - yellow building in the upper right).  

The Armory Chamber Museum is part of the Grand Kremlin Palace complex.

The Armory originated 1508. It was used to produce, purchase and store weapons, jewelry and household items of the czars. This continued until around 1703 when the capital was moved to St. Petersburg by Peter the Great. In 1851, it was established as one of the oldest museums in Moscow. Today it is the "storehouse" of priceless and glittering relics of Russian royalty.

Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside, but I'll tell you some the  amazing things we saw.
     - Ten Faberge eggs (the most in any one place in Russia, more later on the eggs)
     - Crown of Kazan studded with pearls, garnets, and turquoise (worn by Ediger Mahmet, the last ruler of the Tartar state of Kazan. This 16th century crown is the second oldest in Russia)
     - Other crowns and scepters, including fur crowns (fur is replaced every 30 years and it had just been replaced, so gorgeous)
     - Awards, trophies, gifts from other countries encrusted with precious metals and stones
     - Imperial carriages and sleighs (some from 18th century, most impressive)
     - Weapons (swords and pikes), armor, chain mail, horse armor and regalia
     - The ivory and walrus tusk throne of Ivan the Terrible (earliest surviving czar throne)
     - The double throne used by Peter the Great and half-brother Ivan (hope you read about this in my previous "Czar History" entry)
     - Ceremonial clothes worn by Peter the Great, wedding dresses, ermine capes
     - Clocks, crosses, icons, chalices, large ornamental book covers, tableware and silverware
     - Porcelain (150 pieces, a hand-painted gift from Napoleon) and more
     - Portraits

There was a little bit of everything and all simply jaw-dropping. To see photos, go here. Click on each section and right or left arrow to see examples of some of these treasures:
https://www.kreml.ru/en-Us/visit-to-kremlin/what-to-see/oruzheynaya-palata-zaly/

It was well worth the extra tour dollars to see this venue in addition to the free Kremlin tour.

An aside: Not sure what is going on with the font size change. I can't seem to fix it. Hrrump!