Tsar Cannon
Tsar Pushka (Template:Lang-ru, literally "Tsar-cannon") is a huge cannon, commissioned in 1586 by Russian Tsar Feodor and cast by Andrey Chokhov. The cannon weighs nearly 38 metric tonnes and has a length of 5.34 meters (17.5 feet), a caliber of 890 mm (35 inches), and an external diameter of 1200 mm (41 inches). The Guinness Book of Records lists it as the largest howitzer ever made.
In 1980 it was said that the cannon had been fired at least once,[citation needed] but it may have been intended as only a showpiece of military might and engineering from the beginning. Along with a new carriage, the 2 ton cannonballs surrounding the cannon were added in 1835 and are larger than the diameter of its barrel; it was designed to fire 800 kg stone grapeshot. According to legend, the cannonballs were manufactured in St Petersburg, with an intended humour value in the friendly rivalry between Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The cannon is decorated with reliefs, including one depicting Tsar Feodor Ivanovich on a horse. The original wooden carriage was made in the early 19th century but was destroyed by fire in 1812.
The cannon is within the walls of the Moscow Kremlin next to the Tsar bell, similarly massive and thought to be the largest bell in the world, but never rung. The cannon was last restored in 1980.
A replica of the cannon was made in 2001 at the Izhevsk machine-building factory. It was given to the Ukrainian city of Donetsk and now is installed near the Donetsk city administration building.
