In the buzzing city centre, where major shops, offices, and public buildings crowd each other, there is a spot of peace and quiet. It is the Alexander Gardens, a shady park nearly two centuries old that stretches along the Kremlin's magnificent wall and towers, those masterpieces of Russian fortress architecture. The park was created in the 1820s as a promenade for the wealthy and was called the Kremlin Gardens. Only in 1856 did it acquire its present name.

During the Northern War in the early 18th century Peter the Great ordered that earthen fortifications with bastions be erected around the Kremlin. Strangely enough, the Tsar feared that the Swedes might attack Russia's ancient cap-ital. Though after the war the bastions were removed, the fortifications remained, gradually crumbling, until the 1820s. But as Russia slowly but surely entered the Age of the Enlightenment, the city changed its appearance.

It would be wrong to say that before the 18th century Muscovites were not appreciative of scenic beauty. But a garden on a city estate was rather a household facility that provided the family with fruit and vegetables. In the 18th century small private parks and gardens made their appearance near dwelling houses. The well-to-do, however, laid out grand parks on their city estates. These were usually closed to the general public.

In the fires that accompanied Napoleon's invasion of 1812 Moscow lost three-fourths of its buildings. In 1816 in the drive to restore it a new city plan was submitted for royal consideration. The primary concern was residential areas, of course, but landscape gardening was also considered, including a public park alongside the Kremlin.

In the early 19th century cities of Russia focused on gardens for the general public. Besides Moscow, such gardens appeared in Minsk and Baku and at the spas of Kislovodsk and Gurzuf. Over time, more and more people visited the parks and gardens.

 Already in the late 18th century Moscow faced environmental problems. Most of the buildings on the banks of the Neglinnaya River, which ran along the Kremlin wall, were shabby and erratically arranged. To improve the scenery and ecology it was decided to send the river underground, especially since butcheries and pubs on its banks were using it as a sewer and, therefore, in the opinion of the Kremlin's commandant, the river could spread dangerous diseases. But it was not until 1819 that the plan was carried out. The man in charge of the architectural aspect of all building in Moscow, Osip Bovet, supervised the operation. The soil of the removed bastions was used to smooth over the area around the Kremlin.

At about the same time work was launched to lay out what would be the Alexander Gardens. There were three layers of garden, separated by bridges. The upper opened in 1821, the middle a year later and the lower, running down to the Moskva River, one year after.

The upper garden was inaugurated on the name day of Alexander I, on August 30, 1 821. It was a landmark event for post fire Moscow. One of the leading journals reported that "by the Highest Will" and under the eye of the "Commission for Construction" a promenade had opened between the Resurrection and Trinity gates. This was the city's first public garden.

The main entrance from Resurrection Square was adorned with a tall, handsome cast-iron fence with ornamentation of gilded bronze. On both sides of the central gate, two pairs of massive columns stood. The military symbols in their decor commemorated Russia's victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 and glorified Alexander! On the four pillars near the gate stood single-headed eagles, on the others gilt hatchets. Until 1872 a similar gate stood at the other end of the garden.  Another gate, facing the Kremlin's Arsenal Tower, was at the side of the garden. This was removed in the 1930s. The low fence that belted the garden on the side of Manezhnaya Square allowed passersby to admire the trees and bushes inside. Today's fence, cast in 1934, is a simplified replica of the original.

Besides supervising construction, Osip Bovet created some of the architectural adornments. The most imaginative, the Ruins Grotto represents romantic ruins.  The grotto arch is made of blocks of tuff alternating with brickwork. The carved fragments of white stone inserted in the arch came from the buildings damaged by the fires of 1812 and dismantled. The surviving remains of the initial architectural finish include a fountain in the form of an ancient sacrificial altar.

The promenading public was entertained by music performed by an orchestra on top of the hill above the upper garden. Situated lower than the surrounding territory, the cosy green spot was separated from the busy life of the city.

The garden's initial layout has not survived. In the 1820s it was more scenic with lawns, groups of trees and bushes, and sand covered paths alongside the main walk. Though the monumental fence and gates with their Imperial symbols looked very official, the impression quickly faded in the elegiac atmosphere of the park itself. The romantic mood, however, was restrained: the gardens were part of the official Kremlin.

In the two centuries of their existence the Alexander Gardens have undergone considerable change. In 1913 an unimaginative four sided obelisk of grey granite was erected here to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. Surprisingly, the monument was not destroyed after the 1917 October revolution. In 1918 Lenin ordered the Imperial emblems and signs to be replaced by the names of such outstanding revolutionaries and thinkers as Marx, Engels, Liebknecht, Lassalle, Campanella, Fourier, Bakunin, and Chernyshevsky. Later the obelisk was moved deeper into the garden.

In 1967 a majestic memorial was erected at the Kremlin wall to commemorate the defenders of the capital against Nazi troops during World War II. The Eternal Flame of this Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has never gone out. Along the wall stand blocks of red granite under which lies the soil of the cities that put up heroic resistance to the Nazi invasion.

The Alexander Gardens have always attracted Muscovites and guests of the city. Now, with a spacious shopping mall built under Manezhnaya Square, more people than ever promenade in the gardens, with which the renewed square blends harmoniously. The sparkling fountain, tall trees, walks lined with shrubbery, blossoming flowerbeds, and miniature sculptures create a charming spot in the heart of the Russian capital. No longer do the gardens bear the stamp of officialdom. People can be seen sitting and lying on the grass. Perhaps, one day an orchestra will play on the top of the hill above.

(“Moscow today and tomorrow” October, 2002)