Vocabulary

to be spread – расширяться, простираться, распространяться

to be connected – быть связанным

estate – поместье

to accept – принимать

to be mentioned – быть упомянутым

chronicle – летопись, хроника [

to surround – окружать [

an oak log – дубовое бревно [

due to … – из-за [

a point of intersection – точка пересечения

a route – дорога, маршрут [

a yoke – ярмо, иго [

an invader – захватчик

invasion – вторжение

heyday – расцвет [

a principality – княжество [

to defeat – наносить поражение

in the reign – при царствовании [

merchant – торговец, купец [

to plunder – грабить [

an ash – пепел [

a boundary – граница [

renaissance – возрождение [

ancient – древний, старинный [

The Kremlin

The word “kremlin” means “fortress”. There are quite a number of kremlins in old Russian cities like, for example, Suzdal (130 km from Moscow). It has a kremlin built in the 13^th century. There is a kremlin in Iaroslavl, then there is kremlin in Nijny Novgorod, and there are many more. So the word “kremlin” is not only applicable to the one in Moscow, but the Kremlin in Moscow is certainly the most beautiful and famous of all.

Moscow itself actually began with the Kremlin. In 1156 a small estate of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky was surrounded with a wall of oak logs, and became a town with a fortress – that is, a kremlin.

The town of Moscow and the Kremlin were destroyed in the 13^th century during the Tatar invasion, but they were rebuilt soon. In 1367 Prince Dmitri Donskoy built a wall of white stone around the Kremlin hill.

In a hundred years, by order of Tsar Ivan III the Kremlin was surrounded with a new wall of red brick of 2.5 km long, with the thickness from 3.5 m to 6.5 m.

Twenty towers on the Kremlin wall, which give it a unique appearance, were constructed at the end of the 17^th century when Moscow had already ceased to be a fortress. The towers were built for decoration and did not have military significance. Five of them were also gates. The oldest tower is the Tainitskaya Tower; it was built in 1485, and it had a secret passage to the Moskva River. The highest of them is the Troitskaya Tower which is 85 m tall. The most famous tower is Spasskaya; it is the symbol of Russia and Moscow. The Spasskaya Tower is a clock tower, and one can hear its chimes on the radio (just like the Big Ben in London). The clock was built later than the tower itself. The first clock was installed in 1625, and the present clock which we can see today was made in the middle of the 19^th century.

There are beautiful historical monuments and unique architectural masterpieces inside the Kremlin wall, such as the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Tsar Cannon (16c) and the Tsar Bell (18c), the Granovitaya Palace where the Moscow tsars held magnificent receptions in honour of foreign ambassadors. There is also a famous group of churches on the Kremlin’s territory. The largest of them is the Uspenski Cathedral built in 1479, where Russian tsars and emperors were crowned. In the Archangel Cathedral there are the tombs of the Moscow princes and tsars. One can see the tombs of Ivan the Terrible, of his son Ivan, and of his second son, Tsar Fyodor, there. The third cathedral of this group is Blagoveshchenski built in 1484. It is known for its oil paintings done by Andrey Rublev and his pupils, the greatest artists of the 15^th –16^th centuries.

There is a wonderful sense of History around the ancient walls of the Kremlin.

Ex.1 Find English equivalents in the text:

князь, нашествие татар, по приказу царя, протяженностью 2,5 км, толщиной, башня с часами, Колокольня Ивана Великого, Царь-пушка, Царь-колокол, Грановитая палата, Иван Грозный.

Ex.2 Translate into Russian:

quite a number of, like in Suzdal, a kremlin built in, many more, famous of all, actually, with the thickness, the oldest tower, on the radio, than the tower itself, oil paintings done by.

Ex.3 Insert prepositions and adverbs:

1. The word “kremlin” is not applicable … the one in Moscow.

2. A small estate was surrounded … a wall of oak logs.

3. The Kremlin was destroyed … the Tatar invasion.

4. Prince Dmitry Donskoy built a wall … white stone … the Kremlin wall.

5. … order of Tsar Ivan III the Kremlin was surrounded … a new wall … red brick.

6. The present clock was made … the middle of the 19^th century.

7. There are beautiful historical monuments and unique architectural masterpieces … the Kremlin wall.

8. There is also a famous group of churches … the Kremlin’s territory.

9. Blagoveshchenski Cathedral is known … its oil paintings done … Andrey Rublev and his pupils.

10. There is a wonderful sense … History … the ancient walls … the Kremlin.

Ex.4 Insert the words from the text:

1. The word “kremlin” means … .

2. It is not only … to the one in Moscow.

3. It was a small … of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky.

4. It became a town when was surrounded with a wall of … .

5. After the Tatar …, Moscow and the Kremlin … .

6. The Kremlin was surrounded with a new wall of … of 2.5 km …, with … from 3.5 m to 6.5 m.

7. … towers on the Kremlin wall, which give it a unique …, were constructed at the end of the 17^th century.

8. Five of the towers were also … .

9. The Tainitskaya Tower had a secret … to the Moskva River.

10. The Spasskaya Tower is a …of Russia.

11. One can hear … on the radio.

12.The first clock was … in 1625, and … was made in the 19^th century.

13.There are beautiful historical … and unique … inside the Kremlin wall.

14.The Moscow Tsars held … in Granovitaya Palace in honour of foreign … .

15. In the Archangel Cathedral there are … of the Moscow princes and tsars.

16.There is a wonderful … of History around the … walls of the Kremlin.

Ex.5 Answer the questions:

1. Why do people usually imagine the Moscow Kremlin when hear the word “kremlin”?

2. Why do you think Moscow itself actually began with the Kremlin?

3. How many times was the Kremlin greatly reconstructed?

4. When had Moscow already ceased to be a fortress? Why?

5. What are the most famous Kremlin Towers? Why? Why do you think the Spasskaya Tower is one of the symbols of Russia? What other symbols of Moscow and Russia can you name?

6. What historical monuments and architectural masterpieces can one see inside the Kremlin wall?

7. What is the Granovitaya Palace now?

8. Why do the Kremlin Cathedrals have historical significance?

Ex.6 Translate into Russian:

1. Можно назвать целый ряд кремлей в старорусских городах, такие как Суздальский, Ярославский и многие другие.

2. История Москвы и Кремля начинается с того дня, когда князь Юрий Долгорукий решил основать крепость на берегу реки Москва.

3. Москва и Кремль были разрушены в 13 веке татарами-захватчиками.

4. Протяженность кремлевской стены составляет 2,5 км, а ее толщина от 3,5 м до 6,5 м.

5. 20 башен придают Кремлю уникальный вид.

6. Русские цари всегда короновались в Успенском Соборе, даже когда столицей России был Санкт-Петербург.

7. Часы на Спасской башне бьют каждые 15 минут.

8. Кремль является не только уникальным историческим центром со своими памятниками, архитектурными шедеврами, музеями, но и резиденцией Российского президента.

9. Войти в Кремль можно через Троицкие и Боровицкие ворота.

10. Москва никогда не слышала голос Царя-колокола, который был поврежден во время пожара в Москве в 1737 году.

11. Здание Оружейной палаты было построено в 1844-1851 годах архитектором К.А.Тоном, который известен как создатель храма Христа Спасителя (the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour) и Большого Кремлевского Дворца (the Grand Kremlin Palace).

12. Первоначально Оружейная палата (the Armoury Museum) была мастерской, где изготавливалось оружие, но после Полтавской битвы (the battle of Poltava) Петр I приказал передать туда все трофейные орудия и знамена для создания музея боевой славы (military glory). Aлмазный фонд России (Russia’s Diamond Treasury) также располагается в этом здании.

13. Большой Кремлевский Дворец был построен в 40-х годах ХIX века. Здесь останавливались русские императоры, когда приезжали в Москву из Санкт-Петербурга.

14. Грановитая палата – одно из древнейших зданий Москвы – было построено в 1473-1490 годах архитекторами Марком и Петром Фрязиными. Стены здания сделаны из граненого камня (faceted stone), поэтому палата была названа Грановитой. (Английский вариант названия – the Faceted Chamber).

15. Иван Грозный – первый царь России как централизованного государства (centralized) короновался в Успенском Соборе в 1547 году.

16. Воскресенские ворота были заново построены в 1995 году согласно решению Правительства Москвы. Первоначально они были построены в 1680 году и были самыми красивыми воротами Кремля. Они находятся напротив Собора Василия Блаженного, между Государственным Историческим Музеем` и Кремлевской стеной. Через Воскресенские ворота можно войти на Красную площадь.

17. В Архангельском Соборе хоронили Великих Князей (the Grand Princes) и царей от Ивана Калиты до Ивана Алексеевича, брата Петра Великого. Здесь находятся 53 гробницы. Иван Калита был похоронен в старой церкви Архангела Михаила, которая стояла здесь до возведения собора в самом начале XVI века итальянским архитектором Алевизом Фрязиным. Когда Санкт-Петербург стал столицей, императоров хоронили в соборе Петропавловской крепости (the St.Peter and Paul fortress). Исключением был Иван II, который умер в Москве накануне (on the eve) своей свадьбы в 1730 году.

Ex.7 Translate into Russian:

The Spasskaya Tower

In 1491 Pietro Antonio Solari built the famous Spasskaya Tower with its chimes, and since then it has become a symbol of the Kremlin. Up to the middle of 17^th century the tower was known as the Frolovskaya Tower, but after the Icon of the Saviour was placed above its gates it acquired the name “Saviour” (Spasskaya). It was the main gateway into the Kremlin, and the Tsars and Emperors used to walk through these gates.

In 1625 the Spasskaya Tower was crowned with a stone spire for the main

clock in Russia – a chiming clock. In 1624 the Englishman Christopher Galloway and the Russian craftsmen Zhdan and Shumilo installed a new clock in the Spasskaya Tower. It had a massive pale blue face (циферблат), symbolizing the sky, where silver stars, the full moon and crescent moon were depicted.

Foreign visitors to Moscow called the clock “a wonder of the world”.

At the end of the 17^th century the clock broke down, and in accordance with a decree of Peter I it was replaced by a new clock from Holland with music-

chimes.

The German craftsmen who repaired the clock in the 18 century played a joke on Muscovites, and the chimes started to ring out over Moscow the melody “Ach, my dear Augustin!”.

In the middle of 19^th century the watchmakers – brothers Butenop set up 24 bells for the chimes. From that time up to the revolution the chimes rang out every three hours with the sound of “How great is our Lord in Zion” (“Коль славен наш Господь в Сионе”) and the march of the Preobrazhensky regiment.

During the storming of the Kremlin in 1917 the clock was damaged. On Lenin’s personal instruction the Kremlin locksmith Berens was deputed to repair the old mechanism. For the capital of a new state the chimes played the anthem “The Internationale” and the march “You are fallen for the Motherland” (“Вы жертвою пали”). Since the summer of 1996 the chimes have played the new Russian national anthem.

In 1650-s a double-headed eagle – the Russian emblem – was erected on the top of the Spasskaya Tower’s spire. The image of the Byzantine (Византийский)double-headed eagle first appeared as the symbol of Rus on the seal of Ivan III in 1497. The two heads symbolize the unity of the spiritual and temporal powers (духовная и светская власти), and one head faces the West, while the other faces the East. The eagle’s breast is protected by the Moscow emblem with the image of St.George.

Later, the Russian emblems were set up on the tallest Kremlin’s towers. In November 1934 they were replaced by red five-pointed stars made from semi-precious stones from the Urals (уральские самоцветы), but they quickly became tarnished. In 1937 new ruby stars were fixed. Now the five stars on the Kremlin towers themselves form in plan a five-pointed star.

Ex.8 a) read and translate the dialogue: