Kremlin

President of Russia

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National Priorities:
| Land Reform
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DISCOVERING THE KREMLIN |

Construction Work in the Kremlin in the 19th Century

Nicholas I not only had old Kremlin buildings restored, but also commissioned the construction of new ones. In 1838, work began on rebuilding the imperial residence.

The old palace, designed by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in the 18th century, no longer met the demands of the times. The building, restored after the 1812 fire, was not in the best condition and, finally, the decision was made to demolish it. Nicholas I decided to have a new palace built in its place and commissioned architect Konstantin Ton to head the work.

Work on the palace continued from 1838 to 1849, inclusively. The palace was blessed in an official ceremony in April 1849 with the entire imperial family attending. Contemporaries were impressed with the new building and wrote that this Great Kremlin Palace, like the music of Glinka, is infused with something distinctly Russian.

The Great Kremlin Palace was the last building in Russia built on such a grand scale and with such opulence. Indeed, it was one of the last of its kind in Europe. Like much of Ton’s work, it incorporated construction and design techniques that were in many ways ahead of their time. The palace used a vaulted construction for walls and ceilings, inlaid stone floors in the vestibules and corridors and iron rafters.

Today, the Great Kremlin Palace forms the centerpiece of the unique architectural ensemble that is the Kremlin.

Construction and restoration work in the Kremlin was completed by the mid-19th century. Not only was the Kremlin the heart of Russia’s first capital, it was also the guardian of ancient and glorious national traditions and customs, and the site of some of the most important events and ceremonies in the Russian Empire. One of the last of these events was the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty in 1913.

[Next... The 20th Century: the Kremlin’s Losses]

| The Histiry of the Kremlin |  | The Era of Peter the Great
| The Origin of the Kremlin |  | The Second Half of the 18th Century
| The “Small Wooden Town” on Borovitsky Hill |  | 1812 and the Restoration of the Kremlin
| The Kremlin in the 13th Century |  | Construction Work in the Kremlin in the 19th Century
| A Residence Fit for Princes |  | The 20th Century: the Kremlin’s Losses
| The White Stone Kremlin of Dmitry Donskoi |  | The Most Recent History of the Ancient Kremlin
| The Kremlin in the 15th - 17th Centuries |  |

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