The Tsar Cannon is a brief history of the creation of the legendary weapon. The huge Tsar Cannon of the little Tsar A brief history of the Tsar Cannon

Address: Russia, Moscow, Moscow Kremlin
Date of creation: 1586
Characteristics: length – 5.34 m, barrel diameter – 120 cm, caliber – 890 mm, weight – 39.31 t
Coordinates: 55°45"05.2"N 37°37"04.8"E

The Tsar Cannon is considered one of the main attractions of the Kremlin in Moscow. This is the greatest monument to Russian artillery. There are few foreign tourists who left Moscow without looking at the cannon.

Being the largest caliber gun in the world, the Tsar Cannon is in the Guinness Book of Records.

History of the Tsar Cannon

In 1586, alarming news arrived in Moscow: the Crimean Khan and his horde were moving towards the city. In this regard, the Russian master Andrei Chokhov cast a huge weapon that fired stone grapeshot and was intended to protect the Kremlin. Initially, the cannon was installed on a hill to protect the bridge over the Moscow River and the defense of the Spassky Gate.

However, the khan did not reach Moscow, so the townspeople never saw the firing of the weapon, called the Tsar Cannon due to its size. In the 18th century the cannon was moved to the Moscow Kremlin, and since then it has not left its borders. The Tsar-cannon stood in that place until the beginning of the 18th century, until Peter I conceived the construction of the Tseichhaus (Arsenal of the Moscow Kremlin), organizing in it weapons storage for ancient and trophy exhibits.

First, the gun was placed in the courtyard of the Arsenal, and then it guarded its main gate. In 1835, the cannon was erected on a new cast iron carriage, made according to the sketches of Academician A.P. Bryullov. The Tsar Cannon, along with other ancient guns, was placed along the Armory Chamber. In 1960, construction of the Kremlin Palace began. The old building of the Armory was demolished and the gun was again delivered to the Arsenal.

Closer to 1980, the Tsar Cannon, along with its carriage and cannonballs, was taken away for planned restoration. They were returned to their original location in 1980.

Today the gun can be seen on Ivanovskaya Square. Nearby is the Ivan the Great Bell Tower and the Church of the Twelve Apostles.

The pride of the artillery collection

The Tsar Cannon is located on a cast iron carriage, which serves a decorative function. The cannon itself was cast from bronze. Nearby lie decorative cast iron cores. On the right side of the cannon, Fyodor Ivanovich is depicted on a horse. The prince has a crown on his head, and in his hands he holds a scepter. Next to the image it says that this is Grand Duke Fyodor Ivanovich, who is the Sovereign Autocrat of Great Russia. It is believed that the cannon could have received its name due to the image of the prince. In addition to the Tsar Cannon, you can find another name - “Russian Shotgun”. This name is due to the fact that the gun was cast specifically for firing shot, so-called buckshot.

On the left side of the cannon it is written that its author is “Litecian Ondrej Chokhov”. The gun barrel is decorated with beautiful ornaments. The carriage deserves special attention. To emphasize the high status of the weapon, the foundry workers depicted the king of beasts – a lion. The carriage is covered with an extraordinary interweaving of plants, among which is a symbolic image of a lion fighting a snake. Spokes big wheels made in the form of intertwining leaves.

The gun is amazing in its size:

• Length – 500 cm;
• Trunk diameter – 120cm;
• Caliber – 890 mm;
• Weight – almost 40 tons.

The force of 200 horses was used to move the cannon. According to some experts, this huge weapon was never fired. And it was made solely to scare foreigners, in particular the Crimean Khan.

The Mystery of the Tsar Cannon

This is a fairly powerful artillery weapon of the Middle Ages. However, looking at it and at the cannonballs located nearby, it becomes clear that it is simply impossible to shoot from such a weapon. So what kind of weapon is this on display: a prop or not? It’s worth saying right away that 4 cast-iron cannonballs, stacked in a pyramid near the foot of the cannon, serve a purely decorative function. They are hollow inside, the weight of one such cannonball is 1970 kg, and the weight of a stone one is 0.819 tons. It is physically impossible to shoot from such a carriage and use cast iron cannonballs, since the cannon would most likely be torn apart. In addition, no documents have been preserved about any tests of the Tsar Cannon or battles with its participation. Therefore, today there are many contradictions surrounding the purpose of the weapon.

Many military men and historians believed until the twentieth century that this was a shotgun, that is, a weapon for grapeshot, which at that time consisted of small stones. In 1930, the Bolsheviks decided to call the shotgun a cannon. They did this to increase the “rank” of the gun, for the purpose of propaganda.

The secret of this exhibit was revealed only in 1980, when it needed to be restored.

The gun was removed from its carriage and placed on a large trailer using a large truck crane. Then the weapon was taken to Serpukhov, where it was restored. Simultaneously with the repair work, specialists from the Artillery Academy examined the exhibit and made the appropriate measurements, but no one saw the report. However, the surviving drafts allow us to conclude that the Tsar Cannon is not a cannon at all.

The secret of the weapon lies in its design. At the very beginning, the diameter of the channel into which the projectile is placed is 90 cm, and at the end - 82 cm. At a distance of 31.9 cm, the channel is cone-shaped. Next is the charging chamber. The diameter at the beginning is 44.7 cm and at the end 46.7 cm. The length of such a chamber is 173 cm. It has a flat bottom. In this regard, it was stated that the Tsar Cannon was an ordinary bombard that fired stone cannonballs. A cannon is usually called a weapon whose barrel length is more than 40 calibers. And this gun is only four calibers long, the same as the bombard. As a shotgun, such a weapon is extremely ineffective.

Bombards are a battering weapon large sizes, destroying the fortress wall. The carriage was not used for them, since the barrel was simply buried in the ground, and two trenches were dug nearby for the artillery crew, since such guns often exploded. The rate of fire of such weapons is up to 6 shots per day.

When examining the gun channel, particles of gunpowder were found. This suggests that the gun fired at least once. Of course, this could have been a test shot, so to speak, since the gun did not leave Moscow. And who within the city limits could they shoot from it? Another refutation of the use of the weapon is the absence of any traces in the barrel, including longitudinal scratches left by stone cannonballs.

The legend of the Tsar Cannon and the impostor False Dmitry

According to legend, the Tsar Cannon nevertheless fired. This happened once. After the impostor False Dmitry was exposed, he tried to escape from Moscow. But on the way he was brutally killed by an armed detachment. The day after the burial, the corpse was found near the almshouse. They buried him even deeper, but after a while, the body appeared again, but in a different cemetery.

People said that the land did not accept him. The decision was made to burn the body. After this, the ashes were mixed with gunpowder and fired from the Tsar Cannon towards Poland - where False Dmitry came from.

But this is only a legend, so we can only contemplate and be proud of this most valuable exhibit.

On January 7, 1598, the servant of God Fedor Ioanovich, Grand Duke of Moscow and Tsar of All Rus', died in the Moscow Kremlin. During the reign of the last of the direct Rurikovichs, quite a few significant events occurred. The cities were founded: Samara, Saratov, Tsaritsyn (Volgograd), Voronezh, Arkhangelsk, Tobolsk, Surgut - new frontiers of the actively growing Russian State were established.

The next Russian-Swedish war was completed and Russia, as a result of which, returned access to the Baltic Sea along the Koporye-Yam line... Quite a few worthy deeds are being achieved, but this is not what Tsar Fedor is remembered for... The main memory of him still stands on Ivanovo Square of the Moscow Kremlin, and his name to her - Tsar Cannon!

Story

Not much time has passed since the death of Ivan the Terrible, the dust raised by the hooves of the guardsmen’s horses has not yet settled, and in Moscow the largest artillery piece in the world was created, which remains so until today. Maybe not in size, but definitely in terms of the caliber of the barrel.

In 1586, by order of the highest order, work began on the creation of a grandiose cannon. Historians are still struggling with the reason for such an unusual step, but most are inclined to believe that the weapon was created to produce an external effect on foreign ambassadors. Like, look what we are capable of. Let's eat so hard it won't seem enough!

More seriously, the cannon was intended to testify to the growth of the power of the Russian State, both industrial and military. And, of course, she exalted the ruling Sovereign! (and Fyodor Ioanovich, according to contemporaries, was very unprepossessing physically and had a meek disposition).

The production was led by foundry master Andrei Chokhov.

Andrei Chokhov (1545 - 1629) - famous Russian foundry worker, creator large quantity cannons and church bells. One of the surviving examples of the uniqueness of creativity is Chokhov’s siege arquebuses. The students continued and developed the traditions of the master (in particular, Alexey Nikiforov).

The casting work was carried out at the Moscow Cannon Yard (now the Lubyanka Square area) for several months. The main material for production was bronze. In terms of production technology, the weapon fully complied with the standards accepted at that time. Only more...much more!

The finished super-weapon was dragged with the help of two hundred horses to the Kremlin’s Red Square for demonstration to the sovereign. The barrel of the cannon was skillfully decorated with the image of Fyodor Ioannovich wearing all the royal regalia and riding a horse. In addition, the patterns run along the entire circumference of the trunk in the form of a ligature. Whether the giant cannon fired during the demonstration - no evidence has survived, and, given the meek disposition of Tsar Fedor, most likely not.

On the trunk there is also a dedication to Tsarina Irina Fedorovna Godunova (the wife of Tsar Fedor) and a mention of the fact that the monster was made by the “litz Chokhov”.
According to one version, due to the presence of the image of the Tsar, the cannon was named “Tsar Cannon”.

According to the second version, the name is associated primarily with the size of the work of cannon makers and foundry workers of medieval Rus'.
Another name for the gun was “Shotgun”, since it was intended for firing small projectiles - “shot” (stone or metal uncalibrated buckshot).

Having admired it enough, the cannon was hoisted onto a wooden frame (carriage) and placed on combat duty near the walls of the Kremlin (opposite the modern GUM). There she stood for almost a century! Once they tried to use the gun against the attacking Tatars of Khan Kazy - Girey, but they did not dare to approach effective shooting distance and the shot was missed.

Subsequently, already under Pyotr Alekeseevich Romanov in 1706, having gathered their strength, the cannon was dragged into the courtyard of the Kremlin Arsenal. AND for a long time the whole country admired the skill of the gunsmiths and were amazed at the size, and also demonstrated it to overseas guests.

In 1835, a new cast-iron carriage was cast for the cannon (designed by Academician A.P. Bryullov) and decorative cannonballs weighing approximately 2 tons each. They then rolled it to the Armory, where other samples of guns were put on display.

In the 60s of the 20th century, the Tsar Cannon was finally installed in the place where it still stands today, near the bell tower of Ivan the Great. Or not quite that, since already in the 70s the gun was sent for restoration to Serpukhov, where it was equipped with a new decorative carriage and returned to its place in 1980.

Features of the device and application

If we talk about the Tsar Cannon in the language of gunsmiths, then it is, first of all, a military weapon, such as a bombard, intended for firing along a flat or mounted trajectory. The charge was a small “shot” with a total weight of up to 800 kilograms. It does not have an ignition hole, although there is a platform for it. The shot could only be fired when the fuse was fired from the side of the barrel; for this, an ignition cord was inserted into the powder chamber from the side of the muzzle.

The total weight of the artillery dinosaur is about 39 tons 312 kg, the barrel length is 5 meters 34 centimeters, the barrel caliber is 890 millimeters.

There are several opinions as to whether the Tsar Cannon fired during its centuries-old history. When carrying out restoration work in Serpukhov, experts from the Artillery Academy named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky concluded that the cannon was fired at least once.

The historian L.N. Gumilev there is a mention that the ashes of False Dmitry I were scattered by a shot from legendary weapon.

However, there are supporters and versions that the cannon was never fired. Intact traces of casting inside the barrel are indicated as evidence.

About records

The Tsar Cannon occupies an honorable place among the world record holders in the Guinness Book as a weapon of the largest caliber (890mm).

The Tsar Cannon Family

In 2001, in the city of gunsmiths Izhevsk, by order of the Government Russian Federation two copies of the symbol of artillery valor were made with almost exact adherence to the basic parameters. One copy was solemnly presented to the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, where it was installed near the city hall building.

The second replica adorns the territory of the Izhstal OJSC plant in Izhevsk.

In Yoshkar-Ola, on Obolensky-Nogotkov Square, there is a relatively small copy (weight - 12 tons). Also, the design of the gun does not correspond to the original; a number of patterns on the barrel are missing, others have been changed, and the decorative cores are also significantly smaller than the original ones. The cannon was suitable for firing, so the barrel was caulked with a special cannonball.

But the most interesting “Tsar Cannon” is located in the open-air museum of the Motovilikha Plant in the city of Perm. A real combat ship mortar, created in 1868 for the defense of St. Petersburg from the forts of Kronstadt.

The weight of the gun with carriage is 144 (!) tons, caliber 508 mm.

Having successfully passed artillery tests, the gun never entered combat duty - during tests and demonstrations in 1873 in Vienna, it became technically obsolete after Krupp created a bolt for loading guns from the breech. By decree of Tsar Alexander II, the cannon was preserved as a museum exhibit.

Conclusion

Why exactly the Tsar Cannon was created is not particularly important in our time. The main thing is that it is an eloquent symbol of the centuries-old military and industrial power of Russia, a bronze embodiment morale Russian people!

Video

On Ivanovskaya Square An artillery gun is installed in the Moscow Kremlin, which is considered the most significant work of Russian weapons masters. The Tsar Cannon is not just a masterpiece of fortress artillery of the New Age, but also one of the most big guns among all known in the world.

The Tsar Cannon has served as a museum relic since the 30s of the 19th century, when it was installed near the entrance to the Armory Chamber. Nowadays, a masterpiece of foundry art made by a master Andrey Chokhov, is an exhibit of the Moscow Museum of Artillery.

History of Russian firearms artillery

The invention of gunpowder provided the impetus for the development and improvement of throwing weapons, which were widely used during siege until the 14th century. Fortress structures were now subjected to shelling from primitive artillery guns, the barrels of which were made of iron, and the shells were iron or stone cannonballs. Imperfect technology for producing charges caused injuries to gunners when firing. After the technology for producing gunpowder in the form of a bulk mass was mastered, the effectiveness of artillery pieces increased, and the caliber of the guns increased.

Moscow Cannon Yard was created at the end of the 15th century and was located on the Neglinka River in the area where Lubyanka Square is located today. Being state enterprise The Moscow Cannon Yard had modern smelting furnaces, hundreds of craftsmen worked there, and in a technical sense this manufactory was one of the most advanced among similar enterprises. The most famous products of the Moscow Cannon Yard are the bronze arquebus made by master Jacob of 1483, the guns installed in Grisholm Castle in Sweden and the Moscow landmarks Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon.

In the 16th century it appeared Russian artillery. The masters of the Moscow Cannon Yard cast heavy guns, called bombards, and by the beginning of the 18th century in the Russian army there were 9,500 gunners who professionally handled heavy artillery. Collapsible molds began to be used to cast gun barrels.

How the Tsar Cannon appeared

In 1584 he sat on the Russian throne Tsar Fedor I Ioannovich, third son of Ivan the Terrible. Boris Godunov was the king's brother-in-law. From 1587, his position at court was so significant that he actually ruled the state. It was Godunov who came up with the idea of ​​casting a huge artillery piece in bronze, which would symbolize the military power of the Russian army and the entire state. The name given to the gun, according to some historians, appeared due to its size. Others believe that the cannon was named after Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich.

In 1586 the master Andrey Chokhov fulfilled the royal decree and made a weapon that became the largest and glorified the name of the foundry for centuries. At that time, Chokhov had worked at the Cannon Yard for about 20 years and had extensive experience in casting artillery pieces. After the Tsar Cannon was ready, Andrei Chokhov took a special position among the other foundry workers, and numerous students began to adopt his experience.

The Emperor ordered the installation of the Tsar Cannon on Red Square near the Execution Ground. Symbol military power symbolically guarded the Spassky Gate and the Intercession Cathedral and at the same time served as a reminder to everyone passing by of the role of Boris Godunov in the Russian state.

Despite the full combat characteristics, which were assigned to the weapon by the master, it never proved itself in a real battle. Only once was the Tsar Cannon ready to fire, but she didn’t have to - the troops of the Crimean Khan Kazy-Gireya retreated before the help of the main weapon of the Russian army was needed.

Rearrangement of guns

In the first third of the 18th century, grandiose construction began in the Moscow Kremlin. Appeared by order of Peter I Arsenal located between the Nikolskaya and Trinity towers. The sovereign intended to build a military warehouse in it and store war trophies. The Tsar Cannon interfered with the implementation of the project and was moved to Arsenal yard. The French, retreating, blew up many Kremlin buildings, and the Arsenal was significantly damaged. The Tsar Cannon, fortunately, lost only its wooden carriage, and itself remained unharmed.

In 1817, the gun was moved to the gates of the restored Arsenal, and a couple of years later the architect Henri Montferrand the idea was born to perpetuate the memory of the feat of the Russian army in Patriotic War 1812. Montferrand proposed using the Unicorn cannon and the Tsar Cannon as the central elements of the memorial composition. However, the project was not approved and cast iron gun carriages were received only in 1835.

An engineer worked on the carriage of the Tsar Cannon Pavel de Witte and architect Alexander Bryullov. Their project was implemented by employees of the Berda plant in St. Petersburg. Four cannonballs were also cast there and installed next to the gun carriage. The weight of each shell is almost two tons.

The Tsar Cannon, along with other Kremlin artillery pieces, moved again in 1843. They were transferred to Armory Chamber. Its old building was later turned into barracks, and a cannon guarded the entrance until the 60s of the 20th century. Then the barracks were demolished, and in their place they erected Kremlin Palace of Congresses, and the Tsar Cannon set off on its last known journey in its lifetime - to the northern façade of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower.

Specifications and Features

Military historians believe that the Tsar Cannon is more likely bombard, since its design is more typical for heavy siege weapons:

• A cannon is considered to be an artillery piece with a longer barrel, and according to modern classification it generally belongs to the class of shotguns. Moreover, it was conceived as a defensive weapon and was even called at one time "Russian Shotgun".
• The alloy from which the Tsar Cannon was cast consists mainly of copper – 91.9%. The gun also contains tin, lead, antimony, aluminum and even traces of silver.
• If the Tsar Cannon were to fire, it would need to be loaded with stone cannonballs, the weight of which would range from 750 kg to one ton. Gunpowder for each charge would require from 85 to 120 kg.
• The outer diameter of the barrel is 120 cm, the patterned belt decorating the barrel is 134 cm. The gun has a caliber of 89 cm, and its weight is almost 40 tons.
• The opinion of some historians that the country’s main cannon fired at least once is refuted by restorers. They discovered that the gun was not finished - the craftsmen had not cleaned it inner part the muzzle from unevenness and sagging and did not drill the seed hole.
• The barrel of the Tsar Cannon is decorated with reliefs depicting the Tsar. Feodor I Ioannovich sits on a horse, and above and on the sides of the sovereign there are inscriptions about the royal order to cast the cannon, the date of completion of the work and the craftsman who completed it.
• The carriage is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting ornaments and a lion mask.

The Tsar Cannon occupies a worthy place in the Guinness Book of Records as the artillery gun with the largest caliber.

Story: The famous Tsar Cannon, which is an integral part of the exhibition exposition of the Moscow Kremlin, was created in 1586. It was cast at the Cannon Yard by the famous master Andrei Chokhov on the orders of Fyodor Ivanovich, the Tsar of the Russian State. The name of the creator of the unusual gun gigantic size history preserved it because it was engraved on the massive trunk, as was the year it was cast. The appearance of such an unusual foundry was the result of centuries of improvement in the technology of casting reliable and powerful guns.

Over the course of its four-year history, the Tsar Cannon has changed its location more than once. At first it was located on the territory of the Cannon Yard, and only in the 18th century was it, with great difficulty, able to be moved to the Moscow Kremlin. And even here, the masterpiece of foundry production was at first located in the courtyard near the Reserve building, and then this landmark was moved to the main gate and installed on a gun carriage.

Four large cannonballs were placed at the base of the massive cannon, each weighing almost a ton. The cores for this masterpiece were specially cast in St. Petersburg in 1834 at the famous Berd foundry. IN last time a masterpiece of foundry production changed its location in 1960, when it was being built. The gun was carefully moved to Ivanovskaya Square and installed next to the temple where it still stands out today.

The massive Tsar Cannon was never used as powerful weapons, since it is simply impossible to shoot from a huge cast-iron carriage. If you try to shoot from big trunk bomb or it can simply be blown to pieces, and the gunners nearby will die. But the documents relating to the testing of the gun have not survived to this day, so scientists are still arguing about its main purpose. Until the twentieth century, many military historians believed that the gun could fire shot consisting of small stones.

But most researchers are convinced that the masterpiece of foundry production was created with the sole purpose of scaring the ambassadors of foreign states, and in particular the envoys of the Crimean Khan. The secret of the gun was revealed in 1980 during a scheduled repair, when craftsmen examined the internal channels. It turned out that this product is neither a cannon nor a shotgun, but was created as a bombard, so no slope was required for its barrel.

Peculiarities: The grandiose Tsar Cannon in Moscow is a huge weapon with a length of 5.34 meters, the diameter of its barrel is 120 centimeters on the outside, and the caliber is 890 millimeters. Only high-quality bronze was used to cast the massive weapon, and the surface of the barrel is beautifully decorated with all kinds of figured friezes, unusual inscriptions and ornamental belts. The breech and muzzle edges of the barrel protrude slightly above the surface of the decorative belt, for the design of which the creator of the gun used unique figured hinges.

The central part of the huge barrel of the grandiose weapon is divided into separate parts by flat and ornamental relief friezes. On the side you can see cast brackets designed to fully strengthen the ropes while the gun is moving. Above the front right bracket there is an inscription exalting Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich. And the seed hole is located directly in the trunk, near the large rear belt. The huge Tsar Cannon weighs almost forty tons, so moving it from its place is an impossible task even for Russian heroes.

Now the Tsar Cannon and the Tsar Bell are the most unusual attractions in Moscow, attracting the attention of visitors to the Moscow Kremlin.

On Ivanovskaya Square of the Moscow Kremlin there are two unique monuments of Russian foundry art. One of them, the world's largest bell, is described. But in addition to the huge bell that has never rung, we also have the world’s largest medieval (I emphasize MEDIEVAL) cannon that has never fired.

It is called the Tsar Cannon not because of its size, but because of the image on the barrel of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, by whose order it was created.


Tsar Fedor is depicted as a horseman with a scepter in his hand on the right (facing the Tsar Bell) side of the barrel near the muzzle of the cannon. In addition, the following inscriptions were cast on both sides of the trunk - on the current northern side of the trunk, facing the building of the residence of the President of Russia: “By the command of the pious and Christ-loving Tsar and Grand Duke Fyodor Ivanovich, the sovereign autocrat of all great Russia under his pious and Christ-loving queen, Grand Duchess Irina.” .


The inscription on the opposite side of the barrel, facing the Tsar Bell, reads: “This cannon was poured out in the most famous royal city of Moscow in the summer of 7094 in the third year of its state. The cannon was made by cannon litts Ondrei Chokhov.”

The year 7094 comes as a surprise to many. The fact is that in the 16th century chronology in Russia was carried out from the “Creation of the World”. The more familiar chronology from the Nativity of Christ was introduced by Peter I only at the end of the 17th century.

The Tsar Bell was cast by the famous master Andrei Chokhov. Seven of his works have survived - four artillery pieces and three bells. Two cannons are located in Sweden, one in St. Petersburg.

The Tsar Cannon itself is a bronze barrel covered with the patina of time. Its dimensions are colossal: the weight of the gun is 40 tons (2400 pounds), the barrel length is 5 m 34 cm, the caliber is 890 mm. The cannon is mounted on a late decorative carriage, cast from cast iron in 1835 at the Berda factory in St. Petersburg.


At the same time, 4 decorative cores were cast. The decorative carriage was made according to the drawings of the architect Alexander Pavlovich Bryullov, brother of the famous painter Karl Bryullov.




The carriage was cast using the drawings of Pieter Jan de Witte. The weight of the carriage is 15 tons, each of the 4 decorative cores weighs 1 ton.


This information is taken from a book about the Moscow Kremlin, written by employees of the museum-reserve. Yes, and at the gun carriage, with south side, there is a sign about this.


I mention this due to the fact that for some reason in Internet sources there appears a figure of 1.97 tons that was taken from nowhere.

Of course, the Tsar Cannon cannot and should not have fired such heavy cannonballs. In ancient documents the cannon is often called the “Russian Shotgun”. The Tsar Cannon was designed to fire with shot, in other words, with buckshot.


The Moscow Tsar Cannon is truly the largest medieval weapon in the world. The famous “Mad Greta” or “Big Red Devil” from Ghent, created at the beginning of the 15th century, weighs only 16.4 tons, its caliber is almost half that of the Tsar Cannon and is 640 mm, but the barrel is slightly longer: 5 m 50 cm .


The name “Mad Greta” comes from Flemish folklore. The heroine of the same name led the female army to plunder... hell! The second name is associated with the historical red color of the gun.

No less famous is the Scottish cannon nicknamed “Mons Meg”. Its dimensions are significantly smaller than our Tsar Cannon. “Mons Meg” weighs only 6.6 tons, its length is 4 m 60 cm, and its caliber is 520 mm. “Mons Meg” was made in 1449 in Mons in what is now Belgium, and then presented as a gift to the King of Scotland. The cannon is installed in Edinburgh Castle and serves as one of the symbols of Scotland.


There are many mysteries associated with the Moscow Tsar Cannon. It is well known that initially the cannon did not have a carriage and stood on a special wooden machine opposite the Spassky Gate of the Kremlin not far from Lobnoye Mesto. It is believed that the Tsar Cannon never fired. During the restoration of the 19th century, the remains of a casting mold, which was made from special sifted earth, were found in its trunk. At the first shot, these remains would inevitably burn out. However, specialists from the Military Engineering Academy named after. Dzerzhinsky, who examined the cannon during the restoration of 1977-80, claimed that at least one shot was fired from the Tsar Cannon.

It is not known for sure, but is it a cannon? The fact is that, based on the design of the barrel, it can be classified as a mortar - a mounted combat weapon. Some call the Tsar Cannon a bombard, like “Mad Greta” and “Mons Meg.” But to the term “bombard”, i.e. medieval weapon should generally be treated with great caution.

Despite its colossal size, the Tsar Cannon changed its location several times. In the 18th century it was moved to the courtyard of the Arsenal, then placed at its main gate. In 1835, the Tsar Cannon was installed on the already familiar decorative carriage, fake cannonballs were laid out and placed opposite the Arsenal near the old Armory building. (not preserved). In 1958, on the initiative of N. Khrushchev, construction of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses - the current State Kremlin Palace - began in the Kremlin. The old Armory was demolished, and the Tsar Cannon was moved to its current location on Ivanovskaya Square.
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