Who rests in the Kremlin wall. Necropolis near the Kremlin wall on Red Square. Mass graves of revolution fighters

05.07.202327.05.2017

And who likes it, apparently, to have a cemetery in a place of public festivities.

On November 7, the Moscow Military Revolutionary Committee decided to arrange a mass grave on Red Square and scheduled the funeral for November 10.

On November 8, two mass graves were dug - between the Kremlin wall and the tram rails that lay parallel to it. One grave started from the Nikolsky Gate and stretched to the Senate Tower, then there was a short gap and the second went to the Spassky Gate.

On November 10, 238 coffins were lowered into mass graves. In total, 240 people were buried in 1917 (14.11.-Lisinova and 17.11.-Valdovsky) (the names of 57 people are precisely known.

Subsequently, 15 more mass graves of revolution fighters or those who died in the Kremlin wall appeared near the Kremlin wall. different time by their own death and then buried in common graves, or who died together in disasters (for example, in the crash of an aerocar in which Artyom (Sergeev) and a number of other Bolsheviks died). After 1927 this practice ceased.
As a result, more than 300 people were buried in mass graves; the exact names of 110 people are known. Abramov’s book contains a martyrology, which identifies 122 more people who, most likely, are also buried in mass graves.

In the first years of Soviet power, on November 7 and May 1, a military guard of honor was displayed at the Mass Graves, and the regiments took the oath.

In 1919, Ya. M. Sverdlov was buried for the first time in a separate grave on Red Square.

In 1924, the Lenin Mausoleum was built, which became the center of the necropolis.

Burials in the 1920s-1980s

Subsequently, the necropolis was replenished with two types of burials:
particularly prominent figures of the party and government (Sverdlov, and then Frunze, Dzerzhinsky, Kalinin, Zhdanov, Voroshilov, Budyonny, Suslov, Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko) were buried near the Kremlin wall to the right of the Mausoleum without cremation, in a coffin and in a grave. The body of I.V. Stalin, taken out of the Mausoleum in 1961, was buried in the same grave. Monuments were erected above them - sculptural portraits by S. D. Merkurov (busts at the first four burials in 1947 and Zhdanov in 1949), N. V. Tomsky (busts of Stalin, 1970, and Budyonny, 1975), N. I. Bratsun (bust of Voroshilov, 1970), I. M. Rukavishnikov (busts of Suslov, 1983, and Brezhnev, 1983), V. A. Sonin (bust of Andropov, 1985), L. E. Kerbel (bust Chernenko, 1986).
most of the people buried near the Kremlin wall in the 1930s-1980s were cremated, and the urns with their ashes were walled up in the wall (on both sides of the Senate Tower) under the memorial plaques, which indicate the name and dates of life (114 people in total). In 1925-1936 (before S.S. Kamenev and A.P. Karpinsky), urns were mainly walled up on the right side of the Necropolis, but in 1934, 1935 and 1936 Kirov, Kuibyshev and Maxim Gorky were buried on the left side; starting from 1937 (Ordzhonikidze, Maria Ulyanova), burials completely moved to the left side and were carried out only there until 1976 (the only exception is G.K. Zhukov, whose ashes were buried in 1974 on the right side, next to S.S. Kamenev ); and from 1977 until the burials stopped, they again “returned” to the right side.
...
In the necropolis near the Kremlin wall, in addition to party and government figures of the USSR, there are the ashes of outstanding pilots (1930s-1940s), dead cosmonauts (1960s-1970s), prominent scientists (A.P. Karpinsky, I.V. Kurchatov, S. P. Korolev, M. V. Keldysh).

Until 1976, all those who died with the rank of Marshal were buried near the Kremlin wall Soviet Union, but, starting with P.K. Koshevoy, marshals began to be buried in other cemeteries as well.

The last person buried at the Kremlin wall was K.U. Chernenko (March 1985). The last one whose ashes were placed in the Kremlin wall was D. F. Ustinov, who died in December 1984.

http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/sie/8791/%D0%9A%D0%A0%D0%90%D0%A1%D0%9D%D0%90%D0%AF

A. I. Rogov. Moscow.

List of those buried on Red Square near the Kremlin wall.

Abakovsky, Valerian Ivanovich (5.X.1895 - 24.VII.1921) - designer of the aerocar. Died in an air car accident. Antonov, Alexey Innokentievich (15.IX.1896 - 18.VI.1962) (K. s). Ariand (Steffen), Inessa (Elizaveta) Fedorovna (26.IV.1874 - 24.IX.1920). Artem (Sergeev), Fedor Andreevich (7.III.1883 - 24.VII.1921).

Afonin, Efim Lavrentievich (1871 - 21.VII.1922) - member. RCP(b) since 1917, citizen participant. war, member Mossovet, worked in MOZO. Baranov, Pyotr Ionovich (6.IX.1892 - 5.IX.1933) (K. s). Biryuzov, Sergei Semenovich (21.VIII.1904 - 19.X.1964) (K. s). Bocharov, Ivan Yakovlevich (1888 - 8.III.1920) - participant of Oct. revolution in Moscow, member. Military Revolutionary Committee of Basmanny District, member. Mossovet. Waldowski, Jan (died in November 1917) - Red Guard worker, participant in Oct. revolution (buried on November 17, 1917). Vannikov, Boris Lvovich (7.IX.1897 - 22.II.1962) (K. s). Vasenko, Andrey Bogdanovich (28.XII.1899 - 30.I.1934) - engineer. He died during the accident of the Osoaviakhim stratospheric balloon (K. s). Vakhrushev, Vasily Vasilievich (28.II 1902 - 13.I.1947) - owl. state activist Hero of the Socialist Labor (K. s). Vladimirov, Miron Konstantinovich (15.XI.1879 - 20.III.1925) (K. s). Vladimirov, Stepan Vladimirovich (d. 1917) - ensign of the 642nd Sterlitamak Regiment. Killed during Oct. battles in Moscow. Vladimirsky, Mikhail Fedorovich (20.II.1874 - 2.IV.1951) (K. s). Voikov, Pyotr Lazarevich (1888 - 7.VI.1927). Voitovich, Vasily Ermolaevich (1891-1917). Volkova, Maria (d. 29.IX.1919) - worker, member. RCP(b) since 1918, employee of the MK RCP(b). She was mortally wounded in an explosion in the building of the MK RCP (b) in Leontievsky Lane on 25.IX.1919. Borovsky, Vaclav Vaclavovich (15.X.1871 - 10.V.1923). Voronov, Alexander Petrovich (1894 - October 27, 1917) - soldier of the 303rd Sennen Regiment. Member RSDLP(b) since 1917. Killed during October. revolution in Moscow in a battle with cadets on Red Square. Vyshinsky, Andrey Yanuaryevich (XII 10, 1883 - XI 22, 1954) (K. s). Gavrikov, Yakov Vasilievich (d. October 27, 1917) - soldier of the 303rd Sennen Regiment. Killed in a battle with cadets on Red Square. Heckert, Fritz (28.III.1884 - 7.IV.1936) (K. s). Gelbrich, Oscar (d. 24.VII.1921) - member of the German Communist Party, delegate of the 1st Congress of the Profintern. Killed during the air car accident. Govorov, Leonid Aleksandrovich (22.II.1897 - 19.III.1955) (K. s). Goltsman, Abram Zinovievich (24.XII.1894 - 5.IX.1933) - owl. desk and state activist Member CPSU(b) since April. 1917. Killed in an airplane accident (K. s). Gorky, Alexey Maksimovich (28.III.1868 - 18.VI.1936) (K. s). Gusev, Sergei Ivanovich (1.I.1874 - 10.VI.1933) (K. s). Dzerzhinsky, Felix Edmundovich (30.VIII.1877 - 20.VII.1926). Dovgalevsky, Valerian Savelievich (23.XI.1885 - 14.VII.1934) (K. s). Dygai, Nikolai Alexandrovich (11.XI.1908 - 6.III.1963) - owl. desk and state activist Member CPSU since 1929. Prev. Executive Committee of the Moscow City Council (K. s). Efremov, Alexander Illarionovich (23. IV.1904 - 23.XI.1951) - owls. desk and state activist Member CPSU(b) since 1924 (K. s). Zhdanov, Andrey Alexandrovich (26.II 1896 - 31.VIII.1948). Zhilin, Ivan Yakovlevich (1871-1922) - citizen participant. war, member Mossovet. Member RSDLP since 1902. Died of tuberculosis. Zhuk, Sergey Yakovlevich (22.III (4.IV).1892 - 1.III.1957) - engineer, academician. USSR Academy of Sciences (1953). Member CPSU since 1942. Hero of the Socialist. Labor (1952) (K. s). Zavenyagin, Abraham Pavlovich (1(14).IV.1901 - 31.XII.1956) - owls. desk and state activist Member CPSU since 1917. Twice Hero of the Socialist. Labor (K. s). Zagorsky (Lubotsky), Vladimir Mikhailovich (1883 - 25.IX.1919). Zaporozhets, Anton Petrovich (d. October 27, 1917) - soldier of the 144th Kashira Regiment. Killed in a battle with cadets on Red Square. Zemlyachka, Rosalia Samoilovna (1.IV.1876 - 21.I.1947) (K. s). Ignatova, Irina Matveevna (d. 25.IX.1919) - worker, participant of Oct. revolution, member RCP(b) since 1917, employee of the Khamovniki district committee of the RCP(b). She died during an explosion in the building of the MK RCP (b) in Leontyevsky Lane on 25.IX.1919. Inyushev, Andrey Alekseevich (d. 1917) - ensign of the 143rd Dorogobuzh Regiment. Died on Oct. 1917 in the battle for the Sov. power in Moscow. Kalinin, Mikhail Ivanovich (7(19).XI.1875 - 3.VI.1946). Kamenev, Sergei Sergeevich (4.IV.1881 - 25.VIII.1936) (K. s). Karpinsky, Alexander Petrovich (26.XII.1846 (7.I.1847) - 15.VII.1936) - President of the USSR Academy of Sciences (K. s). Karpov, Lev Yakovlevich (18.II (2.III.1879 - 6.I.1921). Katayama, Sen (5.XII.1859 - 5.XI.1933) (K. s). Kvash (d. 25. IX.1919) - first secretary of the bureau of subbotniks at the MK RCP(b). Killed during an explosion in the building of the MK RCP(b) in Leontyevsky Lane on IX. 25, 1919. Kirkizh, Kupriny Osipovich (IX. 29, 1888 - 24. V.1932) (K.s.) Kirov (Kostrikov), Sergey Mironovich (15(27).III.1886 - 1.XII.1934) (K.s.). Kovshov, Vitaly Dmitrievich (1895 - 12.XI. 1920) - member of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) from March 1917, in 1918 - chairman of the Zlatoust Military Revolutionary Committee, participant in the civil war, assistant commander of the 8th Infantry Division, then brigade commander. Killed in battle with the Bulak-Balakhovich gang. Kozlov, Frol Romanovich (18.VIII.1908 - 30.1.1965) - member of the CPSU since 1926. Hero of Socialist Labor (1961). In 1957-64 - member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee, secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. Kolbin (d. 25.IX .1919) - student of the Central School of Party Workers. Died during an explosion in the building of the MK RCP (b) in Leontyevsky Lane on 25.IX.1919. Konstantinov, Ivan (12.VIII.1887 - 24.VII.1921) - leader of the Bulgarian Communist Party, delegate of the 1st Congress of the Profintern. Died in an air car accident. Kravchenko, Grigory Panteleevich (5.X.1912 - 23.II.1943) - owl. pilot. Twice Hero of the Owls. Union (K. With). Krasin, Leonid Borisovich (15.VII.1870 - 24.XI.1926) (K. s). Krzhizhanovsky, Gleb Maximilianovich (12(24).1.1872 - 31.III.1959) (K. s). Kropotov, Nikolai Nikolaevich (8.XI.1873 - 25.IX.1919) - part. employee, member Mossovet. Killed during an explosion in the building of the MK RKP(b) in Leontyevsky Lane. 25.IX.1919. Krupskaya, Nadezhda Konstantinovna (26.II.1869 - 27.II.1939) (K. s). Kuzmin, Anatoly Nikolaevich (2.XI.1903 - 29.X.1954) - owl. desk and state activist Member CPSU since 1926 (K.s.). Kuibyshev, Valerian Vladimirovich (25.V(6.VI).1888 - 25.I.1935) (K. s). Kurashov, Sergey Vladimirovich (1.X.1910 - 27.VIII.1965) - min. Health of the USSR, member. CPSU since 1938 (K. s). Kurchatov, Igor Vasilievich (12.I.1903 - 7.II.1960) - owl. scientist. Member CPSU since 1948. Academician. USSR Academy of Sciences, member. Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Three times Hero of the Socialist. Labor (K. s). Kuusinen, Otto Wilhelmovich (4.X.1881 - 17.V.1964) (K. s). Kucherenko, Vladimir Alekseevich (18.VII.1909 - 26.XI.1963) - owls, state, party. and scientific figure (K. s). Member CPSU since 1942. Deputy. Chairman of the State Committee for Construction of the USSR (K. s). Kuchutenkov, Alexander Amarosevich (d. 21.I.1918) - worker in the workshops of the Moscow-Kazan railway. D. Krasnogvardeets. Landler, Ene (22.XI.1875 - 24.II.1928) (K. s). Larin (Yu. Larin), Mikhail Alexandrovich (4.VII.1882 - 14.I.1932) (K. s). Lepse, Ivan Ivanovich (2.VII.1889 - 6.X.1929) (K. s). Lisinova (Lisenyan), Lyusik (d. XI.1917). Likhachev, Vasily Matveevich (1882 - X.1924) - revolutionary figure. movement, in 1906 - member. MK RSDLP; from Apr. to Oct. 1917 - Secretary of the Moscow Committee of the RSDLP(b). Member Presidium of the Moscow City Council, pred. MSPO and MSNKh. Likhachev, Ivan Alekseevich (15.VI.1896 - 24.VI.1956) (K. s). Lunacharsky, Anatoly Vasilievich (11(23).XI.1875 - 26.XII.1933) (K. s). Mac Manus, Arthur (1889-1927) (K. s). Malyshev, Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich (16.XII.1902 - 20.II.1957) (K. s). Menzhinsky, Vyacheslav Rudolfovich (1.IX.1874 - 10.V.1934) (K. s). Mehlis, Lev Zakharovich (13.I.1889 - 13.II.1953) (K. s). Mikhailov-Ivanov, Mikhail Silverstovich (3.XI.1894 - 27.IX.1931) - owls. state activist, member Presidium of the Supreme Economic Council of the USSR (K. s). Mokryak, Mark Isaevich (1886 - October 23, 1919). Nazarov, Ivan Alekseevich (d. October 27, 1917) - soldier of the 480th Danilovsky Regiment. Died in battle for the Sov. power in Moscow (K. s). Narimanov, Nariman Najar-ogly (2(14).IV.1870 - 19.III.1925). Nedelin, Mitrofan Ivanovich (9.XI.1902 - 24.X.1960) (K. s.). Nedelkin, Timofey Fedorovich (d. 1917) - soldier of the 15th Special Regiment. Killed during the battles for the Sov. power in Moscow. Nikolaeva, Anfisa Fedorovna (d. 25.IX.1919) - Secretary of the Zheleznodorozhny District Committee of the RCP (b). She died in an explosion in the building of the MK RKP(b) in Leontyevsky lane. 25.IX.1919. Nikolaeva, Klavdiya Ivanovna (13.VI.1893 - 28.XII.1944) (K. s). Nogin, Viktor Pavlovich (2(14).II.1878 - 22.V.1924). Nosenko, Ivan Isidorovich (1.V.1902 - 2.VIII.1956) - owl. desk and state activist Member CPSU since 1925 (K. s). Olminsky, Mikhail Stepanovich (3.X.1863 - 8.V.1933) (K. s). Ordzhonikidze, Grigory Konstantinovich (12(24). X. 1886 - 18.II.1937) (K. s). Osen, Augustilia (d. 4.VIII.1920) - Swedish society. activist Delegate to the 2nd Congress of the Comintern. Tragically died during the air raid. competitions. Osipenko, Polina Denisovna (8.X.1907 - 11.V.1939) - owl. pilot, Hero of the Owls. Union. Died in the line of duty (K. s). Pamfilov, Konstantin Dmitrievich (25.V.1901 - 2.V.1943) - owl. state activist Member CPSU(b) since 1918 (K. s). Pekalov, Semyon Matveevich (d. 4.IV.1918) - policeman. He died during a fight with bandits near the Ustinsky Bridge. Petrovsky, Grigory Ivanovich (4.II.1878 - 9.I.1958) (K. s). Podbelsky, Vadim Nikolaevich (XI.1887 - 25.II.1920). Pokrovsky, Mikhail Nikolaevich (17(29).VIII.1868 - 10.IV.1932) (K. s). Potemkin, Vladimir Petrovich (23.H.1878 - 23.II.1946) (K. s). Pryamikov, Nikolai Nikolaevich (1888-1918). Razorenov-Nikitin, Georgy Nikitich (1886 - 25.IX.1919) - member. RCP(b) since 1917. Killed in an explosion in the building of the MK RCP(b) in Leontyevsky lane. 25.IX.1919. Raskova, Marina Mikhailovna (28.III.1912 - 4.I.1943) - owl. pilot Hero of the Owls. Union (K. s). Reed, John (22.X.1887 - 17.X.1920). Rusakov, Ivan Vasilievich (1877 - 18.III.1921) - member. RCP(b) since 1904. Member. Presidium of the Moscow Soviet. Died in Kronstadt. Rutenberg, Charles Emil (9.VII.1882 - 2.III.1927) - Secretary of the US Communist Party. Member ICKI. Died in prison in the USA. According to his will, his ashes were transported to Moscow (K. s). Sapunov, Evgeniy Nikolaevich (1886 - October 27, 1917) - soldier, commander of the Dvintsy company of the 303rd Sennensky regiment of the 76th infantry division. Died in battle for the Sov. power in Moscow. Safonov, Alexander Kononovich (1875 - 25.IX.1919) - participant in the revolution. movements. Member RCP(b) since 1904. Member. RVS 2nd Army. Killed in an explosion in the building of the MK RKP(b) in Leontyevsky Lane. 25.IX.1919. Sverdlov, Yakov Mikhailovich (23.V(4.VI).1885 - 16.III.1919). Svidersky, Alexey Ivanovich (20.III.1878 - 10.V.1933) (K. s). Serov, Anatoly Konstantinovich (20.III.1910 - 11.V.1939) - owl. pilot. Hero of the Owls. Union. Killed during an air raid. disasters (K. s). Skvortsov-Stepanov, Ivan Ivanovich (8.III.1870 - 8.X.1928) (K. s). Smidovich, Pyotr Germogenovich (7.V.1874 - 16. IV.1935) (K. s). Smilga, Ivan (1898 - XI.1917) - worker. Member RSDLP(b) from Oct. 1917. Red Guard, participant in Oct. revolution in Moscow. Died as part of the 1st Moscow. Red Guard detachment in battle against the White Guards in November. 1917 in Ekaterinoslav. Stalin (Dzhugashvili), Joseph Vissarionovich (21.XII.1879 - 5.III.1953). Stankevich, Anton Vladimirovich (1862-1919) - general of the tsarist army. Commanding a division of the Red Army near Orel in 1919, he was betrayed by the chief of staff, who defected to the whites. Once captured, Stankevich categorically refused to serve in the White Army, for which he was hanged. After the defeat of the Whites near Orel, the body of A. V. Stankevich was transported to Moscow and on November 10. 1919 buried on Red Square. Stopani, Alexander Mitrofanovich (9.X.1871 - 23.X.1932) (K. s). Strupat, Otto (d. 24.VII.1921) - German. Communist, delegate of the Profintern Congress. Died during an air car accident. Stuchka, Pyotr Ivanovich (26.VII.1865 - 25.I.1932) (K. s). Tevosyan, Ivan Fedorovich (4.I.1902 - 30.III.1958) (K. s). Timofeev, Alexander (d. October 27, 1917) - soldier of the 303rd Sennen Regiment. Died in battle for the Sov. power in Moscow. Timofeev, Gabriel (d. 1917) - soldier of the 1st Nevsky Regiment. Died in battle for the Sov. power in Moscow. Titov, Grigory Vasilievich (Kudryavtsev Alexander Ignatievich) (1886 - 25.IX.1919) - active participant in Oct. revolution in Moscow and civil. wars in Ukraine and Belarus. Member RCP(b) since 1912. Killed during an explosion in the building of the MK RCP(b) in Leontyevsky lane. 25.IX.1919. Tovstukha, Ivan Pavlovich (23.II.1889 - 9.VIII.1935) (K. s). Tolbukhin, Fedor Ivanovich (16.VI.1894 - 17.X.1949) (K. s). Triandofylov, Vladimir Kiriakovich (14.III.1894 - 12.VII.1931) (K. s). Trunov, Nikolai Rodionovich (1889 - October 29, 1917) - junior non-commissioned officer of the 719th Lisogorsk regiment. He died during the capture of the city government in the battle for the Sov. power in Moscow. Ulyanova, Maria Ilyinichna (18.II.1878 - 12.VI.1937) (K. s). Usoltsev, Mikhail Timofeevich (d. October 27, 1917) - soldier of the 303rd Sennen Regiment. Mortally wounded in the battle for the Sov. power in Moscow. Usyskin, Ilya Davidovich (13.11.1910 - 30.1.1934) - engineer. Member Komsomol since 1927. Died during the Osoaviakhim stratospheric balloon disaster (K. s). Fedoseenko, Pavel Fedorovich (1.V.1898 - 30.I.1934) - active participant in the civil society. war, aeronaut pilot. He died during the accident of the Osoaviakhim stratospheric balloon (K. s). Freeman, John (d. 28.VII.1921) - leader of the labor movement in the USA and Australia. Delegate to the 2nd and 3rd Congresses of the Comintern. Died in an air car accident. Frunze, Mikhail Vasilievich (21.1(2. 11).1885 - 31.X.1925). Khaldina, Anya (d. 25.IX.1919) - employee of the MK RCP (b). She died during an explosion in the building of the MK RCP(b). Heywood, William (Bill) (4.II.1869 - 18.V.1928) (K. s). Khomyakov, Ivan Mikhailovich (1886 - 17.IV.1920) - employee of the MGC. Member RCP(b) since May 1917. Killed in the line of duty. Khrulev, Andrey Vasilievich (30.IX.1892 - 9.VI.1962) (K. s). Khrunichev, Mikhail Vasilievich (4.IV.1901 - 2.VI.1961) (K. s). Hewlett, William John (d. 24.VII.1921) - English activist. labor movement, communist. Delegate to the 3rd Congress of the Comintern. Died in an air car accident. Zetkin, Clara (5.VII.1857 - 20.VI.1933) (K. s). Tsyurupa, Alexander Dmitrievich G. 18(30).VIII.1870 - 8.V.1928) (K. s). Chkalov, Valery Pavlovich (2.II.1904 - 15.XII.1938) (K. s). Shaposhnikov, Boris Mikhailovich (20.IX.1882 - 26.III.1945) (K. s). Shvyrkov, Egor Petrovich (d. 4.IV.1918) - policeman. He died in a battle with bandits near the Ustinsky Bridge. Shkiryatov, Matvey Fedorovich (15.VIII.1883 - 18.I.1954) (K. s). Shteyngart, Alexander Matveevich (23.IV.1887 - 19.II.1934) (K. s). Shcherbakov, Alexander Sergeevich (10.X.1901 - 10.V.1945) (K. s). Yudin, Pavel Alexandrovich (31.V.1902 - 10.IV.1956) (K. s). Yanyshev, Mikhail Petrovich (1883 - VII.1920). Yaroslavsky, Emelyan Mikhailovich (19.II.1878 - 4.XII.1943) (K. s).

1 Surnames of persons about whom special biographical records are given in the SIE. articles are given without explanation. The letters (K. s.) indicate the names of persons whose ashes are buried in the Kremlin wall. Dates of life are usually given as they are carved on tombstones. Some dates in this list have been updated.

PySy from Mikhalych:
As you can see, in the center of Moscow there is a huge, pompous cemetery.
It is not difficult to bury Lenin.
What to do with the rest?
After all, they are buried there and very worthy people, and not just party and government figures.

The memorial cemetery on Red Square in the center of Moscow is the burial place of many famous figures in Russian history during the Soviet period. Graves near the Kremlin wall are the subject of fierce debate between supporters and opponents of preserving burials on main square countries.

Triune Red Square - the heart of the capital, historical and cultural monument, ancient churchyard

Elongated in the direction from northwest to southeast, the square in the very center of the Moscow radial-ring structure is the center of iconic architectural structures and the site of state-level ceremonial events. The historical and cultural complex that formed here is included in the list World Heritage UNESCO.

From the east, Red Square is bounded by Kitay-gorod, and from the west by the Kremlin wall. In this space, between the Spasskaya and Nikolskaya towers, until the 15th century there were 15 churches - and each of them had its own graveyard. Burials here stopped only by the royal decree of Vasily III, but resumed under his grandson, Ivan IV the Terrible, who personally took part in the funeral of the Moscow holy fool St. Basil the Blessed in the Trinity Cathedral on Red Square.

Currently, in front of the Kremlin wall there is the Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin with a special necropolis, which began to take shape in 1917.

Mass burials

After the revolutionary seizure of power in 1917, the communist-Bolshevik government ordered to bury all the dead participants in the October armed uprising in Moscow in mass graves. The burials, which accommodated a total of 240 people, were arranged in the gap from the Kremlin wall to the tram tracks, which at that time ran parallel to it.

Then, until 1927, revolutionaries who died and were killed in mass disasters were buried here.

Twelve graves

In 1919, the first single burial of Yakov Sverdlov, a Bolshevik revolutionary, chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, appeared near the Kremlin wall. In 1924, the Lenin Mausoleum was erected - the center of the emerging necropolis.

In 1925, a major military leader of the Red Army, M.V. Frunze, was buried near the Kremlin wall; in 1926, the Chairman of the Cheka, F.E. Dzerzhinsky; in 1946, the Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, M.I. Kalinin; and in 1948, the Chairman of the Council. Union of the USSR Armed Forces A.A. Zhdanova.

In 1961, the body of I.V. Stalin, originally located in the hall of the Mausoleum, was reburied here. Nowadays, live roses and carnations are brought to this burial more often than to others.

In 1969, the grave of K.E. Voroshilov, Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, appeared in the Kremlin necropolis, in 1973 - Marshal S.M. Budyonny, in 1982 - Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee M.A. Suslov.

In the period from 1982 to 1985, the funerals of heads of state L.I. Brezhnev, Yu.V. Andropov and K.U. Chernenko. Since 1985, there have been no new graves near the Kremlin wall.

One hundred and fifteen urns in the wall

From the 1930s to the 1980s, most honorary burials in the Kremlin necropolis took place after cremation. Urns with ashes were embedded in niches, under slabs with memorial inscriptions. In this way, major party and Soviet leaders, military leaders, organizers of science and industry, and leaders of the communist movement of foreign countries are buried here.

Urns with ashes were never removed from their niches - even in cases where the buried were condemned by the party after death. This was the case with Army Commander S.S. Kamenev, who was posthumously accused of a fascist military conspiracy and rehabilitated after the 20th Congress of the CPSU, as well as with the ideologists and organizers of mass repressions A.Ya. Vyshinsky and L.Z. Mehlis.

Visitors to the necropolis on Red Square linger the longest in front of six burials:

A.M. Gorky, writer, playwright, journalist, publicist, who founded the artistic method of socialist realism.
G.K. Zhukov, “Marshal of Victory”, Minister of Defense of the USSR in 1955-1957.
S.P. Korolev, the founder of practical cosmonautics, chief designer and leading organizer of the production of space and military rocketry.
A.A. Grechko, Marshal of the Soviet Union, Minister of Defense of the USSR in 1967-1976.
Yu.A. Gagarin, the Soviet cosmonaut who made the first orbital flight in the history of mankind.
V.P. Chkalov, an outstanding test pilot, brigade commander, Hero of the Soviet Union.

Necropolis in the present and future

Now the burials near the Kremlin wall are under the vigilant protection of guard soldiers and officers. A visit to this special necropolis must be pre-approved even by the relatives of those buried here.

The graves near the Kremlin wall are maintained in perfect order: the soil is promptly replaced, evergreen seedlings - blue spruce and thuja - are renewed and formed.

The decision to bury the deceased in the main necropolis of the state is made exclusively by the President of the Russian Federation.

Despite periodic social movements, requiring the transfer of burials from Red Square to other capital cemeteries, practical steps of this kind are not planned. On the one hand, there is no consent from relatives for the reburial of the ashes, and on the other, the necropolis near the Kremlin wall is part of the UNESCO-protected cultural and historical center of Moscow.

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Necropolis at the Kremlin Wall is a memorial cemetery on Moscow's Red Square, near the wall (and in the wall that serves as a columbarium for urns with ashes) of the Moscow Kremlin. The burial place of prominent figures (mainly political and military) of the Soviet state.

Mass graves

The necropolis began to take shape in November 1917.
On November 5, 7 and 8, the Sotsial-Democrat newspaper published appeals to all organizations and individuals to provide information about those who fell during the October events of 1917 in Moscow, fighting on the side of the Bolsheviks.
On November 7, at a morning meeting, the Moscow Military Revolutionary Committee decided to arrange a mass grave on Red Square and scheduled the funeral for November 10.
On November 8, two mass graves were dug: between the Kremlin wall and the tram rails that lay parallel to it. One grave started from the Nikolsky Gate and stretched to the Senate Tower, then there was a short gap, and the second went to the Spassky Gate. On November 9, newspapers published detailed routes of funeral processions in 11 city districts and the hours of their arrival at Red Square. Considering the possibility of White Guard provocations, the Moscow Military Revolutionary Committee decided to arm all soldiers participating in the funeral with rifles.
On November 10, 238 coffins were lowered into mass graves. In total, 240 people were buried in 1917 (11/14 - Lisinova and 11/17 - Valdovsky) (the names of 57 people are precisely known).
Subsequently, 15 more mass graves of revolutionary fighters appeared near the Kremlin wall, who died at different times by natural causes and were later buried in common graves, or who died together in disasters (for example, in the crash of an air car in which Artyom (Sergeev) and a number of other Bolsheviks died) . After 1927 this practice ceased.
As a result, more than 300 people were buried in mass graves; the exact names of 110 people are known. Abramov’s book contains a martyrology, which identifies 122 more people who, most likely, are also buried in mass graves.
In the first years of Soviet power, on November 7 and May 1, a military guard of honor was displayed at the Mass Graves, and the regiments took the oath.
In 1919, Ya. M. Sverdlov was buried for the first time in a separate grave on Red Square.

In 1924, the Lenin Mausoleum was built, which became the center of the necropolis.

Burials in the 1920s-1980s

Subsequently, the necropolis was replenished with two types of burials:
particularly prominent figures of the party and government (Sverdlov, and then Frunze, Dzerzhinsky, Kalinin, Zhdanov, Voroshilov, Budyonny, Suslov, Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko) were buried near the Kremlin wall to the right of the Mausoleum without cremation, in a coffin and in a grave. The body of I.V. Stalin, taken out of the Mausoleum in 1961, was buried in the same grave. Monuments were erected above them - sculptural portraits by S. D. Merkurov (busts at the first four burials in 1947 and Zhdanov in 1949), N. V. Tomsky (busts of Stalin, 1970, and Budyonny, 1975), N. I. Bratsuna (bust of Voroshilov, 1970), I. M. Rukavishnikov (busts of Suslov, 1983, and Brezhnev, 1983), V. A. Sonin (bust of Andropov, 1985), L. E. Kerbel (bust of Chernenko, 1986).
Most of the people buried near the Kremlin wall in the 1930s - 1980s were cremated, and the urns with their ashes were walled up in the wall (on both sides of the Senate Tower) under memorial plaques on which the name and dates of life are indicated (114 people in total) . In 1925-1936 (before S.S. Kamenev and A.P. Karpinsky), urns were mainly walled up on the right side of the Necropolis, but in 1934, 1935 and 1936 Kirov, Kuibyshev and Maxim Gorky were buried on the left side; starting in 1937 (Ordzhonikidze, Maria Ulyanova), burials completely moved to the left side and were carried out only there until 1976 (the only exception was G.K. Zhukov, whose ashes were buried in 1974 on the right side, next to S.S. Kamenev); from 1977 until the cessation of burials, they again “returned” to the right side.
Politicians who were in disgrace or retired at the time of death were not buried near the Kremlin wall (for example, N. S. Khrushchev, A. I. Mikoyan and N. V. Podgorny rest on Novodevichy Cemetery).
If a person was posthumously convicted by the party, his burial in the Kremlin wall was not eliminated (for example, the urns with the ashes of S. S. Kamenev, A. Ya. Vyshinsky and L. Z. Mehlis were not touched in any way).
In the necropolis near the Kremlin wall, in addition to party and government figures of the USSR, there are the ashes of outstanding pilots (1930s-1940s), dead cosmonauts (1960s-1970s), prominent scientists (A.P. Karpinsky, I.V. Kurchatov, S. P. Korolev, M. V. Keldysh).
Until 1976, all those who died with the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union were buried near the Kremlin wall, but, starting with P.K. Koshevoy, marshals began to be buried in other cemeteries as well.
The last person buried at the Kremlin wall was K.U. Chernenko (March 1985). The last one whose ashes were placed in the Kremlin wall was D. F. Ustinov, who died in December 1984.

Individual graves
(from right to left)
1. Chernenko Konstantin Ustinovich (1911-1985)
2. Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny (1883-1973)
3. Voroshilov Kliment Efremovich (1881-1969)
4. Zhdanov Andrey Alexandrovich (1896-1948)
5. Frunze Mikhail Vasilievich (1885-1925)
6. Sverdlov Yakov Mikhailovich (1885-1919)
7. Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich (1906-1982)
8. Dzerzhinsky Felix Edmundovich (1877-1926)
9. Andropov Yuri Vladimirovich (1914-1984)
10. Kalinin Mikhail Ivanovich (1875-1946)
11. Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich (1878/79-1953)
12. Suslov Mikhail Andreevich (1902-1982)

Mass graves of revolution fighters
1917
Andreev Pavlik, Baskakov T. A., Valdovsky Ya. M., Wever O., Virzemnek O. K., Voitovich V. E..
"Dvintsy"
Sapunov E. N., Voronov A. P., Skvortsov G. A., Timofeev A. T., Zaporozhets A. P., Nazarov I. A., Usoltsev M. T.,
Trunov N. R., Gavrikov Ya. V., Vladimirov S. V., Inyushev A. A., Nedelkin T. F., Timofeev G..
"Kremlin men"
Dudinsky I. A., Agafoshin S., Goryunov S., Zvonov, Zimin I., Ivanov I., Kokorev S., Kosarev A., Kospyanik P., Krashenilnikov V., Leshchikov A., Lizenko F., Lysenkov F. ., Petukhov I., Romanov V., Ryzhev M., Smirnov A., Sologudinov F., Soplyakov, Fedorov S., Khokhlov S., Tsiplyakov S., Shefarevich V..
Elagin G. L., Zveinek Ya. E., Kireev A. A..
Lisinova L. A., Mikhailov L. F., Morozov V. E..

"Scooter drivers"
Tomsky G.V., Drozdov F., Esaulov D..
Sakharov, Snegirev N.M., Stepachev I.G., Sukharev A.A., Shiryaev S.A., Shcherbakov P.P..
1918
Vantorin A. I., Tyapkin P. G., Erov I. S.,
Barasevich F. K., Gadomsky A. V., Draudyn M., Zasukhin P. A., Kvardakov A. V., Kuchutenkov A. A., Pekalov S. M., Pryamikov N. N., Smilga I. I. ., Khorak A., Shvyrkov E. P.,
1919
Zveinek G. P., Zagorsky V. M., Volkova M., Ignatova I. M., Kvash A. L., Kolbin, Kropotov N. N., Nikolaeva A. F., Razorenov-Nikitin G. N., Safonov A.K., Titov G.V., Khaldina A.N., Mokryak M.I., Stankevich A.V..
1920
Podbelsky V.N., Bocharov Ya.I., Khomyakov I.M., Yanyshev M.P., Osen A., Armand I.F., John Reed, Kovshov V.D.
1921
Karpov L. Ya., Rusakov I. V.,
air car accident
Abakovsky V. I., Artyom (Sergeev F. A.), Gelbrich O., Konstantinov I., Strupat O., Freeman D., Hewlett V. D..
1922
Afonin E. L., Zhilin I. Ya..
1923
Vorovsky V.V., Vorovskaya D.M..
1924
Nogin V.P., Likhachev V.M..
1925
Narimanov N..
1927
Voikov P. L.,

Urns with ashes

Left side (right to left)
1. Ordzhonikidze Grigory Konstantinovich (1886-1937)
2. Kirov Sergei Mironovich (1886-1934)
3. Kuibyshev Valerian Vladimirovich (1888-1935)
4. Maxim Gorky (Peshkov Alexey Maksimovich) (1868-1936)
5. Ulyanova Maria Ilyinichna (1878-1937)
6. Chkalov Valery Pavlovich (1904-1938)
7. Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya (1869-1939)
8. Serov Anatoly Konstantinovich (1910-1939)
9. Osipenko Polina Denisovna (1907-1939)
10. Raskova Marina Mikhailovna (1912-1943)
11. Kravchenko Grigory Panteleevich (1912-1943)
12. Pamfilov Konstantin Dmitrievich (1901-1943)
13. Yaroslavsky Emelyan Mikhailovich (1878-1943)
14. Nikolaeva Klavdiya Ivanovna (1893-1944)
15. Shaposhnikov Boris Mikhailovich (1882-1945)
16. Shcherbakov Alexander Sergeevich (1901-1945)
17. Potemkin Vladimir Petrovich (1878-1946)
18. Vakhrushev Vasily Vasilievich (1902-1947)
19. Countrywoman Rosalia Samoilovna (1876-1947)
20. Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich (1894-1949)
21. Vladimirsky Mikhail Fedorovich (1874-1951)
22. Efremov Alexander Illarionovich (1904-1951)
23. Mehlis Lev Zakharovich (1889-1953)
24. Shkiryatov Matvey Fedorovich (1883-1954)
25. Kuzmin Anatoly Nikolaevich (1903-1954)
26. Vyshinsky Andrey Yanuarevich (1883-1954)
27. Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich (1897-1955)
28. Yudin Pavel Alexandrovich (1902-1956)
29. Likhachev Ivan Alekseevich (1896-1956)
30. Nosenko Ivan Isidorovich (1902-1956)
31. Zavenyagin Avraamy Pavlovich (1901-1956)
32. Malyshev Vyacheslav Alexandrovich (1902-1957)
33. Zhuk Sergei Yakovlevich (1892-1957)
34. Petrovsky Grigory Ivanovich (1878-1958)
35. Tevosyan Ivan Fedorovich (1902-1958)
36. Krzhizhanovsky Gleb Maximilianovich (1872-1959)
37. Kurchatov Igor Vasilievich (1903-1960)
38. Nedelin Mitrofan Ivanovich (1902-1960)
39. Khrunichev Mikhail Vasilievich (1901-1961)
40. Vannikov Boris Lvovich (1897-1962)
41. Khrulev Andrey Vasilievich (1892-1962)
42. Antonov Alexey Innokentievich (1896-1962)
43. Dygai Nikolai Alexandrovich (1908-1963)
44. Kucherenko Vladimir Alekseevich (1909-1963)
45. Kuusinen Otto Vilhelmovich (1881-1964)
46. Biryuzov Sergey Semyonovich (1904-1964)
47. Kozlov Frol Romanovich (1908-1965)
48. Kurashov Sergey Vladimirovich (1910-1965)
49. Korolev Sergei Pavlovich (1907-1966)
50. Rudakov Alexander Petrovich (1910-1966)
51. Ignatov Nikolay Grigorievich (1901-1966)
52. Stasova Elena Dmitrievna (1873-1966)
53. Malinovsky Rodion Yakovlevich (1898-1967)
54. Komarov Vladimir Mikhailovich (1927-1967)
55. Voronov Nikolai Nikolaevich (1899-1968)
56. Gagarin Yuri Alekseevich (1934-1968)
57. Seregin Vladimir Sergeevich (1922-1968)
58. Sokolovsky Vasily Danilovich (1897-1968)
59. Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich (1896-1968)
60. Meretskov Kirill Afanasyevich (1897-1968)
61. Timoshenko Semyon Konstantinovich (1895-1970)
62. Eremenko Andrey Ivanovich (1892-1970)
63. Shvernik Nikolai Mikhailovich (1888-1970)
64. Dobrovolsky Georgy Timofeevich (1928-1971)
65. Volkov Vladislav Nikolaevich (1935-1971)
66. Patsaev Viktor Ivanovich (1933-1971)
67. Zakharov Matvey Vasilievich (1898-1972)
68. Krylov Nikolai Ivanovich (1903-1972)
69. Konev Ivan Stepanovich (1897-1973)
70. Grechko Andrey Antonovich (1903-1976)
71. Yakubovsky Ivan Ignatievich (1912-1976)

Right side (right to left)
1. Heywood, William Dudley (1869-1928)
2. Landler Jeno (1875-1928)
3. McManus, Arthur (1889-1927)
4. Rutenberg Charles Emil (1882-1927)
5. Vladimirov Miron Konstantinovich (1879-1925)
6. Ustinov Dmitry Fedorovich (1908-1984)
7. Kostandov Leonid Arkadievich (1915-1984)
8. Pelshe Arvid Yanovich (1899-1983)
9. Bagramyan Ivan Khristoforovich (1897-1982)
10. Kosygin Alexey Nikolaevich (1904-1980)
11. Kulakov Fedor Davydovich (1918-1978)
12. Keldysh Mstislav Vsevolodovich (1911-1978)
13. Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich (1895-1977)
14. Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich (1896-1974)
15. Kamenev Sergei Sergeevich (1881-1936)
16. Karpinsky Alexander Petrovich (1846-1936)
17. Heckert Fritz (1884-1936)
18. Tovstukha Ivan Pavlovich (1889-1935)
19. Smidovich Pyotr Germogenovich (1874-1935)
20. Dovgalevsky Valerian Savelievich (1885-1934)
21. Menzhinsky Vyacheslav Rudolfovich (1874-1934)
22. Shteyngart Alexander Matveevich (1887-1934)
23. Usyskin Ilya Davydovich (1910-1934)
24. Vasenko Andrey Bogdanovich (1899-1934)
25. Fedoseenko Pavel Fedorovich (1898-1934)
26. Lunacharsky Anatoly Vasilievich (1875-1933)
27. Katayama Sen (1859-1933)
28. Goltsman Abram Zinovievich (1894-1933)
29. Baranov Pyotr Ionovich (1892-1933)
30. Gusev Sergei Ivanovich (1874-1933)
31. Svidersky Alexey Ivanovich (1878-1933)
32. Olminsky Mikhail Stepanovich (1863-1933)
33. Stopani Alexander Mitrofanovich (1871-1932)
34. Kirkizh Kupriyan Osipovich (1888-1932)
35. Pokrovsky Mikhail Nikolaevich (1868-1932)
36. Stuchka Pyotr Ivanovich (1865-1932)
37. Yuri Larin (Mikhail Zalmanovich Lurie) (1882-1932)
38. Triandafillov Vladimir Kiriakovich (1894-1931)
39. Mikhailov-Ivanov Mikhail Silverstovich (1894-1931)
40. Lepse Ivan Ivanovich (1889-1929)
41. Skvortsov-Stepanov Ivan Ivanovich (1870-1928)
42. Tsyurupa Alexander Dmitrievich (1870-1928)
43. Krasin Leonid Borisovich (1870-1926)
44. Zetkin Clara (1857-1933)

One of the historical attractions of the city of Moscow is the Necropolis on Red Square, which is memorial place burials of prominent political and military figures former USSR. In addition, there is a columbarium in the Kremlin wall itself. In the 30s In the twentieth century, members of foreign communist parties were buried here.

When was the necropolis founded?

The necropolis was founded in 1917. In November, advertisements were published asking for information about the victims who died fighting for the Bolsheviks in October 1917. Afterwards, on November 7, 1917, the military revolutionary council decided to make the burial place right on the territory of Red Square, and on November 10 it already scheduled the first funeral. As a result, the very next day after the decree, 2 places were allocated for mass graves between the railway tracks and the Kremlin wall, which ran parallel to them. The first one started from the Senate Tower to the beginning of the Nikolsky Gate. The second ran all the way to the Spassky Gate itself. On November 9, almost all newspapers indicated the routes of funeral processions in a dozen districts and districts of the city, as well as the time of their arrival on the territory of Red Square. As planned, the funeral took place on November 10, 238 bodies out of 240 of all buried in 1917 were lowered into the graves. The names of only one fourth of those buried were known. From that day on, the public's attitude towards Red Square changed forever. The western part forever became its front side.

Later, fifteen more revolutionaries who died in various disasters or died of their own death were “buried” in mass graves near the Kremlin wall. This practice ceased to be popular after 1927.
About 300 people lie in the ground on Red Square, but we only know one third of their names.

In 1919, Yakov Mikhailovich Sverdlov, a Russian Bolshevik and famous statesman, was the first to be buried in a separate grave
In 1924, the memorial epicenter of the Moscow churchyard was erected - the famous Lenin Mausoleum. Gradually, the necropolis grew more and more, replenished with graves of both ordinary citizens and especially prominent ones.

Burials next to the Lenin Mausoleum

Famous statesmen such as Frunze, Dzerzhinsky and Brezhnev were buried without cremation on the right side of the Mausoleum near the Kremlin wall. Above their memorials, impressive busts were erected, masterfully honed by the sculptor S.D. Merkurov. In 1961, Joseph Stalin was buried there, whose body was taken right out of the doors of the Mausoleum.

From 1930 to 1980 most of the people were cremated. Urns with ashes were installed in the wall under memorial slabs on both sides of the Senate Tower. The names and dates of the buried are engraved on the slabs. In total, about 114 such slabs were counted.

From 1925 to 1936 Most of the urns were walled up mainly in the right part of the Necropolis up to the memorial of Alexander Petrovich Karpinsky, the most famous Russian geologist.

From 1934 to 1936 to the left of the Necropolis, Kirov, Kuibyshev and the great Russian writer Maxim Gorky were buried, and from 1937 to 1976. burials were made only on the left side. An exception was made for the ashes of Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, who was buried on the right near the Soviet military leader Sergei Sergeevich Kamenev in 1974.

In 1977 and until the cessation of burials, the ashes of the dead were installed to the right of the Necropolis.

Which politician was not buried on Red Square?

Politicians such as Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, Nikolai Viktorovich Podgorny, Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan were not buried near the Kremlin wall, as they were in a disgraced position. Their bodies rest in the soil of the Novodevichy cemetery.
If the party leadership condemned someone posthumously, then his ashes were not placed in the Kremlin wall. This happened after the death of Sergei Sergeevich Kamenev.
The ashes of such outstanding personalities as scientists Alexander Petrovich Karpinsky and Mstislav Vsevolodovich Keldysh, pilots of the 1930s-1940s. and astronauts of the 1960s-1970s. rests in the Kremlin wall on Red Square.

Famous military leaders who died or were killed with the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union were buried near the Kremlin wall until 1976.

Until 1931 the mass graves were covered with their shade by blooming fragrant linden trees, and already in the fall of that year blue spruce trees were planted in their place. In addition to them, until 1973, blooming rowan trees and lilac bushes also pleased the eye.

From 1946 to 1947 The architectural design was carried out by the talented Soviet architect Isidor Aronovich French. He was also one of the co-authors of the Lenin Mausoleum.

Already in 1973-1974. The necropolis was completely reconstructed: new trees were planted, the well-maintained marble slabs were now decorated with floral wreaths, and granite banners were added. All this thanks to the sculptor P. I. Bondarenko, as well as the projects of extraordinary architects - V. P. Danilushkin and G. M. Wulfson.
The last burial took place in March 1985. Red Square welcomed into its fold the famous statesman and political figure, member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko. Necropolis on Red Square.

One of the main attractions of the capital, by which even foreigners recognize Moscow, is the Kremlin Wall. Originally created as a defensive fortification, now it serves rather a decorative function and is an architectural monument. But, besides this, over the last century the Kremlin wall has also served as a burial place for prominent people of the country. This necropolis is the most unusual cemetery in the world and has become one of the most important capitals and a destination for thousands of tourists.

History of the Kremlin wall

It took on its modern appearance only at the beginning of the 16th century. The Kremlin wall was built from red brick on the site of an ancient white stone one, and only in the eastern direction the territory of the Kremlin was slightly expanded. It was built according to the design of Italian architects. The shape of the wall followed the contours of the Kremlin fortress and had the appearance of an irregular triangle. Its length is more than two kilometers, and its height is from five to twenty meters. The highest walls were on the Red Square side. The top of the Kremlin wall is decorated with battlements that are shaped like them. There are more than a thousand of them, and almost all of them have narrow loopholes. The wall itself is wide, about six meters, and has many embrasures and passages. On the outside it is smooth, made of massive red brick. More than 20 different towers are built into the wall. The most famous of them is Spasskaya, on which the Kremlin chimes are located. In addition to its architectural and historical value, the Kremlin Wall now attracts tourists also because of the necropolis created in the last century. It is a kind of cemetery that has become a memorial.

Creation of the Kremlin necropolis

The first two appeared at the Kremlin wall in November 1917. They were located on Red Square between the Nikolsky and Spassky Gates. About 200 nameless soldiers who died during the October Revolution were buried in them. Over the next ten years, more than ten mass graves appeared next to the wall. And of the three hundred Bolsheviks buried in them, only 110 names are known. Many streets and squares in the capital and other cities were named after them. Until 1927, revolutionaries who died and even died naturally were buried near the Kremlin wall. Single burials also appeared famous people that time.

Who was buried near the Kremlin wall in the early years?

The first single grave near the Kremlin wall appeared in 1919. Ya. M. Sverdlov was buried in it.
In the early 20s, many famous party and government figures were buried in single graves: M. V. Frunze, F. E. Dzerzhinsky, M. V. Kalinin and others.
In the first years of the creation of the necropolis, foreign communists were also buried near the Kremlin wall. Clara Zetkin and Sam Katayama are buried here.
Since 1924, the center of the Kremlin necropolis has become the Mausoleum, in which the body of V.I. Lenin rested. This place later became a tribune for prominent statesmen.

Burials from the 30s to the 80s

After 1927, it was decided to bury only outstanding members of the party and government, as well as great scientists, at the Kremlin wall. Mass burials stopped, but until 1985 many famous people were buried in this necropolis.

members of the party and government: Budyonny, Suslov, Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko;
in the early 60s, the body of I.V. Stalin was taken out and buried near the Kremlin wall;
all those who died with the rank of marshal, for example Zhukov;
outstanding pilots, such as Chkalov, cosmonaut Gagarin and many others;
famous scientists Karpinsky, Kurchatov and Korolev;
Visitors to the necropolis, interested in who else is buried at the Kremlin wall, can see the names of Lenin’s mother, his wife, the writer M. Gorky, People’s Commissar of Education Lunacharsky and many others.

How were they buried in the necropolis?

Until the early 80s, the Kremlin wall was used for the burial of famous people. There were two types of burials near her:

To the right of the Mausoleum, near the Kremlin wall, are the graves of particularly prominent figures of the party and government. They are decorated with sculptural portraits - busts by famous sculptors Merkurov, Tomsky, Rukavishnikov and others. The last person buried at the Kremlin wall was K.U. Chernenko, buried there in 1985.
Most of those buried in the necropolis were cremated. Urns with their ashes are built into the Kremlin wall on both sides of the Senate Tower. Their names and dates of life are engraved on memorial plaques. In total, the ashes of 114 great people - scientists, military men, politicians and astronauts - rest in the wall. The last to be buried in this way was D. F. Ustinov.

What else is the Kremlin Wall famous for?

Burial sites that attract tourists are not only located on Red Square. The necropolis near the Kremlin wall includes the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial, located in the Alexander Garden. It was created in 1967 in honor of the 25th anniversary of the liberation of Moscow. The ashes of an unknown soldier on a gun carriage as part of a funeral procession were delivered from near Zelenograd.

The memorial did not immediately take on its modern appearance. A tombstone with a cast bronze composition was installed on the soldier’s grave. On the folds of the battle banner lies a soldier’s helmet and a laurel branch. near the Kremlin wall completes the composition. Later, an alley with porphyry blocks was added, under which the land of ten hero cities is stored, and in 2010, a 10-meter granite stele appeared at the memorial. It also symbolizes the memory of hero cities. An important part of the entire composition of the memorial is the Kremlin wall itself. The photo of this place is known not only in Russia, but also abroad.

History of the necropolis

This peculiar cemetery has existed for almost a hundred years. Its appearance changed several times, and in the 50s they even wanted to close it and transfer the ashes of those buried there to another place. They planned to create a special Pantheon for this, but this project was soon closed. The fate of the necropolis was not greatly affected by the political events taking place in the country. Although politicians in disgrace were not buried near the wall, existing burials were not eliminated. Since 1974, the necropolis was included in the number of state monuments, and it began to be protected by the state. And part of it - the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - became the most popular place visits from tourists and visits from foreign government officials. For many years now there has been talk about the liquidation of the necropolis and the transfer of the ashes of those buried there to ordinary cemeteries. This is connected not only with religious, but also with political considerations. But in accordance with the current legislation of Russia, this requires obtaining the consent of relatives, which is impossible in most cases. Therefore, now the necropolis has become architectural and historical monument. Many tourists strive to visit the Kremlin wall.

The meaning of the necropolis

From the first years of its creation, it became the place where soldiers took the oath, and parades were held in front of the Mausoleum. During the holidays, wreaths are laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. And in recent years, a permanent guard of honor from soldiers of the presidential regiment has stood near it. This place is visited by foreign delegations and ordinary tourists not only on holidays, but also on ordinary days. Not everyone knows who is buried at the Kremlin wall, but the fact that such a memorial exists is known not only in Russia, but also abroad. This necropolis has become one of the most popular attractions in Moscow.