2. The tula kremlin

For a number of centuries the history of Tula was

closely linked with the formation of the Russian state. In

1380 the famous Kulikovo Battle which led to the expulsion

of the Tartar-Mongolian hordes from the Russian territory

was fought to the South-East of Tula.

After joining the Moscow state in 1503, Tula’s

importance increased greatly. It became a strong fortress in

the defence line of the Moscow state. A wooden fortress

was built and by 1521 the Tula Kremlin had been

completed.

The Tula Kremlin differs from others in that its outline is almost rectangular.

The square lay-out of the Tula Kremlin walls is explained by the fact that when they

were built the development of artillery made it more convenient to deliver direct fire

from symmetrically disposed towers.

The walls are up to three metres thick and almost 11 metres high. Four towers

out of nine have gates. The walls and towers have about 300 loop-holes. Usually the

Kremlin was not heavily garrisoned but due to its strength and reliability it could

stand up to long sieges.

Within the Kremlin stands the Cathedral of the Assumption* built in 1762-64.

Its five cupolas are typical of Russian cathedrals of the 17-th century. Its frescoes,

painted by masters from Yaroslavl are the last copies of frescoes in ancient Russian

churches.

In 1552 the Tula Kremlin withstood a severe onslaught by the Crimean Khan

Devlet Girei, whose troops several times outnumbered the fortress defenders. The

town’s inhabitants and a garrison of 200 men beat off all attacks of 30-thousand-

strong troops. Moscow troops, which approached the town two days later, drove off

the enemy and defeated him near Tula.

Fifty years later the Tula Kremlin became the stronghold of the troops of Ivan

Bolotnikov, a peasant leader. For four months rebels against the princes and boyars

defended themselves within the Kremlin walls against the tsar’s troops. When the

long siege did not wear down the defenders, the attackers flooded the town by dam-

ming the river and forced them to surrender. Ivan Bolotnikov was kept prisoner and

killed. In the Kremlin one can see the monument to the peasant leader.

3. A visit to moscow

Last summer Mr. Wilson, his wife and their daughter

Mary – tourists from England – arrived in Moscow. It was

their first visit to Russia and they wanted to see as much

as possible.

Their guide showed them a lot of places of interest so

that they could get a good idea of the Russian capital.

Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe, its total

area is about nine hundred square kilometers, and the

population of the city is over eight million.

The heart of Moscow is Red Square. It has more his-

torical associations than any other place in Moscow. The

Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral are masterpieces of an-

cient Russian architecture. The main Kremlin tower, the

Spasskaya Tower, has become the symbol of the country. On the territory of the

Kremlin the Wilsons saw old cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Palace

of Congresses, the Tzar-Cannon and the Tzar-Bell, the biggest cannon and the bell in

the world. St. Basil’s Cathedral was built in the mid-16th century in memory of the

victory over Kazan. Ther’s a legend that Ivan the Terrible blinded the architects

Barma and Postnik, because he didn’t want them to create another masterpiece.

The Wilsons saw a lot of beautiful palaces, old mansions, cathedrals, churches

and monuments. They had a chance to visit any of more than 80 museums: the Push-

kin Museum of Fine Arts and the Tretyakov Gallery, the All-Russia Museum of Folk

Arts and the Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art, Alexei Bakhrushin Thea-

tre Museum and Mikhail Glinka Museum of Musical Culture among them.

In the evening the Wilsons decided to go to the Bolshoi Opera House, though it

was very difficult to choose between a large number of popular theaters.

The Wilsons liked Moscow’s straight and broad streets and avenues. They ad-

mired the centre of the city with its theatres, cinemas, museums, monuments, and

wonderful many-storied buildings. They were greatly impressed by the Kremlin, Red

Square, Novy Arbat, which is one of the busiest streets in Moscow.

One day the Wilsons decided to see Moscow State University and the guide sug-

gested their going there by metro. They liked the idea and joined a stream of people

going downstairs into the metro. It seemed to them that nearly everyone in Moscow

was in a hurry. Very few were satisfied to stand still and let the magic staircase carry

them down to the platforms below. Most people went hurrying down on the left side.

On and on ran the train through the tunnel and at every station people came in and

out. The trip gave the Wilsons a good impression of Moscow’s immense size.

When they came up into the daylight, they saw the magnificent building of the

University that is situated on the Vorobyovy Hills and from there they enjoyed a most

beautiful view of the whole city.

They went for a ride in the city. The size and the beauty of the capital made a

great impression on the family. They saw endless streams of busses, trolley busses

and cars in the streets, crowds of people walking along the pavements. They crossed

the city in different directions but to their great surprise they saw the same thing eve-

rywhere: well-planned streets lined with trees, many-storied houses, big stores, hotels

and beautiful squares. They saw no contrasts between the central part of the city and

the suburbs.

The Wilsons went sightseeing every day of their stay in Moscow. And before

their tour came to an end they had seen and learned a lot of interesting things about

the capital and the country. They liked Moscow and Muscovites who are so hospita-

ble and friendly.

-