Borovitsky Hill is the place where a settlement arose, which later became the basis of the capital of the Moscow state. It is located at the confluence of the Moscow River with the Neglinnaya. In ancient times, it was covered with dense vegetation, mainly coniferous and pine trees. The site has become home to several populations and a range of archaeological cultures.
Inception
Borovitsky hill in ancient times was first inhabited by hunters and fishermen (Fatyanovo period). Subsequently, they were replaced by cattle-breeding peoples (Dyakonovsky stage), after which the place became a zone of settlement of the already directly Slavic population: Vyatichi and Krivichi. Researchers find the remains of their stay here in the form of burial mounds. There is an assumption that in the 11th century Borovitsky Hill was a settlement with small fortifications, a wooden palisade, and a moat.
First indication
The place was first mentioned in the annals under 1147 in connection with the feast that the Rostov-Suzdal prince Yuri Dolgoruky arranged for his ally. There is information that after some time he ordered to build a wooden fortress here. However, there is a point of view that the estate of a certain boyar Kuchka was located here, which was forciblyit was taken away and turned into a hereditary princely patrimony. The favorable geographical location subsequently led to the fact that Borovitsky Hill took an important place in the system of defensive structures in the northeastern lands.
Migrations
The period of feudal fragmentation was marked by strife and strife between the princes, from which the simple local population suffered greatly. In search of a secluded refuge, they rose from their homes and went to more remote and safe places. It was a rather powerful migration flow, which led to a new settlement of the region. Borovitsky Hill in Moscow also became a place of refuge. Nevertheless, the city that arose in its place often became the object of attacks and looting: for example, in the 11th century it was burned by the Ryazan prince, in the 13th century it was subjected to terrible devastation as a result of the raid of Batu's rati.
Topography
Today, Red Square is located here, part of Kitay-Gorod. The highest part was called Makovitsa, which means top of the head. Here is the Cathedral Square with one of the main temple buildings in our country - the Patriarchal Assumption Cathedral. Thus, Borovitsky Hill became the center of the future capital and the core of the new state. This was largely determined by its favorable geographical location, rich natural resources, as well as the protection of this place from the raids of nomads and Mongol-Tatars, which attracted many people here during the years of the Horde yoke. The edge of the hill was called the forehead, or frontalplace: tsars and patriarchs addressed the people from here.
Name
The origin of the name "Borovitsky Hill" is connected with the peculiarities of its natural and geographical conditions. There is a point of view that he received such a name because he was covered with boron. According to another version, the place was named from the word "borovitsa", which in translation means the space where the forest or forest is located. Both hypotheses are similar to each other, and the correctness of this assumption is proved by the fact that early buildings here were associated with this name, such as a church and a monastery. This explains the answer to the question of why Borovitsky Hill is so called.
Middle Ages
The further history of this place is connected with the reign of the first Moscow princes, who were engaged in its development. Under Ivan Kalita, several churches were founded and erected here, and three years before his death, the oak Kremlin. Under his grandson, Dmitry Donskoy, the construction of stone walls around the capital began, which played an important role in protecting the city from the invasion of the Lithuanian prince, the Tatar Khan. The new building was built on the outside of the old walls. The thickness of the new walls was from two to three meters. The fortified row also included ditches and embankments. The walls were equipped with loopholes. Under Ivan III, new construction of the Kremlin buildings began, this time from brick. It took about ten years to build.
New time
In the 17th centuryconstruction on Borovitsky Hill continued again. Churches, a belfry, chambers, palaces were erected here. The towers were made in the tent style, in this form they have survived to this day. Under the first emperor of Russia, the building of the Arsenal was built here, but later, due to the transfer of the capital to St. Petersburg, construction, unfortunately, stopped. The significance of Borovitsky Hill is great not only in the history of the Moscow Principality, but also in Russia in general. The fact is that this place became the core of a single state, becoming the center of the unification of disparate lands and principalities. Advantageous strategic and economic importance played a big role in its development and enrichment.
