Before the start of the XIX century, the Neglinka River used to flow at the current site of of Alexander Garden. The Troitsky Bridge leading to the Kremlin still reminds us of this. In 1812, Emperor Alexander I gave the order to bury the river underground and plant a Kremlin Garden. Four decades later, during Alexander II's coronation, the garden was renamed.
The construction of the park ensemble was supervised by Osip Bove, who restored Moscow after the fire of 1812. One of the prominent places of Alexander Garden – Italian grotto the Ruins – attributed to the architect. It was made from the rubble of the buildings which were destroyed in a fire during the seizure of Moscow by Napoleon's troops.
During the XX century, the park's landscape changed constantly. During the Great Patriotic War, it was made to resemble residential houses for protection from air raids. Then in 1967, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Eternal Flame was unveiled to the public. The Changing of the Guard Ceremony takes place every hour from 8 a.m till 8 p.m. In the 1990s, following reconstruction of Manezhnaya Square, an artificial pond with fountains and sculptures by Zurab Tsereteli appeared. This place serves as a sort of reminder of the Neglinka that previously flowed here.
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