Moscow. Kremlin. Nabatnaya tower

This tower was built in 1495. It got its name from the alarm bell, which alerted Muscovites about impending events or danger. The tower was placed on a hill and from it an overview of the southern surroundings was opened. Guards were on duty at the tower all day and night, watching the roads. Noticing fire or pillars of smoke, which was a sign of an approaching enemy army, the watchmen sounded the alarm, and the inhabitants of the surrounding villages rushed to hide in the fortress or outside the walls of monasteries. The last bell for divulging "bad news" was severely "punished" by Catherine II. In 1771, the Plague Riot broke out in Moscow. The insurgent townspeople sounded the alarm, calling the people to the Kremlin. After the suppression of the uprising, Catherine II, and did not know who exactly rang the alarm, ordered to pull out the tongue from the bell. A numb bell hung on the tower for over 30 years. In 1803, it was removed and transferred first to the Arsenal, and then in 1821 to the Armory.