Just west of the Kremlin, the Alexander Garden was laid out between 1819 and 1823 in an effort by Tsar Alexander I to rebuild Moscow after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. One of the first urban public parks in Moscow, it was built on the site of the riverbed of the Neglinnaya River, which was channeled underground.
The garden actually includes three separate gardens, which stretch all along the western wall of the Kremlin, but the Upper Garden is of most interest to visitors. It includes the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which contains the remains of a soldier killed in World War II. A faux ruined grotto was built underneath the Middle Arsenal Tower in 1841, and a large granite obelisk was erected in 1914 to celebrate the tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty. While it was originally engraved with the names of the Romanov tsars, the Bolsheviks re-carved it with names of socialist and communist philosophers and political leaders.
In the Middle Garden stands the Kutafiya Tower, the most prominent feature of the garden. This is also where you will find ticket booths for the Kremlin. The Lower Garden was the last to be laid out and stretches to the road to the Borovitskaya Tower, one of two entrances to the Kremlin.
Practical Info
The Alexander Garden is walkable from hotels in the center of Moscow or is accessible from the Alexandrovksy Sad or Biblioteka imeni Lenina Metro stations. The garden is open year-round and is free of charge.
