The Tsar Bell, a photo from Moscow, Center

Photographer's Note

Want to know all about Moscow Kremlin***CLICK HERE***.

The Tsar Bell

The Tsar Bell stands on a large pedestal in the Kremlin not far from the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. This is the largest bell in the world, weighing almost 202 tons and standing more than 6 metres high and 6.6 metres across. The story of its construction is marked by a series of almost supernatural misfortunes, as if this white elephant was cursed from conception. Empress Anna Ioanovna had wanted to entrust the making of the bell to a French royal mechanic, but was refused. Monsieur Germaine judged that it was impossible to make a bell that big. The work was therefore handed to the Motorin father and son team of Russian craftsmen.

The bell was cast in a large ditch dug in Ivanovsky Square. The craftsmen prepared for the casting for two years, but work had to be stopped when leaking metal caused a fire that burnt down the wooden derrick designed to lift the future bell. It is claimed that after this the elder Motorin "died of grief". However, his son began work again, and in 1735 the bronze was poured into the cast in only half an hour. But that was not the end of the disasters, and during a fire in 1737 overheating and uneven cooling caused a large chunk weighing more than 11 tons to crack from the bell. For another century the monster lay in its casting pit, and it was only in 1836, on a second attempt, that the bell was at last raised from the pit and placed on its pedestal.

Today visitors to the Kremlin can admire the rich relief work on the bell's exterior, depicting Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, Russian rulers and their patron saints.

Budapestman, vasilpro, ikeharel, edge, yeln, raszid62, npecanhuk, DINOZOR, Cricri, kordinator has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ciakgiak (30331) 2010-05-31 14:26

Dear Sasko,
First thing: I love the square format! The big bell in the centre of the square is an eye-catcher element, but there are other very attractive things here...
The lamp on the left, great colors and moreover a superb sky!
Congratulations, TFS.
best regards
Giorgio

giorgimer (34512) 2010-05-31 14:27

Hi Sasko,

interesting subject, with an impressive scale. Sky is amazing, R U using a polarized filter?

TFS

G

Budapestman (82620) 2010-05-31 14:43

Hi Sasko,
a splendid photo of this huge bell, the composition is very attractive, beautiful colours and clouds, the people emphasized the size very well, Tfs! I thank you for your kind note to my thousandth photo! Have a nice week! Kellemes hetet Kívánok!
George (György)

Ricx (13445) 2010-05-31 14:50

Hi Sasko, I like the colopurs and tones and strength of this image. very well framed, balancing the image. Well done Rich

vasilpro (40194) 2010-05-31 15:52

Hello Sasko,
Wonderful composition, excellent POV and DOF, lovely colors, very good light management, beautiful atmosphere, interesting architecture and giant bell.
Have a nice evening, Vasilis.

tusharkmandal (3117) 2010-05-31 20:49

Hi Sasko,

I really enjoyed your note and the story behind this mighty bell. Its a century to that passed this bell finally took shape and came out. Great representation. Equally well composed and captured.

Regards
Tushar

ikeharel (37424) 2010-05-31 20:58

Grand Bell - well taken picture. though, I'd crop the left part of photo to include from the lamp-post only.
Your describtion is very interesting.
Regards
Ike

edge (6068) 2010-05-31 21:17

Hello Sasko, I always look forward to your excellent shots of the Kremlin area. This is another elegant picture of the bell. Outstanding composition and the fact that you have people in the picture adds to the pleasure of viewing for me. Those are very angry clouds in the heavens, I am sure you probably got rain with those dark formations. Again great picture. Regards, Roger

batalay (32868) 2010-05-31 21:36

Greetings Sasko,

The great German physicist Werner Heisenberg once said, "Never underestimate how much pleasure it gives a man to see what he already knows. In 1976 in my one and only visit to Moscow I saw this remarkable bell, with the chunk missing. I also saw an immense cannon, but I cannot remember its name. Thanks for sharing this fabulous shot, along with a highly informative note.

Warm regards,

Bulent

sulemani (65) 2010-05-31 21:43 [Comment]

Show Comment

cargus (6468) 2010-05-31 21:56 [Comment]

Show Comment

SWEETFREEDOM (18423) 2010-06-01 0:01

Hi Sasko,
great p.o.v. and colors. The size is reaaly impressive, very good details and presentation.
regards

Alessandro

raszid62 (18216) 2010-06-01 0:51

Dobro jutro
Res velik zvon, je impresivna. Lepe domov v globino. Èudovito nebo. Èudovito barve in veliko ostrino.
lep pozdrav
Joseph

Nicou (97811) 2010-06-01 1:23

Hello,

merveilleus eiamkge quelle immense cloche, les personanges donnent bie la grandeur et l'immensité dans un ciel mouvant aux belles formes, ce lampadaire qu suit le coin du mur, ces contrastes, sueprbe.

bravo et amitié

Nicou

mikolaj_kawa (0) 2010-06-01 2:20

Hello Sasko! Amazing bell, gorgeous people, wonderful lantern. Very original architecture in the background. Good composition, perfect capture and ideal frame. Good luck!

yeln (11502) 2010-06-01 3:24

hoj Saško
skoraj bi mi ušla tale lepotica. najprej mi je všeč zvon, ki mislim, da nikoli ni zvonil. izjemna velikost!
barve stavb pa so kakor v kakšni otroški slikanici. ( v dobrem smislu )
nebo - enkratno
ostrina - enkratna
barve - lepe -vivid
motiv - izredno zanimiv
ocena - 2
lep pozdrav
Vojc

npecanhuk (53919) 2010-06-01 3:53

Hi Sasko!
Wow! What a magnificent giant bell!!!
Your picture is very attractive with excellent sharpness, exposure, pov, dof, colors, large vertical format, contrasts, black & white borders and composition!
TFS - congratulations!
My sincere warmest regards,
Neyvan

DINOZOR (14776) 2010-06-01 4:12

Hello sasko,

Très belle photo, merveilleusement bien cadrée.
Rien "ne cloche" tout est bien à sa place dans cette composition très esthétique à la lumière et au couleurs bien dosées.
Un regret: que l'on ne voit pas assez le fragment détaché de la cloche.
Corialement.

PixelTerror (0) 2010-06-01 13:33

Hi Sasko
A very well exposed image that tilts a bit to the left, it's good that you have people near the big bell to provide scale and show how big it really is
Have a nice day JY

Cricri (86535) 2010-06-02 23:06

Hi Sasko
Voila une image dont le sujet est fort intéressant, j'aime les détails, l'ensemble des couleurs, le cadrage et ce ciel superbe que filtre une très belle lumière
FRiendship
cricri

kordinator (13411) 2010-06-04 3:25

Zdravo Saško
Prelepo zvono okruženo magičnom atmosferom prelepe arhtekture.
Savršene boje I svetlost kao I oštrina.
Veoma kvalitetna fotografija.
Teško je ishvaliti sve tu su I divni ljudi I magicni oblaci I fenomenalno nacinjen ram
Sve cesstitke za odlican rad
Poštovanje
Saša