Spasskaya Tower

The first thing that enters the house of every Russian on New Year's Eve is the battle of the Kremlin chimes on the Spasskaya Tower, our hopes are connected with it... The Spasskaya Tower itself has long become a symbol of Russia. And now about the history… The Spasskaya Tower was built in the XV century by the Italian architect Pietro Solari. Initially, the tower was called Frolovskaya (after the name of the temple nearby). Almost 200 years later, the tower was renamed Spasskaya in honor of the icons: the Savior Not Made with Hands from the Kremlin and the Holy Savior of Smolensk over the gate from Red Square, criminals who were executed on the Spot prayed for this icon. The gate was the main entrance to the Kremlin and in ancient times was considered holy in the literal sense of the word. Passing through the Spassky Gate, men had to take off their hats. If this was not done, then it was necessary to atone for the guilt with 50 prostrations. The gate was also a meeting place for Moscow princes with foreign ambassadors. Through them passed: tsars for the coronation, troops for battles, religious processions. There is an interesting story connected with the gate and its holy power. When Napoleon drove with his army through the Spassky Gate and did not take off his famous cocked hat, it was blown away by the wind. This was clearly not a good sign, and the sign was justified. Then Napoleon decided to blow up the Spasskaya Tower, but the Don Cossacks - the "special forces" of that time-arrived in time. Also, the French failed to remove the precious salary from the icon of the Savior of Smolensk, a miracle happened: the attached ladder fell, and the shrine remained unharmed. In the XVII century, the Spasskaya Tower was built by an English architect and naked figures were placed in its niches, but for those Muscovites it was already too much, and they had to cover the "shame" with cloth caftans. Soon they burned down in a fire and were not restored again. The ten-storey Spasskaya Tower is the largest of the 20 towers of the Kremlin. For more than three centuries, the tower was crowned with a gilded double-headed eagle. In 1935, instead of eagles, five-pointed stars made of stainless steel and red copper were installed. However, they quickly faded and were replaced with "ruby" glowing ones, in fact they are made of simple red glass. The power of the lamps in the star is 5000 watts.

The clock-chimes of the tower have their own unique history. This is the main dial, the whole country checks the time by it. The first watches were installed in the XVI century – they weighed 400 kg and interestingly, the dial rotated, and the hands did not move. The clock periodically burned, often broke, and in 1917 a shell hit them, and they got up, a year later they were restored. Then there was a period of silence for almost 60 years! Since 1996, the chimes have been striking the time of a new era. What kind of melodies the clock did not play. From the German song "Ah, my dear Augustine" to the anthem of Russia. The current clock is the fourth in a row. They play the anthem of the Russian Federation (at noon and midnight) and the melody "Hail" by M. Glinka. The diameter of the dial is more than 6 meters. The dial is so huge that a Moscow Metro train can pass through it! The clock mechanism occupies 3 floors of the tower. The weight of the watch is 25 tons. The Kremlin chimes on the Spasskaya Tower have long become one of the most recognizable monuments of the Moscow Kremlin and a symbol of the country, they continue, as in previous centuries, to count the course of the history of Russia.