Kutafya Tower (Kutafya Bashnya)

Kutafya Tower (Kutafya Bashnya) Review

This white bastion, erected in 1516, once defended the approach to the drawbridge that linked Aleksandrovsky Sad to the Kremlin. In Old Slavonic, kutafya means "clumsy" or "confused"; this adjective was applied to the tower because it so differs in shape and size from the other towers of the Kremlin. Kutafya Tower marks the main public entrance to the Kremlin, which opens promptly at 10 am every day except Thursday. You can buy tickets to the Kremlin grounds and cathedrals at the kiosks on either side of the tower. The guards may ask where you're from and check inside your bags; there's a small security checkpoint to walk through, similar to those at airports.