Return briefly to the southeast corner of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower to inspect the gargantuan "Tsar Bell" (1733-1735). At a weight of 200 tonnes, and with a height and diameter of greater than six meters, it is probably the largest bell in the world. Sadly, however, it was never rung: An eleven-and-a-half-tonne piece broke away during a fire in 1737 when water was poured into its huge throat, effectively silencing this magnificent instrument before it had ever sung a single tone.

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