Kremlin Wall Necropolis Monument

Address: Kremlin Wall Necropolis, Red Square (Krasnaya Ploshchad), Moscow, Russia

Admission: Free to view (outdoor, along Red Square).

The Kremlin Wall Necropolis is a state and military burial site located along the Kremlin wall on Red Square in Moscow. It contains graves, tombs and memorials for revolutionaries, Soviet leaders, military heroes and notable figures from the 20th century.

Notable features include inset graves and sarcophagi against the Kremlin wall and a prominent memorial known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an eternal flame in Alexander Garden. The area is an official place of commemoration and attracts visitors for its historical and symbolic significance.

The necropolis developed after the 1917 revolution when leading revolutionaries and later Soviet officials were interred there; it continued to serve as a burial place for prominent figures throughout the Soviet period and into modern Russia. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was installed in 1967.

The necropolis runs along the Kremlin’s western wall, directly adjacent to Red Square and within sight of the Lenin Mausoleum and state buildings in central Moscow.

• Ceremonial use: The site hosts official commemorations on national holidays such as Victory Day (9 May) and is visible from Red Square during public ceremonies.

What to See#

• Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: A freestanding memorial in Alexander Garden that includes an eternal flame and an inset tomb honoring unnamed soldiers who fell in World War II.
• Wall burials: A series of graves and sarcophagi placed along the exterior of the Kremlin wall that contain the remains of Soviet and Russian statesmen, military leaders and cosmonauts dating mainly from the 1917 revolution onward.

The Kremlin Wall Necropolis is on Red Square beside the Kremlin wall in central Moscow. It’s a very short walk from nearby metro stations - Aleksandrovsky Sad (line 4), Biblioteka Imeni Lenina (line 1), or Okhotny Ryad/Ploshchad Revolyutsii (lines 1/2/3 complex) all put you within a few minutes’ walk of Red Square and the necropolis. The site is in the city centre and readily walkable from central hotels and other downtown sights.

• Visit Red Square early when it opens to avoid the largest tour groups and to view the necropolis and Lenin's Mausoleum with less crowding; security checks are standard so allow extra time.
• You cannot wander the graves freely-the Necropolis is best observed from the Red Square side near Lenin's Mausoleum; many visitors miss the adjacent Alexander Garden (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) for its wreath-laying and guard-change ceremonies, which provide context to the wall burials.
• Combine your visit with a guided walk that explains the individuals commemorated at the wall and the layout along the Kremlin wall-interpretive context helps the often-brief exterior viewing feel more meaningful.