Tsar Bell — Attraction in Tverskoy District

The Tsar Bell was cast in 1733-1735 on the order of Empress Anna Ioannovna by hereditary Muscovy casters and bell founders Ivan Motorin and his son Mikhail. Up till now, the Tsar Bell is considered to be the biggest one in the world. It weighs about 202 ton, it is 6.14 meter high and its diameter is 6.6 meters.

The history of making the bell is full of many difficulties, failures, and disasters. The bell was formed and cast in a special moulding pit at Ivanovskaya Square to the east of the 'Ivan the Great' Bell Tower.

Woodcarvers from St. Petersburg—Vasily Kobelev, Pyotr Galkin, Pyotr Kokhtev, Pyotr Serebryakov and the moulding master Pyotr Luokovnikov were commissioned to make the relief ornamentation. The name of the sculptor was discovered not long ago—it was Feodor Medvedev who got educated in Italy. Preparatory works took almost two years. At the end of 1734, the masters began the heating of metal in specially built furnaces, but soon the leakage was found out. At the same time, the fire destroyed wooden lifting constructions above the bell. The work recommenced, but when Ivan Motorin died in August 1735, his son was entrusted with the work.

The Tsar Bell was finally cast in November 1735. However, it still remained in the moulding pit. In May 1737, a terrible fire known as Troitsky broke out and spread to the Kremlin buildings. During the fire extinguishing, cold water fell on the bell itself. Temperature difference caused its crack, and a huge piece of 11.5 ton broke off.

Splintered fragment of the Tsar BellTsar Bell. Relief decorInside the Tsar Bell`s basement

The repeated attempts to lift up the bell were a failure. In 1836, the work was commissioned to French architect from St. Peterburg Auguste Montferrant, who designed the lifting construction and an octal sandstone pedestal for the Tsar Bell. The first lifting was a failure; then the device was improved and the Tsar Bell was pulled out from the moulding pit at last. It remains there up till now as an example of the art of casting.

The Tsar Bell is decorated with bas-relief portraits of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich and Empress Anna Ioannovna; it is adorned both with floral ornament in the baroque style and images of saints, angels and inscriptions telling the story...

There are many interesting things to see within the Walls of the Kremlin in central Moscow. One of these is the Tsar Bell, situated in front of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. This is believed to be the largest bell in the world at over 200,000kg in weight.

The bell was made between 1733-35. It stands at 6.14 metres tall and measures 6.6 in diameter. You can appreciate the scale and size of the Tsar Bell by standing near it for photos and while viewing it from 40+ metres away where you can see how much larger it is than the people posing for pictures in front of this monument. Note, the broken section of the bell. It rests beside the bell and is equally impressive in size.

Note: Another similar large scale item is the enormous Tsar Cannon located not far away on the other side of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. It is worth having a...

The Tsar Bell is located between the Ivan the Great Bell Tower and the Kremlin Wall. Made of bronze, the bell cracked during a fire after being completed and has never been rung. The bell is the largest bell in the world, weighing 201,924 kilograms (445,166 lb),[2] with a height of 6.14 metres (20.1 ft) and diameter of 6.6 metres (22 ft), and thickness of up to 61 centimetres (24 in). The bell is decorated with relief images of baroque angels, plants, oval medallions with saints, and nearly life-size images of Empress Anna and Tsar Alexey, who was reigning at the time the previous Tsar...