Zlatoust Tower, a quadrangular blind structure, is part of the Novgorod Detinets. It consists of four tiers and was built in the late 15th century on the basis of an older structure. The tower's name is associated with the Church of John Chrysostom, built in the 14th century and existing until 1694, which was located nearby. The tower is situated in the western part of the Kremlin, west of the building of the Presence Places.

In 1484 and 1490, during a major reconstruction of the Kremlin, the tower was dismantled and rebuilt on its original foundation. The appearance of the monument changed insignificantly, as the builders aimed to preserve its characteristic shapes. The construction was commissioned by Grand Duke Ivan III and Novgorod Archbishop Gennady. The tower was divided by vaults and wooden ceilings into 5-6 tiers. According to legends, in the 16th century, the tower was used as a prison and was called the Prison or Devil's Tower, but in 17th-century documents, it is listed as a combat tower and retained the name Zlatoust Tower due to its proximity to the Church of John Chrysostom. Originally, the tower had 5-6 tiers and narrow embrasures. It was reconstructed in the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. In the late 18th century, a building with two wings was added to the tower, and the entire complex was adapted for a men's prison. Detainees were held in the tower, the southern wing housed the guardhouse, and the northern wing contained the prison hospital. In 1832, the prison was closed, and in the 19th century, the State Chamber archive was located there. Significant changes occurred in the tower in the 1880s and 1890s when it was adapted for a museum. In 1886, a museum was opened in the northern wing, and a library in the southern wing. In 1889, the tower itself was adapted for museum collections, divided into three floors: the upper floor housed a conference hall, the second floor had a collection of weapons, and the first floor was for the caretaker. After the reconstruction of the wings in 1889 and 1892, the Novgorod Museum of Antiquities was established here. Zlatoust Tower, the only one of the Detinets towers, was not used for housing or storage after the 1917 revolution. During the Great Patriotic War, the tower was severely damaged. After repairs in 1946, it housed the printing house of the newspaper 'Novgorodskaya Pravda.' In the 1970s, under the guidance of A. V. Vorobyov, the tower was partially restored to its 15th-century forms, and since 1975, it has been the headquarters of the honorary guard of Novgorod schoolchildren, who carry out the 'Watch of Memory' at the Eternal Flame, where the mass grave of revolution participants, civil war fighters, and Soviet soldiers who died during the liberation of Novgorod is located. In 1986, the post ceased to exist. Currently, Zlatoust Tower and its annex house the services of the Novgorod State United Museum-Reserve.