The Kremlin wall. Who is buried near the Kremlin wall? Eternal flame near the Kremlin wall

One of the main sights of the capital,on which even foreigners recognize Moscow, is the Kremlin wall. Originally created as a protective fortress, now it performs, rather, a decorative function and is a monument of architecture. But, in addition, in the last century the Kremlin wall also serves as a burial place for outstanding people of the country. This necropolis is the most unusual cemetery in the world and has become one of the most important historical monuments of the capital and a place of visiting thousands of tourists.

History of the Kremlin Wall

The modern look she took only in the beginning of the 16thcentury. The Kremlin wall was built of red brick in place of the ancient white stone, and only in the east the territory of the Kremlin was slightly expanded. It was built according to the project of Italian architects. In form, the wall repeated the outlines of the Kremlin fortress and looked like an irregular triangle. Its length is more than two kilometers, and the height is from five to twenty meters. The highest walls were from the Red Square. Above, the Kremlin wall is decorated with dents that have the shape of a swallowtail. They number more than a thousand, and almost all have narrow loopholes. The wall itself is wide, about six meters high, and there are many embrasures and passages in it. Outside it is smooth, made of massive red brick. More than 20 different towers are built into the wall. The most famous of them is Spasskaya, on which the Kremlin chimes are located. In addition to its architectural and historical value, now the Kremlin wall attracts tourists also created in the last century necropolis. It is a kind of cemetery that has become a memorial.

Creation of the Kremlin necropolis

The first two mass graves near the Kremlin wallappeared in November 1917. They were located on the Red Square between the Nikolsky and Spassky Gates. About 200 nameless fighters who were killed during the October Revolution were buried in them. In the next ten years, more than ten mass graves appeared near the wall. And of the three hundred people buried in them, only 110 names are known. In honor of them, many streets and squares were named in the capital and other cities. Until 1927 near the Kremlin wall buried dead and even died by their deaths leaders of the revolution. There were also single burials of famous people of that time.

Who is buried near the Kremlin wall in the early years?

• The first solitary grave near the Kremlin wall appeared in 1919. It was buried Ya. M. Sverdlov.
• In the early 1920s, many well-known figures of the party and government were buried in solitary graves: MV Frunze, FE Dzerzhinsky, MV Kalinin and others.
• In the early years of the necropolis, the Kremlin wall was also buried by foreign Communists. Here are buried John Reed, Clara Zetkin, Inessa Armand and Sam Katayama.
• Since 1924, the center of the Kremlin necropolis was the Mausoleum, which housed the body of Vladimir Lenin. This place later became a tribune for prominent statesmen.

Burial of 30-80-ies

After 1927, it was decided to buryThe Kremlin wall only outstanding members of the party and government, as well as great scientists. The brotherly burials ceased, but until 1985, many necklaces were buried in this necropolis.

• members of the party and government: Budyonny, Suslov, Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko;
• in the early sixties, the body of JV Stalin was taken from the Lenin Mausoleum and buried near the Kremlin wall;
• all dead in the rank of marshal, for example Zhukov;
• outstanding pilots, for example Chkalov, cosmonaut Gagarin and many others;
• famous scientists Karpinsky, Kurchatov and Korolev;
• visitors of the necropolis, who are interested in whois buried at the Kremlin wall still, can see the names of Lenin's mother, his wife NK Krupskaya, the writer M. Gorky, the People's Commissar of Education Lunacharsky and many others.

How was buried in the necropolis?

Until the early 1980s, the Kremlin Wall was used to bury famous people. The burials near it were of two kinds:

1. On the right of the Mausoleum at the Kremlin wallthe graves of particularly prominent figures of the party and government are located. They are decorated with sculptural portraits - busts of famous sculptors Merkurov, Tomsky, Rukavishnikov and others. The last person buried at the Kremlin wall was KU Chernenko, who was buried there in 1985.
2. Most of the people buried in the necropolis are cremated.The urns with their ashes are embedded in the Kremlin wall on both sides of the Senate Tower. Their names and dates of life are stamped on memorial plates. In total, the remains of 114 great people - scientists, military, politicians and cosmonauts - rest in the wall. The last one was buried in this way by D. F. Ustinov.

What else is known about the Kremlin wall?

The burials that attract tourists are notonly on Red Square. In the necropolis of the Kremlin wall is the memorial "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier", located in the Alexander Garden. It was created in 1967 in honor of the 25th anniversary of the liberation of Moscow. The ashes of an unknown soldier on the gun carriage as part of a funeral procession were taken from under Zelenograd.

The memorial did not take a modern look at once.At the grave of the soldier was placed a tombstone with a composition of cast bronze. A military helmet and a laurel branch lay on the folds of the battle banner. The eternal fire at the Kremlin wall complements the composition. Later, an alley with porphyry blocks was added, under which the land of ten hero cities was stored, and in 2010 a granite 10-meter stele appeared in the memorial. It also symbolizes the memory of hero cities. An important part of the whole composition of the memorial is the Kremlin Wall itself. Photo of this place is known not only in Russia, but also abroad.

The history of the necropolis

For almost a hundred years, there is this kindcemetery. His appearance changed several times, and in the 50s he even wanted to close and transfer the ashes of those who rest there to another place. They planned to create a special Pantheon for this, but this project was soon closed. The fate of the necropolis is not strongly reflected in the political events taking place in the country. Although the politicians in disgrace were not buried against the wall, but the existing burials were not liquidated. Since 1974, the necropolis was added to the list of state monuments, and it became protected by the state. And part of it - the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - has become the most popular place for visiting tourists and visits by foreign statesmen. For many years they have been talking about the elimination of the necropolis and the transfer of the ashes of those buried there to ordinary cemeteries. This is due not only to religious, but also to political considerations. But in accordance with the current legislation of Russia, for this you need to obtain the consent of relatives, which in most cases is impossible. Therefore, now the necropolis has become an architectural and historical monument. Many tourists tend to visit the Kremlin wall.

Necropolis value

Since the first years of its creation, it has become a place of oathsoldiers, parades were held in front of the Mausoleum. During the holidays wreaths are placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. And in recent years, near it stands a standing guard of honor from the soldiers of the presidential regiment. This place is visited by foreign delegations and ordinary tourists not only on holidays, but also on ordinary days. Not everyone knows who is buried near the Kremlin wall, but that such a memorial exists is known not only in Russia, but also abroad. This necropolis has become one of the most popular sights of Moscow.