Aleksander garden

Aleksander garden

Next to the wall of the Moscow kremlin and on the place where the Neglinna River once flowed is the Aleksander Garden, a space that mixes greenery and flowers with symbols of Russian history. This garden is included in the historic Kremlin complex.

Aleksander Garden became one of the most important attractions in Moscow along with the Red Square and other interesting places near the fortress.

The park of about 10 hectares has a regular design: parallel to the wall of the Kremlin there are 3 main alleys, along which are planted a lot of different trees (Linden, Maple) and ornamental shrubs (lilac, Hawthorn, Jasmine, bird cherry) that bloom at different times of the year. The decoration of the park was completed with a huge fountain complex, decorated with sculptures of horses and fairy-tale characters.

Aleksander Garden is divided into 3 parts: the upper garden, the Middle Garden and the Lower Garden. The upper and Middle gardens are separated by the Trinity Bridge and communicate through its archway, while the lower one is separated by borovitsky street: it has no alleys, in fact, it is closed to visitors.

In the alleys of the Aleksander Garden there is a significant number of historical objects and monuments.

History of the Aleksander Garden

Although the Aleksander Garden is considered historic, in reality the park is quite young: its grand opening took place on August 30, 1821.

In the past, the Neglinnaya river flowed along the territory of the current Garden. After the Patriotic War and the fire of 1812, when Moscow suffered significant destruction, the question arose of the restoration and reconstruction of the central part of the city, and in 1819-1823, on the site of the Neglinka underground collector designed by architect Osip Bove, 3 gardens were designed: upper (~350 meters, from the modern Manezhnaya Square to the Trinity Bridge), Middle (~382 meters, from the Trinity to the Borovitsky Bridge) and lower (~132 meters, from the Borovitsky bridge on the descent to the river).

Works began by decree of Aleksandr I; originally equipped gardens were called simply and laconically-Kremlin, but in 1856 they were renamed in honor of the former emperor and became Aleksander. Subsequently, the gardens were no longer read as separate spaces, and the name was established in singular: The Aleksander Garden, but the original boundaries between each part are well visible today.

Among other things, Beauvais planned to use neglinna waters to create ornamental ponds, but the idea did not materialize.

Monuments or points of interest of the Aleksander Garden

Today, the park have 3 memorial complexes, 2 monuments to specific people, 1 Memorial Obelisk and several modern fountains combined in the complex. Among other things, the Garden has access to the Kremlin wall and 8 towers.

• Grotto of the ruins (Italian Grotto): a decorative grotto symbolizing the restoration of Moscow from the Ashes; Osip Beauvais conceived it as a monument to the city destroyed in 1812. The cave is embedded in an artificial hill at the foot of the Central Tower of the Arsenal and built in part from the remains of buildings destroyed by the French army, its romantic appearance catches the eye and breaks the monotony of the Kremlin wall.
• The Tomb of an unknown soldier with eternal fire and the alley of the hero cities: a commemorative architectural ensemble dedicated to the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Becoming one of the main military monuments of the country, the complex has become a truly iconic attraction, to which tourists come from different parts of Russia and the world. In the Eternal Flame is the honor guard post, where every hour is held a ceremony of change of guard that attracts the attention of visitors to the park. (Read at the end about this monument in detail)

Monuments

• Stela in honor of the Russian commanders: a commemorative granite slab that houses bronze bas-reliefs depicting the Russian commanders of the Patriotic War of 1812, the Battle of Borodin and other important battles. Installed in 2014 at the same time as the monument to Aleksander I.
• Aleksander I Monument: sculpture in memory of Emperor Aleksander I Of All Russia work of sculptor Salavat Shcherbakov. installed in 2014.
• Monument to Patriarch Hermogen: a sculpture in memory of the second Patriarch of all Russia Hermogen, installed in 2013 on the initiative of the Republic of China and Patriarch Kirill.

The Obelisk

• Romanov obelisk: a monument dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Romanov House. The original obelisk was erected in 1914: surrounded by heraldic symbols, the names of the Kings and Queens of The Romanov dynasty were placed on it. After the revolution of 1917, the monument was rebuilt, replacing Russian symbolism with the Soviet, and instead of the Tsars, the names of political figures and thinkers of the ninth century (Marx, Engels, Liebknecht, Chernyshevsky and others) whose list was personally approved by Vladimir Lenin.

In 2013, they decided to restore the Obelisk for the 400th anniversary of the Romanovs House and dismantled it to make a replica; the original monument was practically lost; and finally placed in its place a new model based on the original Romanov obelisk, but it is not an exact copy.

* Complex of fountains with sculptures: includes several fountains, the largest are the “geyser” with the sculpture ” Seasons “(4 horses frolicking) and the “Neglinnaya River”; which mimics the bed of Neglinka and is decorated with the sculptural composition”characters from fairy tales”.

• The Kremlin towers and the Kremlin wall: the Aleksander Garden has become an excellent platform for admiring the wall and towers. Up to 8 towers of the Kremlin go out to the park: Angular Arsenal, Middle Arsenal, Trinity, commander, Armory and borovitskaya face the upper and Middle Gardens, Vodovzvodnaya-to the bottom. On the middle of the garden there is a kutafya Tower, connected to the fortress by the Trinity Bridge.

Tomb of Unknown Soldier

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of The Great Patriotic War that was the bloodiest event in the history of Russia of the 20th century. In Russia, there are rest of hundreds thousands of soldiers who gave their lives for their homeland, the names of a lot of them are unknown. In memory of the fallen hero soldiers, a memorial architectural ensemble was created in Moscow, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

How was the monument installed?

In 1941, there were bloody battles near Moscow; at km 41 of the Leningrad highway there was a mass grave of which rescued the body of an unknown soldier.

On December 3, 1966; in a solemn ceremony moved the remains of the unknown soldier tomb near the Kremlin wall at the beginning of Aleksandr Garden.

The center of the monument is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a tombstone consisting of polished granite slabs. In the central stone of the tombstone, there is a sculptural composition made of bronze, a flag, a laurel branch and a soldier’s helmet. In front of the tombstone is a five-pointed star, in the center of it burns the Eternal Flame of Glory.

To the left of the monument, there is a low granite wall on which is engraved “1941-fallen for The Motherland – 1945”. To the right of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a granite alley with porphyry rectangular blocks. Inside the blocks lies the land of the hero cities: Kiev, Volgograd, Leningrad, Odessa, Sevastopol, Murmansk, Smolensk, Minsk, Kerch, Brest, Tula, Novorossiysk.

In 1997, an honor guard was installed in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

In 2004, by decision of Vladimir Putin, the inscription Volgograd was replaced by Stalingrad.

“Your name is unknown, your feat is immortal,” these simple words will not leave anyone indifferent to the great feat of the Russian soldier.

To the Tomb of Unknown Soldier, people come from all over to pay tribute and honor the memory of the missing.

Aleksandr’s Garden and all its points of interest are included in our Free Tour in Moscow and the Tour of the Historical Center of Moscow (In private format).

Do not miss the best tours with the best guides in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Contact Us.