What means the word kremlin

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Moscow Kremlin
Native name Russian: Московский Кремль
Location	Moscow, Russia
Coordinates	55°45′6″N 37°37′4″E / 55.75167°N 37.61778°ECoordinates: 55°45′6″N 37°37′4″E / 55.75167°N 37.61778°E
Area	27.7 ha (0.277 km2)
Built	1482–1495
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iv, vi
Designated	1990 (14th session)
Reference no.	545
Region	Eastern Europe
Location in Central Moscow Kremlin (Russia) Kremlin (Europe)

The Moscow Kremlin (Russian: Московский Кремль, tr. Moskovskiy Kreml’, IPA: [ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ]), also simply known as the Kremlin, is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow.^[1] It is the best known of the kremlins (Russian citadels), and includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. In addition, within the complex is the Grand Kremlin Palace that was formerly the residence of the Russian emperor in Moscow. The complex now serves as the official residence of the Russian president and as a museum with almost three million visitors in 2017.^[2] The Kremlin overlooks the Moskva River to the south, Saint Basil’s Cathedral and Red Square to the east, and Alexander Garden to the west.

The name kremlin means «fortress inside a city»,^[3] and is often also used metonymically to refer to the Russian government. It previously referred to the government of the Soviet Union (1922–1991) and its leaders. The term «Kremlinology» refers to the study of Soviet and Russian politics.

The Kremlin is open to the public and offers individual and group guided tours.^[4] Visible are the Armoury Chamber, Tsar Cannon, Tsar Bell, artillery pieces, and the exposition of Russian wooden sculpture and carvings.^[5]

History[edit]

Origin[edit]

The site had been continuously inhabited by Finnic peoples (especially the Meryans) since the 2nd century BC. The East Slavs occupied the south-western portion of Borovitsky Hill as early as the 11th century, as evidenced by a metropolitan seal from the 1090s which was unearthed by Soviet archaeologists in the area. The Vyatichi built a fortified structure (or «grad») on the hill where the Neglinnaya River flowed into the Moskva River.

Up to the 14th century, the site was known as the ‘grad of Moscow’. The word «Kremlin» was first recorded in 1331^[6] (though etymologist Max Vasmer mentions an earlier appearance in 1320^[7]). The grad was greatly extended by Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy in 1156, destroyed by the Mongols in 1237 and rebuilt in oak in 1339.^[8]

Seat of grand dukes[edit]

Dmitri Donskoi replaced the oak walls with a strong citadel of white limestone in 1366–1368 on the basic foundations of the current walls;^[8] this fortification withstood a siege by Khan Tokhtamysh. Dmitri’s son Vasily I resumed construction of churches and cloisters in the Kremlin. The newly built Cathedral of the Annunciation was painted by Theophanes the Greek, Andrei Rublev, and Prokhor in 1406. The Chudov Monastery was founded by Dmitri’s tutor, Metropolitan Alexis; while his widow, Eudoxia, established the Ascension Convent in 1397.

Residence of the tsars[edit]

Grand Prince Ivan III organised the reconstruction of the Kremlin, inviting a number of skilled architects from Renaissance Italy, including Petrus Antonius Solarius, who designed the new Kremlin wall and its towers, and Marcus Ruffus who designed the new palace for the prince. It was during his reign that three extant cathedrals of the Kremlin, the Deposition Church, and the Palace of Facets were constructed. The highest building of the city and Muscovite Russia was the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, built in 1505–08 and augmented to its present height in 1600. The Kremlin walls as they now appear were built between 1485 and 1495.^[8] Spasskie gates of the wall still bear a dedication in Latin praising Petrus Antonius Solarius for the design.

After construction of the new kremlin walls and churches was complete, the monarch decreed that no structures should be built in the immediate vicinity of the citadel. The Kremlin was separated from the walled merchant town (Kitay-gorod) by a 30-meter-wide moat, over which Saint Basil’s Cathedral was constructed during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. The same tsar also renovated some of his grandfather’s palaces, added a new palace and cathedral for his sons, and endowed the Trinity metochion inside the Kremlin. The metochion was administrated by the Trinity Monastery, and contained the graceful tower church of St. Sergius, which was described by foreigners as one of the finest in the country.

During the Time of Troubles, the Kremlin was held by the Polish forces for two years, between 21 September 1610 and 26 October 1612. The Kremlin’s liberation by the volunteer army of prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin paved the way for the election of Mikhail Romanov as the new tsar. During his reign and that of his son Alexis and grandson Feodor, the eleven-domed Upper Saviour Cathedral, Armorial Gate, Terem Palace, Amusement Palace and the palace of Patriarch Nikon were built. Following the death of Alexis’s son, Feodor, and the Moscow Uprising of 1682, Tsar Peter escaped with much difficulty from the Kremlin and as a result developed a dislike for it. Three decades later, Peter abandoned the residence of his forefathers for his new capital, Saint Petersburg.

External images
Graphic reconstruction of the Moscow fortress at the beginning of the 18th century
Graphic reconstruction of the Moscow fortress at the beginning of the 19th century

The Golden Hall, a throne room with murals painted probably after 1547, was destroyed to make place for the Kremlin Palace, commissioned by Elizabeth of Russia and designed by architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in 1752.^[9]

Imperial period[edit]

Although still used for coronation ceremonies, the Kremlin was abandoned and neglected until 1773, when Catherine the Great engaged Vasili Bazhenov to build her new residence there. Bazhenov produced a bombastic Neoclassical design on a heroic scale, which involved the demolition of several churches and palaces, as well as a portion of the Kremlin wall. After the preparations were over, construction was delayed due to lack of funds. Several years later the architect Matvey Kazakov supervised the reconstruction of the dismantled sections of the wall and of some structures of the Chudov Monastery, and built the spacious and luxurious Offices of the Senate, since adapted for use as the principal workplace of the President of Russia.

During the Imperial period, from the early 18th and until the late 19th century, the Kremlin walls were traditionally painted white, in accordance with fashion.^[10]

French forces occupied the Kremlin from 2 September to 11 October 1812, following the French invasion of Russia. When Napoleon retreated from Moscow, he ordered the whole Kremlin to be blown up. The Kremlin Arsenal, several portions of the Kremlin Wall and several wall towers were destroyed by explosions and the Faceted Chamber and other churches were damaged by fire. Explosions continued for three days, from 21 to 23 October 1812. However, rain damaged the fuses, and the damage was less severe than intended. Restoration works were undertaken in 1816–1819, supervised by Osip Bove. During the remainder of the reign of Alexander I, several ancient structures were renovated in a fanciful neo-Gothic style, but many others, including all the buildings of the Trinity metochion, were condemned as «disused» or «dilapidated» and were torn down.

On visiting Moscow for his coronation festivities, Tsar Nicholas I was not satisfied with the Grand Palace (alias Winter Palace), which had been erected in the 1750s to the design of Francesco Rastrelli. The elaborate Baroque structure was demolished, as was the nearby church of St. John the Precursor, built by Aloisio the New in 1508 in place of the first church constructed in Moscow. The architect Konstantin Thon was commissioned to replace them with the Grand Kremlin Palace, which was to rival the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in its dimensions and in the opulence of its interiors. The palace was constructed in 1839–1849, followed by the re-building of the Kremlin Armoury in 1851.

After 1851 the Kremlin changed little until the Russian Revolution of 1917. The only new features added during this period were the Monument to Alexander II and a stone cross marking the spot where in 1905 Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia was assassinated by Ivan Kalyayev. These monuments were destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

Soviet period and beyond: destruction of cultural heritage[edit]

The Soviet government moved from Petrograd (present-day Saint Petersburg) to Moscow on 12 March 1918. Vladimir Lenin selected the Kremlin Senate as his residence. Joseph Stalin also had his personal rooms in the Kremlin. He was eager to remove all the «relics of the tsarist regime» from his headquarters. Golden eagles on the towers were replaced by shining Kremlin stars, while the wall near Lenin’s Mausoleum was turned into the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.

The Chudov Monastery and Ascension Convent, with their 16th-century cathedrals, were demolished to make room for the military school. The Little Nicholas Palace and the old Saviour Cathedral were pulled down as well.

During the Second World War, in order to confuse the German pilots, the towers were repainted with different colors and covered with wooden tents. Every roof was painted rusty brown so as to make them indistinguishable from typical roofs in the city. The grounds, paved with cobblestone, were covered up with sand. Tents painted to look like roofs were stretched over the gardens, and the facades of the buildings were also painted.^[11]

The residence of the Soviet government was closed to tourists until 1955. It was not until the Khrushchev Thaw that the Kremlin was reopened to foreign visitors. The Kremlin Museums were established in 1961, and the complex was among the first Soviet patrimonies inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1990.

Although the current director of the Kremlin Museums, Elena Gagarina (Yuri Gagarin’s daughter), advocates a full-scale restoration of the destroyed cloisters, recent developments have been confined to expensive restoration of the original interiors of the Grand Kremlin Palace, which were altered during Stalin’s rule.

Overall, during the Soviet rule (1917–1991), 28 out of 54 historic buildings in the Kremlin were destroyed (among them 17 out of 31 churches and cathedrals), most of them centuries-old.^[12]

State Kremlin Palace[edit]

The State Kremlin Palace (alias Kremlin Palace of Congresses), was commissioned by Nikita Khrushchev as a modern arena for Communist Party meetings, and was built within the Kremlin walls 1959–1961. Externally the palace is faced with white marble and the windows are tinted and reflective. The construction of a large modern public building in a historic neighborhood generated an uproar, especially since the building replaced several heritage buildings, including the old neo-classical building of the State Armory, and some of the rear parts of the Great Kremlin Palace. Although this was not the first time that the Soviet government had destroyed architectural heritage (notably the Chudov Monastery and Ascension Cloisters) in the Kremlin and in the country in general, by the mid 1950s laws were in place effectively considering all pre-Soviet constructions as historical monuments and preventing their demolition, in some ways making the construction illegal^{[further explanation needed]}. Despite the public disapproval, the Palace was constructed and integrated into the larger complex of the Great Kremlin Palace with walkways linking it to the Patriarchal Chambers and the Terem Palace.

Buildings[edit]

The existing Kremlin walls and towers were built by Italian masters from 1485 to 1495. The irregular triangle of the Kremlin wall encloses an area of 275,000 square metres (2,960,000 sq ft). Its overall length is 2,235 metres (2,444 yards), but the height ranges from 5 to 19 metres (16 to 62 ft), depending on the terrain. The wall’s thickness is between 3.5 and 6.5 metres (11 and 21 ft).

Originally there were eighteen Kremlin towers, but their number increased to twenty in the 17th century. All but three of the towers are square in plan. The highest tower is the Troitskaya, which was built to its present height of 80 metres (260 ft) in 1495. Most towers were originally crowned with wooden tents. The extant brick tents with strips of colored tiles date to the 1680s.

Cathedral Square is the heart of the Kremlin. It is surrounded by six buildings, including three cathedrals. The Cathedral of the Dormition was completed in 1479 to be the main church of Moscow and where all the Tsars were crowned. The massive limestone façade, capped with its five golden cupolas, was the design of Aristotele Fioravanti. Several important metropolitans and patriarchs are buried there, including Peter and Makarii. The gilded, three-domed Cathedral of the Annunciation was completed next in 1489, only to be reconstructed to a nine-domed design a century later. On the south-east of the square is the much larger Cathedral of the Archangel Michael (1508), where almost all the Muscovite monarchs from Ivan Kalita to Ivan V of Russia are interred. (Boris Godunov was originally buried there, but was moved to the Trinity Monastery.)

There are two domestic churches of the Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Moscow, the Church of the Twelve Apostles (1653–1656) and the exquisite one-domed Church of the Deposition of the Virgin’s Robe, built by Pskov artisans from 1484 to 1488 and featuring superb icons and frescoes from 1627 and 1644.

The other notable structure is the Ivan the Great Bell Tower on the north-east corner of the square, which is said to mark the exact center of Moscow and resemble a burning candle. Completed in 1600, it is 81 metres (266 feet) high. Until the Russian Revolution, it was the tallest structure in the city, as construction of buildings taller than that was forbidden. Its 21 bells would sound the alarm if any enemy was approaching. The upper part of the structure was destroyed by the French during the Napoleonic Invasion and has been rebuilt. The Tsar bell, the largest bell in the world, stands on a pedestal next to the tower.

The oldest secular structure still standing is Ivan III’s Palace of Facets (1491), which holds the imperial thrones. The next oldest is the first home of the royal family, the Terem Palace. The original Terem Palace was also commissioned by Ivan III, but most of the existing palace was built in the 17th century. The Terem Palace and the Palace of Facets are linked by the Grand Kremlin Palace. This was commissioned by Nicholas I in 1838. The largest structure in the Kremlin, it cost 11 million rubles to build and more than one billion dollars to renovate in the 1990s. It contains dazzling reception halls, a ceremonial red staircase, private apartments of the tsars, and the lower storey of the Resurrection of Lazarus church (1393), which is the oldest extant structure in the Kremlin and the whole of Moscow.

The northern corner of the Kremlin is occupied by the Arsenal, which was built for Peter the Great in 1701. The southwestern section of the Kremlin holds the Armoury building. Built in 1851 to a Renaissance Revival design, it is currently a museum housing Russian state Regalia and Diamond Fund.

The haloalkaliphilic methylotrophic bacterium Methylophaga muralis (first called Methylophaga murata) was first isolated from deteriorating marble in the Kremlin.^[13]

Helipad[edit]

To stop disruptions to traffic caused by motorcades, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized the construction of a helipad in the Kremlin. The helipad was completed in May 2013. The Russian President will now commute back and forth to the Kremlin using a Mil Mi-8 helicopter. Careful consideration was taken in choosing the location of the helipad. The location chosen is said to be of no threat to the architecture of the Kremlin.^[14]

Moscow Metro[edit]

The nearest Moscow Metro stations to the Kremlin are: Okhotny Ryad and Biblioteka Imeni Lenina (Sokolnicheskaya Line), Teatralnaya (Zamoskvoretskaya Line), Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line), Arbatskaya (Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line), Alexandrovsky Sad (Filyovskaya Line), and Borovitskaya (Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya Line).

References[edit]

Specific[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• Ivanov, Vladimir N. (1971). Московский Кремль [Moscow’s Kremlin] (in Russian). Moscow.
• Merridale, Catherine (2013). Red Fortress: History and Illusion in the Kremlin. New York: Henry Holt. pp. 505. ISBN 9780805086805.
• Nenakormova, Irina S. (1987). Государственные музеи Московского Кремля [Art treasures from the Museums of the Moscow Kremlin] (in Russian). Moscow: Iskusstvo.

External links[edit]

• tour-planet.com – Sights of the Moscow Kremlin
• Kremlin.ru — Map of the Kremlin
• Travel2moscow.com – Official Moscow Guide
• History of the Kremlin
• Moscow Kremlin State Historical and Cultural Museum Sanctuary
• Open Kremlin
• Rare access inside the Kremlin, video news report from BBC News Online, 17 January 2013
• Cynthia Marsh. «Kremlin». Words of the World. Brady Haran (University of Nottingham).

Asked by: Jaqueline Jast

Score: 4.7/5
(3 votes)

The Moscow Kremlin, or simply the Kremlin, is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by Russian ruling dynasty of Rurikids. It is the best known of the kremlins, and includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers.

What exactly is the Kremlin?

the Kremlin, the executive branch of the government of Russia or of the Soviet Union, especially in regard to its foreign affairs. the citadel of Moscow, including within its walls the chief offices of the Russian and, formerly, of the Soviet government.

Is Kremlin an English word?

The name «Kremlin» means «fortress inside a city», and is often also used metonymically to refer to the government of the Russian Federation.

Why is the Kremlin famous?

Overview of the Kremlin, Moscow. As throughout its history, the Kremlin remains the heart of the city. It is the symbol of both Russian and (for a time) Soviet power and authority, and it has served as the official residence of the president of the Russian Federation since 1991.

Who built the Kremlin in Russia?

First mentioned in the Hypatian Chronicle in 1147 as a fortification erected on the left bank of the Moskva river by Yuri Dolgoruki, Prince of Suzdal, the Kremlin developed and grew with settlements and suburbs which were further surrounded by new fortifications — Kitaigorodsky Wall, Bely Gorod, Zemlyanoy Gorod and …

33 related questions found

It is worth saying this word – and the interlocutor anywhere in the world immediately understands that it will be about Russia. These concepts have become absolutely identical, and it is all the more surprising that the word “Kremlin” appeared in the Russian language far from immediately, and scientists are still arguing about where it came from. Continuing the project “The ABC of Russian Culture”, “Snob” publishes a text with the letter K – about how the first fortresses appeared in Rus’ and cities began to appear and why the most famous of the Kremlins, Moscow, alternately changed color from white to red

The Kremlin is a kind of city fortification. Similar constructions arose for the first time in Kievan Rus. The subject of the article is the history of ancient Russian structures, as well as the etymology of the concept of «kremlin».

Meaning of the word

What definition of this concept is given in explanatorydictionaries? The Kremlin is, according to Dal’s dictionary, a fortress inside the city. The Russian lexicographer gives this concept a number of definitions. Among them, such archaisms as the detinets, the serf.

Morphological composition

«The Kremlin» is a noun of a male. This linguistic unit consists of a root and a zero suffix.

In artistic and journalistic texts such means of expressiveness as personification are used. Its principle is based on the depiction of an inanimate object as animate. Examples:

1. The Kremlin issued a final warning.
2. The Kremlin expressed the desire to limit the demonstration of this documentary.

In the examples given, the noun, the meaningwhich is considered in the article, is identified with the concept of «power». The Kremlin in Moscow has long been the personification of the state power of the country. This word is often found in the publicist literature, but it is in this interpretation that it is not always a positive shade.

Root words

In the dictionary of Dal are severaladjectives, formed from the noun, which is discussed in this article. For example: «Kremlin». This concept is often found in modern Russian. As for the adjective «Kremlin», which Dahl also mentions, this word has no relation to the fortress. The Kremlin was called a tree, standing alone in the open.

What is the Kremlin? The meaning of this word, unlike etymology, does not cause disagreement among linguists. This is a kind of medieval structure, which was once long accepted to erect from a tree. But in view of the numerous fires, the architects of Ancient Rus, like their European counterparts, made a reasonable decision to replace the tree with a stone. To this word, you can choose only two single-root words. At the same time in modern speech there is only one of them. Examples:

1. The Kremlin secrets of the twentieth century remained unsolved.
2. Since the childhood the Kremlin wall has inspired fear on it.
3. A documentary about the Kremlin wives was released on the screens.

Synonyms

What are similar in meaning concepts can be selected to the noun «Kremlin»? The meaning of the word is a fortress, a fortification. These concepts are also synonymous. Examples:

1. The Moscow Kremlin is a fortress located in the heart of the capital and has a high historical and artistic value.
2. The Kremlin is a fortification consisting of walls and several towers.

History

The metropolitan landmark is one of thethe most famous in the world. «The Kremlin … This is what the construction?» Almost every resident of Moscow, hearing such a question, will remember only about that ancient fortress that is in the center of his native city. Whereas the word «Kremlin» has a more general meaning. What is it, long before Muscovites knew, according to some researchers, the inhabitants of Astrakhan. And the origin of this word is by no means Russian. In the old days fortresses were in every Russian city. Nevertheless, this type of construction is associated, above all, with a majestic architectural ensemble located in the heart of the capital.

The Moscow fortress was erected in 1156. Fires in those years were not uncommon. And so, until the inhabitants of the Moscow principality learned how to use more reliable material in construction, they had to erect new fortifications more than once to save them from enemy invasions.

Constructing strong walls of stone came to mindfor the first time Dmitry Ivanovich. For this purpose, limestone was delivered. And after the new fortress was built, the center of Moscow has taken on a shape, thanks to which the capital is today called the White-stone one. The modern view of the Kremlin took shape at the end of the fifteenth century. Architects from all over Russia came to the city to participate in the construction of the sights, which today, in the XXI century, pleases Russians and stirs the minds of foreigners.

Pskov

The word «Kremlin», the meaning of which we have consideredin this article, indicates the type of structure that is present in many ancient Russian cities. In Pskov it is also called Krom. It is located near the confluence of the Great and Pskov rivers. The original building of wood arose in the eighth century. The first stone fortifications appeared presumably in the tenth century. The Pskov Kremlin for a long time served for the storage of food reserves. Here no one lived. The theft from this repository was considered a state crime and was punishable by death.

In other cities

The Kremlin in Tula was built in the sixteenth century. This structure has been built for more than ten years. Unlike their counterparts, the Tula Kremlin to the enemy never gave up. Under its walls, foreign troops have suffered more than one defeat.

The wooden kremlin in Astrakhan was built inthe middle of the sixteenth century. Stone built under Ivan the Terrible. The first time the fortifications were very modest. Additional buildings have emerged for several centuries. Initially, this Kremlin had eight towers. Seven have survived to this day.

In addition to Moscow, Pskov, Astrakhan and Tula, the Kremlin is in such cities as Kolomna, Zaraysk, Tobolsk, Kazan, Suzdal. Each of them has a high historical value.

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The Moscow Kremlin is a magnificent architectural achievement. Its monumental walls and towers, golden-domed cathedrals, and ancient palaces stand high on the Borovitskiy Hill above the Moscow River. It’s an entire city within Moscow. Russian princes and tsars lived here a long time ago, but today it is the official residence of the President of Russia.

What does the word ‘Kremlin’ mean?

Kremlin is the Russian word for “fortress” or “citadel”. Indeed, some other old Russian cities have their own Kremlin. But the Kremlin of Moscow is the one known around the world and the symbol of the Russian state.

The word «Kremlin» meant not the outer city wall but a fortress within a city. Thus, in the first 200 years of Moscow history, people referred to the Moscow fortress as «the city.» Later on, the town started to grow, and more people settled outside the city wall.

The first mention of » the Kremlin»  in the annals was only in 1331. At that time, the Kremlin wall served both as a fortification and a boundary between the prince’s residence and ordinary city dwellers.

It was a common practice in the past to built a fortress in the middle of a town. Smolensk, Novgorod, Pskov, Astrakhan, Tobolsk, Kazan, Kolomna, Zaraisk, and many other Russian towns had their kremlins.

The History of Moscow Kremlin

The Kremlin dates back to the first residents of Moscow. The founder of Moscow, Prince Yury Dolgoruky, ordered the construction of the first wooden fortress in 1156 on a site known as the town of Moscow, but the word “kremlin” was only first recorded in the 14th century.

The Kremlin we see today was constructed in the late 15th century. Moscow prince Ivan the Great dreamed of building a capital that would equal Constantinople in grandeur and importance. He called his dream the «Third Rome» and brought architects from Italy. Most of their work is still standing. 

At the beginning of the 18th century, the capital was transferred to St. Petersburg, and the Kremlin ceased to be the residence of the tsars.

After the Revolution, the Bolsheviks moved the capital to Moscow and settled on the grounds of the Kremlin. Lenin, Stalin, and some members of the Soviet government lived on the territory of the Kremlin. Since Soviet times the word «kremlin» has become synonymous with «government of Russia».

Does anyone live in the Kremlin these days? In fact, yes and no. The president lives not in the Kremlin, but in his residence outside of Moscow. Kremlin serves only as an official place of work.

The Arsenal building houses the barracks of the Presidential Regiment, where the servicemen of the Presidential regiment live, however, this hardly makes the Kremlin residential. There are no classic «residential areas» where, for example, officials or just wealthy citizens would live on the territory of the fortress.

What to see in the Kremlin?

Kremlin grounds

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Special use of kremlin.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɹemlɪn/

Proper noun[edit]

Kremlin

1. The Moscow Kremlin; a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia that serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.
2. (metonymically) The Russian or Soviet government.

   Synonym: Moscow

   The Kremlin announced plans to increase funding for museums and the arts.

   • 1988, Nixon, Richard, “The Superpowers”, in 1999: Victory Without War‎^[1], Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 38:

     Moscow has put itself into a unique historical position: It does not have a single ally among the major powers of the world. The Kremlin faces potential adversaries in Western Europe, China, Japan, Canada, and the United States, whose combined gross national products account for over 60 percent of the world economy.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

• Politburo (also a proper noun sense from a common noun sense, and also often a metonym for the senior Soviet leadership)

Anagrams[edit]

• Minkler

French[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /kʁɛm.lɛ̃/

Proper noun[edit]

Kremlin m

1. Kremlin (the Moscow Kremlin)

Portuguese[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

Kremlin m

1. Kremlin (the Moscow Kremlin)

Spanish[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

Kremlin m

1. Kremlin (the Moscow Kremlin)

Russia is in the news once again since it invaded Ukraine in February.

The Kremlin is behind everything that has happened in the region, but that terminology refers both the government and the place.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Kremlin.

What is a kremlin?

Although the Kremlin usually refers to the Russian government in the capital city, the phrase has a long history.

The term means “fortress inside a city”.

There are many kremlins found in cities across Russia, and the word dates back to the 1300s, referring to wooden city fortresses that had popped up in the region.

More on Russia

This style of city was evident from as far as the Far East to the Swedish borders, and some blocked off Crimea.

They were initially made of wood, but later were strengthened and rebuilt with bricks.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, about 30 stone fortresses were built in the Russian State.

What is the Kremlin?

The most famous Kremlin is the fortified central complex in the centre of Moscow.

The area has been inhabited since the 2nd century BC, and various buildings were built there over centuries, by the Slavs, the Vyatichi people, and the Rurikid people.

The complex was extended by Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy in 1156, before being destroyed by the Mongols in 1237 and rebuilt in oak in 1339.

Prince of Moscow and Saint Dmitry Donskoy built a white limestone citadel in 1366–1368 on the foundations of the current walls, and cathedrals and other buildings were added over the following centuries.

Grand Prince Ivan III started the biggest reconstruction of the area and in the 1400 and 1500s it was rebuilt with many of the elements that exist now, such as the walls, bell tower and several churches.

It became the home of the Russian monarchy the Tsars, including Ivan the Terrible and Catherine the Great, although it was abandoned and taken over by foreign forces at various times.

The Grand Kremlin Palace was was built from 1837 to 1849 under Tsar Nicholas I, and it became the official home of the Tsars until the Russian Revolution.

The Kremlin then became the headquarters of the Soviet Union.

What about now?

It now includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers.

It also contains the the Grand Kremlin Palace, the former home of the Tsars, but which is now where the President lives.

The complex is now home to the government, and is the seat of power in the Russian Federation.

The Soviet Union also added the State Kremlin Palace, which was built from 1959–1961 and is in a modern style.

President Vladimir Putin also authorised the construction of the Kremlin helipad, which was completed in 2013.

It is also a huge draw for tourists, and the Moscow Kremlin Museum is also contained within the city walls, and it had 3million visitors in 2017.

It is situated next to Red Square and the famous St Basil’s Cathedral.

What does the Kremlin mean in politics?

The term the Kremlin doesn’t always just refer to the place where the government is based, but often to the government itself.

This is particularly true when referring to its foreign policies.

During the Cold War the phrase referred to the Soviet Union, whereas now it refers to the executive branch of the government, which is the offices of President Vladimir Putin.

Power in Russia’s political system is concentrated in this branch of government, and therefor in Putin.

He may be head of the Kremlin, but there are also many other influential players underneath him, such as:

• Mikhail Mishustin – Prime Minister
• Sergey Lavrov – Foreign Affairs Minister
• Anton Vaino – Chief of the President Administration
• Sergei Shoigu – Defence Minister
• Anton Siluanov – Finance Minister

Kremlinology is a phrase used to describe the study of Russian politics.