Bridge Tower

The Bridge Tower at Izmailovo is an object of cultural heritage of federal significance. It was constructed together with the Intercession Cathedral and completed in 1679.

The building is located on the inner bank of the Silver Pond. Initially, it was part of the bridge which led to the island from the Vladimir road. Through the tower archway guests of the royal estate got to the Intercession Cathedral.

The Bridge Tower has three floors: the first floor is a massive rectangle (‘chetverik’), the second one is a smaller chetverik, and the third one is an octagon (‘vosmerik’). The tower is crowned with a tented roof. During the restoration in 2020-2021, a historical weather vane in the form of a double-headed eagle was reconstructed on the top of the tower.

Did you know that…

• There are 384 glazed tiles on the tower. The ornamental motifs on the ceramic tiles symbolize the ‘Garden of Eden’: they comprise leaves, fruits, flowers and birds.
• On the first and second floors of the tower there were Streltsy guardhouses, and the third one served as a bell tower for the Intercession Cathedral.