Tsar Bell
Tsar Bell
a bell in the Moscow Kremlin. The Tsar Bell, weighing more than 200 tons, measures 6.14 m in height (including ears) and 6.6 m in diameter. It was cast in bronze by the masters I. F. Motorin and his son Mikhail between 1733 and 1735. The portraits, inscriptions, and other ornaments on the bell were executed by V. Kobelev, P. Galkin, P. Kokhtev, P. Serebriakov, and P. Lukovnikov. During a fire in 1737 the Tsar Bell cracked, and a piece weighing 11.5 tons fell out. In 1836 the bell was placed on a pedestal near the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great.
Two other bells were also known as the Tsar Bell. One was cast in the early 17th century, and the other, weighing approximately 130 tons, in 1654. The second bell cracked during a fire in 1701, and its fragments were used in casting the Tsar Bell.