The Tula Kremlin is the historical center and the heart of Tula, which has been beating for five centuries. The defensive structure with powerful stone walls and towers, magnificent medieval palaces and ancient monuments is the largest architectural and urban ensemble of the Tula region. This is one of the 12 famous kremlins of Russia that have survived to this day. Tula Fortress is an architectural monument of the XVI century, which, along with famous samovars and gingerbread, is of great interest to tourists from all over the world. It allows you to personally touch the antiquity, admire the power of ancient architecture and immerse yourself in the chronology of the development of our country.
A visit to the Tula Kremlin is a good opportunity to learn historical secrets and explore the truth, despite the thickness of centuries. Here you will learn how amazingly the fate of many famous people is intertwined with the history of the stone structure. It will be interesting to touch the unique corners of the building, for example, a torture chamber, feel the atmosphere of the Middle Ages, immerse yourself in the world of peasant life. The originality, the subtle interweaving of architectural styles, the monuments of different historical eras — all this makes the Tula Kremlin unique and fuels the interest of tourists to this amazing structure.
In the 16th century, the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Ivan III, decided to expand his territories. In 1503, he took possession of part of the Ryazan cities and Tula. During the Mongol invasion of Russia, this city became an important strategic object, as the Golden Horde led by Khan Batu posed an increasing threat to the Russian principalities. Russia was attacked by the Tatars from the southern side — Tula blocked its way to Moscow.
In 1507, Vasily III ordered the construction of an oak defensive fortress in Tula on the right bank of the Upa. One of the key ways of the invasion of the Moscow Principality by enemies was the Muravsky shlyakh. It was he who became the site of the construction of the outpost. Upon completion of the construction, siege firing guns were delivered here for targeted firing at enemy forces. The fortress was armed with a large number of cannons and squeakers — everything was ready to meet the Crimean Tatars.
The year 1514 was fateful for the Tula fortress — Vasily III ordered the construction of a "stone castle", similar to the Moscow Kremlin. The construction was carried out for 7 years, the work was completed in 1521. The Voskresenskaya Chronicle informs about this. Since that time, the Tula Fortress has gained fame as an indestructible outpost: the Kremlin has been attacked by enemy attacks more than once, but not a single foreigner has been able to enter its territory.
In 1552, Russian troops led by Ivan IV the Terrible made a conquering campaign against Kazan. The Crimean Khan Devlet I Gerai took advantage of the tsar's absence and launched an offensive against Tula. Realizing that there would be no mercy, the residents of the city steadfastly defended themselves and fought valiantly until the arrival of military reinforcements. The events of the siege of 1552 are recalled by the foundation stone, which is installed next to the Ivanovo gate of the fortress.
There was another memorable siege that happened in 1608 during the Peasants' War. This time, everything happened without the participation of foreigners: the walls of the fortress became a haven for the leaders of the peasant rebels, Ivan Bolotnikov and Ileiko Muromets. All the tsar's attempts to dislodge the leaders of the movement from the fortress failed until the son of a boyar found a solution. He suggested building a dam on the Upa with the help of sacks of earth. And so they did. As a result of this trick, the water level rose significantly and flooded the fortress, which is why the rebels hurriedly left the shelter. The memory of this event is preserved by an obelisk.
For the townspeople, the Tula Kremlin was more than a defensive fortress, for many it became a home. In the scribal books dating back to the 17th century, there is information that 107 private courtyards were located on the territory of the Kremlin, and the number of residents was close to 200 people. The first and most important street of the city, called Bolshaya Kremlevskaya, was also located here. In the second half of the 17th century, Left-bank Ukraine joined Russia. Because of this event, the Tula Kremlin has lost its strategic importance. During the reign of Peter the Great, it was not even included in the list of official Russian fortresses.
Despite all this, the Kremlin continued to exist. At the end of the XVIII century, it was renovated, and in the 30s of the last century, the building underwent reconstruction. During the work, all the destroyed and dilapidated buildings were dismantled. Two decades later, there was another minor renovation, and 10 years later, a full-scale restoration began. Her task was to restore the original appearance of the fortress.
Over time, the Kremlin continued to improve. In 2012, with the support of the population, the Tula Kremlin Charitable Foundation was established. He raised funds for the drainage works, which covered a wide area — from the Water Gate Tower to Odoyevskaya. During subsequent restorations, the Rectangular Tower received a new tent, the shopping malls were renovated, the walls and the destroyed bell tower of the Assumption Cathedral were reconstructed. In 2015, the restoration of the Epiphany Cathedral began. In 2020, a solemn event took place — the Tula Kremlin celebrated its five hundredth anniversary. They began preparing the fortress for the significant date in advance — dozens of improvement and restoration projects were completed.
The Tula Kremlin is a key attraction of the city. The fortress is spread over 6 hectares. The structure has the shape of a regular rectangle, the perimeter of the walls of which is 1 kilometer. A swampy lowland was chosen for the construction of the outpost. At that time, it was not necessary to build a fortress on an elevation, since artillery had already begun to be actively used, demonstrating effectiveness from any position — low and high.
The exact location of the Tula Kremlin is the floodplain of the Upa River. Alas, the names of the architects who designed and erected the walls of the fortress are not known. But researchers believe that the structure was built with the participation of architects from Italy.
The Kremlin is a powerful structure with a solid foundation. An oak pile grate is mounted under its massive foundation. The strength and endurance of such a structure has been tested for hundreds of years. The stone base has been deepened by 5.5 meters. The walls of the fortress rise almost 11 meters high. Their thickness is about 4 meters, they are made of white limestone and large red brick. Limestone was used to lay the lower part, brick for the upper part.
The architecture of the Kremlin is an entertaining topic, and you can talk about it endlessly. Different architectural styles are wonderfully intertwined in this fortress. There are several facts that confirm the participation of Italian architects in the design of the Kremlin and its construction. For example, the battlements on the walls look like a dovetail — such elements decorated many medieval palaces in Italy. The ceiling in the form of the dome of the Nikitsky Tower also indicates the "Italian trace".
The architecture of the nine towers of the Tula Fortress deserves special attention. The Kremlin includes four blind towers located at the corners of the rectangle — Nikitskaya, Ivanovskaya, Nagulnaya and Spasskaya. The fifth deaf one is in the cellar. The stone structure also has four passageway towers — Odoevsky, Ivanovsky, Pyatnitsky and Vodiany Gates. They also have some special features. When you get to know the Kremlin, you can immediately see that all the towers are not lined up with the walls, but protrude beyond their borders. This location was not chosen simply — thanks to the protruding towers, the defenders could fire at enemy manpower from the flank.
All the towers of the Kremlin are located at a distance from each other, each of them acts as an independent fortress. All of them are divided into 3 or 4 tiers by means of bridges that connect stone stairs leading up and leading to the "battle passages".
The spiritual part of the Tula Kremlin is the Epiphany and Holy Dormition Orthodox Cathedrals. The Holy Dormition Cathedral was built in the XVIII century in 1766. This is one of the most elegant and impressive architectural creations, for which it was nicknamed the pearl of the Tula Fortress. It was built as a cold summer temple, and services to God were held here from Easter to Intercession. The bright, spacious and elegant Assumption Cathedral with its rich history, fascinating iconostasis and unique architectural motifs attracts numerous tourists from all over the world every year.
The temple is unique, it impresses with the organic interweaving of architectural simplicity, grandeur and monumental painting of interiors. The Holy Dormition Cathedral attracts attention from afar with its golden domes. Previously, the crown of this temple ensemble was a towering 70-meter bell tower. 22 bells were installed on its upper tiers, however, the landmark has not survived to our time — in the 30s the bell tower was irretrievably lost.
The temple captures the spirit with the decorative decoration of the walls with white stone carved elements, and the original stucco. The real sights inside the cathedral are the monumental murals in close-up. They were made by the best Yaroslavl craftsmen of the second half of the 17th century for two years. The decoration of the walls, window slopes and piers fills the atmosphere with a special solemnity. Another decoration is a gilded seven—tiered iconostasis of the XVIII century. Unfortunately, the names of the Tula icon painters remained unknown.
The former Epiphany Cathedral was built later than the Holy Dormition Cathedral in 1855-1862. The architect of the Tula Arms Factory, M.A. Mikhailov, took over its design. The temple was dedicated to Tula soldiers who died in the battles of the First World War of 1812. The cathedral had two floors with two side chapels: the first dedicated to Nicholas the Wonderworker, the second to Alexander Nevsky. Since February 1930, the temple has not been in operation — it was closed by decision of the Soviet government. The authorities planned to open a sports palace in the cathedral. The project was implemented, but not immediately: first, an aero club was placed in the temple building, and much later, in the 50s, a physical education club was opened here.
The Epiphany Cathedral was not preserved in its original form: four of its five chapters were demolished, only one remained. The classic bulbous ending of the central chapter has also not been preserved. In 2015, the temple began to be restored, however, there are no plans to restore the object to its original appearance.
On the territory of the Tula Kremlin there is another preserved monument of antiquity — stone benches. They were built in the 19th century for the meat and fish trade. The design was carried out by the provincial architect A. Dubrovsky. The construction was carried out under the leadership of the Tula merchant of the First guild I.I. Vinnikov. The shopping malls looked like one-story buildings, tightly fitting to the strands of the fortress walls. There were 48 shops in total, however, only a part has been preserved, since half of them were demolished at the end of the 19th century.
In November 1899, the authorities decided to build the first power plant in Tula. The construction was completed in 1900, and it was put into operation at the end of 1901. The facility was built next to the stone shops, which influenced the fate of the trading facilities — they were adapted for housing for the company's employees.
The history of the first urban power plant is of interest. The Siemens-Galske company was engaged in its construction, and the city council financed the project. With the construction of the power plant, a lighting system appeared on the main streets of Tula — arc lights lined up. For the first time, electricity appeared in homes, and twenty of the richest families became its lucky owners. The power plant did not last long — it was closed in the 1930s.
There are several museums on the territory of the Kremlin that invite you to visit their unique exhibitions. In 1989, the Museum of Arms opened its doors in a friendly manner. His exhibits were placed in the building of the Epiphany Cathedral after the reconstruction of the former temple. The museum's collection is represented by samples of weapons that have been collected since the reign of Peter I.
In 2012, a new building of the Tula State Museum of Weapons was opened, it is located in the district on the embankment. Dreyer's. The new six—storey building attracts with its unusual appearance - the object is made in the form of a helmet. It has two conference rooms, a library, a reading room and a small cafe. In the museum you can see interesting examples of medieval weapons, sabres, muskets, small arms and cannon weapons and other exhibits. There is an exhibition of Russian military equipment of the XX century: "Grads", "Tornadoes", anti-aircraft self-propelled guns, infantry fighting vehicles, tanks and much more.
In the museum of Folk and Decorative Arts, guests will be able to get acquainted with all kinds of exhibits - products of folk craftsmen, various crafts and crafts. There is something to see here for those who are interested in the material culture and spiritual values of the inhabitants of Tula in the XVI-XVII centuries. In the first hall, you can see traditional handicraft items imbued with the mythological origins of folk art culture, the power of agricultural rituals and the power of Slavic gods included in the ancient pagan pantheon. A walk through the hall from the very first steps immerses you in the life and everyday life of medieval peasants.
In other halls, you can see Filimonov toys, gingerbread and samovar production, Belevsky lace with elegant geometric motifs and closed ornaments. The expositions will introduce indisputable masterpieces of decorative and applied art - unique tapestries, rare porcelain products, exclusive samples of art glass and other products from the period of the VIII-XX centuries. The presented objects of decorative and applied art will tell about the fine artistic taste of craftsmen and craftsmen. The museum is relatively new — it opened its doors to visitors in 2012.
