KREMLIN

The Moscow Kremlin, originally built 1156, has undergone frequent enlargements and reconstructions. Russian Kreml, formerly Kremnik, central fortress in medieval Russian cities, usually located at a strategic point along a river and separated from the surrounding parts of the city by a woodenlater a stone or brickwall with ramparts, a moat, towers, and battlements. Several capitals of principalities (e.g., Moscow, Pskov, Novgorod, Smolensk, Rostov, Suzdal, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, and Nizhny Novgorod) were built around old kremlins, which generally contained cathedrals, palaces for princes and bishops, governmental offices, and munitions stores. The Moscow Kremlin (1156) lost its importance as a fortress in the 1620s but was used as the centre of Russian government until 1712 and again after 1918. Originally constructed of wood, it was rebuilt in brick in the 14th century by Italian architects and later repaired and altered on numerous occasions. Its architecture thus reflects its long history and encompasses a variety of styles, including Byzantine, Russian Baroque, and classical. The structure is triangular in shape; its east side faces Red Square, and it has four gateways and a postern (back gate), concealing a secret passage to the Moscow River. Following the Bolshevik seizure of power in October 1917, the Moscow Kremlin became the headquarters of Lenin's Soviet government and the symbol of the communist dictatorship. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, it became the executive headquarters of the Russian federation. See also Moscow.