Tsar Cannon

Near the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles there is a remarkable monument of Russian foundry – the Kremlin Tsar Cannon - the oldest and the largest cannon in the world. It was made in 1586 in Moscow, at the Cannon yard, during the reign of the son of Ivan the Terrible, Fyodor Ioanovich. In 1591, when the Crimean-Tatar forces threatened Moscow, the Tsar Cannon was placed near the Kremlin in Kitai-Gorod to protect the Moscow River crossing. The length of this huge cannon is 5 m, 34 cm; the outer diameter of the barrel is 120 cm, the diameter at the muzzle belt is 134 cm; the caliber - 890 mm. The barrel, cast from high quality brass, has a conical shape. The entire surface of the barrel is decorated with cast ornamental friezes, ornamental belts, and inscriptions. The weight of the gun is 40 tons. In 1835 the giant cannon received St. Petersburg-made carriage, on which it rests now. There are four decorative iron cannonballs, each weighing 1000 kilograms, at its foot.