W as Ivan really great? We don't know. The "Great" reference in this building's name has to do with its height, not Ivan. Though it has always been an impressive sight, in 1600 Tsar Boris Godunov had the tower's height increased, making it the tallest building in Moscow. It was finished in 1508 and stood alone until 1543 when Petrok Maliy's Assumption Belfry was completed next door. That was soon joined by another annex in 1642. The bell tower has had a history of bad luck with its bells. The Tsar Bell still sits outside the building. It was commissioned in Tsar Alexis and at 200 tons is the world's largest bell. It was damaged when it fell to the ground in a fire in 1701. Parts of that bell were used to make a new bell, which is also damaged. There was a fire at the Kremlin in 1737 while the metal was still hot in the casting pit. Water used to put out the blaze got on the cooling bell and a large part of it cracked off.
