The Arsenal is a large trapezoid two-storey building in the northern corner of the Moscow Kremlin which currently accommodates the Kremlin Regiment. In the Middle Ages, the spot was occupied by granaries. After they burnt down in the last years of the 17th century, Peter the Great engaged a team of Russian and German architects to construct the Arsenal building on the spot. Construction started in 1702 and lasted until 1736, when it was completed under supervision of Field-Marshal Munnich. During Napoleon's invasion of Russia, the retreating French soldiers had the central part of the building blown up. It was restored between 1816 and 1828 to a Neoclassical design in order to house a museum dedicated to the Russian victory over Napoleon. Accordingly, some 875 cannons captured from the retreating Grand Army were put on display along the walls of the Arsenal. Of these, 365 are French, 189 are Austrian, 123 are Prussian, 70 are Italian, 40 are Neapolitan, 34 are Bavarian, and 22 are Dutch. Since 1960, Russian cannons of the 16th and 17th centuries have been displayed along the south wall of the building.
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| Moscow Kremlin |
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