Red Square has witnessed many important events in the life of Russian people. Visitors from home and abroad stream here to enjoy the beauty of the historic buildings and monuments. The Kremlin represents centuries of Russian history. Like the Tower of London the Kremlin was used as a fortress and a sovereign’s residence. Now it housesthe President’s office and a number of museums including the Armory Chamber and the Diamond Fund.In the centre of the square by the Kremlin wall is the Lenin Mausoleum, erected in 1930 by A. Shchusev.On the southern side of Red Square is St. Basil’s Cathedral (Vasily Blazheny), a masterpiece of ancientRussian architecture. It was built in 1555-61 in memory of the victory over Kazan (1552). The monumentstanding in front of the Cathedral tells us of the people’s victory over the Polish invaders in 1612.Themonument is the work of I. Martos (1752-1835). Not far from the Cathedral is what is called the LobnoyeMesto, a platform of white stone more than 400 years old. Red Square had been associated with trading. The first stone shops were built here in the 16th century.Today on their site stands the State Department Store, better known as GUM.If we walk up from St. Basil’s to the opposite end of the square we face a red brick building. This is theHistory Museum. In the west Red Square is adjoining the Kremlin. Just on the other side of the Kremlinwall we can see the building of the former Senate, an outstanding architectural monument built by MatveiKasakov (1738-1813), now the seat of the Administration of the President.