Marinka Tower, one of the seven surviving towers of the Kolomenskoye Kremlin, was built between 1525 and 1531. It is located between the Granovitaya and Borisoglebskaya towers of the Kremlin.
The tower is known by several names. It is called Marinka in honor of the legendary prisoner Marina Mnishek, who, according to legend, was imprisoned here in 1614 and either died in the tower or, as the legend goes, transformed into a magpie and flew out through a window loophole.
The tower is also referred to as Kolomenskaya, as it is situated by the Kolomenka River. It is called Round because from a distance, the twenty-sided tower appears round. The name Angled is associated with its corner position in the northwest part of the Kremlin.
The tower consists of eight tiers. The first six tiers are equipped with loopholes, the seventh tier has machicolations, and the eighth features double horns. Each tier has 4 or 5 loopholes. On the first three floors, the loopholes have arched ceilings, while on the next three, from the fourth to the sixth, they are covered with vaults. The vertical projections of the loopholes vary, likely due to the need for shooting at different distances. The lower tiers of the loopholes are intended for protecting the moat and nearby approaches, while the upper ones are for more distant targets. The sectors of fire from the loopholes on different floors do not coincide, which was characteristic of the 16th century. The ground floor is separated from the upper ones by a decorative roller.
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