Color plate titled The "Tsar" bell, approx. page size is 21.5 x 15 cm, approx. image size is 13.5 x 10.5 cm. From: Russia, painted by F. De Haenen, text by G. Dobson, H.M. Grove, and H. Stewart, published by A. and C. Black, London. MCMXIII.

Kremlin,

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 wooden--later a stone or brick--wall  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 heaquarters of the Russian federation.