Pump Tower

The corner tower, built in 1488, is situated upstream of the Moskva River at the mouth of the Neglinnaya River. Since it stood near the household of the prominent Sviblov boyars, it was originally called Sviblov Tower. Later, in 1632, a water pump was installed which pumped the water of the Neglinnaya River through lead pipes to the upper Kremlin Gardens. This was Moscow's first water conduit, and since that time the tower itself has been called the Pump (Vodovzvodnaya) Tower. The tower was built in 1488 by Anton Fryazin. The tent roof was added in the 1680s. The tower was badly damaged in 1812 when the French tried to blow it up, but it was rebuilt in 1817 by Osip I.Bove. The ruby star was installed in 1937. The height of the tower (including the star) is 61.25 m (202 ft).