Ep. 161: The Kremlin – 5 Facts
Intro
Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.
I’m Jans your Mnemonic Man and today's episode will be on a series of buildings or structures steeped with mystery, secrecy, intrigue, and fear, The Kremlin.
Founded in the 12th century the Kremlin is Russia’s most iconic landmark and home to some of the country’s most important relics. Originally a wooden structure built for defence, the Kremlin has evolved over the centuries to encompass around 28 hectares in the centre of Russia’s capital Moscow.
It has had a brutal and lively past having been overrun by the Mongols in 1238, a devasting fire in 1365, a Polish invasion in 1612, a French invasion led by Napoleon in 1812, the Russian Revolution in 1917, and of course the bombing in World War II.
Along with its impressive cathedrals and palaces, the Kremlin is also the resting place of some of the biggest names in Russian history such as Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Yuri Gagarin which is to just name a few.
Its distinctive architecture with styles including Byzantine, Russian Baroque, and Classical make it one of the most recognisable structures in the world and a major tourist destination.
Today’s mnemonic will be on five facts about the Kremlin.
So, with no further ado, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.
Wikipedia Summary
The Moscow Kremlin[a] or simply the Kremlin[b] is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia.[1] Located in the centre of the country's capital city, it is the best known of the kremlins (Russian citadels) and includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall along with the Kremlin towers.
Within the complex is the Grand Kremlin Palace, which served as the royal residence of the Emperor of Russia. It is now the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation. The Kremlin overlooks the Moskva River to the south, Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square to the east, and Alexander Garden to the west.
The name kremlin means 'fortress within a city' in Russian,[2] and is often also used metonymically in international politics to refer to the Government of the Russian Federation. Likewise, during the Cold War, it referred to the Government of the Soviet Union, which operated out of the city in the erstwhile Russian SFSR. The term "Kremlinology" is related to the metonym and refers to the study of Soviet and Russian politics.
Largely open to the public, the Kremlin offers supervised tours;[3] the accompanying Moscow Kremlin Museums reportedly attracted 1,024,610 visitors in 2023.[4]
Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kremlin]
Mnemonic
The Kremlin – Top 5 Facts Mnemonic – Kremlin Fights FLU
(Picture the Kremlin in the middle of Winter so cold that it even kills the flu!)
1. Kremlin means “fortress within a city” in Russian
2. Five stars on the Kremlin weigh one tonne each
3. Five palaces, four cathedrals, and 20 towers
4. Largest bell and cannon in the world
5. UNESCO World Heritage Site
Five Fun Facts
1. The Kremlin is the largest active fortress in Europe and in Russia, it is not alone. Remarkably there is a Kremlin in every city in Russia. The Moscow Kremlin is obviously the largest and most popular and was founded by Prince Yury Dolgorukiy back in the 1100s, where it was made from wood.
2. As mentioned in the mnemonic the five stars on top of the Kremlin weigh one tonne each. These pentagonal luminescent stars are made of ruby glass to enhance their shine and were installed in the 1930s. They replaced the gilded two-headed eagles that symbolised Imperial Russia.
3. Of the 20 towers in total, the tallest is Troitskaya and the most iconic is the clock tower named Spasskaya. The four cathedrals are located on the Cathedral Square and they are; the Cathedral of the Dormition, Cathedral of the Archangel, Cathedral of the Annunciation, and Saint Basil’s Cathedral.
While the five palaces are, the Grand Kremlin Palace where the president resides, and also the museum, Terem Palace, the Palace of Facets, The State Kremlin Palace, and the Poteshny Palace.
4. The Tsar Bell, also known as the Tsarsky Kolokol or Royal Bell measures 6.14 metres tall and 6.6 metres in diameter. This giant bell was commissioned by Empress Anna Ivanovna, who was the niece of Peter the Great. This bell however has never been in operation as it was broken during construction. The Kremlin also has the largest cannon called Tsar Cannon, and it has also never been used in war.
5. In 1990 the architectural complex of the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square were included in the World Heritage List of UNESCO. In total, Russia has 26 World Heritage Sites of which 16 are cultural and 10 are natural. Some of the more notable sites are Lake Baikal, the Golden Mountains of Altai, and the Historic Center of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.
Now, along with all these wonderful sites to see in Russia, I must mention a story from a good friend of mine who is Russian and lived there many years ago.
So, apparently, he was out one night when he witnessed a guy just walking down the street minding his own business when a Soviet soldier called to this man and commanded him to halt, anyway, the guy stupidly started to run. So, the soldier picked up his weapon, aimed and fired, shooting him dead!
So, I was close by and I said to the soldier “Why did you do that for?”
And the soldier said, “Why, curfew.” Anyway, I looked at my watch and said “Curfew, it isn’t curfew yet”
And the soldier said, “Yeah, I know, but he’s a good friend of mine, and I know where he lives, and he was never going to make it!”
Three Question Quiz
Q.1. What is the name of the square that has been the scene of executions, demonstrations, riots, parades, and speeches?
Q.2. The Russian Revolution in which Bloody Sunday is associated with happened in which year? Options are 1905, 1910, or 1917
Q.3. Who was the first popularly elected leader of Russia?
Bonus Q. The Kremlin overlooks which river to the south?
Mnemonic Recap
The Kremlin – Top 5 Facts Mnemonic – Kremlin Fights FLU
(Picture the Kremlin in the middle of Winter so cold that it even kills the flu!)
1. Kremlin means “fortress within a city” in Russian
2. Five stars on the Kremlin weigh one tonne each
3. Five palaces, four cathedrals, and 20 towers
4. Largest bell and cannon in the world
5. UNESCO World Heritage Site
Three Question Quiz Answers
Q.1. What is the name of the square that has been the scene of executions, demonstrations, riots, parades, and speeches?
A. Red Square
Q.2. The Russian Revolution in which Bloody Sunday is associated with happened in which year? Options are 1905, 1910, or 1917
A. 1905
Q.3. Who was the first popularly elected leader of Russia?
A. Boris Yeltsin
Bonus Q. The Kremlin overlooks which river to the south?
A. The Moskva River
Bonus Q. Who founded the Soviet Union’s Red Army? Was it, Joseph Stalin or Leon Trotsky
A. Leon Trotsky. He was commissar of foreign affairs and of war in the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1924
Word of the Week
expository
[ ik-spoz-i-tawr-ee ]
adjective
serving to expound, set forth, or explain
Example
The expository article explained how the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 due to a number of factors.
Extracted from: [https://www.dictionary.com/]
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References
https://www.enjoytravel.com/en/travel-news/interesting-facts/interesting-facts-about-the-kremlin
https://www.traveltalktours.com/facts-about-moscows-kremlin/
https://www.britannica.com/quiz/russia-a-history-quiz