Kremlin’s Spasskaya gate opens

In Moscow, Russia, until now, visitors could enter and exit the Kremlin only through the Kutafya Tower gate. On Aug. 4, for the first time since the time of the czars, the Spasskaya Tower gate was opened for visitors, allowing people to move directly from the Kremlin to Red Square.

The tower gate and neighboring passages, closed to all but important members of state from the Communist period to the present, were opened to accommodate the large numbers of tourists now visiting the Kremlin. Under normal conditions, a passage alongside the Spasskaya Tower gate will remain open, but if there is heavy traffic from visitors, the gate, itself, will be opened.