Must See Places

Sometimes a well know site like Moscow’s Kremlin holds surprises that few people never see and pass over.  Take the Ivan the Great Bell Tower for example,  The Ivan the Great Bell Tower is the tallest of the Kremlin bell towers at a total height of 81 meters (266 feet). It was built for the Assumption, Archangel and Annunciation cathedrals, which do not have their own belfries and is said to mark Moscow's precise geographic center.  From 1329, Moscow’s first stone bell tower stood on this site, affiliated with the Church of St. Ivan of the Ladder-under-the Bell, hence the name “Ivan” in the title. For the first time that I’m aware of, the bell tower was open for tours last spring and summer. The view from this tower of the Kremlin Cathedral Square and surrounding area is just fantastic.  What is even more amazing, only my wife and myself took this tour, nobody else, so we were able to take our time with seeing everything there is to see, about twice as long as the normal tour. The guide told us that apparently nobody knows the bell tower has been opened, only about 20 people per week sign up for the bell tower tour. I guess people just do not bother reading the web pages of the sights they are going to visit any more. But the views from this bell tower is really something else, you really can not say you’ve been to the Moscow Kremlin is you pass over going up to the highest level of this bell tower.

Photo: Jon Ayres