Beklemishevskaya Tower (russian: Беклемишевская) is a tower at the Eastern edge of

Moscow Kremlin Wall The Moscow Kremlin Wall is a defensive wall that surrounds the Moscow Kremlin, recognisable by the characteristic notches and its Kremlin towers. The original walls were likely a simple wooden fence with guard towers built in 1156. The Kremlin w ...

. It was named after a boyar

Ivan Bersen-Beklemishev Ivan Nikitich Beklemishev, nicknamed Bersen ("gooseberry") (russian: Ива́н Ники́тич Берсе́нь-Беклеми́шев) (? - 1525) was one of the most prominent Russian diplomats and statesmen during the reigns of Ivan III and Va ...

, whose house had been adjacent to the tower from the Kremlin side. It was earlier known as russian: Москворецкая tower based its position on the near Moskva River. It is similar to the other two towers standing at the other corners of the Kremlin triangle, Vodovzvodnaya and Uglovaya Arsenalnaya rowers. While these towers are cylindrical, all other towers of the Kremlin's Wall have been built on a square plan base.

Description

This is a 46.2 meter high cylindrical tower with four floors and widely spaced narrow windows. The upper floor is a defensive position with openings at the planking of the ''mâchicoulis'' for firing downwards. The tower is topped with an octagonal upper building with louvers and a

weather vane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

History

It was erected in 1487-88 as part of the reinforcement of the Kremlin's reserve lines. It was built in place of an earlier fortification following the plans of the Italian architect

Marco Ruffo Marco Ruffo as known as Marco Fryazin (Марк Фрязин, Марко Фрязин and Марко Руффо in Russian language, Russian) was an Italian architect active in Moscow in the 15th century. The Fryazin title originates from the old ...

. While it is sometimes considered the only tower on the wall of the Kremlin that has not changed substantially over the preceding centuries, it has also been suggested that it was destroyed by the forces of Napoleon and rebuilt subsequently. Only minor repairs were carried out during the 20th century. The roof was replaced with copperplates in 1973.

Further information

*Анисимов Н.А. Расстрел Московского Кремля.. — М.: Столица, 1995. — 85 с. — . *Бартенев С. П. Московский Кремль в старину и теперь. — М.: Синодальная типография, 1912. — 259 с. *Бродский Б. Сокровища Москвы. — М.: Изобразительное искусство, 1990. — 376 с. — . *Воротникова И. А., Неделин В.М. Кремли, крепости и укрепленные монастыри русского государства XV-XVII веков. Крепости Центральной России.. — М.: БуксМАрт, 2013. — 887 с. *По Москве. Прогулки по Москве и ее художественным и просветительным учреждениям / Геника Н. Я.. — М.: Изд. М. и С. Сабашниковых, 1917. — 672 с. *Гончарова А. А. Стены и башни Кремля. — М.: Московский рабочий, 1980. — 96 с. *Девятов С. В., Жиляев В. И., Кайкова О. К. Московский Кремль в годы Великой Отечественной войны. — М.: Кучково поле, 2010. — 332 с. *Евдокимов Д. В. Кремль и Красная площадь. — М.: ИТРК, 2003. — 272 с. — . *Земцов С. М. Архитекторы Москвы второй половины XV и первой половины XVI века // Зодчие Москвы. — Московский рабочий, 1981. — С. 59–68. *Всеобщая история архитектуры в 12 томах. Т.VI Архитектура России, Украины и Белоруссии XIV - перв. пол. XIX вв / Колли Н. Я.. — М., 1968. — Т. 6. — 569 с. *Колодный Л. Е. Путешествие в свой город. — М.: Московский рабочий, 1981. — 368 с. *Малиновский А. Ф. Обозрение Москвы. — М.: Московский рабочий, 1992. — . *Романов К.К. Рецензия на книгу Бартенева «Московский Кремль в старину и теперь». — СПб., 1914. — 18 с. *Романюк С. Сердце Москвы. От Кремля до Белого города.. — М.: Центрполиграф, 2013. — 912 с. — . *Рябчиков Е.И. Красная площадь. — М., 1980. — 240 с. *Шевченко В.Н. Повседневная жизнь Кремля при президентах.. — М.: Молодая гвардия, 2005. — 292 с. *Фабрициус М.П. История московского Кремля. — М.: АСТ, 2007. — 410 с. *Яковлева О. Тайны московских подземелий. — М.: БММ, 2014. — 240 с. — . *Янцева Л. И. Вокруг Кремля и Китай-Города. ПутеБродитель. — М.: Центрполиграф, 2016. — 478 с. — . {{coord, 55.74973, 37.62327, format=dms, type:landmark_region:RU, display=title Moscow Kremlin towers Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Moscow