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| Alexander Garden | |
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| Александровский сад | |
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 Interactive map of Alexander Garden | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Coordinates | 55°45′09″N37°36′50″E / 55.75250°N 37.61389°E /55.75250; 37.61389 |
| Created | 1823 |
| Status | Open all year |
| Public transit access | Metro: Biblioteka Imeni LeninaOkhotny Ryad Ploshchad Revolyutsii Aleksandrovsky Sad Borovitskaya |
Alexander Gardens (Russian:Александровский сад) was one of the first urban public parks inMoscow, Russia. The park comprises three separate gardens, which stretch along all the length of the westernKremlin wall for 865 metres (2,838 ft) between the building of theMoscow Manege and the Kremlin.
Until the 18th century, theNeglinnaya River flowed on the site of Alexandrovsky Gardens, over which four bridges were built. Historically, folk festivals were held on the river banks, its water was clean and famous for fishing.[1] After the end of theNapoleonic Wars,Emperor Alexander I decided to take the river underground and enclose it in a pipe three kilometres long. Gardens were laid out in the vacated place, designed by the architectOsip Bove as part of a plan to restore Moscow after the fire of 1812.[2]
The gardens were built from 1819 to 1823 and were originally called the Kremlin Gardens. After the coronation ofAlexander II in 1856, the gardens were renamed the Alexander Gardens.
Towards the main entrance to the park is theTomb of the Unknown Soldier with aneternal flame brought from theField of Mars inLeningrad. Created in 1967, it contains the body of a soldier who fell during theGreat Patriotic War at the kilometer 41 marker of Leningradskoe Shosse, the nearest point the forces ofNazi Germany penetrated towards Moscow.Post No. 1, where theKremlin Regiment standon guard, used to be located in front ofLenin's Mausoleum, but was moved to the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier in the 1990s.The middle section of the upper garden contains a faux ruinedgrotto built underneath theMiddle Arsenal Tower. Although not constructed until 1841, this was part of Bove's original design. The garden's cast iron gate and grille were designed to commemorate the Russian victories overNapoleon, and its rocks are rubble from buildings destroyed during theFrench occupation of Moscow.
In front of the grotto is anobelisk erected on July 10, 1914, a year after the tercentenary of theRomanov dynasty was celebrated. The monument made of granite fromFinland listed all of the RomanovTsars and had the coats of arms of the (Russian) provinces. Four years later, the dynasty was gone, and theBolsheviks (perLenin’s directive onMonumental propaganda) removed theimperial eagle, and re-carved the monument with a list of 19 socialist and communist philosophers and political leaders, personally approved by Lenin. Originally in the Lower Garden, it was relocated to its present location in 1966. There is discussion to remove Lenin's and reinstall an obelisk duplicating the original.
The wrought iron grille, enclosing this part of the garden, has a design offasces, which are intended to commemorate the military victory over Napoleon.
The northern part of the garden is adjacent to the large underground shopping complex atManege Square.
The most prominent feature of the Middle Garden is the outlyingKutafya Tower of theMoscow Kremlin. There is an entrance to the park opposite the tower directly to theMoscow Metro system.
Laid out in 1823, the Lower Garden stretches to the road leading to the Borovitskaya Tower, one of two vehicular and pedestrian entrances to the Kremlin.
Media related toAlexandrovsky Garden, Moscow at Wikimedia Commons
