Tula Kremlin

Tula Kremlin

Tula Kremlin, located in the historical center of Tula, is one of the twelve surviving Kremlins in Russia. It is among the most famous among them, along with the Moscow Kremlin, as well as the Kazan Kremlin, the Novgorod Kremlin, the Astrakhan Kremlin, the Zaray Kremlin, and others. Despite the fact that Tula is identified primarily with samovars and gingerbread and to a lesser extent with weapons, many tourists come here for this stone fortress – a monument of architecture of the XVI century and the oldest structure in the city.

Video: Tula Kremlin

Museums of the Tula Kremlin

One of them, the Tula State Arms Museum, is located, as we have already said, in the former Epiphany Cathedral. This is Russia’s oldest repository of military artifacts and one of the main attractions of Tula. The history of this cultural institution is closely connected with the local arms factory, founded in the city back in 1712 by Peter the Great. Subsequently, the emperor ordered “…ancient cannons and fusees not to overflow and not to spoil, but to hand them over as curiosities to the zeichhauses for storage”. This is how the museum appeared, which now has a new six-story building with a domed completion in the form of an ancient helmet-shishak. The construction was dictated by the need to free the religious building and, in fact, to expand the museum space. It was put into operation in 2012. The new building has two conference halls, a library with a reading room and a cafeteria.

A few words about the second museum – folk and decorative-applied art. It was opened on the territory of the Tula Kremlin in February 2012. In the halls of the museum presents a variety of exhibits – and folk art, and domestic crafts, and handicrafts. For example, Belev lace, Filimonov toys, gingerbread and samovar production and a number of other areas. Here you can also see unique tapestries, exclusive samples of porcelain and art glass, ceramic products and other works of decorative and applied art, covering the period from VIII and up to XX century inclusive. Unique archaeological monuments have also found a worthy place in the museum. It is thanks to them that one can get an idea of the material and spiritual culture of the inhabitants of the Tula Kremlin in the XVI-XVII centuries.

Tickets, opening hours of the Tula Kremlin

Access to the territory is open daily from 10:00 to 20:00, entrance is free of charge.

Visiting the branch of the regional art museum “Tula Kremlin”, which includes the towers and walls of the former fortress, is chargeable. Tickets, in particular, can be purchased at the ticket office of the museum “Tula samovars”, which is located right under the walls of the Kremlin. The opening hours of the branch are from 10:00 to 20:00 on weekdays, until 18:00 on weekends.

How to get there

The Tula Kremlin is located at the address: Tula, Mendeleevskaya Street, 2.

You can get there by buses №№ 16, 18 and 24 or trolleybuses № 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8. Public transportation does not stop directly at the entrance to the Tula Kremlin, you need to go to the stops “Sovetskaya Street” or “Lenin Square.”

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