The beautiful ruby ​​stars have so harmoniously blended into the appearance of the five ancient Moscow towers that they seem to be their natural continuation. But for many years no less beautiful two-headed eagles have been sitting on the Kremlin towers.

In the first years after the revolution, the Bolsheviks tried to destroy all the symbols of the old world, but they did not touch the eagles on the Kremlin towers, their hands did not reach them. Soviet power... Although Lenin repeatedly reminded of the need to dismantle them, this operation required a lot of money, was very complicated technically, and at first the Bolsheviks could not decide - what to replace the eagles with? There were different proposals - flags, the emblem of the USSR, an emblem with a hammer and sickle ... Finally, they settled on the stars.

In the spring of 1935, watching the planes flying at the parade, Stalin was especially annoyed by the sight of the tsarist eagles, spoiling the whole picture.

At the end of the summer of 1935, a TASS message was published: " The Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) decided by November 7, 1935 to remove 4 eagles located on the Spasskaya, Nikolskaya, Borovitskaya, Trinity towers of the Kremlin wall, and 2 eagles from the building of the Historical Museum. By the same time, it was decided to install on the indicated 4 towers of the Kremlin five-pointed star with hammer and sickle".

They decided to make all the stars different, each with its own unique pattern. For the Nikolskaya Tower, a smooth star was designed without a pattern.

When the models were ready, the leaders of the country came to look at them and gave the go-ahead for the production of real stars. Their only wish was to make the stars rotate so that they could be admired from everywhere.
They decided to make the stars from high-alloy stainless steel and red copper. The symbol, sparkling in the sun and under the beams of searchlights, was to become a real decoration. Soviet Russia- hammer and sickle. Over the creation of this beauty from huge amount of Ural gems, a whole army of jewelers worked for a month and a half.

The stars turned out to be much heavier than eagles, the weight of each star was about 1000 kg. Before installing them, it was necessary to additionally strengthen the tents on the towers. The structure had to withstand even hurricane winds. And in order for the stars to become rotating, bearings were installed at their base, which were manufactured for this purpose at the First Bearing Plant.

Now the daunting task of dismantling the two-headed eagles and the subsequent hoisting of huge stars in their place lay ahead. The towers had a height of 52 to 72 meters, and there were no suitable equipment - high cranes - then. It was necessary to come up with something, and the engineers still found a way out. A crane was designed separately for each tower, which was installed on the upper tier on a special metal base specially mounted for this.

After the eagles were dismantled using this technique, the stars were not immediately lifted in their place, but decided to first show them to Muscovites. To do this, for one day they were put on public display in the Park to them. Gorky.

Here, eagles were also placed nearby, from which they had already managed to remove the gilding. Of course, the eagles played alongside the sparkling sparkling stars, symbolizing the beauty of the new world.

On October 24, 1935, having thoroughly checked the technique, they began to slowly raise the star to the Spasskaya Tower. Having reached a height of 70 meters, the winch was stopped, and the climbers, carefully directing the star, very accurately lowered it onto the support spire. Everything worked out! Hundreds of people gathered in the square and watching this unique operation applauded the installers.

Over the next three days, three more stars were installed, shining on the Nikolskaya, Borovitskaya and Troitskaya towers.

However, these stars did not last long on the towers. Already two years later, they lost their luster, faded - soot, dust and dirt did their job.
It was decided to replace them, while it was recommended to reduce their size, since the first stars still looked rather heavy. The task was set - to do it in as soon as possible, to the 20th anniversary of the revolution.

This time, it was decided to make the stars from ruby ​​glass and glow from within, rather than from spotlights. The best minds of the country were involved in solving this problem.
The recipe for ruby ​​glass was developed by the Moscow glassmaker N.I. Kurochkin - to achieve the desired color, selenium was added to the glass instead of gold. Firstly, it was cheaper, and secondly, it allowed you to get a richer and deeper color.

And so, on November 2, 1937, new ruby ​​stars were lit on the Kremlin towers. Another star appeared - on the Vodovzvodnaya tower, and there were five such towers, like the rays of the star.

These stars really shine from within.

This effect is achieved thanks to special 5000 W lamps inside them, made by special order. In addition, they have two filaments, one for safety net. In order to change the lamp, you do not need to go up to it, it can be lowered on a special rod.
The glazing of the stars is double. Outside, for color - ruby ​​glass, and inside is milky white for better dispersion. Milky white glass is used to prevent ruby ​​glass from appearing too dark in bright light.

During the Great Patriotic War the Kremlin stars were extinguished - they were covered, since they were an excellent reference point for the enemy. And after the war, when the tarpaulin was removed, it turned out that they received small shrapnel damage from an anti-aircraft battery located nearby. The stars had to be sent for restoration, after which they shone even brighter. A new three-layer glazing of the stars (ruby glass, frosted glass and crystal) was made, and their gilded frame was also updated. In the spring of 1946, the stars were returned to the towers.

In the evening and at night, bright scarlet stars burn over the Moscow Kremlin - symbols of the socialist past of our country. These five-pointed lamps, made of a special "ruby" glass, were installed to replace the Coat of Arms. Russian Empire in the 1930s of the last century.

The idea of ​​replacing the Tsar's eagles on the Kremlin towers with stars was repeatedly expressed immediately after the October Revolution. But such a reconstruction was associated with too large monetary costs and therefore could not be carried out for a long time.

In August 1935, the following TASS report was published in the central press: "The Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) decided by November 7, 1935 to remove 4 eagles located on the Spasskaya, Nikolskaya, Borovitskaya, Troitskaya towers of the Kremlin wall, and 2 eagle from the building of the Historical Museum.

By the same date, it was decided to install a five-pointed star with a hammer and sickle on the four towers of the Kremlin. "

The first star replaced the eagle on the Spasskaya Tower. This event took place on October 24, 1935, and the next day the second star was installed on the steeple of the Troitskaya tower. On October 26 and 27, stars shone over the Nikolskaya and Borovitskaya towers. On Vodovzvodnaya, the star appeared later than others - only in May 1937.

The design and manufacture of the first Kremlin stars were carried out at once by two Moscow factories, as well as the workshops of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute. The drawings were created by an outstanding decorator, academician Fyodor Fedorovich Fedorovsky, who not only calculated their shape and size, but also made sketches of finishing options.

It was decided to make the first Kremlin stars from stainless steel and red copper. In the middle of each of them, on both sides, there should have been sparkling precious stones emblems Soviet state- hammer and sickle.

For presentation to the leaders of the party and government, full-size models of all four stars were made, which, I must say, differed from each other in decoration.

On the edges of the star of the Spasskaya Tower there were rays emanating from the center; on the Troitskaya star - the rays were made in the form of ears. The "Borovitskaya" star consisted of two contours inscribed one into the other, and the rays of the star of the Nikolskaya Tower had no drawing at all.

The leaders of the country appreciated the magnificence shown to them and agreed to make the stars. True, with one condition: for the symbols of the country to be revolving - let Muscovites and guests of the capital admire them from everywhere. Soon several factories received government orders of particular importance.

The supporting structure of the huge stars was made in the form of a light but strong stainless steel frame, on which framing decorations made of red copper sheets were superimposed. The red metal was plated with gold from 18 to 20 microns thick.

Hammer and sickle emblems measuring 2 meters and weighing 240 kilograms were fixed on each star on both sides. The frame of the emblem was made of bronze and stainless steel. To it were separately attached precious stones in a setting of gilded silver, which make up the hammer and sickle.

Over the course of one and a half months, two hundred and fifty best jewelers of Moscow and Leningrad worked on the creation of these emblems. In total, about 7 thousand Ural gems - topaz, aquamarine, amethyst and alexandrite, ranging in size from 20 to 200 carats - were used to make eight emblems.

At the base of each star, the craftsmen installed special bearings manufactured at the First Bearing Plant. Thanks to this, the stars, despite their significant weight (of the order of a ton), could easily rotate and withstand any wind.

The task of lifting the stars was entrusted to the specialists of the All-Union Office of Stalprommekhanizatsiya, who found an original solution - they designed and built a special crane for each tower, which could be installed on its upper tier. The operation to install one star took about two hours.

However, the first stars of the Kremlin did not adorn its towers for long. Under the influence of atmospheric precipitation, a year later the Ural gems faded and the gilding ceased to shine.

In May 1937, it was decided to install new stars - luminous, ruby ​​ones. The star, which crowned the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower in 1935-1937, was moved to the spire of the capital's Northern River Station.

The new stars received double glazing: the inner one is made of milky glass, which diffuses light well, and the outer one is made of ruby, bright red glass, 6-7 mm thick. This was done because on a bright sunlight the red of the stars from the ground would appear black.

There are no precious stones in them: the selenium added to it during cooking gives the glass a similarity to ruby.

The lamps of the Kremlin stars deserve special attention. They were specially developed at the Moscow Electric Lamp Plant. They each contain two filaments connected in parallel. Therefore, even if one of them burns out, the lamp will not stop shining.

During the war, in order to blackout the capital, the Kremlin stars were covered with a tarpaulin. When the disguise was removed, it turned out that the glasses of the stars were badly damaged. Probably, they were repeatedly hit by anti-aircraft artillery shells that defended Moscow from German air raids.

The complete restoration of the Kremlin stars was carried out in late 1945 - early 1946. The craftsmen resumed the gilding of the frame, and the glass was made three-layered: a crystal interlayer appeared between the ruby ​​and milky glass. Kremlin stars have become even brighter, stronger and more beautiful.

Several years ago, the ruby ​​stars were once again subjected to restoration - the craftsmen examined the lamps and replaced some of the cracked glass.

The stars are washed, as a rule, every five years. Monthly to maintain reliable performance auxiliary equipment planned preventive work, more serious ones perform every eight years.

The system of Kremlin stars has a single control center, which is located in the Trinity Tower. Twice a day, the operation of the lamps is visually checked, and the fans for their blowing are switched. There is no threat of power outages for the five-pointed Kremlin luminaries - their power supply is autonomous.

Five towers of the Moscow Kremlin, Borovitskaya, Troitskaya, Spasskaya, Nikolskaya and Vodovzvodnaya, still shine with red stars, but the towers of the State Historical Museum are now proudly crowned with double-headed eagles. This is how the heirs of the glorious past of our great country peacefully coexist on Red Square.

Exactly 80 years ago, the famous ruby ​​stars were installed on the towers of the Moscow Kremlin, which became the symbol of the capital. What did they replace, how much they weigh and why did Nikita Mikhalkov need to extinguish them - the Moscow 24 portal has collected 10 of the most interesting facts.

Fact 1. Before the stars there were eagles

From the 17th century on the Spasskaya, Troitskaya, Borovitskaya and Nikolskaya towers of the Moscow Kremlin, gilded two-headed tsarist eagles made of copper towered.

They have not survived to this day. By decision of the new government on October 18, 1935, the eagles were removed and later melted down. Historians of that time decided that they were of no value and the metal was simply disposed of.

Fact 2. The first stars were installed on four towers

The first Kremlin star was installed on October 23, 1935 on the Spasskaya Tower. From 25 to 27 October, stars appeared on the Troitskaya, Nikolskaya and Borovitskaya towers.

Fact 3. Before the ruby, the stars were copper and with gems

Initially, the stars were made of red copper sheet, which was fixed to a metal frame. Each star weighed approximately one ton.

On the stars were placed bronze emblems of the hammer and sickle. The emblems were inlaid with Ural stones - rock crystal, topaz, amethyst, aquamarine, sandrite, and alexandrite. Each stone weighed up to 20 grams.

Fact 4. The spire of the Northern River Station is crowned with a Kremlin star-gem

Gem stars were dismantled shortly before the 20th anniversary October revolution... One of them, taken from the Spasskaya Tower, was later hoisted on the spire of the Northern River Station in Moscow.

Fact 5. Ruby stars on five towers

The stars-gems were replaced by new ones - ruby ​​ones. They were installed on November 2, 1937. The old stars had faded, and the gems did not shine too brightly.

Fact 6. There are lighting lamps inside the stars

Ruby stars glow from within. To illuminate them, the Moscow Electric Lamp Plant (MELZ) developed special lamps in 1937.
The power of light bulbs in the stars at the Spasskaya, Troitskaya, Nikolskaya towers was 5 kW, at Vodovzvodnaya and Borovitskaya - 3.7 kW.

Fact 7. Stars have different sizes

Photo: TASS / Vasily Egorov and Alexey Stuzhin

The Kremlin's ruby ​​stars come in different sizes. The beam span on the Spasskaya and Nikolskaya towers is 3.75 meters, on Troitskaya - 3.5, on Borovitskaya - 3.2, and on Vodovzvodnaya - 3 meters.

Fact 8. The stars rotate with a weather vane

There are special bearings at the base of each sprocket. Thanks to them, a star weighing one ton can rotate in the wind like a weather vane. This is done to reduce the load at high air flows. Otherwise, the star may fall off the spire.

Fact 9. During the war, the stars were covered with a tarp

The stars were extinguished for the first time during the Great Patriotic War. They were a good reference point for enemy aircraft. The stars were covered in a tarp. Subsequently, they were extinguished again at the request of director Nikita Mikhalkov for the sake of shooting one of the episodes of "The Barber of Siberia".

Fact 10.Since 2014, the stars have another stage of reconstruction

In 2014, a complex reconstruction of the star was carried out on the Spasskaya Tower: new system lighting with several metal halide lamps with a total power of 1000 watts.

In 2015, the lamps in the star of the Trinity Tower were replaced, and in 2016 - in the Nikolskaya. In 2018, the Borovitskaya Tower will be repaired.

Exactly 80 years ago, the famous ruby ​​stars were installed on the towers of the Moscow Kremlin, which became the symbol of the capital. What did they replace, how much they weigh and why did Nikita Mikhalkov need to extinguish them - the Moscow 24 portal has collected 10 of the most interesting facts.

Fact 1. Before the stars there were eagles

From the 17th century on the Spasskaya, Troitskaya, Borovitskaya and Nikolskaya towers of the Moscow Kremlin, gilded two-headed tsarist eagles made of copper towered.

They have not survived to this day. By decision of the new government on October 18, 1935, the eagles were removed and later melted down. Historians of that time decided that they were of no value and the metal was simply disposed of.

Fact 2. The first stars were installed on four towers

The first Kremlin star was installed on October 23, 1935 on the Spasskaya Tower. From 25 to 27 October, stars appeared on the Troitskaya, Nikolskaya and Borovitskaya towers.

Fact 3. Before the ruby, the stars were copper and with gems

Initially, the stars were made of red copper sheet, which was fixed to a metal frame. Each star weighed approximately one ton.

On the stars were placed bronze emblems of the hammer and sickle. The emblems were inlaid with Ural stones - rock crystal, topaz, amethyst, aquamarine, sandrite, and alexandrite. Each stone weighed up to 20 grams.

Fact 4. The spire of the Northern River Station is crowned with a Kremlin star-gem

Gem stars were dismantled shortly before the 20th anniversary of the October Revolution. One of them, taken from the Spasskaya Tower, was later hoisted on the spire of the Northern River Station in Moscow.

Fact 5. Ruby stars on five towers

The stars-gems were replaced by new ones - ruby ​​ones. They were installed on November 2, 1937. The old stars had faded, and the gems did not shine too brightly.

Fact 6. There are lighting lamps inside the stars

Ruby stars glow from within. To illuminate them, the Moscow Electric Lamp Plant (MELZ) developed special lamps in 1937.
The power of light bulbs in the stars at the Spasskaya, Troitskaya, Nikolskaya towers was 5 kW, at Vodovzvodnaya and Borovitskaya - 3.7 kW.

Fact 7. Stars have different sizes

Photo: TASS / Vasily Egorov and Alexey Stuzhin

The Kremlin's ruby ​​stars come in different sizes. The beam span on the Spasskaya and Nikolskaya towers is 3.75 meters, on Troitskaya - 3.5, on Borovitskaya - 3.2, and on Vodovzvodnaya - 3 meters.

Fact 8. The stars rotate with a weather vane

There are special bearings at the base of each sprocket. Thanks to them, a star weighing one ton can rotate in the wind like a weather vane. This is done to reduce the load at high air flows. Otherwise, the star may fall off the spire.

Fact 9. During the war, the stars were covered with a tarp

The stars were extinguished for the first time during the Great Patriotic War. They were a good reference point for enemy aircraft. The stars were covered in a tarp. Subsequently, they were extinguished again at the request of director Nikita Mikhalkov for the sake of shooting one of the episodes of "The Barber of Siberia".

Fact 10.Since 2014, the stars have another stage of reconstruction

In 2014, a comprehensive reconstruction of the star was carried out on the Spasskaya Tower: it had a new lighting system with several metal halide lamps with a total power of 1000 watts.

In 2015, the lamps in the star of the Trinity Tower were replaced, and in 2016 - in the Nikolskaya. In 2018, the Borovitskaya Tower will be repaired.

On November 2, 1937, ruby ​​stars were lit on the towers of the Moscow Kremlin. Sketched pommel chief artist The Bolshoi Theater Fedor Fedorovsky, have become one of the most recognizable symbols of the Russian capital.

What were the towers crowned with before the ruby ​​stars appeared?

Beginning in the 17th century, gilded double-headed eagles made of copper “sat” on the spiers of the Kremlin. They were used to decorate four towers - Troitskaya, Spasskaya, Borovitskaya and Nikolskaya. In 1935, the eagles were replaced by stars, which were made of stainless steel, lined with copper sheets and decorated with Ural gems. The state allocated 67.9 kg of precious metal for gilding the finials. The entire scope of work was carried out under the control of the operational department of the NKVD and took two weeks. A few months after that, the stars, which were illuminated by the spotlights, faded.

What was proposed to replace the two-headed eagles?

In place of the two-headed eagles, they were initially going to install flags or emblems with a hammer and sickle. But in the end, the authorities opted for the stars. Sketches were commissioned artist Eugene Lansere... At his first job, Stalin made the remark: "Good, but it should be without a circle in the center." The word "without" is underlined twice. Lanceray corrected everything and again gave the sketch for approval. After that, the secretary general made another remark: "Well, but it would be necessary without a fastening stick." "Without" is again underlined twice. As a result, Lancer was removed from the project.

Double-headed eagles taken from the Kremlin towers. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Why did five ruby ​​stars appear on the towers instead of four eagles?

In 1937, at the direction of Joseph Stalin, not four, but five stars were installed on the spiers of the Kremlin. Ruby tops, in addition to the Spasskaya, Troitskaya, Borovitskaya and Nikolskaya, also received the Vodovzvodnaya Tower. The leader of the peoples motivated his decision by the fact that the Kremlin would look more beautiful this way.

What are the size and weight of the Kremlin stars?

The size of each star depends on the height and architecture of the tower. So, the distance between the ends of the star's rays on the Vodovzvodnaya tower is 3 meters, on Borovitskaya - 3.2 meters, on Troitskaya - 3.5 meters, on the Nikolskaya and Spasskaya towers - 3.75 meters each. One star weighs about a ton, but at the same time, thanks to bearings installed in the base, it can turn in the wind.

Ruby on the outside, milk on the inside?

The supporting structure of the stars is made of stainless steel. The beams of the tops of the Troitskaya, Borovitskaya, Spasskaya and Vodovzvodnaya towers each have 8 faces, the Nikolskaya - 12 faces. Inside them there is milk glass, outside - ruby ​​glass. Double glazing is necessary to keep the stars from looking dark during daylight hours.

The recipe for making ruby ​​glass was created by the famous glazier Nikanor Kurochkin... Special lamps are installed inside the stars, their power on the Spasskaya, Troitskaya, Nikolskaya towers is 5 kilowatts, on Borovitskaya and Vodovzvodnaya - 3.7 kilowatts.

The stars burn day and night.

Moscow Kremlin. Photo: www.russianlook.com

Have the stars ever gone out?

Yes. They were extinguished only twice. The first time they were extinguished during the Great Patriotic War and covered with a tarpaulin so that the Kremlin was not so noticeable for the German aviation. The stars were extinguished for the second time in 1999 at the request of directed by Nikita Mikhalkov for filming "The Barber of Siberia".

How often are the stars repaired?

The reconstruction was carried out twice. The first time in 1945-1956, when the stars were damaged during the war, again in 1974. Maintenance Kremlin stars usually occurs every five years. To climb to them, special lifting structures and scaffolding are used. In 2010, a freezing rain fell in Moscow, and giant icicles up to three meters long formed on the stars. They had to be cleaned off.