Kremlin

Kremlin, fortified portion of medieval Russian cities, originally a place of refuge to nearby inhabitants; especially, the Kremlin in Moscow, now the political and administrative center of the Russian Federation. The greater part of the Moscow Kremlin dates from the 15th and 16th centuries. Peter the Great transferred the capital to St. Petersburg (1712), but in 1918 the Russian regime returned the government to Moscow and the Kremlin. A leading tourist attraction, the Kremlin contains 3 cathedrals, a bell tower, and the throne and banqueting hall of the czars.

See also: Moscow.