At a distance from the surrounding walls, to which it is connected by a ramp straddling the Alexander Gardens, the delightful Koutafia Tower is now the entrance for visitors to the Kremlin. Topped since 1685 by an elegant decorative crown, this 13m-high tower with a polychrome cladding was once a barbican: a vestige of the exterior fortifications of the citadel, whose role was to protect the bridge spanning the Neglinka.