Buildings in the Kremlin
The Arsenal

The Arsenal. Main facade
The Arsenal’s building has a long history. The construction began in 1702 on the initiative of Peter I according to the plan of his own. The Arsenal was to be used not only like an armoury and ammunition storehouse but also like a museum-depository of captures and ancient weapons. The largest Moscow building of Peter the Great’s epoch was placed in the northern corner of the Kremlin’s territory, between the Troitskaya (Trinity) and Nikolskaya Towers, free after the 1701 fire.

 

View of the Nicholas triumphal gate with a part of Zeichgaus. Engraving of the drawing by M.I. Makhaev. 1763.
The first step of work was headed by architects M. Choglokov, D. Ivanov and H. Konrad. In 1706, because of the Russo-Swedish War and the lack of money the construction works were suspended and finished only in 1736. In 1737, while the fire in Moscow, the Arsenal was damaged badly as all the wooden overlaps burnt down. The building was restored only in 1786-1796 under the supervision of M. Kazakov and engineer A. Gerard.

In 1812, before the Napoleon’s Army retreated from Moscow, the Arsenal was blown up. The north-eastern side was completely destroyed, the rest of the building was also injured. The restoration works on the project of architects A. Bakarev, I. Mironovskiy, I. Tamanskiy and
E. Tyurin were started in 1814 and finished in 1828.

In spite of long construction, the original building’s composition has survived. The trapeze-shaped low edifice with a sizable inner yard and two arched
passageways is made of brick. The architecture of the two-story faзades gives an impression of solid durability.

The Arsenal. South-western facade
The Arsenal. Plan of the first floor
The Arsenal. Main facade