Sukharev Tower history. There was a Sukharev tower here. Marvelous market near the tower

Old Moscow. Sukharev Tower.

The Sukharev Tower is an outstanding monument of Russian civil architecture, standing in its architectural value on a par with the Kremlin, its cathedrals, and St. Basil's Cathedrals, the tower was a symbol of Moscow from 1695 to 1934, it stood at the intersection of the Garden Ring, Sretenka and 1st Meshchanskaya streets (now Mira Avenue).

"...On a steep mountain, strewn with low houses, among which the wide white wall of some boyar's house is only occasionally visible, rises a quadrangular, gray, fantastic bulk - the Sukharev Tower. It proudly looks at the surroundings, as if it knows that the name of Peter is inscribed on it her mossy brow! Her gloomy physiognomy, her gigantic size, her decisive forms - everything bears the imprint of another century, the imprint of that formidable power that nothing could resist" M.Yu. Lermontov, “Panorama of Moscow”, 1834

The tower was built in 1692-1695 on the site of the old wooden Sretensky Gate of the Zemlyanoy Town, on the initiative of Peter I and designed by M. I. Choglokov. It received its name in honor of Lavrentiy Sukharev, whose streltsy regiment guarded the Sretensky Gate at the end of the 17th century.
In 1689, Peter I fled from his sister Princess Sophia to the Sergius Lavra, Sukharev’s regiment came to Peter’s defense. In gratitude, the king ordered a new stone gate with a clock to be built in place of the old one.

The architectural style of the Sukharev Tower was a symbiosis of Lombard and Gothic. The strength of the tower was colossal, and the main guarantee of this strength was the unusually deep foundation. Several centuries after the construction of the Sukharev Tower, when water pipes were laid at the location of the foundation, the builders could not reach the base of the foundation. The total height of the Sukharevskaya tower was 60 meters!
During the time of Peter I, the three tallest buildings in Moscow were the Ivan the Great, Sukharev and Menshikov towers, about which Muscovites said: “The Sukharev Tower is the bride of Ivan the Great, and Menshikova is his sister.”

In 1698-1701, the tower was reconstructed and acquired the appearance in which it lived until the beginning of the twentieth century. The main element of the structure was the tent, thanks to which the tower resembled a Western European Gothic town hall.

On the territory of the Sukharev Tower, Peter established a library and an astronomical observatory, as well as a navigation and mathematics school, in which people taught not only from abroad, but also Leonty Magnitsky, who wrote the first arithmetic textbook in the history of Russia. Also in the tower there was an astronomical clock, and in the lower tier there was a large copper globe (more than 2 meters in diameter), presented to the father of Emperor Peter by the Dutch authorities

This was the first higher secular specialized educational institution in Russia. It was this that gave the country its first navigators, engineers, architects and surveyors.
Representatives of various classes studied there.

Many legends were associated with the Sukharev Tower. One of them arose as a result of dismantling the tower. Moscow legend says that Stalin decided to destroy the Sukharev Tower in order to find some kind of treasure. Therefore, the tower was dismantled very carefully, brick by brick.

But let’s return to the realities of that time and move from legends to history and facts.

After the War of 1812, as soon as its residents began to return to Moscow and began to look for their plundered property, Governor General Rostopchin issued an order in which he declared that “all things, no matter where they were taken from, are the inalienable property of the one who currently owns them, and that any owner can sell them, but only once a week, on Sunday, in one place only, namely on the square opposite the Sukharevskaya Tower.” And on the very first Sunday, mountains of looted property blocked a huge square, and Moscow poured into an unprecedented market.

In 1829, a reservoir for the Mytishchi water supply system was built from cast iron slabs in the Sukharev Tower, which could hold 7,000 buckets of water. So the tower became a water tower. At various times, the tower housed a water reservoir for the city, warehouses, government offices, employee apartments, shops, and even a chapel with cells for monks.
In the 1870s, under the leadership of architect A. L. Ober, the tower was restored. Repairs were made in 1897-1899. In 1914, renovations began. Stopped due to the outbreak of World War I. In 1919, the architect Z.I. Ivanov was involved in the renovation of the Sukharevskaya Tower, and he also drew up a project for its reconstruction into a museum. In 1926, the Moscow Communal Museum was opened in the Sukharev Tower.

In March 1934, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks agreed with the proposal of the Moscow Party Committee to demolish the Sukharev Tower and the wall of Kitai Gorod, and soon work began on the demolition of the tower.

On April 17, Honored Artist K. F. Yuon, Academician A. V. Shchusev, A. M. Efros, the authors of the first letter I. Grabar, I. Zholtovsky, I. Fomin and others addressed a collective letter to Stalin. They wrote: “The Sukharev Tower,” they wrote, “is an unfading example of the great art of construction, known throughout the world and equally highly valued everywhere. Despite all the latest advances in technology, it has not yet lost its enormous indicative and educational significance for construction personnel.” “We... strongly object to the destruction of a highly talented work of art, tantamount to the destruction of a Raphael painting. In this case, the matter is not about the destruction of an odious monument of the era of feudalism, but about the death of the creative thought of the great master.”

The answer was not long in coming. “I received a letter with a proposal not to destroy the Sukharev Tower.
The decision to destroy the tower was made at one time by the Government. Personally, I think this decision is correct, believing that the Soviet people will be able to create more majestic and memorable examples of architectural creativity than the Sukharev Tower, it is a pity that, despite all my respect for you, I do not have the opportunity to provide you with a service in this case.
Respecting you (J.Stalin)

The attitude of Muscovites to the destruction of the tower is most clearly reflected in the poems of Vladimir Alekseevich Gilyarovsky:
Something terrible! Crimson, red,
Illuminated by the sunset ray,
Turned into a pile of living ruins,
I still see her yesterday -
A proud beauty, a pink tower...

Nevertheless, the parameters of the tower were recorded in the measurement drawings, and some especially valuable fragments of decor were preserved. One of the window frames on the third floor was moved to the Donskoy Monastery, where it was embedded in the monastery wall.

Since the 17th century, the Sukharev Tower was considered the most famous landmark in Moscow. There are many rumors and legends associated with it. In June 1934 it was demolished. According to native Muscovites, the city was orphaned without her. According to V.A. Gilyarovsky, the beautiful pink tower was “...turned into a pile of living ruins.”

Construction of Moscow

The Sukharev Tower in Moscow is inextricably linked with the history of the city. Therefore, in order to more clearly imagine what will be discussed, it is necessary to imagine where it was.

Moscow was built gradually. As it expanded, the fortress walls that divided the city into ring parts enclosed a new territory. Initially there was the Kremlin - this was the center, after it came the later settlement of Kitay-Gorod, which, as construction proceeded, was fenced with a fortress wall. After it is the White City. Gradually, the internal walls were dismantled as unnecessary.

Zemlyanoy city

Behind the White City, the Zemlyanoy City was built. Here, near the walls of Moscow, there were villages and monastery lands. At the time of construction of the tower, there was a wall enclosing the White City. It was the city limits, beyond which began the suburbs or, as they would say now, the suburbs. It was called Arbat, which, as scientists suggest, comes from the Arabic word “rabat”, which means “suburb”.

Walls with a rampart and a moat separated Zemlyanoy City from Bely, and gates were made for access to Moscow. The Sukharev Tower was built on the site of the Sretensky Gate. The Zemlyanoy City itself was surrounded by a rampart, which was fortified with forts (pointed logs) and towers, the number of which was 57.

Prerequisites for the appearance of the tower

The Sukharev Tower was a monument in honor of the successful escape of the young Tsar Peter I from his sister, Princess Sophia, who was seeking to seize the Moscow throne with the help of the Streltsy. Moscow was captured by the rebels, and the young tsar and his mother decided to take refuge in the Sergius Lavra. To get there, it was necessary to go outside the White City through the gate.

The Sretensky Gate was guarded by a regiment of archers under the command of Lavrenty Sukharev, who released the retinue of Peter I through the gate, and he safely reached the Sergius Lavra. In gratitude for his salvation, the future emperor ordered the construction of wooden gates stone with a tower, which was named in honor of Lavrenty Sukharev. This is the beginning of the history of the Sukharev Tower.

But there are no reliable sources confirming this story. There are many names in Moscow associated with the Streltsy; most likely, Colonel Sukharev’s Streltsy settlement was located here, so the street and the tower on it were named after his last name. Therefore, the version of the grateful emperor is considered to be an urban legend.

Construction of the gate building

Construction began in 1692 and was completed in 1695. The project was developed by the outstanding architect of that time M.I. Choglokov. In 1698, reconstruction began, as a result of which the building with the tower took on its final form, in which it remained without significant changes until the beginning of the 20th century.

The building was large, massive and, according to her contemporaries, heavy. However, the Byzantine vaults and many unique architectural details gave it extraordinary lightness and originality. The decoration of the building was a high tower with a hipped roof and a double-headed eagle on the spire. The tower was decorated with a clock. It resembled a European town hall, standing on a hill, and gave the appearance of a huge building.

In recent years the tower has been painted in pink color. With white stone trim, carved details and balusters, she gave the impression of an elegant and majestic beauty. It was the Sukharev Tower that M.Yu. dedicated his lines to. Lermontov, Y. Olesha, V.A. Gilyarovsky.

Photos of the Sukharev Tower in Moscow have survived to this day. From these black and white photographs you can imagine the beauty and grandeur of this mysterious structure.

What was located in the Sukharev Tower?

Since the construction of this structure, it has housed many different institutions. Many rumors and legends are associated with her name. The Sukharev Tower in Moscow was initially chosen by F. Lefort and Y. Bruce, whom Muscovites nicknamed the sorcerer. Meetings of the secret Neptune Society, of which they were chairmen, were held here. It was no coincidence that a building was built next to the tower, which is associated with the Freemasons; now the Sklifosovsky Institute is located here. Its facade is decorated with Masonic signs.

In the first years of the 18th century, the Navigation School was located here, which was later transferred to St. Petersburg. J. Bruce had a hand in equipping the school, equipping here classrooms, an observatory, a laboratory for conducting physical and chemical experiments, living quarters for students, as well as a fencing hall where the Neptunian Society allegedly met.

Later, the office of the Moscow branch of the Admiralty Collegium was located in the tower building. In subsequent years, the tower building was used for various purposes. There were barracks and warehouses here.

Water tower

Taking advantage of the fact that the masonry of the walls of the Sukharev Tower was very powerful and durable, a water tower for the Mytishchi water supply system was built here. There were two reservoirs here. One had a capacity of 6, the other 7 thousand buckets. What remains of the water supply itself is an aqueduct.

Moscow Communal Museum

After renovation in 1926, the Moscow Communal Museum was opened here. Its founder P.V. Sytin, who put a lot of effort into opening the museum, planned to create a corner of old Moscow around the Sukharev Tower. According to his plan, ancient lanterns were to be located here, and various bridge masonry was built.

It was planned to open an observation deck on the tower itself, since the height of the tower was 60 meters, and it was located on the highest hill of the city. But all these dreams were not destined to come true.

History of the tower's demolition

The fact that this is not a simple tower is evidenced by the events that unfolded around it. Take, for example, the story of its demolition. A whole “battle” broke out around this building. The entire progressive public of Moscow opposed the demolition.

Famed architects, historians, writers and others petitioned to reverse the demolition of the tower, which allegedly impeded the expansion of traffic. Their opponent was Koganovich, who later led this process. Petitions were written to Stalin himself, but he, having read all the letters, made a decision to demolish the tower.

But the amazing thing is that the place where the beautiful tower once stood is free to this day. There is a park on it. What is hidden behind the unconditional demolition - class principles or is there really a secret of the Sukharev Tower? After all, it is not without reason that for several hundred years conversations related to Peter I’s close associate, Jacob Bruce, who was nicknamed the sorcerer, have not ceased.

Also causing a lot of talk was the fact that the building was literally dismantled brick by brick. It seemed like they were looking for something important.

Neptune Society

The name of Jacob Bruce is closely connected with the Sukharev Tower. It was here that the Neptune Society met, initially under the leadership of F. Lefort, after his death - J. Bruce. It studied astrology and magic. It included 9 people, including: F. Lefort, J. Bruce, Peter I, A. Menshikov, P. Gordon - Russian general, rear admiral.

As researchers suggest, it was a secret Masonic society. Although there is no documentary evidence about the Freemasonry of Peter I, there are enough documents about connections with the masons' lodge of J. Bruce. The assumption about the involvement of the Russian Tsar in Freemasonry is based on the symbolism of St. Petersburg, which is questioned by serious historians.

Jacob Bruce

An associate of Peter I, a descendant of Scottish kings, a field marshal general, a scientist, a student of Newton and Leibniz, was born in Moscow and was in the service of the Russian Tsar. In 1698, he trained in England for more than a year. His hobbies were exact sciences, in particular astronomy.

He was simply an extraordinary person. He was the author of the first book published in Russia. scientific work in astronomy and gravitation “Theory of planetary motion.” Bruce was greatly influenced by his communication with I. Newton, who belonged to the English Freemasons. According to documents, the great scientist brought the Russian Scotsman closer to the first Freemasons of England.

As an educated man, he hated court fuss and sycophants, which made him many enemies. He was selflessly devoted to Peter I and loved him. He remained faithful to his emperor and refused Catherine I’s offer of service, since he could not withstand the mouse fuss around the throne.

A.I. himself sought his patronage. Osterman, but was left with nothing. The retired field marshal spent the end of his days in Moscow, working in the office of the Sukharev Tower. Therefore, one should not be surprised at the incredible rumors around his person that have outlived him and his ill-wishers.

The Legend of the White Book

All the legends about the Sukharev Tower in Moscow are associated with the name of Bruce. There are very few facts on which historians can rely. Basically, they confirm his connections with the secret societies of Europe. His passion for books is well known. He had more than 200 books on astronomy alone, which he revered. Part of the huge library was in his office, located in the Sukharev Tower.

The first legend says that Bruce was the owner of the most ancient manuscripts, including the so-called “White Book”, which belonged to King Solomon himself. From this book it was possible to predict the future and fate of any person. But she had one “whim”: she was given into the hands of only initiates. According to legend, Peter I, being in Bruce’s office, could not even pick it up.

Legend of the Black Book

According to legend, the most valuable copy of the Bryusov library in the Sukharev Tower was the “Black Book”. She is the one who has been wanted for hundreds of years. Legend has it that Empress Catherine II ordered all the walls of the magician’s office in the tower to be examined. The dismantling of the building itself during the Stalinist years is also associated with the search for the Black Book.

What is the mystery of this mysterious tome? Legend says that its owner will rule the world. Jacob Bruce treated this book with trepidation. Knowing the time of his departure from this life, he made sure that it did not fall into the hands of random people and hid it securely. It was believed that it was walled up in the walls of the tower, which surprised everyone with its incredible massiveness.

After the tower was dismantled, all searches moved to the remaining dungeons. Some seekers of the mysterious book disappeared without a trace. While searching, some encountered mysterious ghosts or black crows.

Secrets of the Sukharev Tower

After Yakov Bruce passed away, the fear of him did not leave Muscovites. The light of candles that lit at night in his office, located in the tower, frightened Muscovites for a long time. It was believed that he died during his witchcraft experiments, and his ashes did not find peace after death.

Thus, during the reconstruction of old Moscow in the early 30s of the last century, on Radio Street, during the demolition of an old church, a crypt, presumably of J. Bruce, was discovered. The remains were transferred to the laboratory of anthropologist Gerasimov, from where they strangely disappeared.

Does the tower need to be restored?

We have to regret the irretrievably lost Sukharev Tower. Photos, drawings and plans of it have survived to this day.

There are proposals to restore it. The powerful foundations were preserved, and the place remained unoccupied. But it will be something similar to the scenery, there will be a feeling of unreality.

Is it worth redoing the past and making your own adjustments to it? The tower was demolished, and the city existed for almost a hundred years. The demolition of the tower gave rise to new legends that some believe. The new tower will still remain as such. The old one can't be returned. Therefore, let everything remain as it is.

After the 1917 revolution main goal The new government began to transform the world, affecting all aspects of life. At the level of a specific city, this was manifested both in the “education of the masses” (in changing the thinking of Soviet citizens) and in the physical transformation of the space of their life. At the same time, ideological and practical problems were often solved simultaneously, without a clear distinction between purely utopian and functional plans.

In Moscow, as the capital of the “new world,” in the 1920s and 1930s there was an active “socialist reconstruction” of urban space. It was assumed that new objects would be actively created along with the transformation or destruction of existing ones. At the same time, the old was changed or demolished for reasons of “convenience” (that is, they were sacrificed to the new, because the new was certainly preferred) or for purely ideological reasons: the class struggle, the fight against dissent was transferred to urban planning policy. The urban infrastructure was changing both due to the need to reorganize space to meet the needs of the rapidly increasing Moscow population, and to eradicate “merchant Moscow”.

Active demolition of architectural monuments began in the late 1920s, and in the first half of the 1930s, when the Stalinist regime finally took shape, major destruction occurred, which is explained by the systematic reorganization of urban space that began in the 1930s. In 1931, Moscow was separated from the Moscow region into an independent administrative and economic unit, an independent party organization was created in it, headed first by L. M. Kaganovich, then by N. S. Khrushchev. At the same time, a decision was made to build a metro in Moscow, and in 1935 the “Master Plan for the Reconstruction of Moscow” was published. At the same time, the decree on the general plan stated: “when determining the plan of Moscow, it is necessary to proceed from the preservation of the foundations of the historically established city, but with a radical redevelopment along the path of decisive streamlining of the network of city streets and squares.” From this attitude it is clear that the Moscow rulers did not have the idea of completely destroying the “Moscow past”; however, the priority, of course, was new development, and for the sake of it it was possible to sacrifice the “antique”.

The ideology of the demolition of monuments is very well illustrated by the following words of the secretary of the Moscow City Party Committee K.V. Ryndin: “Old, motionless Moscow, merchant Moscow, with samovars, gave way to a new powerful industrial center with large movements of the masses.” In fact, the amenities for workers arriving in the city from villages left much to be desired, for example, in one of the documents we read: “to transfer to a trust for the organization of church dormitories according to the list available in the Moscow City Council, which should provide housing for 1,200 workers.” However, judging by information reports and political reports, Muscovites themselves were quite satisfied with both their life and the general reconstruction of the capital.

It is worth noting that some particularly scandalous demolitions were met with protest even from leading Moscow architects, but their opinions were not listened to, and on the contrary, their behavior was considered an attack against the regime:

“Comrade Orleansky found himself in the tail of the worst part of the apparatus, the ideologically hostile, reactionary specialists. He did not fight to liberate the specialists closest to us from their influence and, as a result, slipped into supporting the class enemy’s attack against the socialist reconstruction of Moscow (supporting the protest against the decision of the party and Soviet authorities to demolish the Iveron Gate)” (from the minutes of the meeting of the Moscow City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party ( b)).

The most famous of the demolished buildings is Sukharev Tower. This is the most famous of the secular buildings demolished in Moscow in the 1920s and 1930s, the destruction of which caused the greatest protest. It was built in 1692-1695 on the initiative of Peter I in the Moscow Baroque style. The tower was located on the Garden Ring, at its intersection with Sretenka, and served as the Sretensky Gate of the Zemlyanoy City. The tower, built by the architect M.I. Choglokov, was located near the Streletskaya Sloboda regiment L.P. Sukharev (hence her name). At the bottom of the Sukharev Tower there were gates and guardhouses, above which there were chambers surrounded by an open gallery. In 1698-1701, another floor and a four-tier tower were built above the chambers, in the third tier of which a clock was installed. The chambers of the Sukharev Tower housed the School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences created by Peter I, which was later transferred to St. Petersburg. Until 1806, the Moscow office of the Admiralty Collegium was located in the Sukharev Tower. At the beginning of the 18th century. An astronomical observatory was equipped in the upper tier of the Sukharev Tower, in which Ya. V. Bruce conducted observations. At the end of the 18th century. A market arose around the Sukharev Tower, which existed until the tower was demolished. During the construction of the Mytishchi water pipeline, a cast-iron reservoir for 7 thousand buckets was built in the second tier of the Sukharev Tower, from where water flowed to the city center. In 1925, the Moscow Communal Museum, the predecessor of the modern Museum of the History of Moscow, was moved to this building.

Sukharev Tower. On the left is the Trinity Church in Listy

Views of the Sukharev Tower:

Shortly before demolition

Sukharev Tower. Fragment

By the early 1930s, as the population grew, the network of tram tracks in the area around the Sukharev Tower became incredibly complicated. A single-track line passed through its gates. While two or three old-fashioned trams were passing in one direction, the cars traveling in the opposite direction had to wait. At the same time, it was planned to expand the roadway along the entire length of the Garden Ring, which also required the reconstruction of the Sukharevka space. So, in 1932, the Moscow City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) (Moscow City Party Committee) started talking about “demolishing the Sukharev Tower, which would impede traffic along Sadovaya Street and the normal communication between Sretenka and the first Meshchanskaya Street (current Prospekt Mira).” It is possible, of course, that the tower was perceived not only as an annoying obstacle to the technical improvement of Moscow, but also as a symbol of the old traditional Moscow, which aggravated the desire of the Moscow leadership to get rid of it as quickly as possible.
On August 17, 1933, information about the planned demolition of the Sukharev Tower appeared in the press. Leading Moscow architects were outraged by the plans of the Moscow City Committee and sent a number of letters to Stalin himself, in which they explained that the destruction of this monument was absolutely unacceptable, and proposed their own projects for redevelopment of the square, which did not require the demolition of the tower.

“Demolition of the tower is essentially impractical, because if its goal is to regulate street traffic, then this result can equally well be achieved in other ways, without following the lines of least resistance.”
(I.E. Grabar, I.A. Fomin, I.V. Zholtovsky and others - to I.V. Stalin // News of the CPSU Central Committee. 1989. No. 9).

It was even proposed that the entire tower be moved several tens of meters to a wider part of the square, which would “free up the street intersection and allow through traffic in all directions” (K. F. Yuon, A. V. Shchusev, A. M. Efros, etc. . - I. V. Stalin // News of the CPSU Central Committee 1989. No. 9).
However, the architects’ exhortations did not work; Stalin categorically wrote to Kaganovich: “We studied the issue of the Sukharev Tower and came to the conclusion that it must be demolished. Architects who object to demolition are blind and hopeless.” Stalin argued that “Soviet people will be able to create more majestic and memorable examples of architectural creativity than the Sukharev Tower.”
In the issue of demolition of such an important architectural monument for Moscow as the Sukharev Tower, the ideological side of the matter was also important. Some historians believe that the technical solution to the problem - to preserve the tower and at the same time ensure the passage of transport along the Garden Ring - was a much more complex and time-consuming task than it seemed to the architects who protested against its demolition. Between April and May 1934, the tower was dismantled. All “building materials,” that is, fragments of the monument, were transferred to the city department “for use in paving the streets.”
In 1932, it was also decided to establish a board of honor in Moscow for collective farms of the Moscow region, on which particularly distinguished collective farms would be listed, and also to rename Sukharevskaya Square itself to Kolkhoznaya. This was carried out after the destruction of the Sukharev Tower: in November 1934, after collectivization and summing up the results of the competition proposed by the All-Union Congress of Collective Farmers-Shock Workers (February 1933), in the middle of Sukharevskaya Square, renamed Kolkhoznaya, perpendicular to the flow of urban transport along the Garden Ring, a monumental “board of honor” of collective farms in the Moscow region. After some time, they were forced to remove it and move it to Samotechnaya Square, because it, like the demolished tower, interfered with traffic.

Sukharev Tower in the process of dismantling.

It was an outstanding monument of Russian civil architecture, built on the initiative of Peter I. The Sukharev Tower stood in Moscow from 1695 to 1934. When it was destroyed, it was literally dismantled brick by brick; they were clearly looking for something in the tower, and what was being sought was most likely connected with the mysterious personality of Ya. Bruce, nicknamed “the sorcerer from the Sukharev Tower.”

In honor of Lavrenty Sukharev

The Sukharev Tower was built in 1692-1695 on the initiative of Peter I and designed by M. I. Choglokov. It was erected on the site of the old wooden Sretensky Gate of the Zemlyanoy City, at the intersection of the Garden Ring, Sretenka and 1st Meshchanskaya Street (now Mira Avenue). The tower received its name in honor of Lavrenty Sukharev, to whom Tsar Peter I was greatly indebted. When Peter I fled from his sister Princess Sophia to the Sergius Lavra in 1689, it was Sukharev’s Streltsy Regiment that protected him. This regiment guarded the Sretensky Gate; as a sign of gratitude, the tsar ordered the old gate to be demolished and a new stone one with a clock erected instead. After reconstruction, the gate in the center was decorated with a tall tower topped with a tent, somewhat similar to a Western European town hall.

In general, according to the architects, the style of the Sukharev Tower was a kind of “alloy” of Lombard and gothic styles. Like the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower, Sukhareva was decorated with clocks. Its height was about 64 meters. For more than 200 years, it remained not only an adornment of Moscow, but also one of the main dominant features of the city. The tower was crowned by a double-headed eagle, and quite unusual, because its paws were surrounded by arrows; according to some researchers, they
could symbolize lightning.

The tower was built to last for centuries, and perhaps for millennia; in any case, it would have survived to our time without problems. As experts note, it was distinguished by its colossal strength, the key to which was a very deep foundation. The icon of the Kazan Mother of God, the savior of Moscow in the war of 1612, was kept in the Sukharev Tower. The people had an ambivalent attitude towards the tower: some affectionately called it “the bride of Ivan the Great” ( we're talking about about the bell tower of Ivan the Great), others are wary - the Sorcerer's Tower.

The description of the Sukharev Tower, which was given by Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov in 1834 in “Panorama of Moscow”, has been preserved: “... On a steep mountain, strewn with low houses, among which the wide white wall of some boyar’s house is occasionally visible, rises a quadrangular, gray, fantastic bulk - Sukharev Tower. She proudly looks at the surroundings, as if she knows that the name of Peter is inscribed on her mossy brow! Her gloomy physiognomy, her gigantic size, her decisive forms, everything bears the imprint of another century, the imprint of that formidable power that nothing could resist.”

Under the leadership of architect A.L. Ober, the tower was restored in the 1870s, and it was renovated in the period 1897-1899. The next renovation was postponed due to the war with Germany. In 1919, another restoration of the tower took place under the leadership of architect Z. I. Ivanov, who also prepared a project for rebuilding it into a museum. But 1934 became fatal for the tower - it was dismantled to the ground.

The death of a unique monument

It was beautiful, fabulous, pink, and a cat in boots could walk along its passages, visible from the square,” Yuri Olesha wrote about the tower. However, the beauty of the tower did not save it. On August 17, 1933, the newspaper “Working Moscow” published an article “Demolition of the Sukharev Tower”, which reported that on August 19 construction organizations would begin demolishing the structure and by October 1 clear Sukharevskaya Square in connection with its reconstruction. On August 28, the famous painter I. E. Grabar, academician of architecture I. A. Fomin and academician of architecture I. V. Zholtovsky sent a letter to I. V. Stalin, in which they pointed out the fallacy of such a decision. They wrote: “The Sukharev Tower is an unfading example of great building art, known throughout the world and equally highly valued everywhere. We... strongly object to the destruction of a highly talented work of art, tantamount to the destruction of a Raphael painting. In this case, the matter is not about the destruction of an odious monument of the era of feudalism, but about the death of the creative thought of the great master.”

On the same day, a similar letter was sent to the first secretary of the Moscow Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (6) L. M. Kaganovich. On September 4, at a meeting of Moscow communist architects, he reduced the dispute about the tower to a fierce class struggle in architecture. “I don’t go into the essence of these arguments,” he said, “perhaps we will leave the Sukharev Tower, but it’s typical that not a single church that has fallen into disrepair will be dealt with without a protest being written about this... But do communists create architects an atmosphere of sharp rebuff and public condemnation of such reactionary elements of architecture?

This formulation of the question was supposed to stem the wave of condemnation regarding the demolition of the Sukharev Tower, because it turned out that those who advocated its salvation in their own way fell into the camp of reactionaries. They were saved only by the fact that the tower did not belong to church architecture. However, Kaganovich still agreed to stop the destruction of the tower and give them time to draw up a reconstruction project. He said that “it all depends on how well their project solves the problem
movement."

Alas, for some reason Stalin clearly aimed to demolish the tower. On March 16, 1934, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks agreed with the proposal of the Moscow Party Committee to demolish the Sukharev Tower and the wall of Kitay Gorod, and demolition work soon began. On April 17, Honored Artist K.F. Yuon, Academician A.V. Shchusev, A.M. Efros, as well as the authors of the first letter I. Grabar, I. Zholtovsky, I. Fomin and others addressed a collective letter to Stalin. They asked to stop the destruction of the architectural masterpiece.

On April 22, 1934, Stalin responded to their request: “I received a letter with a proposal not to destroy the Sukharev Tower. The decision to destroy the tower was made at one time by the Government. Personally, I think this decision is correct, believing that the Soviet people will be able to create more majestic and memorable examples of architectural creativity than the Sukharev Tower; It’s a pity that, despite all my respect for you, I do not have the opportunity to provide you with a service in this case. Respecting you I. Stalin.”

On the night of June 11, 1934, the demolition of the famous Sukharev Tower was completely completed. One of the frames of the double windows on the third floor was preserved and moved to a branch of the State Museum of Architecture, then located in the Donskoy Monastery. It was built into the arcade of the monastery wall, where it is still located, but access to it is limited. But the clock taken from the Sukharev Tower can be seen on the tower of the Front Gate of the Moscow Kolomenskoye estate.

Faithful Companion of Peter

Why did Stalin not respond to the request of so many prominent cultural figures and still insisted on the deconstruction of the tower? Some researchers suggest that during the demolition he wanted to find something and that something was connected with the name of Jacob Bruce, the closest associate of Peter I, who is considered a figure no less mysterious than the French soothsayer Michel Nostradamus.

The Scotsman found himself in the service of the Russian tsars. He was a military man, politician, diplomat, engineer, mathematician, topographer, astronomer, astrologer, healer and, as his contemporaries assured him, a real sorcerer. Even Tsar Peter, they say, believed in the latter. The acquaintance of Bruce and Peter I began in the amusing army, in which a 16-year-old Scot enlisted. Since then, Bruce often accompanied the Tsar on trips around the country and Europe; he was a heavy drinker and spree, and could support the company of Peter, who in his younger years was not distinguished by exemplary behavior.

Jacob Bruce rose to the rank of field marshal, became a senator, and in 1721 even received the title of count. At the same time, having a lively mind and a thirst for knowledge, Bruce became one of the most educated people of his time. He was fluent in several European languages and was interested in astronomy and astrology, mathematics and chemistry, botany and medicine. Only a part of his scientific interests is listed here; their range was unusually wide.

In 1709 the famous “Bruce calendar” was published. Imagine, it contained an astrological forecast for 100 years in advance! In the calendar one could find forecasts about a wide variety of future events, ranging from weather and harvests to wars and peace. They were also kept there useful tips, on what days is it better to get married or go sailing?

The mystery of the "Black Book"

Of course, most of the talk was about Bruce's sorcery. His unusual activities at that time caused many rumors. For example, it was rumored that Bruce had created a mechanical maid doll of extraordinary beauty in the Sukharev Tower for housework. She cleaned the rooms, prepared food, and brought coffee to the owner. Bruce persistently tried to construct some kind of device for her so that she could speak, but he failed. The mechanical doll looked so natural that even young aristocrats fell in love with it.

Commoners called Bruce a sorcerer and were sure that at night devils, ghouls and other evil spirits gathered on his tower. Allegedly, on a full moon, a real dragon flew to the sorcerer’s tower, on which Bruce flew over the sleeping city. Most likely, Muscovites were frightened by the window that glowed every night on the top floor of the tower, where Bruce set up an observatory for himself. Observing the starry sky in those days was a novelty, so these night vigils were attributed to communication with evil spirits.

However, this is not the most interesting thing. According to the legend circulating at that time, the “Solomon Seal” was kept in the Sukharev Tower on a ring with the words SATOR, AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS. The owner of the ring received considerable opportunities; “You can do different things with this ring: you will turn it into a seal, you will be invisible, you will turn away from yourself, you will destroy all charms, you will gain power over Satan...”

Bruce’s biggest secret is still considered his magical “Black Book”. The Scot was called a warlock and they said that this book gave him not only power, but also secret knowledge. There were rumors that Bruce managed to find the legendary library of Ivan the Terrible, and with it he got the “Black Book”. He allegedly hid the library securely in the dungeons of the Sukharev Tower. Well, the people considered Satan himself to be the author of the mysterious book and called it “The Devil’s Bible.”

According to another version, the “Black Book,” written in magical signs, once belonged to the wise King Solomon. It supposedly described the fates of all people on earth. The book was enchanted, so only Bruce could pick it up; when others tried, it melted into thin air. Allegedly, Peter I wanted to look through this book, but it was never given to him, although Bruce was present. Feeling the approach of death, Bruce walled up the “Black Book” in a secret room somewhere in the Sukharev Tower. He placed a “magic lock” (a special spell) on it, preventing strangers from finding the book who wanted to learn the secret knowledge contained in it.

The most ambitious attempt to find the legendary book was made by Stalin. As a result, in 1934, the Sukharev Tower was literally dismantled brick by brick, while other demolished buildings were simply blown up. Moreover, the dismantling of the tower took place under the watchful eye of Lazar Kaganovich. It is also worth noting the fact that both people and cars leaving the facility were thoroughly searched by NKVD officers. Every effort was made to prevent the leakage of any finds found in the tower. There is evidence that there were various finds, but the “Black Book” was not among them.

There were persistent rumors that Lazar Kaganovich, who observed the destruction of a unique architectural monument, told Stalin about a tall, thin man in an old wig, who from the crowd shook his finger at him, and then seemed to melt into thin air. Most likely, it was Jacob Bruce himself...

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To expand streets in order to increase traffic capacity in Moscow, not only nice streets with trams or city boulevards were destroyed - sometimes amazing architectural objects were destroyed for these purposes. One of the most egregious cases is the Sukharev Tower

Sretenka. This is the place today

The tower was built in 1701 on the initiative of Peter I. The fortifications of Zemlyanoy Gorod had already lost their defensive significance by that time, so the architecture of the Sukharev Tower is devoid of any fortress elements. The facades had a clear division into floors, the walls of the third tier were cut through by a continuous ribbon of large paired windows with elegant platbands, a wide open staircase led to the walkway, which went around the second and third tiers of the building. The main three-story volume ended with a high tower with a clock and the state coat of arms at the top. The solemn architecture of the Sukharev Tower created the image of a monumental public building ()

From 1700 to 1715, the famous mathematical and navigation school. The school became the first higher specialized educational institution in Russia and the first naval school, the progenitor of the St. Petersburg Maritime Academy

Then for a long time The Sukharev Tower was under the jurisdiction of the Moscow office of the Admiralty Collegium. Warehouses were located here Baltic Fleet and Arkhangelsk port. In 1829, a reservoir for the Mytishchi water supply system was built from cast iron slabs in the Sukharev Tower, which could hold 7,000 buckets of water. So the tower became a water tower. In 1854, the volume of the reservoir was increased. From the mid-19th century until the 1920s, the Sukharevskaya flea market, known throughout Moscow, opened trade at the foot of the tower on weekends.

In the 1870s, the tower was restored, the work was supervised by architect A.L. Ober. Since 1925, the Moscow Communal Museum, which was the predecessor of the Museum of the History of Moscow (), was located in the Sukharev Tower.

Some quotes about the tower:

"Fantastic bulk"

“...on a steep mountain, strewn with low houses, among which the wide white wall of some boyar’s house is occasionally visible, rises a quadrangular, gray, fantastic bulk - the Sukharev Tower. She proudly looks at the surroundings, as if she knows that the name of Peter is inscribed on her mossy brow! Her gloomy physiognomy, her gigantic size, her decisive forms - everything bears the imprint of another century, the imprint of that formidable power that nothing could resist.”

M.Yu. Lermontov, “Panorama of Moscow”, 1834

"Sukharev's watch"

“Sukharev’s watch began to play pranks. According to a report made to the Administration by one of the city engineers, Sukharev’s clock either does not strike at all or strikes incorrectly. The council recently issued an order to repair the clock.”

"How to get?"

“On January 18, the godfather Eskov, walking through Catherine Park, was stopped by two women; one of them asked how to get to the Butyrskaya outpost, and the other asked to show her the way to the Sukharev Tower. Eskov showed them the way and both women left, after which Eskov discovered that a silver cigarette case, as well as a watch and a wallet with 170 rubles, had disappeared from his pocket.”

In 1931, a plan for the general reconstruction of Moscow was developed. The plan was to change the city completely: Moscow was to become the center of the world proletarian revolution. Wide transport routes and high-rise buildings had to appear in the city center; in order to do this, they began to demolish historical buildings.

In 1933, the matter came to the Sukharevskaya Tower: according to Stalin, the three-hundred-year-old tower interfered with the development of traffic on Sukharevskaya Square and therefore it was necessary to demolish it. A small note containing information about this insignificant news was published in the newspaper Rabochaya Moskva (I tried to find a scan, but failed).

Famous architects tried to protect the tower: the painter and restorer Igor Grabar, academicians of architecture Ivan Fomin and Ivan Zholtovsky wrote a letter to Stalin in which they indicated that the decision was wrong:

“The Sukharev Tower,” they wrote, “is an unfading example of the great art of construction, known throughout the world and equally highly valued everywhere. Despite all the latest advances in technology, it has not yet lost its enormous indicative and educational significance for construction personnel.” “We... strongly object to the destruction of a highly talented work of art, tantamount to the destruction of a Raphael painting. In this case, the matter is not about the destruction of an odious monument of the era of feudalism, but about the death of the creative thought of the great master.”

The letter contained more than just a request. Its authors proposed to develop a project for the reconstruction of Sretenskaya Square within a month, which would resolve the transport problem while preserving the Sukharev Tower. In particular, it was proposed to cut six arches in the lower part of the tower, through which tram tracks would be laid and traffic and pedestrian flows would be directed. Along with the letter, an approximate traffic schedule for this section was also sent.

Stalin's response to this was:

photo from the museum in Sochi

“We studied the issue of the Sukharev Tower and came to the conclusion that it must be demolished. We propose to demolish the Sukharev Tower and expand the movement. Architects who object to demolition are blind and hopeless.”

The tower began to be demolished

The architects made another attempt to save the object. A letter signed by six architects and artists was sent to Stalin

“Suddenly (after the issue seemed to have been settled) they began to destroy the Sukharevskaya Tower. The spire has already been removed; The balustrades of the external staircases are already being knocked down. The significance of this monument, a rare example of Peter the Great’s architecture, a magnificent landmark of historical Moscow, is undeniable and enormous. They are demolishing it for the sake of streamlining street traffic... We urgently ask you to urgently intervene in this matter, stop the destruction of the Tower and propose to immediately convene a meeting of architects, artists and art historians to consider other options for redevelopment of this section of Moscow, which will satisfy the needs of the growing street traffic, but also save a wonderful architectural monument"

The answer was clear

“I received a letter with a proposal not to destroy the Sukharev Tower.

The decision to destroy the tower was made at one time by the Government. Personally, I think this decision is correct, believing that the Soviet people will be able to create more majestic and memorable examples of architectural creativity than the Sukharev Tower, it is a pity that, despite all my respect for you, I do not have the opportunity to provide you with a service in this case.

Respecting you (J.Stalin)"

Newspapers of that time wrote detailed chronicles of the showdown

- April 19, 1934 - the upper 6 meters of the Sukharev tower have already been dismantled. The dismantling of the main granite staircase has also been completed.

- April 29, 1934 - yesterday the dismantling of the prism (upper part) of the Sukharev Tower ended. We started demolishing the main building.

- May 24, 1934 - dismantling of the Sukharev tower ends. The work plan is more than 80% completed.

An eyewitness to the events was the famous journalist and Moscow expert Vladimir Alekseevich Gilyarovsky, who wrote in a letter to his daughter:

“They break it. First of all, they took off her watch and used it for some other tower, and then they broke off the porch, knocked down the spire, dismantled the upper floors brick by brick, and today or tomorrow they will break down her slender pink figure. Still pink as it was! Yesterday it was a sunny evening, a bright sunset from the side of the Triumphal Gate gilded Sadovaya from below and scattered into the dying remains with a glow.”

He supplemented these words with his own poems:

“Something creepy! Crimson, red,

Illuminated by the sunset ray,

Turned into a pile of living ruins,

I still see her yesterday -

A proud beauty, a pink tower..."

After the destruction of the square, Sukharevskaya Square was renamed Kolkhoznaya

Such are the things. The square was then renamed back in 1990, as was the metro. They even decided to restore the tower in 1982, but none of the projects were accepted at the competition. Trams from Sretenka also soon disappeared, replaced by trolleybuses. Now there is a meaningless and merciless 16-lane Garden Ring