One More Kremlin Tower is Now Open for Tourists

Starting on 4^th of August travelers, visiting Moscow, have one more option how to finish their Kremlin tour. Spasskaya Tower, the one, that holds the iconic clock seen from the Red square, is now open for passage.

Until now, Kremlin had only two entry points for tourists and ordinary visitors: you could go through the doors near the Borovitskaya tower to visit the Kremlin Armory, or through the exquisite Kutafya Tower, leading to Troitskaya Tower, through the Troitsky Bridge. To exit Kremlin you had to go backwards.

Gates of Spasskaya Tower are opened only on special occasions: to pass the president’s cortege during the inauguration, to deliver a Christmas tree to the Kremlin, or let military chiefs join the parade on the Victory day. No one would let tourists to exit the Kremlin through the gates. Like with the Borovitskaya Tower, you have to go through the special doors just outside the tower. The same ones in use by bureaucrats, working in Kremlin.

Nevertheless, even that change is a great step forward. President Vladimir Putin agreed to a proposal, made by Moscow’s mayor: “Sergey Semenovich (Sobyanin) proposed another idea: to open the gates of the Spasskaya Tower due to the very large flow of tourists,” said Putin. That new arrangement gives tourists a choice: to return to Kutafya Tower, or to exit the Kremlin and go straight to the Red Square to continue the tour.

Officials say, the gates themselves would be opened for passage if the flow of tourists increases. Hopefully, that’s only the first of many changes in the Kremlin visiting rules. Many Muscovites hope it would become a less restricted area available for not only tours, but also for leisure walks.