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kremlin

kremlin

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

kremlin , Rus. kreml, citadel or walled center of several Russian cities; the most famous is in Moscow. During the Middle Ages, the kremlin served as an administrative and religious center and offered protection against military attacks. Thus a kremlin constituted a city in itself, containing palaces, government buildings, churches, marketplaces, and munitions stockpiles. Famous kremlins still preserved include those of Moscow, Astrakhan, Nizhny Novgorod (formerly Gorky), Kazan, Novgorod, and Pskov.

The Moscow Kremlin

The kremlin in the city of Moscow is known simply as the Kremlin. Triangular and surrounded by crenellated walls, it occupies 90 acres (36.4 hectares) in the historic core of Moscow. It is bounded on the south by the Moscow River and Kremlin quay, on the east by Red Square with Lenin's tomb, the Moscow Historical Museum, and St. Basil's Cathedral, and on the west and south by the old Alexander Gardens. The Kremlin's walls, built in the 15th cent., are topped on each side by seven towers (20 towers altogether); among these is the Spasskaya [of the Savior], with famous chimes, above the main gate.

In the center of the Kremlin is Cathedral Square, with the Uspenski [Assumption] Cathedral (late 15th cent. but containing rare icons of the 12th and 14th cent.), which was used for czarist state occasions, for the crowning of czars, and for the burial of church patriarchs; the Blagoveschenski [Annunciation] Cathedral (15th–16th cent.), which served as the private chapel for the czars' families; the Arkhangelski Cathedral (14th–17th cent.), which contains tombs of the czars; and the separate bell tower of Ivan the Great, c.266 ft (81 m) high, the golden cupola of which dominates the crosses, cupolas, and roofs of the other buildings.

On a pedestal adjoining the bell tower is the Czar Bell (cast in 1735), the world's largest bell, with a height of 20 ft (6.1 m) and a weight of 200 tons. The Czar Cannon, located nearby, was cast in 1586 and weighs 40 tons. Along the Kremlin walls are large palaces, including the 15th-century Granovitaya Palata (the throne and banquet hall of the czars); the 19th-century Oruzheinaya Palata (Armory), built as a museum for crowns, scepters, thrones, costumes, and armor; and the 19th-century Grand Palace (Rus. Bolshoi Dvorets ), rebuilt under the Communist regime and now housing the Russian parliament.

The Kremlin's architectural history may be divided into the three periods: the wooden Kremlin (founded in the 13th cent.), the Italian Renaissance Kremlin, and the modern Kremlin begun by Catherine the Great in the 18th cent. The Kremlin is almost the only part of Moscow that has escaped all of the city's numerous fires, including that of 1812, when Napoleon's headquarters were in Moscow. It suffered minor damage during the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. The Kremlin was the residence of the czars until Peter the Great transferred the capital to St. Petersburg in 1712. After 1918, when the capital was moved back to Moscow, the Kremlin was the USSR's political and administrative center; the word "Kremlin" was often used as a synonym for that government. It is now the seat of the government of Russia.

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"kremlin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Kremlin

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

Kremlin (Rus. citadel) Historic centre of Moscow. It is a roughly triangular fortress covering c.37ha (90 acres). The Kremlin walls were built of timber in the 12th century, and its first stone walls were erected in 1367. Within the walls, several cathedrals face on to a central square; the Great Kremlin Palace was the Tsar's Mosciw residence iuntil the Revolution of 1917. In March 1918, the Supreme Soviet established the Kremlin complex as the location of all government offices. Today, the Kremlin is the home of the Russian presidential offices.

http://www.moscow-taxi.com
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Kremlin, the

A Dictionary of World History | 2000 | Copyright

Kremlin, the The citadel in Moscow, centre of administration of the Russian government and formerly of the Soviet Communist government. Covering an area of 28 hectares, its palaces, churches, and monuments are surrounded by a wall 2235 m (7333 feet) in length. The building of the Kremlin began in 1156 when Prince Yuri Dolgoruky ordered a wooden fort to be built on Borovitsky Hill. This later became the residence of the Grand Dukes of Moscow and the site where Russian emperors and empresses came to be crowned.
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Kremlin, the

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

Kremlin, the the citadel in Moscow housing the Russian and (formerly) USSR government. The name is recorded from the mid 17th century, and comes via French from Russian kreml′ ‘citadel’.

The study and analysis of Soviet or Russian policies was known as Kremlinology.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Kremlin, the." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Kremlin

A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture | 2000 | | Copyright

Kremlin. Russian fortress or citadel within a town, especially that in Moscow, established 1156, more strongly fortified with stone walls from 1367 and brick walls and towers (1489–95), and beautified with many fine buildings from C15.
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JAMES STEVENS CURL. "Kremlin." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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kremlin

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

krem·lin / ˈkremlin/ • n. a citadel within a Russian town. ∎  (the Kremlin) the citadel in Moscow. ∎  the Russian or (formerly) USSR government housed within this citadel.

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Kremlin

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

Kremlin citadel in a Russian town. XVII. — F., ult. f. Russ. kreml’; of uncert. orig.
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T. F. HOAD. "Kremlin." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Kremlin

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

Kremlin •Alun, Malin, Tallinn •Jacklin • franklin •chaplain, Chaplin •ratline •Carlin, marlin, marline, Stalin •Helen, Llewelyn •Mechlin •Emlyn, gremlin, Kremlin •Galen • capelin • kylin • Evelyn •Enniskillen, penicillin, villein •Hamelin • Marilyn • discipline •Colin, Dolin •goblin, hobgoblin •Loughlin •Joplin, poplin •compline • tarpaulin •Magdalen, maudlin •bowline, pangolin •Ventolin • moulin • Lublin • Brooklyn •masculine • insulin • globulin •mullein • Dublin • dunlin • muslin •kaolin • chamberlain • Michelin •madeleine • Mary Magdalene •Gwendolen • francolin • mescaline •formalin • lanolin •adrenalin, noradrenalin •crinoline • zeppelin • cipolin •Carolyn • Jocelyn • porcelain • Ritalin •Ottoline •javelin, ravelin •Rosalyn •merlin, purlin •Dunfermline • purslane

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