Alexander Garden
The Александровский сад (Alexander Graden) is located along the western wall of the Kremlin. It stretches out from the Square on the Манеж and takes you nearly up to the cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The garden was created by orders of tsar Alexander 1st. He was born in 1777, son of the Paul 1st. He came to the throne after is father was killed in a coup which it seems Alexander had known about but had not tried to stop. Alexander 1st reigned from 1801 to 1825. He reformed education, creating many new universities ( he had received a very good education, turned towards the philosophy of Diderot), he tried to limit serfdom ( that will be completely abolished under Alexander 2nd, said the liberator). Of course, in Russia, he is also very known for is triumphant victory over Napoleon.
After the Napoleonic wars, many parts of the city had been destroyed. Therefore Tsar Alexander 1st asked the architect Osip Bove to create a new garden. The river Neglinnaya which one flow through the very place where is located the garden was channelled underground and the park opened to public in 1823. It became Moscow’s first public park.
The Alexander Garden is a beautiful place to go for a walk. Impressive flowerbeds are laid out a nearly every time of the year and create the impression of a magical, colourful garden. In cities like Moscow, where the traffic is very heavy, it is essential to have access to such oasis of peace and beauty.
In the garden is located the tomb of the unknown soldier. All year long, the flame dances in the air to commemorate the victims of the Great Patriotic War. On the day of the victory, the president of the Russian Federation along with fellow leaders of other states always come here to lay down wreaths of flowers as an homage to all those who suffered during the war. Through the garden, on the area next to the Kremlin wall, are disposed marble blocks for each important battle of the war. They each contain a handful of soil brought from the battlefield of Kursk, or Stalingrad, Smolensk…
Even though the weather is rather grey, flowers ranging from pink to red give much gaiety to the place so definitely come here for a short stroll before you leave!
