Tsar Cannon Monument

Address: Moscow Kremlin (Red Square area), Moscow, Russia

The Tsar Cannon is a large ceremonial artillery piece situated inside the Moscow Kremlin, just west of Red Square. It was cast in 1586 and is notable for its extremely large bore and ornate decoration.

The monument itself is the main attraction on site - a single bronze gun barrel richly decorated with reliefs and inscriptions and mounted on a later cast-iron carriage. The bore is commonly reported as about 890 millimetres, and the piece is often cited as one of the largest-calibre cannons in the world; it was never used in warfare and functions as a showpiece.

The cannon was commissioned during the reign of Tsar Fyodor I and produced by the master founder Andrey Chokhov. Over the centuries it has remained in place as part of the Kremlin ensemble and has undergone conservation and changes to its mounting.

Located inside the Kremlin complex in central Moscow, the Tsar Cannon sits close to the Ivan the Great Bell Tower and Cathedral Square, a short walk from Red Square and the Kremlin Armoury.

• Date and maker: Cast in 1586 by the foundry master Andrey Chokhov and displayed within the Moscow Kremlin near Cathedral Square.

The Tsar Cannon is on display inside the Moscow Kremlin near Cathedral Square; access is via the Kremlin ticketed entrances from Red Square or Alexander Garden. The Kremlin and Red Square are a short walk from central Moscow metro stations (the Okhotny Ryad / Ploshchad Revolyutsii / Teatralnaya area); expect about a 5-10 minute walk from those stations to the Kremlin gates.

• If you want an up-close look at the Tsar Cannon, buy a Kremlin complex ticket-entering the Kremlin gives the best perspective on the cannon and the neighboring monuments; if you do not enter, you can still view and photograph it from outside the Kremlin walls.
• Visit earlier in the day or late afternoon to avoid the largest tour groups and to get unobstructed photos on Cathedral Square; the cannon is a popular stop on Kremlin circuits so midday is busiest.
• Remember the Tsar Cannon is a late 16th-century ornamental casting (not used in combat) and has a large decorative cannonball beside it-take time to compare it with nearby Kremlin features to appreciate its scale and historical context.