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Rediscovering the Romance of Travel Clocks

By Kwan Ann Tan

While our desire to travel has existed since the beginning of time, the way we travel has evolved. These vintage travel clocks are the very epitome of modern luxury, representing a way of life that is quickly disappearing, and their meaning and function is having to be redefined by today’s collectors. Travel clocks originate from a time when vacations during summer stretched over several months; when taking a long sleeper-train would be the best way to travel internationally. Propping one of these up on your cabin’s bedside table as you cross borders in a Pullman carriage became a romanticised view of travelling that was only afforded to the upper class. However, as our ability to travel the world became easier with air travel these quickly became useless curiosities that represented a bygone era, rather than the practical tools they once were. where you would place your clock beside you so you could check the time with ease.

Despite representing an interesting period in history, these travel clocks are rarely mentioned when horology is discussed. Put simply, they were extremely practical devices that accompanied travellers on vacations, migrations, and more – and their stylishness was simply an added bonus. Here, we dive into questions such as what timepieces count as travel clocks, the different variations and styles that occur across these clocks, and of course, why we love them.

Defining the Travel Clock

First, it will be helpful to define what a travel clock actually is. Unsurprisingly, a travel clock is a timepiece purpose-built for travel. However, the size and shape of these clocks vary from larger carriage clocks with handles used by armies to smaller travel clocks used for more leisurely travel. Additionally, we have included even smaller clocks, such as purse or bag clocks, which are also travel clocks to some extent as they are designed to be portable.

These travel clocks came in a diversity of sizes, although crucially, they were all portable.

We should also define the term “travel”, which can mean many different things. At first, these clocks were created out of necessity, in the same way that carriage clocks were invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet for Napoleon to bring with him on his campaigns. Later on, more institutionalised travel (which was also seen as “recreational”) became more commonplace, such as the European “Grand Tour” that young aristocratic men embarked upon as part of their classical education. This, in turn, was slowly phased out as methods of travel became increasingly accessible to the public in the early 1900s – and the rest is history.

Intriguingly, while the travel clock design that we are most familiar with is usually associated with the Jaeger-LeCoultre Ados, this design actually appears to have originated in the United Kingdom, created by Cyril James Gowland, who filed the patent in 1932. Whether or not Jaeger-LeCoultre paid for the rights to use this patent is unclear, as few documents from this period survive in the manufacturer’s archives, but the resemblance is uncanny.

The patent filed by Cyril James Gowland demonstrating the folding case of the clock.

As we can see from the patent, the sliding leather case that transforms into a stand is a recurring theme that was widely used across retailers and watchmakers. This is most likely because of its ease of use and handling, in addition to the fact that the stand doubles up as a protective case for the glass and dial.

Additionally, according to the Jaeger-LeCoultre archives, the Ados clocks came in a variety of models, including the Ados Mignonnette, the Ados Baby, the Ados (Baby) Barometer, the Ados Chronograph, the Ados Standard and the Ados Standard Barometer, with the Standard models available with or without alarm function. Further to this, there were also the Indos clocks, which were “semi-open” clocks which made use of a completely different sliding mechanism. Rather intriguingly, when the Ados and Indos clocks were introduced to the US public, they were referred to as ‘Little Slam’ and ‘Grand Slam’ respectively.

Function and Form

With its sturdy shape and straightforward method of operation, it’s easy to see how many of these travel clocks are an excellent marriage of function and timeless design. With a clearly legible dial and luminous painted numerals, these clocks were intended to be easily readable even at night, with many also possessing an alarm function, which gave their owners another reason to take it with them. They were also very easily serviced and could be repaired easily by competent watchmakers. Above all, they were sturdy and extremely dependable. The Jaeger-LeCoultre movements that powered these clocks are also worthy of our attention, given their sturdiness and widespread use. According to the Jaeger-LeCoultre archives: “Both Ados and Indos travel clocks were equipped with calibres made in the Manufacture in the Vallée de Joux, as soon as 1931 when the models were launched. The calibres used are: 204, 205, 206, 207, 211, 219, 438, ranging from the simple time-only movement to the more complex alarm and calendar versions.

The large, lume-filled hands and indexes of this travel clock make it a perfect companion for jet-lagged travellers.

Similar travel clocks equipped with the same movements can be found with other brand names on the dials. However, these timepieces were commissioned by these brands to Jaeger-LeCoultre and were thus entirely produced in Le Sentier, before being sold to said brands for them to sell to final clients. This is the case with brands such as Asprey and Gübelin, for example, where only their name appears on the dial and not that of Jaeger-LeCoultre.” Behind their simple appearance, however, is a myriad of different parts and craftsmen necessary to create the clock in the first place. In addition to the clock itself, its metal case must be made, and after that, the clock must be encased in leather, taking into account the case and swinging mechanism. According to the Jaeger-LeCoultre archives, “As of the mid 1920s, the Manufacture started reorganising its facilities so that it could internalise most of the production of its watches and clocks and be able to produce complete timepieces internally (escapements, balance wheels, dials, cases, etc.).

Not all of these clocks were cased in leather or followed the traditional folding case style – some have metal cases, while others had a “rolling” mechanism.

This required new workshops and new equipment but would allow the Manufacture to control almost every aspect of production and reduce its dependency on external suppliers. In that context, it also set up a leather workshop in the early 1930s to handle the finishing of the travel clock cases. However, by the 1940s, leather work was externalised.” The effort and time required to produce this piece speaks to a level of craft that would have been expected in luxury items of the time. Very few modern craftsmen have the knowledge to repair or recreate such a timepiece, making the travel clock truly a thing of the past. This is perhaps in keeping with their image as objects designed for slow, relaxed travel. Sleeper trains were a common mode of travel, and between the 1950s and 1960s air travel was still an event you dressed up for. Both forms of travel took significantly longer than they do now, requiring more than a few stops and costing quite a bit more, so these travel clocks are a symbol of a luxurious lifestyle.

Variations in Design

One thing that we have observed across our experience with handling many of these vintage travel clocks is the sheer variation that can be found across their dials. The clocks are also encased in many different types and colours of leather and come in various sizes. In terms of the cases, both Ados and Indos clocks came in a wide variety of finishes. According to the Jaeger-LeCoultre archives, these also included the following: “steel, silver, gilded, chromed or lacquered metal, and mostly a variety of leather types (pigskin, calf, lizard, crocodile, suede upon request, etc.).”

Catalogue images introducing the Ados and Indos clocks, courtesy of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Archives

Most strikingly, the design of these clocks are very similar to the Reverso ’s aesthetics. The Jaeger-LeCoultre archives have revealed that “Both pieces appear in the same catalogue in 1931, and were created at the same time. Another common trait between the two pieces is that both feature an ingenious system to protect their dial: while the Reverso has a swivelling case, that of the Ados and Indos is foldable, so as to make them the perfect travel timepiece.” Furthermore, there are some shared characteristics that are instantly recognisable, such as the rectangular railroad track outlining the shape of the dial, straight lines combined with smooth angles, or the art-deco style indices. Additionally, the variety and style of the indices are often intriguing, demonstrating the same breadth and range as others have explored on wristwatches. Many of these pieces also bear large, cathedral-style hands, which are filled with lume, while the numerals were usually painted with lume as well. These would, of course, have been for weary-eyed travellers to clearly see the time through the night as they tried to get some sleep on a moving train. However, baton and dauphine hands occasionally appear on certain examples as well. Within the confines of the rectangular case, there was also ample space for a diversity of designs that would distinguish one clock from the other. Much like watches, these clocks bore a variety of dial colours, ranging from glossy salmon and linen dials to the more traditional black or silver colours.

The dials on these clocks came in varying colours and styles.

We have explored double-signing conventions and how these signatures would have been physically applied in one of our previous articles. When it comes to travel clocks, there is a significantly higher proportion of double-signed pieces, the dials bearing the maker’s signature in addition to the retailer’s. From this, we can deduce that there were a wide range of (now probably defunct) retailers that used to stock these pieces, making this an interesting historical study in and of itself.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre archives also note that these signatures were applied through a process called “tampographie”, or pad printing. Examples of double signatures include: Hermès (Paris), Gübelin (Luzern), Astrua (Turin), Eberhard (Milan), A. Schwob (Paris), L. Leroy & Co (Paris), Asprey (London), among others.

Some of these clocks are surprisingly complicated, with calendar functions and up to 8 hours of power reserve.

Additionally, some of these clocks also possessed complications, such as an annual calendar or day and date function, while a select few also possessed sub-dials or more complicated faces. It was not uncommon for some pieces to house more than one clock or function. In addition to dual timezone clocks, there were also “foursome” clocks, with the clock functioning as just one of the faces, alongside a barometer, hydrometer, thermometer, or calendar. These are harder to come by. As suggested from the incredible combinations that were available during this period, we can conclude that these travel clocks enjoyed an intriguing diversity. This not only stems from the increased travel during this period, but also demonstrates how widely in use these clocks were, and with the varied available functions, which could support everyday lifestyles.

Why We Love Them

While the age for these travel clocks has passed, they still enjoy new forms of appreciation as decorative items on mantelpieces or desks in homes. Due to their age and simply because of the convenience of mobile phones, they are rarely actually used for travelling. Compared with watches, they are less well placed to be appreciated – you’re less likely to bring a travel clock out and about with you.

The air of romance that surrounds these objects is also undeniable. To many, the image that they conjure is both literal and metaphorical, as on one hand, in its past, the clock may have travelled to far flung places and seen more things than the average individual. On the other hand, the clock also feeds into more aspirational goals, embodying a lifestyle of luxury. Stripping away all the romanticism, however, leaves us with a well-made, sturdy clock, which brings a simple pleasure in and of itself, with plenty of design variation to dig into. We spoke to Alan Davis, who has begun a small collection of these travel clocks. Davis is more usually a watch collector, and he has only very recently started to branch out into the world of travel clocks. When asked about his approach to collecting these clocks, he notes: “From what I’ve learnt in terms of collecting watches, I would look at these travel clocks in the same way I would examine a watch, asking questions such as if the lume on the hands matches the lume on the dial? Or the numbers, whether they are Luminova or applique, or if it looks like it’s been redone from a visual standpoint – I can’t unlearn that way of thinking, but I haven’t necessarily had the same thoughts of ‘Are these all original parts?’ as I would with a watch.”

It’s clear that the travel clock community has not yet reached the same depth of scholarship that they seem to have with watches, although there is a growing group of modern collectors who are developing a true passion for these small clocks, including those who continue to use the clocks for their original intended purpose. Davis also described why these clocks are so interesting to him and what exactly he loves about them: “Of the four or five I own, I prefer the really small ones. They can fit in the tiny pocket on your jeans or, if I were wearing a suit, they could fit in my vest or waistcoat pocket. For someone like myself, who is constantly paying attention to the time in different cities, I like the idea of having a wristwatch on and having one of these travel clocks in my pocket for a different time zone.”

Our thanks to the Jaeger Le-Coultre Archives for giving us a glimpse into the history of these travel clocks, and to Alan Davis for sharing the story of his collection with us.

Travel Clocks at A Collected Man

• Jaeger-LeCoultre Cartier-signed Ados travel clock, brown case £1,250 Watchdrawer
• Jaeger-LeCoultre Day-Date travel clock, black lizard case £900 Watchdrawer
• Jaeger-LeCoultre Kirby Beard-signed Indos alarm clock, tan alligator case £950 Watchdrawer
• Jaeger-LeCoultre Hermès-signed Ados Migionnette travel clock, tan case £1,450 Watchdrawer
• Vintage Keller Paris folding travel clock, engine-turned case £1,750 Watchdrawer

Further Reading

How travel transformed timekeeping

By russell sheldrake.

We go back in time to see how innovations in travel have changed the way we tell the time...

The Importance of London Watchmaking

Watchmaking in London goes back more than 500 years, with many of the biggest advancements and achievements in the industry taking place in the English capital...

How Collaborations Shaped the Watch World

By randy lai.

It's hard to escape them in the watch world, so we wanted to take a look back at the history of collaborations in the watch world and how they have made a difference over the years...

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Art Deco Travel Clock in Collectable Clocks

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SOLID SILVER ART DECO TRAVEL PURSE CLOCK

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World's most amazing clocks from Big Ben to Prague's Astronomical Clock

World's best tourism clocks to bookmark for future trips with icons including London's Big Ben, Prague's Astronomical Clock and more

• 08:00, 13 Mar 2021

Clocks haven’t quite been with us since time immemorial, but they have ticked over for a while and are a popular tourist draw.

We're talking the likes of Big Ben in London which has long been an iconic part of the city's skyline, Prague's breathtaking Astronomical Clock in the city's Old Town, and the fascinating 18th century Peacock Clock in St Petersburg.

Then there are the unusual clocks to be discovered - Edinburgh Castle's One o’Clock Gun often proves to be a favourite for tourists.

We've rounded up some of the world's most amazing clocks that are worth leaving space on the itinerary for.

Check out hour pick of the world’s famous faces below...

1. Prague Astronomical Clock

Prague Orlo, a medieval astronomical clock mounted on the Old Town Hall, dates from 1410 and, on the hour, figures representing vanity, greed, death and lust move and 12 Apostles appear. It is, of course, a bit of a bunfight to find space for a decent view.

Should you be over 18 and interested, the Sex Machines Museum is a mere one minute walk away (apparently).

Find out more prague.eu/en .

2. Big Ben, London

Possibly the most famous and most photographed clock in the world, it’s been bonging at the north end of the Houses of Parliament since 1859.

Of course, while the name Big Ben is often used to describe the clock tower – that is formally the Elizabeth Tower – it’s specifically the name of the mechanism’s Great Bell, which weighs 13.7 tonnes, has a 441lb hammer and is tuned to the note of E.

The clock – formally the Great Clock – has four 23ft diameter dials, each with 14ft minute hands, 9ft hour hands and is illuminated by 28 energy efficient 85-watt bulbs.

Fact fans: unusually, the hour figure of 4 o’clock is shown by the Roman numeral IV, rather than the typical IIII seen on most other clocks and watches.

Find out more at visitlondon.com .

3. One o’Clock Gun, Edinburgh Castle

OK, it’s not exactly a clock, but the firing of an Army artillery piece on the dot of 1pm has made tourists on Princes Street jump since 1861, while locals invariably check to see if their watch is accurate.

Reputedly it has been used in anger once, in 1916 when German Zeppelins were dropping bombs on Edinburgh during the First World War.

Find out more at edinburgh.org .

4. Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan

This impressive skyscraper, once the world’s tallest building, reaches 1,671ft towards the clouds and is designed to resemble a green stalk of bamboo.

But where’s the clock? Well, on a sunny afternoon, the tower acts as a sundial, with its shadow falling on the circular Xinyi Plaza park to the east of the skyscraper where locals amuse themselves by estimating the time.

Unofficially, it’s claimed to be the world’s biggest sundial.

Find out more at eng.taiwan.net.tw .

5. Peacock Clock, Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Visitors to one of the world’s greatest museums rarely fail to be delighted by this British-made 18th century automaton which is still in perfect working order.

It was commissioned by Catherine the Great’s favourite military commander, Prince Grigory Potemkin, and the figures of the peacock, cockerel and owl are only set in motion on selected days, so expect crowds videoing it.

Find out more at visitrussia.org.uk .

6. Philadelphia City Hall

The largest municipal building in the USA (bigger than the Capitol in Washington DC) opened in the City of Brotherly Love in 1901 and the lavish architecture style, should you be wondering, is High Victorian Picturesque Eclecticism.

It’s quite a beast, taking 30 years to build, with walls up to 22ft thick and a 548ft tower, which has four 26ft diameter clocks, an observation deck and a 37ft, 27-tonne bronze statue of city founder William Penn.

Find out more at discoverphl.com .

7. Augenroller (Eye Roller), Koblenz

In historic Florinmarkt, one street back from the quay along the River Moselle, the face on the clock on an old department store is said to be of a 16th century robber beheaded for his crimes.

The face’s eyes roll back and forth as the pendulum moves, and on the half-hour he sticks out his tongue to express his opinion of the citizens of Koblenz – reputedly it’s because his severed head continued to roll his eyes and wiggle his tongue after the execution.

The current Augenroller dates from 1965, replacing the original 18th century one which was damaged during the Second World War.

Find out more at koblenz-tourism.com .

8. Kremlin Clock, Moscow

The clock on the Spasskaya Tower has been chiming above the main gates to Red Square since 1706, though it was restored in 1851 and 1913, and it replaced one installed in the late 16th century. It has suffered damage by fire and by a shell during the Russian Revolution.

Over the years it’s played several tunes, ranging from a Viennese melody and the Tsarist March of the Preobrazhensky Regiment to the Internationale and the national anthems of the USSR and modern Russia.

9. Zytglogge, Bern

It’s announced the time to the citizens of the charming Swiss capital since 1405, though the tower itself has been through many incarnations over the centuries.

Today the Zeitglockenturm (Clock Tower) is one of Bern’s main tourist sights, with the ornate astronomical calendar clock featuring an astrolabe dial, the 12 signs of the zodiac orbited by the Sun and Moon, faces indicating the four winds and the Roman gods Venus, Mars and Jupiter.

Impressive enough, but this is the clock that reputedly inspired a young local patent clerk named Albert Einstein to develop his theory of relativity, based on what would happen to his watch if he was in a tram that left the tower at the speed of light.

Find out more at bern.com .

10. The Persistence of Memory, New York City

Salvador Dalí’s 1931 surrealist dreamscape of time is in the Museum of Modern Art and quite small at just 9.5in x 13in – but utterly compelling gallery viewing, of course. He was supposedly inspired by melting cheese and said the limp watches represented “the camembert of time and space’’. It certainly represents an awful lot of copies on T-shirts, posters, bags and sundry other souvenirs.

Find out more at nycgo.com .

11. Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower, Birmingham

To Brummies it’s Old Joe, to horology fans it’s the world’s tallest freestanding clock tower at 328ft and it’s synonymous with its home, the University of Birmingham.

It is said to have been the inspiration for Orthanc, the black tower of Isengard, in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and was named after the university’s first Chancellor.

Find out more at visitbirmingham.com .

12. Puerta del Sol, Madrid

All eyes in Spain turn to the clock atop the 18th century Casa de Correos local government building – the former royal post office – at midnight on December 31.

Tradition dictates that Madrilenos eat 12 grapes to the 12 chimes of midnight for good luck throughout the coming year.

Find out more at esmadrid.com .

13. Gastown Steam Clock, Vancouver

The oldest district in Canada’s wonderful Pacific Coast city is a popular spot for tourists with historic buildings, cobbled streets, vintage lampposts, and plenty of bars and restaurants.

There’s always a gaggle of visitors by the Gastown Steam Clock which dates from 1977 and, as the name suggests, involves steam. It does not power it – that is provided by electricity – but clouds of steam rise from the top and it whistles merrily on the hour.

It was originally intended to cover a street vent from a heating system, to prevent homeless people from sleeping on it.

Find out more at tourismvancouver.com .

14. Rathaus-Glockenspiel, Munich

In the Bavarian capital’s main square, and not as old as it looks, it was opened on the new town hall in 1908 and features 32 life-size figures and 43 bells, which are run on solar power.

The mannequins illustrate stories from Munich’s history three times a day in a memorable 15-minute twirl – the main theme is the wedding of Duke Wilhelm V to Renata of Lorraine in 1568 with a knight’s tournament and dancing barrel makers.

Find out more at munich.travel .

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5 secrets of the famous Kremlin Clock

From a young age, every Russian knows the clock on Spasskaya Tower in the Moscow Kremlin because its chimes symbolically mark the beginning of each new year. Let’s find out the main secrets of the country's main clock.

1. Classical music every three hours

The clock on Spasskaya Tower plays the Russian national anthem at six in the morning, noon, six in the evening and midnight, while the chorus to Glinka's Glory comes on at three and nine in the morning and then again at three in the afternoon and nine in the evening. In other words, the chimes can be heard every three hours. In addition, the main bell strikes every hour. Most famously, every New Year the whole country counts down to this clock striking midnight since the celebrations here are broadcast by all TV channels and radio stations across Russia.

The chimes initially played different tunes. At first, it was the Preobrazhensky Regiment March dating back to Peter the Great's rule and the unofficial anthem of the Russian Empire, How Glorious is Our Lord in Zion by Dmitry Bortniansky.

“In the USSR, at first they tried to use The Internationale and You Fell Victim [a Bolshevik funeral march], but after 1938 the bells on Spasskaya Tower did not play any melodies except for a chime every quarter-hour,” says Konstantin Mishurovsky, a bell ringer at the Moscow Kremlin and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. “It was only in the 1990s that it was decided that after the quarter-hourly and hourly chimes the bells would perform the Russian anthem and Glinka's Glory.”

2. This is actually the fifth clock to grace Spasskaya Tower

Spasskaya tower in 1890s.

The first clock on Spasskaya Tower (which was called Frolovskaya at the time) appeared right after its construction in 1491. Nothing is known about what that clock looked like. But we do know that when the clock broke down, it was sold for scrap to the Spassky Monastery in Yaroslavl for the princely price of 48 rubles (in the early 17th century, one ruble could buy you a herd of sheep).

A second clock was installed during the reign of Mikhail Fyodorovich, the first tsar from the Romanov dynasty (1596-1645). For its construction, they invited Scottish clockmaker Christopher Galloway. He created an absolutely amazing device in which it was not the hands but the dial that moved. The clock face was painted in the color of the sky, with tin stars and an image of the sun attached it to. A ray of that sun served as a clock hand, and the bells rang every hour. Time then was divided in nighttime and daytime hours, measuring the time between dawn and sunset. At dawn, the clock showed one o'clock daytime and at sunset one o'clock nighttime. In the summer, a day could last 17 hours, so the dial was divided into 17 sections. The clock burned down in a fire in 1701.

The third clock was installed in 1709 by a decree from Peter the Great. This one was a modern-type clock from Holland since by then the tsar had switched the country to the 24-hour standard of time used in Europe. The clock had 33 bells that played melodies and rang each hour. In addition, the bells were used to alert Muscovites to fires in the city. This clock also burned down, in a fire in 1737.

The fourth clock was installed under Catherine the Great in 1770. This one was an English clock that was installed by a German clockmaker named Fatz. He turned out to be a man with a quirky sense of humor and set the chimes to play the song Oh, You Dear Augustin. The tune was used as the clock's chime for around a year until an order was issued to replace it. The clock remained in a good working order for several decades and even managed to survive Napoleon's invasion of Moscow. It was only in the middle of the 19th century that the clock's condition deteriorated to the point that it needed to be replaced.

Finally, the present-day clock was installed in 1852. It is the work of two clockmakers of Danish origin, named Ivan and Nikolay Butenop. They installed new black dials on all four sides of the tower, replaced the old mechanisms and selected 35 new bells from Kremlin towers based on their distinctive tones.

The clock was hit by a shell during the 1917 revolution. It was restored a year later by order of Vladimir Lenin, and still continues to work.

3. The clock's mechanism weighs as much as 25 cars

Inside the clock.

Without the bells, the clock mechanism weighs 25 tons and consists of several thousand parts. It is about 3 meters high, while its gears each span one and a half meters in diameter. The clock is fitted with a 32-kilogram pendulum and three weights ranging from 160 to 224 kilograms each. The musical mechanism looks like a copper cylinder rotated by a weight. The drum makes the pins press on the keys, which in turn are connected with cables to the bells on the belfry.

The main bell, which rings out the number of hours, weighs over two tons, while the largest musical bell weighs over a ton.

4. New Russian bells were tuned to a Dutch one

Establishing the bells.

Until recently, the Kremlin Clock used 17 bells (maximum there were 35 bells), which eventually needed to be replaced. Now the clock has 23 bells, only one of which is one of the original bells. There are also nine small bells that strike quarter-hours, plus a large Dutch bell that was ordered in the 1990s. This is the one that weighs more than a ton.

In November 2020, 12 new bells were installed on Spasskaya Tower. These were cast in the southern Russian city of Voronezh specifically for the Kremlin Clock. Specialists spent more than a year tuning the new bells to the Dutch one. In the end, some bells had to be thinned from the inside in order to lower their tone, and some even had to be cast again from scratch. The tuning was supervised by the conductor of the Presidential Orchestra, Yevgeny Nikitin.

5. New Year starts with the first strike of the Kremlin Clock

Waiting for the New Year.

One of the traditions that Russians have for New Year's Eve is to write their greatest wish down on a piece of paper, burn it and then place the ashes into a glass of champagne that must be drunk before the Kremlin Clock strikes 12:00, ringing in the New Year. This tradition began in Soviet times, when people learned the exact time from the radio and a new hour began with the last pip. The tradition of televised new year addresses to the nation was introduced in 1970 by Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, whose speech was followed by the strikes of the Kremlin Clock that were broadcast throughout the country.

The New Year on the Red Square.

However, it turns out that the new year doesn’t actually begin with the last strike of the clock, but rather 20 seconds before the first strike so that the beginning of the chime and the 12 strikes are already part of the new year.

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‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’ Is the Best Version of Conan

The comedian’s new travel show proves he’s at his best away from the rigid confines of late night

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After hundreds of episodes of Hot Ones , there’s little a guest can do to shake up the reliable formula of thoughtful questions combined with increasingly spicy chicken wings. But Conan O’Brien isn’t just any guest. Conan is someone who arrives with “Dr. Arroyo,” his personal physician, who, when asked where he went to medical school, answers “1998”; he deposits the remains of each wing into his jacket pocket; seemingly unfazed by the heat, he chugs hot sauces like they’re in tiny liquor bottles from a hotel minibar; he rubs the drumsticks on his hands, mouth, and, yes, nipples. Even as Conan’s pale complexion begins to resemble a ripe tomato, he remains committed to the bit, raising his body temperature by two degrees in a state of delirium. (According to Dr. Arroyo, of course.) Behold, the comedy GOAT:

Aside from being one of the funniest people on the planet, Conan seems to operate at the peak of his powers when surrounded by chaos. He was, for a time, our longest-tenured late-night host: He had a career on the airwaves that spanned nearly three decades, not unlike his icon, Johnny Carson. But while Conan could do the usual late-night beats in his sleep—the opening monologue, the celebrity interviews—he was never better than when things went completely off the rails. Consider: Conan used his last week as the short-lived host of The Tonight Show to waste NBC’s money on bringing a Kentucky Derby–winning horse to set; trolled his interns and staff in remote segments; introduced the world to his associate producer Jordan Schlansky, who gamely played a pretentious foil ; found an actual Tinder date with Dave Franco.

But some of Conan’s best work has been when he’s left the rigid confines of late night altogether. In 2015 Conan began a spinoff travel series, Conan Without Borders , in which he explored other countries armed with little more than his self-deprecating wit. “[Travel shows are] completely outside the realm of anything I do,” he explained to The New York Times in 2019. “They can be frightening because they take away a lot of control. I’m out there, I don’t often know what I’m going to encounter.” More often than not, it’s led to comedy gold. For instance, while he was taking a Japanese etiquette lesson, Conan’s instructor said that he wasn’t her type. The reason: “Face.”

Face . You could never script something so casually brutal; therein lies the magic. Most important, Conan never mocks other cultures to induce laughs—instead, he makes himself the butt of the joke, leaning into the bit of an ignorant tourist. But what truly elevated Conan Without Borders was how he could deftly weave in educational components and approach dark periods of a country’s history with genuine sensitivity. (Conan’s visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial with his longtime assistant, Sona Movsesian, is among the most emotionally resonant moments of his career.) Thankfully, even though Conan has bowed out of the late-night scene, he’s doubling down on the travelogues.

On Thursday—Conan’s birthday, no less—Max released Conan O’Brien Must Go , a four-part series that takes him to Norway, Argentina, Thailand, and Ireland. These destinations were inspired by his podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend , which, in addition to celebrity interviews, features conversations with fans from around the globe. (The fans frequently invite Conan to come visit their neck of the woods; few would ever imagine he’d take them up on the offer.) While Conan O’Brien Must Go doesn’t rely on celebrity cameos, every episode opens with Werner Herzog voice-over narration about the grandeur of Mother Earth and how, to fully appreciate its natural wonders, we must sometimes “defile it.” Rest assured, Conan the Defiler is more than up to the task.

What separates Conan O’Brien Must Go from his first travel show is the incorporation of those fans, including a Norwegian fish farmer, an Irish medical student, and an Argentine painter. The fans understandably react to Conan showing up at their front door with a mixture of shock and glee, but before they even get a chance to compose themselves, he playfully roasts their respective living situations. Nobody gets it worse than Jarle, a young Norwegian rapper who still sleeps with soccer-themed bedsheets from childhood and has bread so stale it lands with an audible thud when Conan drops it. “I’ll wipe the floor with you,” Conan tells Jarle, “which actually might be a good idea, because I think you’d pick up a lot of lint.”

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But while it’s enjoyable in its own right to see Conan surprise fans, Conan O’Brien Must Go is never better than when he throws all caution to the wind mingling with the locals. One standout bit in Argentina involves a soccer team that invites Conan to its stadium, where he proceeds to take the sport’s reputation for theatrical diving to another level, with fake blood spurting out of his mouth. Argentina is also where Conan reunites with his archnemesis, Schlansky, who repeatedly corrects him on the proper pronunciation of tango over dinner. (Schlansky insists he’s right, even when the chefs disagree with him.) And while some comedians might have second thoughts if nobody seems entertained by their shenanigans, Conan always doubles down—if only for his own amusement. (The Argentine gauchos did not enjoy his singing talents.)

Despite all the silliness that’s part of the Conan experience, Conan O’Brien Must Go also manages to have moments of real profundity. For one, Conan uses the Ireland episode to explore his own heritage, culminating with a visit to the patch of rural farmland that belonged to his ancestors. It puts everything into perspective: His forebears fled the Irish famine for America, and their descendant returned with a camera crew and decades of fame and success under his belt. Truly, what are the odds? But what really tugs at the heartstrings is a brief video from the Norwegian fish farmer Kai, who explains how Conan’s visit to his small town completely changed his life. It’s genuinely heartwarming stuff, proving that comedy can achieve more than just laughs when it’s approached with curiosity and empathy.

It’s been three years since Conan last graced our screens, and his absence really underlined that he’s one of one. You can’t imagine anyone else showing up to a foreign country and reacting to situations on the fly without everything falling apart at the seams. But as Conan proved time and again during his late-night tenure, that’s where great comedy can be found: among the people, whether it’s in the streets of Harlem or a Civil War reenactment . Conan’s late-night career went through many phases , all of them worthy, but in retrospect, it feels like the format was holding him back. Conan O’Brien Must Go isn’t just a hilarious return to form: It’s one of the best things he’s ever done. Let’s hope the show’s Season 2 renewal will be a matter of when, not if. With Conan at the helm, there are so many more countries worth exploring—and defiling.

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View of the Kremlin and surrounding area from 1825. From The Album of Ancient Views of the Moscow Kremlin , by Ivan Zabelin. Available online from the Yeltsin Library .

The Kremlin: Moscow’s Historical Heart Through the Ages

Published: December 3, 2021

The Moscow Kremlin has long been the main symbol of Moscow and Russia – and for good reason. It was with the Kremlin that city of Moscow officially began and from which it grew. The Prince of Moscow, ruling from the Kremlin and drawing on the growing power of his city, united and conquered the cities and lands around him to create Russia.

While the Kremlin can be seen as something of a constant in Russian history, the Kremlin itself has seen major changes within its walls and to its own status. It has lost and gained buildings. It has changed from the seat of government to an ancillary structure, back to the governmental seat, and finally to a museum complex.

The resource below unites the work of multiple SRAS students writing on Home and Abroad , Challenge Grants , and Online Research Internships to bring you an overarching view of this iconic complex.

The Kremlin Walls

By Hudson Dobbs

The Kremlin was first established in 1156 by Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy. This post-dates the first mention of Moscow, which dates back to 1147, when Prince Dolgorukiy invited Prince Sviatoslav of Chernigov to Moscow to celebrate their alliance.

The actual site of this stronghold has likely been occupied since the second millennium BCE. It likely had fortifications built there as early as the 10th century, by the then-resident Vyatichi, a tribe of Slavic peoples.

Eventually, Prince Dolgorukiy ordered the construction of what would become the Kremlin walls. These first walls were tall and expansive and built out of wood. Although this structure was built for protection, it also served as a symbol for the power and strength of the new city of Moscow.

While the first walls did their job well, they were eventually burnt down by Tatar-Mongol forces and later upgraded to more fire-resistant oak in 1339. As the city grew, the Kremlin also further developed, and with it the popularity of building fortresses in town centers. Cities such as Smolensk, Kazan, Novgorod, and Pskov all constructed a Kremlin of their own. In fact, the word “kremlin” simply means “a fortress within a city.”

By the 13th century, the Kremlin housed the political and spiritual power of the state, with residences, workshops, churches, and state buildings all residing within its walls. In the 1360’s, Prince Dmitry Donskoy rebuilt the walls in limestone and a gleaming white Kremlin soon became the iconic image of Moscow. These walls were credited in helping the city defend itself from sieges by Grand Duke Algirdas of Lithuania in the late 1360’s.

The walls and towers that exist today are still another iteration, and were built on the order of Grand Prince Ivan III, also known as Ivan the Great, from 1485 to 1495. Ivan wanted to build something grander and more worthy of being his residence – something that would be comparable to Constantinople in terms of size and importance.

Wanting what would be specifically a “Third Rome,” Ivan invited Italian architects such as Aristotele Fioravanti and Pietro Antonio Solari. Their involvement is why the current fortress closely resembles castles of Northern Italy. Its red brick made the Kremlin unique for the time, as it was the first structure in Russia built from such material.

These brick walls have stood, with minor adjustments, since that time. One noticeable change came in the late 1600s, when Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich ordered the red brick to be whitewashed in limestone, returning it to gleaming white the city had been hitherto known for. Eventually, the whitewash stopped being maintained and was allowed to wear off, a process that was complete by the 1900s.

Grand Kremlin Palace Tour

By Jack Fisher

Formerly the Moscow residence of the Russian tsars, the Grand Kremlin Palace (not to be confused with the State Kremlin Palace) is a complex inside the Kremlin. It now hosts diplomatic meetings and official state ceremonies including presidential inaugurations. It is also designated as a residence of the President of the Russian Federation, but is rarely used for that purpose.

When SRAS gave me the opportunity to take an exclusive tour of this complex, which is an exclusive tour that is normally off-limits to the general public, I had to take it.

This particular tour is different from those that cover the more public areas inside the Kremlin and requires signing up early and submitting your documents for a security check.

I met the tour group on a Friday afternoon in Aleksandrovski Sad, which borders the Kremlin walls. From there, we made our way towards the Kremlin grounds entrance. There was a huge line to get into the grounds through a first security checkpoint, but we were able to skip straight to the front of it since we had registered for our tour ahead of time. Once we were through the gate, the crowd thinned out significantly.

As we walked through the Kremlin grounds, we saw other tour groups taking photos of the landscaping, palace, and other historical buildings. Unlike us, they didn’t have the permission of the Russian government to enter the actual palace. When we got to the palace, we walked through the front doors, crossed a second security checkpoint, met our guide, and started the tour.

Our tour guide inside the building was a woman that worked in preservation. She only spoke Russian, so everything was translated for us by an SRAS-hired guide to English. We began on the first floor of the newer section of the palace and saw several ornate living rooms and guest rooms, followed by the empress’s and emperor’s chambers. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to see the emperor’s office and bathroom as President Putin had decided to use them as his personal study for the remainder of his time in office.

After the first floor, we headed upstairs to the second. From the outside the palace appeared to have three floors, but in reality the second floor just had massive, vaulted ceilings and two levels of windows. From what I saw, the second floor seemed to be where the fun happened. The first major room we walked into was the Hall of the Order of St. George, built to house major military meetings and balls and today used as a large conference room. There were names of famous military officers and soldiers inscribed on the walls, and the hall looked like it could hold hundreds of guests. Then it was on to the Hall of the Order of St. Vladimir, which was way less cool. It did, however, have the largest chandelier in the palace, for what that’s worth.

Next, we moved into the oldest section of the palace. It was built in the late 1400s and the newer sections of the palace were built out to connect with it. Our guide told us that by the time of the last czars, the older section was used strictly for ceremonial purposes. The walls were covered with paintings of historical rulers and religious figures. It was definitely my favorite room as there seemed to be an aura of timelessness hanging about the place.

Then we went back through the Hall of the Order of St. Vladimir and through another hall to the older bedchamber of the czar and an older, smaller meeting room for the czar and his nobles. This section was markedly different as there was none of the opulence of the newer palace. It had a utilitarian feel due to its practical layout with comfortable but plain looking chairs, reasonably sized paintings, low ceilings and large traditional Russian stoves.

Finally, we visited the throne room. It was massive, just like the Hall of the Order of St. George, and had polished stone and gilding everywhere. Unfortunately, it was a reconstruction. Our guide let us know that the soviets had torn it apart when they came to power, creating what looked like a massive classroom to house the first meetings of the Soviet Congress. The Russian government had restored it completely within the past decade. She also let us know that the current heir to the Russian throne is Prince Harry of England, which is an interesting fact I’ve been surprising Brits with lately.

On our way out, we exited through a portrait hall. Most of the portraits were typical Enlightenment and Victorian era paintings with stuffy looking people. However, one painting caught my eye: the portrait of Knyaz Sbyatoclav. The man looked absolutely hardcore (and you can see him below in a photo I took).

In my opinion, it was definitely worth $75. While I wouldn’t go twice, the fact of the matter is that you get to see the inside of a beautiful building and stand in rooms that very powerful people meet in and have met in for hundreds of years – which is an opportunity that few regular people are given. Don’t think that it’s too expensive, because you’ll have the experience and memory with you for the rest of your life.

The Kremlin Without a Capital (1712-1918)

By Lee Sullivan

The Kremlin has always been a symbol of Russian power and authority. It is often used interchangeably with the Russian state in journalism and academic literature. This is not surprising considering the Kremlin is situated in the heart of Moscow and has typically housed Russian rulers and their offices – and continues to contain an official residence and office for Russian president Vladimir Putin. However, not all of Russia’s leaders have always called the Moscow fortress home. This article covers the nearly 200 years of Kremlin history when Moscow was not the capital.

Peter the Great moved Russia’s capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg in 1712. Despite the continued crowning of tsars in the Annunciation Cathedral and symbols of power in the Kremlin vaults, Moscow’s role in state life was minimal compared to that of the new capital. This changed when a new stage of construction began under Catherine the Great. Even though St. Petersburg was the new capital, she was crowned in Moscow following ancient tradition. A commission to replace the code of laws from Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich’s time was called in Moscow and its session was held in the Kremlin’s Faceted Palace. This was a sign that under Catherine the Great the state would be ruled from both St. Petersburg and Moscow. Additionally, the Senate was divided into departments under Catherine. Four were in St. Petersburg and two were in the newly commissioned Senate Building, which still stands in the Moscow Kremlin.

Catherine additionally planned a grand reconstruction of the Kremlin interior, one that would have seen most of its buildings demolished, save for the historic cluster of churches, and replaced with modern imperial architecture built with long, straight roads, much like St. Petersburg itself. Demolition was started, including to parts of the original Kremlin walls, when cracks began to appear in one of the cathedral walls due to the resulting disruption of the soil. Because of this, and because of the project’s already enormous cost, it was cancelled, and the original walls re-built.

In September of 1812, French troops occupied Moscow. Napoleon, who led them, planned to occupy the Kremlin as his residence. It is widely thought that in defense against the French, the Moscow mayor ordered fires be set across the city. They raged for days so and were so intense that Napoleon was forced to leave the Kremlin due to the smoke. Upon returning he declared an intention to remain in the Kremlin for winter and ordered additional fortification of the Kremlin walls. However, the French army was weakening due to battle loss and poor supply.

Napoleon ordered his troops to retreat and blow up the Kremlin in the process. Mines were laid but their effectiveness was reduced by rain and prompt Muscovite response. Still, considerable damage was done, including to the Vodozvodnaya Tower, which was completely destroyed.

The Kremlin quickly underwent restoration under Tsar Alexander I and Nicolas I. Despite the war’s considerable drain on state funding, Tsar Alexander I prioritized restoring many parts of the Kremlin including towers, walls, palaces, and cathedrals. He often traveled to Moscow to observe the restoration progress. Many of Russia’s best architects were included in the restoration efforts. Order was progressively restored to the Kremlin and new gardens, now called the Alexander Gardens, were laid out along its exterior. Buildings like the Senate were brought back to their original appearance.

Restoration was completed under Nicholas I, who gave special attention to the restoration of ancient Kremlin churches and other old buildings. He also commissioned the construction of new buildings like the Great Kremlin Palace, after having the old one demolished. The entire imperial family attended the palace blessing during an official ceremony in April 1849. It was constructed and designed with techniques that were ahead of their time – vaulted construction for walls and ceilings, inlaid stone floors, and iron rafters.

Shortly after the revolution, the Communists restored Moscow as the official capital in 1918 when Moscow was reinstated as Russia’s capital. Construction and restoration were completed by the mid-19 th century. During the Soviet years, the Kremlin housed Soviet leaders and saw the development and then dissolution of the Soviet state. Today the Kremlin stands in Russia’s capital as a unique architectural ensemble.

The Kremlin Under the Soviets

The new Bolshevik government made sweeping changes to the historic Kremlin complex to, as they saw it, better represent the character of the new socialist state.

During the revolution of November 1917, the Kremlin was ransacked, leaving it with broken glass, destroyed icons, and parts of the complex in disrepair. Restoration of the walls and towers began in 1918, but further restoration stalled for lack of funding and because the communists had not yet decided on a plan for their changes to their seat of government.

The first targets were churches and royal symbols. Nuns and monks who had long lived in the Kremlin were removed. Churches had valuables removed and transferred to the new Commissariat of Finances to fund state projects. Many royal treasures and even crown jewels were similarly transferred. The double-headed eagles on the top of the buildings were promptly removed.

Many buildings were repurposed. Initially, many were converted to housing for Communist functionaries as the revolution and war had depleted Moscow’s housing stock while driving immigration from the countryside to the city. At one point, over two thousand people lived inside the Kremlin. By 1939, however, Kremlin residents consisted of only about three dozen high ranking officials.

Other notable repurposings included turning the Palace of Facets into a canteen with its kitchen inside the Tsarina’s Golden Chamber. The Ivan the Great Bell Tower was turned into a workshop, the Small Nicholas Palace became a worker’s club, and a gym was placed in the Church of St. Catherine. In 1932, the Andrew and Alexander Halls within the palace were gutted to make room for a party congress.

Many of the buildings and statues within the complex were destroyed, often to make way for new construction; only 26 of the original 54 buildings survived the Soviet period. The Chudov Monastery and Ascension Convent were both destroyed to make way for a military academy and eventually the Kremlin Presidium was built on the ground to house the Supreme Soviet, the supreme legislative body of the USSR.

In 1929, the Maly Nikolaevsky Palace, a former royal residence, was replaced by a new administrative building.

In the 1920s, the Russian royals buried in the Archangel Cathedral on the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square were exhumed and autopsied. They and the items in their sarcophagi were turned over to the Kremlin museum. Some valuable artifacts were requisitioned to the state treasury.

In 1935, five stars of rubied glass replaced the double-headed eagles that once topped the Kremlin gate towers.

Throughout WWII, the Kremlin was disguised under mock construction and painted roofs. Despite this, several bombs still fell on the Kremlin grounds, but did not cause major damage.

In 1947, Stalin painted the Kremlin walls red in an unmistakable ode to socialism, a drastic change from the traditional white that the walls had carried for centuries.

In 1955, the Kremlin opened to the public as an open air museum. In that same year, a ban on living in the Kremlin was introduced, lessening any security risk opening it to the public might create.

The last wave of demolitions came in 1958-1961, when the Palace of Congresses, built to house the congresses of Communist Party and cultural events, replaced the Old Amoury and part of the Patriarch’s Palace.

In part due to the outcry from this massive renovation, greater care of the Kremlin grounds began. The official Kremlin museum system was established in 1966, and Elena Gagarin, daughter of Yuri Gagarin, was hired as museum director. Today, that system includes the large armoury, several churches, and items outside of the Kremlin, such as St. Basil’s Cathedral.

The changes made during the Soviet period have left the Kremlin with a striking architectural contrast between traditional, tsarist-era architecture with Soviet-style buildings and the iconic, ancient red walls and remaining cathedrals. Despite the destruction and changes that were carried out, the compound still offers an unforgettable look into Russian and Soviet history that is impossible to get from anywhere else.

The Kremlin Stars

Translated by Caroline Barrow

The following was originally posted to the the Russian 7 website . It has been translated here by SRAS Home and Abroad Translation Scholar Caroline Barrow. Additional edits and updates were applied in 2021.

On October 24, 1935, two long-standing symbols of the Russian monarchy—the two-headed eagles which stood on top of the Kremlin towers, were ordered to be brought down and replaced with five-pointed stars.

Why a five-pointed star became the symbol of the Soviet regime is unknown, but what is known is that Lev Trotsky supported this symbol. Greatly fascinated by the esoteric, he knew that stars and pentagrams have a strong energetic potential and are one of the strongest symbols. The swastika could have easily become the symbol of the new government, since it had a strong following in Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century. Swastikas were displayed on the currency of the temporary government led by Alexander Kerensky, and swastikas were painted on the walls of Empress Alexandra Fedrovna’s Ipatiev House before the royal family was executed there. This swastika trend was stopped almost solely by Trotsky and the Bolsheviks, who opted for the five-pointed star. The history of the twentieth century even showed that stars are stronger than swastikas… Stars shone over the Kremlin, in the place of two-headed eagle.

Erecting the thousand-kilogram stars on the Kremlin towers was not a simple thing to do. The problem was that the needed technology did not exist in 1935. The smallest of the Kremlin Towers, Borovitskaya, rose to 52 meters, and the tallest tower, Troitskaya, reached a height of 72 meters. Throughout the country, there were no tower cranes capable of reaching these heights. However, for Russian engineers, the word “no” did not exist, only the phrase “we must.” Engineers designed and built special cranes that could be installed on the upper deck for each tower. A metal base, called the console, was mounted at the base of each turret window, and on each console the engineers mounted a lifting crane. Thus, the process occurred in several stages: first the two-headed eagles were dismantled, and second, the stars erected.

Each star weighs about one ton. Given the height at which the stars would be placed and the fact that each star has a surface area of 6.3 square meters (potentially excellent for catching the wind), there was a danger that the stars might be blown away along with the top of the towers. So, it was decided to stress test the towers and, it turns out, with good reason: the upper part of each tower and its console was completely destroyed in the process. So, builders reinforced the masonry at the upper levels of the towers, and for the Spasskaya, Troitskaya, and Borovitskaya Tower, metal bracing was added to the base of the tower. The console on Nikolskaya Tower was so damaged that it had to be completely rebuilt.

All the stars were not made identical; four stars differ from one another in their artistic forms. On the Spasskaya Tower star, rays go out from the center. However, on Troitskaya Tower’s star, the rays look like spikes. The star on Borovitskaya Tower is made up of two contours, one inscribed in the other, and, finally, the rays on Nikolskaya Tower’s star have no pattern. In terms of length, the Spasskaya and Nikolskaya Towers were similar, with the distance between the ends of the rays being about 4.5 meters. On Troitskaya and Borovitskaya Towers, the star rays were shorter, and the distance between the ends of the rays was less, measuring 4 and 3.4 meters, respectively.

A star is good, but a spinning star is twice as nice. Moscow is large, its people many, and all must see the Kremlin stars. For the base of each star, special bearings were produced by the First Bearing Plant. These special bearings allow the stars to rotate with the wind even despite their significant weight. Consequently, it is possible to know the direction of the wind given the position of the stars.

Installation of the Kremlin Stars was a true celebration for Muscovites. The stars were not carried under the cover of night to Red Square. The day before the stars were placed on the towers they were put on display in Gorky Park. District and City Secretaries of the Communist Party came together with the ordinary mortals below to see the stars. The stars were lit from the outside to make the Ural stones shine and the rays sparkle. The eagles, taken off the towers, were also displayed to visually demonstrate the dilapidation of the “old” world and the beauty of the “new” world.

The Kremlin stars were not always ruby glass. The first stars, installed in October, 1935, were made from high-alloy stainless steel and red copper. In the center of each star, on both sides, the stars were embedded with precious stones outlining the hammer and sickle emblem. Over the course of a year, the glitter of the gems dimmed. The stars were also found to be too big, not fitting well with the architectural ensemble. In May, 1937, it was decided to install new, illuminated glass ruby stars. Also, they added a star to a fifth tower, the Vodovzvodnaya Tower. The ruby glass was produced at a factory in the city of Konstantinov, according to the method of the Moscovite glassmaker, N. I. Kurochkina. It was necessary to prepare 500 square meters of ruby glass, and for that, a new type was invented—selenium ruby glass. Before that, gold was used to color the glass; selenium was cheaper and produced a deeper color.

The Kremlin stars don’t only rotate, they also light up. In order not to overheat and cause damage, about 600 cubic meters of air is blown through the stars per hour. The stars are not affected by power outages, because they have their own, independent generators.

For the original lighting, the Moscow Electrical Lamp Plant produced the lights for the stars. The stars on Spasskaya, Troitskaya, and Nikolskaya Towers all had 5000-watt bulbs, and the other two operated at 3700 watts. In each star, two parallel filaments were installed. That way, if one burned out, the other filament still shone and a control panel is was notified of the burnout.

To change a bulb, one need not need to climb up to the star. Rather, the bulb comes down on a special rod that runs straight through the bearing. The whole process takes 30-35 minutes. In the stars’ history, the stars stopped shining only twice—once during the war, and another time for the filming of the now-classic movie The Barber of Siberia .

Editorial Note: Update 2021. Starting in 2015, the lighting of the Kremlin stars was updated with one star’s lighting system replaced each year. The old incandescent lamps were replaced with modern metal halide lamps. These lamps are approximately four times more energy efficient than the old bulbs and provide a more intense, higher-quality light. Metal halide lamps are often used for sports stadiums and other places where strong, high-quality light is needed.

In preparation for this switch, Employees of the Central Scientific and Restoration Design Workshops (TsNRPM) measured the illumination of each arm of each star separately to make sure that each would still be lit evenly and brightly. They also created models of the stars lit with various methods including LED matrices and optical fiber. In the end, metal halide was determined to be the closest in historical appearance to the existing incandescent lamps.

Within this update, each star was also given its first compressive maintenance since 1946. Damaged panes were replaced, the stars were cleaned inside and out, and the lubricants within the rotation system were replaced with modern fluids.

The State Kremlin Palace

By Benjamin Bradley Mulick

Finished in 1961 after three years of work, the Palace of Congresses, later renamed as the State Kremlin Palace (not to be confused with the Grand Kremlin Palace), opened its doors for the first time for the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, welcoming thousands of party delegates as well as communist leaders from around the world. Today, it is still the Kremlin’s newest building and a multipurpose facility, housing large conventions, cultural displays from around the world and even its own ballet troupe. With these functions giving it continued purpose, the Kremlin’s most modern and out of place building is also one of its most significant.

The Kremlin State Palace stands out from the gilded, pastel buildings around it with its hulking angular lines, and large windows divided by tall marble columns. It’s crowned by a glass banquet hall, which was the brainchild of Khrushchev himself.

It features three main halls: The Great Hall, the Small Hall, and the Diplomatic Hall. The Great Hall is the largest, featuring the palace’s main stage and hosting its most important events. With a seating capacity of six thousand, it is where party congresses were held, and where some of Russia’s most prominent cultural programs take place today. The Small Hall hosts smaller musical performances, and by virtue of having removable seating, also hosts dance events, such as the World Cup of Latin American Dance, as held in June of 2021. The Diplomatic Hall provides a smaller and more intimate setting in which to enjoy performances. Last but not least, the Diplomatic Hall often hosts lesser-known artists, often performing genres that do best in closer settings, such as jazz and folk.

The facility also holds many smaller meeting rooms, intended as breakout rooms for conventions, but also used for various purposes today.

The construction of the State Kremlin Palace came with considerable controversy. Not only is it stylistically wildly inconsistent with the rest of the Kremlin’s buildings, one of Russia’s most oldest and most important historical ensembles, but it also resulted in the destruction of several older buildings to make ways for the Palace’s massive presence.

The demolished buildings included the Old Kremlin Armory Building, originally built in 1851 to house the Kremlin’s ceremonial guard and a collection of state documents and treasure. The northern wing of the Patriarchal Chambers was torn down, formerly part of the private quarters of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Because these were officially designated historic buildings, the legality of razing them was questionable and likely would not have taken place had not the decision been made from the office of Khrushchev himself.

Perhaps the real loss, however, came from underground. The original plans for the palace, before the Second World War, envisioned it as truly massive facility built where Christ the Savior Cathedral now stands. In the Khrushchev era, it was planned to build a smaller but still very large building near MGU, along the river, in what were then the still-developing outskirts of the city. When Khrushchev decided to place it inside the Kremlin, its footprint was again shrunk and it faced restrictions on its height so that the view of the Dormition Cathedral would not be entirely lost.

To make up for this, the bottom part of the building was sunk sixteen meters into the valuable archeological depths of the Kremlin’s soil. The buildings torn down to make room for the Palace were themselves built over much older foundations.

Archeologists were given a short window to explore the former Palace of Natalya Narishkina, the mother of Tsar Peter I, as well the former sites of churches, royal kitchens, workshops, and studios in what was once an economic center based within the historic Kremlin.

Teams of archaeologists were assigned to the area, who, in addition to expected finds, also found a number of secret tunnels. Unfortunately, while the archaeologists did their best to learn and preserve what they could, the limited timeframe allowed by the construction of the State Kremlin Palace meant that the archaeological potential of the site was, in large part, wasted. The tunnels were filled in, the old foundations built over, and the ruins lost to history.

Today, the Palace is perhaps best known as the home of The Kremlin Ballet, which was specifically formed in 1990 under esteemed Russian artist and choreographer Andrey Petrov with the purpose of performing there after the Bolshoi Ballet stopped performing at the palace and returned to the Bolshoi, then under renovations.

While the Kremlin Ballet was created with a strong basis in the classics, they have made more recent contributions to the ballet world with a number of their own classically-inspired modern works, including a ballet adaptation of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer .

The State Kremlin Palace also hosts the Moscow Classical Ballet, which has been dancing in Moscow since 1966. Demonstrations of this tradition in the upcoming year will include the Moscow Classical Ballet’s dancing reinvention of Romeo and Juliet (which was considered scandalous when it was first performed in 1972), and a performance of Swan Lake , one of Russia’s most important contributions to dance, as performed by the Kremlin Ballet.

Built to hold important political events, the State Kremlin Palace is more a cultural building than a political one. The stage’s relatively short history promises to be subsumed by its promising future. Whatever the next big musical or cultural phenomenon in Russia is, the State Kremlin Palace will be a part of it.

• Read a review of The Snow Maidan as performed at the State Kremlin Palace on this site.

A Tour of the Moscow Kremlin Today

Tour as reviewed by Helen McHenry, 2019

As part of our SRAS cultural program, we were given the opportunity to take a tour of the Kremlin, a historic complex and symbol of the Russian government. We met our guide outside of Red Square before walking along the Kremlin walls to the visitors’ entrance. She pointed out the swallowtail merlons bordering the wall, a design popular in 15th century Italian-style architecture, before we mounted the battlement. To travel behind the Kremlin walls, we crossed a bridge that used to span the Neglinnaya River but today acts as an archway covering part of the footpath.

Inside the Kremlin is an intriguing mix of old and new – from the 15th century walls to the 20th century block of modernism known as the State Kremlin Palace. Our guide informed us of the controversy over the palace’s design, which stands in such contrast to the more traditional styles surrounding it. The building, built under Khrushchev’s leadership primarily as a government meeting hall, has almost as many floors underground as it does above ground. Although many cried out against the building when it was built, it still stands today, where it is now used mainly to host concerts.

A brief walk along a path lined with cannons from the state artillery collection brought us to what appeared to be the mother of all cannons. Indeed, the Tsar Cannon is the largest bombard by caliber ever manufactured and has never been used due to its vast size. Just around the corner lay a similarly large but unused item – the Tsar Bell. Commissioned during the time of Empress Anna, niece of Peter the Great, an almost life-size image of her adorns the bell’s surface.

We then traveled to Cathedral Square, which, as its name suggests, features a number of beautiful cathedrals. The overcast day did nothing to accentuate the gold domes that capped their many towers, but no amount of gloom could dim their impressive stature – so immense that photographing them from my vantage point proved a challenge. Each cathedral was adorned with more stunning iconography than the last, overwhelming to the point of monotony as we shuffled through the throngs of tourists.

Our next visit was to the State Armoury, a neoclassical building resplendent with the wealth of the tsars. We traipsed through room after room of riches, from icons, dishware, and diplomatic gifts to clothing, carriages, and thrones. What stood out to me the most was the two distinct – and sometimes warring – natures of Russian identity on display at the Armoury, East and West. The contrast was particularly obvious amongst the collections of clothing, weaponry, and thrones. The older pieces hearkened back to the time before the Western pivot of Peter the Great. While these remained just as ornately decorated as their modern counterparts, they were, on the whole, a lot less outlandish than those done in the styles of the West.

The Armoury marked our last stop within the Kremlin, so we traveled across the city center to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Although the cathedral is the world’s largest Orthodox church, the current building is not the original. Christ the Saviour was demolished under the reign of Stalin and was only rebuilt in the late 1990s. Since then, the cathedral has gained fame as the site of Pussy Riot’s 2012 performance, which landed three members in jail for “hooliganism.”

Our guide let us explore the church on our own, as the church requires groups to be led by its own guides. Looking forward to lunch, we opted for a quick pass through the cathedral. Had I not been so hungry, I could have spent hours inside, as every surface held intricately-painted religious imagery intermixed with adornments heavily gilded with gold. Photographs were not allowed within the cathedral, reserving this spectacle to be seen first-hand.

The Kremlin in its entirety is a spot I recommend to all visiting Moscow, as four hours within its walls was not enough for our group to even scratch the surface of the wonders within.

Tour as Reviewed by Joseph Ozment, 2016

As part of SRAS’s Russian as a Second Language (RSL) program at Moscow State University, I had the opportunity to attend a guided walking tour of the Kremlin and its museums. We had a professional tour guide provided by SRAS who was very well informed about all aspects of the Kremlin’s sites and always willing to answer questions.

The tour, as offered by SRAS each session, can differ slightly based on availability and timing. We began our day’s tour not at the Kremlin, but at the nearby Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Russia’s largest Orthodox cathedral and one of the largest Christian structures in the world. Note that there are wardrobe requirements for entering the church (men and women both must have their shoulders covered, while men cannot wear shorts and women must wear skirts at least beneath the knee).

Before going inside, we were taken around the massive structure, and given a brief yet informative overview of its history. We learned that, despite the classical style of the building, it is actually only about 20 years old, having been constructed to resemble the church that once stood on the same ground.

During Communist times, the ground on which the Church now stands was a massive swimming pool, having been filled with water after the original Church was destroyed. The plans that the Communists originally had for the site were to construct the headquarters of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which would be one of the tallest structures in the world and house the office of the Soviet Union’s premier inside the head of a giant Vladimir Lenin statue adorning the top.

The Cathedral is a truly stunning structure. Comparable only to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome in my mind, the sheer amount of open air is amazing when one considers how still and tranquil it is on the inside.

We then continued onwards to the Kremlin itself, which was teeming with guided tours from all over the world, just like ours. Seeing other groups from America, but also some from France, Italy, China, and several other European and Asian countries was very interesting, as people tend not to think of Russia as a popular tourist destination. However, tourism here has grown rapidly in recent years, particularly since the ruble lost about half its value on world markets, making Russia a much more affordable location.

Anna informed us of the purposes of all of the first structures we encountered within the Kremlin walls. First of all, though, she made sure that we were aware that the word “Kremlin” does not refer just the center of government in Moscow, but is a general word that means fortress. Most Russian cities and towns of reasonable size and with a medieval history possess a Kremlin.

We saw one of the offices in which President Putin occasionally works, as well as the large, semi-controversial event and concert hall that resides just inside the main entrance to the Kremlin. Despite its modern style that clashes somewhat with the comparatively ancient structures around it, the fact that the building is covered in glass at least ensures that it reflects the beauty and history that abounds within the Kremlin.

After seeing the aptly named Tsar Cannon and Tsar Bell, both of which are two of the largest objects of their kind in the world, and neither of which have been used for their structural purpose in their existence, we moved on to see several of the many churches that stand within the walls of the Kremlin.

Inside the Church of the Annunciation, we were informed of some of the basic components of any Russian Orthodox Church. For starters, every inch of wall is covered in some image or another, from icons of Saints to giant murals that depict judgment day and the people of earth being sent either to heaven or hell. We also learned that the altar in an Orthodox church is given its own room, to which only the priests are allowed entry. The mysticism that is native to Orthodoxy and inherent to its liturgy was embodied in all aspects of these churches.

After our tour of the Kremlin’s outside squares, we were taken on a tour of the Armory Museum, which houses outfits, household items, carriages, armor, weapons, and various sundry items that belonged to the Tsars and Tsarinas of Russia. Anna knowledgeably led us through the various styles worn by different Russian rulers, and explained the significance(s) behind the appearance of what they wore and the carriages in which they rode.

We were in awe of the beautiful jewels that encrusted everything the royals wore and every vessel out of which they drank or off of which they ate, not to mention of the thrones on which they sat. We saw gifts from foreign dignitaries and rulers, and even the museum’s collection of Faberge creations.

All in all, it was a day rich with history and made even more enjoyable by our friendly and incredibly knowledgeable tour guide, Anna. There is hardly a more essential Russian experience to have during your time in Moscow than a guided tour of the Kremlin.

Incidentally, Anna, a guide that SRAS has worked with for years, helps run a guiding collective in Moscow called Bridge to Moscow . They run many private tours and are available for custom tours and travel as well.

Latest Updates

By Josh Wilson

In addition to the changes to how the Kremlin stars are lit and renovations to the Kremlin bells in Spasskaya Tower , for instance, several recent events are of interest.

In the mid-2000s, the Russian Orthodox Church lobbied for the restoration of the Chudov Monetary and the Ascension Convent within the Kremlin walls. The idea was seriously considered and even discussed on television by President Vladimir Putin, although only in the sense of rebuilding them as cultural monuments and part of the museum complex, rather than as working religious institutions. In the end, however, the Kremlin Presidium was simply torn down in 2016 and the area left mostly open with fragments of the old foundations left under glass for viewing. The result is a Kremlin even more dominated by open space and gardens.

Wind has damaged the Kremlin walls on a few occasions. In June 1998, several of the iconic sparrow tail structures on the wall were damaged by strong winds. In April 2018, strong wind damaged the Senate Palace roof. In October 2021, scaffolding being used to restore a section of the inner wall was blown over the top of the wall, also damaging several of the iconic sparrow tail structures. In all cases, the damage was quickly repaired.

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About the authors

Serena Keenan

At the time she wrote for this site, Serena Keenan was a rising junior at Smith College in Northampton, MA. She was majoring in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies with a minor in Government and a concentration in Translation Studies. She hoped to study abroad in Moscow during the spring 2022 semester. After college, she hoped to go on to work in nuclear nonproliferation. In her free time, she likes to read and crochet.

Program attended: Online Interships

View all posts by: Serena Keenan

Caroline Barrow

Caroline Barrow is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in International Studies and Russian. She loves traveling and hearing people’s stories. Out of the places she’s been able to visit, her favorite was Kiev, Ukraine for its beauty, history, and friendly people. She received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship and, at the time she wrote for this site, was spending year teaching English in Kostanay, Kazakhstan. Additionally, she was been named SRAS’s Home and Abroad Translation Scholar for the 2013-2014 cycle. Her contributions included mostly translations of articles and blog posts that will be of interest to students.

Program attended: Home and Abroad Scholar

View all posts by: Caroline Barrow

Lee Sullivan

Lee Sullivan is an undergraduate student at Stetson University. She is currently pursuing a BS in cybersecurity and a BA in Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies. Next semester Lee will be in Vladivostok, Russia – studying the Russian language and participating in the Home and Abroad internship with SRAS. She aspires to pursue a master’s degree upon graduating.

View all posts by: Lee Sullivan

Benjamin Mulick

Ben Mulick, at the time he wrote for this site, was a fourth year Global Studies major at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

View all posts by: Benjamin Mulick

Jack Fischer

Jack Fischer, at the time he wrote for this site, was majoring in Physics with Russian and Economics minors at Iowa State University of Science and Technology in Ames, Iowa. He is studied Russian as a Second Language with SRAS over the summer of 2016 to improve his command of the Russian language. In the future, he’d like to work for himself and run a business, preferably abroad.

Program attended: Challenge Grants

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Joseph Ozment

Joseph Ozment is a fourth-year International Studies and Russian Studies major at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. He is minoring in music minor and has spent a lot of free time on music projects. He is studying Russian as a Second Language and also working an internship with The Moscow Times. He hopes to increase his Russian skills and cultural awareness so as to use his knowledge of the country and language in a professional setting in the future.

View all posts by: Joseph Ozment

Helen McHenry

Helen McHenry, at the time she wrote for this site, was a double major in international relations and Russian at the Ohio State University, with minors in Spanish and public policy. She studied with Russian as a Second Language with SRAS at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow in order to advance her proficiency in Russian and appreciation for Russian culture. She hoped to use the knowledge gained during her time abroad to advocate for foreign policy that strengthens relations between East and West in her future career.

View all posts by: Helen McHenry

Julia Brock

Julie Brock, at the time she wrote for this site, had returned to University of Kentucky to pursue a Global Studies Certificate, with an emphasis on Russia and the travel industry. She earned prior BA and MA degrees in psychology. A few years ago, she traveled to Russia, Estonia, and Finland, and loves the culture and history of these areas. She works at the campus library, and enjoys reading, running 5Ks, and spending time with her dogs. She lived for five years in Minnesota and loved the snow, winter sports, and Museum of Russian Art.

View all posts by: Julia Brock

Hudson Dobbs

Hudson received his BA in Russian Studies with a minor in Corporate Communications from Baylor University. At the time he wrote for this site, he was serving as a Home and Abroad Scholar as part of a Spring, 2022 session of SRAS’s Language and Society program St. Petersburg. While abroad, Hudson will be researching the Russian coffee culture, as well as the evolution of specialty coffee in Russia. His goal is to open his own coffee shop in the US - taking his experiences abroad and applying them to his future business.

View all posts by: Hudson Dobbs

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14 Western-inspired Travel Clothes That Actually Go With Everything in Your Suitcase — From $15

Keep reading for our favorite cowboy boots, hats, denim, and more.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Travel + Leisure / Reese Herrington

Western wear, cowboy aesthetic, country couture — whatever you'd like to call it — has taken the fashion world by storm, but it's not just a mere passing trend. As a New York City-based travel writer , it's hard to go a block without seeing studded belts and vintage washed jeans , and the trend has spread far beyond Manhattan; I've even spotted it on recent trips up and down the East Coast. Though its resurgence in pop culture features new spins on the traditional fashion genre, Western wear obviously has roots dating back centuries, but there's something about the classic look that will forever exude cool. With celebrities like Beyoncé and Bella Hadid showcasing the best of the Americana lifestyle, this latest resurgence is beckoning everyone (including myself) to give their travel clothes a refresh. 

Beyond looking sharp, the Western wear trend embraces easy-wearing, high-quality basics inspired by country living, making it a must-have for your travel wardrobe. It prioritizes timeless pieces like maxi denim skirts and cowboy boots that can be worn and reworn in a plethora of ways to maximize your travel outfit possibilities. These pieces are typically denim-, cotton-, leather, and suede-heavy, making them the ideal transitional garments that can be worn throughout spring (and some of our favorite finds can even be rocked in the summer). 

Don’t know where to start transforming your wardrobe to embrace a Western aesthetic? I’ve curated a selection of pieces that I’m absolutely loving this season that will look great anywhere, be it a serene getaway in Wyoming , an exciting rodeo, or even to a "Cowboy Carter" listening party.  

Tecovas The Annie Cowgirl Boots

Cowgirl and cowboy boots are undoubtedly one of the most prominent items emerging from the Americana fashion movement, and if you’re looking to embrace this shoe trend, then you should do so with the best: a pair of Tecovas . The Austin-based brand prioritizes authentic craftsmanship to make its top-quality, already-worn-in-comfy boots that are made to last. I’m utterly obsessed with this Annie style, the brand’s best-selling cowgirl boot, and am eager to add them to my collection because I know that they’ll be my comfortable go-to pair of boots that’ll last me years to come. Plus, they'll look equally wonderful with a pair of jeans as they would with a flowy dress. 

If you’re looking for a more affordable option to achieve the same look, consider shopping the Soda Reno Women's Cowboy Boots that boast a $50 price tag at Amazon.  

Madewell The Santiago Western Ankle Boots

Not quite ready for full-on cowboy boots? Or, maybe you're headed somewhere warm. Either way, if you want to dip your toes into the style, these Madewell ankle booties are the perfect way to start. Beyond their alluring 82 percent discount (thanks to an on-site double deal — just use the code SPRING30 to unlock an extra 30 percent off at checkout), they’re absolutely adorable. Country styles embrace shiny hardware and durable materials like suede, as seen on these boots, which’ll elevate any look that you have planned. And, because they’re crafted with elastic and a low block heel, they go on-and-off seamlessly and will be easy to walk in. Hurry, they're selling out. 

J.Crew Maxi Denim Skirt

Maxi denim skirts, and denim in general, are totally country-approved thanks to their utility style that is a bit more polished and put together than a mini skirt. I’m all in for embracing more maxi denim skirts into my wardrobe. They can be styled with T-shirts, blouses, vests, and more, making them a welcomed, versatile staple in your suitcase. In fact, denim skirts are among the first garments that I look for when preparing for a trip, because of the way that they can seamlessly elevate any look. If you want to test the waters on this trend, do so with this stunning, on-sale skirt from J.Crew while it’s 46 percent off. 

Wrangler Women’s Cowboy Cut Jeans 

Wrangler is among the original cowboy couture brands, selling high-quality denim that parallels the rise of country since the 1940s. Needless to say, you can’t go wrong with anything from the cowboy fashion pioneer to adapt your wardrobe to Western style, but I recommend starting with these Cowboy Cut jeans. They effortlessly blend classic aesthetics with contemporary details for unmatched comfort. Crafted with 98 percent denim and 2 percent spandex, these jeans exude vintage charm with the modern ingenuity of a comfortable pair of travel pants. And at just $50, they’re the perfect garment to wear on your spring adventures. 

Amour Vert Violette Organic Cotton Eyelet Dress

Amour Vert 

Flowy, flirty dresses add a feminine touch to an otherwise rather masculine trend. And this prairie-style dress not only embodies the essence of country living, but it also serves as the ideal white sundress for the vibrant seasons of spring and summer. Crafted with 100 percent cotton, adorned with delicate details, and featuring a fashion-forward corseted bust, this dress is a timeless and breathtaking addition to your wardrobe. And to complete the look, I recommend pairing with a pair of cowboy boots — duh! 

Sézane Women’s Amerie Shirt

This Western-style embroidered chambray snap shirt is an incredibly versatile choice that radiates versatility. With its long-sleeve design, this shirt offers year-round comfort while shielding you from the elements (without causing overheating). It’s also a stunning option to add to your collection of Americana-inspired garments, inviting endless styling options, whether paired with a denim skirt, jeans, or classic boots. 

Unfortunately, this stunning top is about to sell out. If you have your heart set on the look, check out the newly dropped Grosy Women's Embroidered Plain Tunic Shirt for $40 at Amazon.  

Free People Wilder Embellished Sling Bag

Free People 

Conchos are the focal points of any Western look. Instead of wearing the classic disc around your waist, you can sport it on your travel bag. Here, the historically rich accessory decorates the belt bag's strap to add that cowboy flair to any outfit. It also offers the spacious, hands-free functionality of a great belt bag; wear it as a crossbody, off the shoulder, or as a belt bag, and will confidently safeguard all of your items as you explore new destinations this year.  

Wrangler Western Shoulder Bag

For a larger option, this adjustable shoulder bag is winning over shoppers for boasting the " perfect size " and a " sturdy feel that feels well-made ." That also happens to be the ethos of Western fashion, prioritizing items that both look and feel good — just check out that stunning embroidery! And starting at just $52 and available in an impressive 50 different colors and prints, the Montana-styled bag is just waiting to be added to your cart. 

Mavi Venus Denim Vest

Denim is widely recognized as a premium and long-lasting fabric, making it an ideal choice for outdoor activities and country living. Western wear is known for its practicality, and as such, many denim styles are adorned with functional pockets and comfortable cuts that are perfect for all-day wear. Take this stunning denim vest from Mavi, which features front pockets and a straight fit that can be styled in various ways (and will look great in each of them). Whether you choose to store your lip balm in one of the frockets (front pockets) or utilize them for your ID and cards, you will never regret adding this versatile top to your collection.

Quince Women’s Suede Trucker Jacket

It would be wrong to share a list of high-quality Western wear to add to your travel wardrobe without including a buttery soft suede jacket, and this one from Quince is just what your transitional wardrobe needs right now. It’s warm enough to wear as the temperatures continue to dip and rise, but remains lightweight and soft for hot days ahead. And since the trademark of this style is practicality, you can bet that this jacket is equipped with a few functional pockets to hold onto some of your small belongings. 

Livingston Straw Cowboy Hat

Saddle up travelers! To bring your entire Western ensemble together, you need a cowboy hat. This iconic accessory not only exudes a relaxed and cool vibe, but it also serves a practical purpose. Originally designed to protect cowboys from the scorching sun while working outdoors, these hats have now become a versatile (and useful) fashion statement. This utility also lends them as the perfect accessory to shield your face from the sun at the beach, festivals, and beyond. 

This lightweight hat can also travel like a dream with the help of a convenient hat clip . Plus, it gives your outfit more style points than any old baseball cap or sun visor would. 

Steve Madden Women’s Recent Gladiator Sandals

Modern takes on Western wear draw inspiration from classic country accessories like the studded (and classic) concho belt — which are on full display in these Steve Madden sandals. I personally love a strappy gladiator for travel, as I find that they have more support and grip compared to other styles on the market. This pair caught my eye for its stunning look that I know would be a standout at any festival or vacation that I have planned this season.  

Superdown Robyn Strappy Back Top

Plenty of these styles possess a classic and timeless appeal due to their simple yet classy look. However, the recent revival of this style has inspired retailers to think outside of the box and explore incorporating Americana prints, like cowhide, to give a fresh twist to this country craze. For instance, try out this stylish cow print top from Superdown, which will surely make a statement at any music festival or evening event that you have on the schedule. 

Werforu Leather Belt

A true Western-inspired outfit is never truly complete without a concho belt. This $15 one from Amazon is embellished with beautifully etched hardware that’ll effortlessly pull together any look, while remaining understated enough to not cause too much attention. Style it with a pair of vintage wash jeans or wear it with a dress to give yourself some extra waist-cinching magic. 

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