The five burnished onion domes of the 18th-century Assumption Cathedral (Успенский собор) rising over the ramparts of this restored stone fortress, first constructed out of wood in the early 16th century, are a visual delight. The kremlin’s grounds are entered through the green-domed Odoyevskikh Vorog Tower. Climb up to the ramparts (admission R120) to view the insides of some of the other eight towers punctuating the walls.
The complex stands in stark contrast to the brutal architecture of the old Soviet city, where a giant Lenin statue frames the approach across pl Lenina.
