The Kremlin Armoury is a Moscow treasure-house, a part of the Grand Kremlin Palace. It is located in a building constructed in 1851 by architect Konstantin Thon. The Armory received its name that most gunsmiths worked there — the best gold and silversmiths. They made light, convenient, and high-quality weapons. Later the Armory was joined by the iconography workshop, where the famous masters such as S. Ushakov, F. Zubov, and I. Bezmin worked. The basis of the museum collection is precious items made in the Kremlin workshops, as well as donated by foreign embassies and kept for centuries in the royal treasury and the Patriarch sacristy. Throughout history, the museum was replenished valuable items: gifts, military trophies, and valuable finds. During the persecution of religion, it also managed to maintain the values of the closed churches. In the halls of the museum, there is grand clothing of tsars and apparel of representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, gold and silver items made by talented craftsmen. One of the most famous relics is Monomakh’s Cap, adorned with sable fur and precious stones. The great princes of Russia until the reign of Peter I were crowned with it. Visitors can see the famous double throne on which Ivan V and Peter I were crowned. Here you can see a collection of weapons, Western silverware, and even ceremonial horse harness. The museum includes about 4,000 unique exhibits of arts and crafts of Russia, Europe, and the East.
