gates under the Nikolskaya tower are often used for service duties only. Visitors to the Kremlin normally enter the premises via the gates under the Troitksaya tower, except for those who wish to visit the Armoury chamber and the Treasury fond, which are accessible via the gates of the Borovitskaya tower. Before 1917 it was also possible to book an excursion, lasting over two hours, to walk along the perimeter of the Kremlin walls, beginning at the Borovitskaya tower. The southern part of the wall faces the Moskva River. The eastern part faces Red Square. The western part, formerly facing the Neglinnaya River, is now part of the Alexander Garden. The bridge which previously crossed the river still stands, and is done in the same style as the Kremlin wall. Restoration Various sections of the Moscow Kremlin Wall are periodically restored and the condition of the battlements is constantly monitored. In 2015, the largest restoration in recent memory began. Brickwork and white stone decorations were repaired along the 500-metre stretch. Some of the bricks were replaced with new ones made of the same materials using the old technology. Waterproofing works were carried out. For the first time in 150 years, the Troitskaya Tower was restored. In 2016, restoration work was carried out on a 500-metre-long section of the wall. As part of the restoration, the Borovitskaya Tower was renovated and preparations were made to preserve three unique relief white-stone emblems on its outer corners. One of them is the oldest known emblem of the Moscow state in the era of Ivan III, established during the construction of the tower in 1490. It is planned to restore the removed drawing and transfer it to the Moscow Kremlin Museum for safekeeping, and a copy is to be made for the Borovitskaya Tower. Kremlin walls are studied by non-destructive methods, for example, using geophysical radars and pits. During the pits, wooden piles used by ancient builders to compact soils were found. It was also during this period that the bases of the walls were examined for the first time. It was found out that the foundation was 7-11 metres deep and there were also found pieces of granite, presumably from Valday. See also Kremlin Wall Necropolis References External links Official site of the museum of the Moscow Kremlin Official site of the President, with a section on the Kremlin Buildings and structures in