Unit 1. Russia. Moscow

Historical Review

Moscow is first mentioned in chronicle under the year 1147 as a possession of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, and this date has been taken as the year of its founding. Archaeological excavations in the centre of Moscow, however, prove that a small settlement already existed on this site as early as the 11^th century.

Moscow’s position in the heart of the Russian lands and at the intersection of trade routes promoted its rapid growth. In the late 15^th century the city emerged as the capital of the Russian state. The most well-known Moscow princes and kings such as grand prince Andrew Bogolubsky, Ivan Kalita, Ivan the Red, Dmitry Donskoy, Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Mikhail Feodorovich and others were the continuators of Moscow state formation.

Moscow remained Russia’s largest city even after the capital had been moved to St. Petersburg in the early 18^th century.

Moscow occupied an outstanding place in the revolutionary movement. The barricades of the Krasnaya Presnya district epitomized the courage of the workers who rose in arms against tsarism during 1905-1907.

After the Great October Socialistic Revolution of 1917, Moscow was again made the capital, this time of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and the Soviet Union less than five years later.

During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) the defenders of Moscow won unfading glory for themselves and the city. The great Battle of Moscow (1941-1942) resulted in the first major defeat of Hitler’s armies in World War II, inflicting on them a loss of over 400,000 men and vast amounts of combat equipment. Twenty years after the end of the war Moscow (and other twelve Soviet cities) was awarded the title of the Hero City.

The postwar period saw Moscow continuing its development as the leading political, economic, scientific and cultural centre of the country. Today it is one of the largest cities in the world (area – 2,511 sq.km.; population in 2020 – 12.4 mln. within the city limits, and over 20 mln. residents in the Moscow Metropolitan Area). It constitutes:

– a sweeping panorama of new housing projects;

– widened and straightened streets in the centre and broad new thoroughfares;

– spacious and attractive buildings of institutes and enterprises, theatres and libraries;

– sparkling window displays in shops, cafés and restaurants;

– magnificent sports stadiums and beautiful parks and gardens;

– soaring bridges across waterways;

– the marble-faced stations of the Metro.

The city symbolizes the unity of 130 large and small nations and nationalities inhabiting the Russian Federation. It is a treasure-trove of the Russian people’s culture and art; and a major tourist centre of the country.

Here the most precious historical memorials are gathered: the Moscow Kremlin, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Novodevichy Convent, Fili Church, Moscow State University, Triumph Arch, Victory Park on Poklonnaya Hill. Revival Gates of the Kremlin with Iver God’s Mother Chapel, Kazan God’s Mother Icon Cathedral, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior have been restored and this process is going on.

Excursions

General Sightseeing Tour of Moscow (by bus, with a guide/interpreter; duration – about 3 hours). The route of this tour passes through the city’s historical centre as well as new residential areas and parks. You will be able to have a close look at the architectural features of Red Square and see the Bolshoi Theatre, meanwhile your guide will tell you about the capital’s cultural life. The bus will take you along Tverskaya street to Sadovoye Koltso (Garden Ring) and then to Novy Arbat and Kutuzov Avenue; then you will pass by the old walls of the Novodevichy Convent and move in the direction of Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills) from where you will be thrilled by a splendid panorama of Moscow. Your final stop will be at the building of Moscow State University in Vorobyovy Gory.

Moscow – a City of Sport (by bus, with a guide/interpreter; duration – 3 hours). During this excursion you will learn about the development of sports in Russia and will see palaces of sports, stadiums, major sports complexes, the Olympic Village and Luzhniki Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1980 Olympic Games were held, where Moscow hosted the UEFA Cup 1998-99, UEFA Champions League 2007-08 finals and the 2018 FIFA World Cup with 7 games total, including the final. You will also learn about seven horse racing tracks in Moscow, and see the largest of them – Central Moscow Hippodrome, founded in 1834.

Moscow’s Architecture (by bus, with a guide/interpreter; duration – 2.5 hours). This excursion will give you an opportunity to see some unique monuments of old Russian and modern architecture in the city. You will get acquainted with the famous Shukhov Tower which was designed by the architect Vladimir Shukhov and built between 1919 and 1922 as a transmission tower for a Russian broadcasting company; the Ostankino Tower which, when it was completed in 1967, was the tallest free-standing land structure in the world and today remains the world’s second-tallest after the CN Tower in Toronto.

Moscow and Literary Culture (by bus, with a guide/interpreter; duration – 2.5 hours). This is a tour of memorable places linked with the lives and work of outstanding Russian writers, as well as with the history of Russian literature. You will visit Moscow State Museum of Sergey Esenin, the State Museum of Vladimir Mayakovsky, the State Cultural Centre and Museum of Vladimir Vysotsky.

A Boat Trip on the Moskva River (duration – 1 hour 10 minutes). It begins at the pier near the Kiev Railway Station (Kievskaya Metro Station). Excursion boats start from the pier every thirty minutes. You will have a wonderful opportunity to see the embankment and bridges of the Moskva River and some of the city’s architectural sights.

If you are free in the evening and would like to get to know Moscow better, you can go to a “Moscow in the Evening” Tour (by bus, with a guide/interpreter; duration – 3 hours). You will see old streets and squares of Moscow, St. Basil’s Cathedral, the Moscow Kremlin, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Novodevichy Convent (without visiting it), the panorama of the city from Vorobyovy Gory and Poklonnaya Gora (from the bus).

The Moscow Kremlin (on foot, duration – 2 hours). The cathedrals and palaces of the Kremlin contain treasures of old art; its age-old walls have witnessed major events of Russian history. This excursion begins at Cathedral Square (Sobornaya Square) with its late 15^th – and early 16^th century buildings: the Annunciation, Assumption and Archangel Cathedrals, the Faceted Palace, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, and the Church of the Deposition of the Robe.

Organically integrated in the old architectural ensemble of the Kremlin is the Palace of Congresses, erected in 1961, where congresses of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and other important meetings were held. In 1992 it was renamed. Now it is known as the State Kremlin Palace and is used as a theatre and for public purposes.

This excursion includes a tour of the Kremlin grounds, a visit to one of the cathedrals and a close-up view of two remarkable specimen of Russian foundry work of the 16^th – 18^th centuries – the Tsar-Cannon and the Tsar-Bell.

You may also visit interesting museums of the Moscow Kremlin – the Church of the Deposition of the Robe and the Patriarch’s Palace.

Around Moscow Zaryadye (on foot; duration – 2 hours). One of the oldest districts of Moscow, Zaryadye (more than 13 hectares in area) boasts a whole collection of architectural monuments of the 16^th – 19^th centuries such as the Old English Embassy, Church of All Saints, Roman boyar residence and some others. Together they comprise a unique open-air museum of old Russian architecture.

Around Red Square (on foot; duration – 1.5 hours). Facing the Kremlin wall, Red Square is an inseparable component of the architectural ensemble of the Kremlin. Its history dates back to the 15^th century.

Here foreign tourists can visit the Lenin Mausoleum.

In the southern part of Red Square stands the exquisitely decorated Cathedral of the Intercession (better known as St. Basil’s Cathedral), a unique monument of the 16^th century; facing it across the Square from the north is the History Museum, built over a hundred years ago. Opposite the Kremlin and forming the eastern boundary of Red Square is the country’s largest State Department Store – the Upper Trade Rows, known as GUM.

The only sculptured monument on the square is a bronze statue of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, who helped to clear Moscow from the Polish invaders in 1612, during the Time of Troubles.

A Tour of the Moscow Metro (duration – 1.5 hours) will acquaint you with one of the world’s most beautiful and convenient underground transportation networks. Many stations of the Moscow Metro are decorated with mosaic, sculptures and stained-glass panels. Some of them are an outstanding example of socialist realist art.

Museums (in the city)

Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. The stocks of this Museum contain fabulous collections of Babylonian and Egyptian art, of classical Greek and Roman art, and of 18^th-20^th century Western European paintings, works by Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne and Pablo Picasso. This museum is similar to the British Museum in London in that its halls are a cross-section of world civilizations with many plaster casts of ancient sculptures.

Open: daily from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm, entrance till 5.30 pm; Thursday from 1.00 pm to 9 pm, entrance till 8.30 pm.

Closed: Monday.

Tretyakov Art Gallery. A depository of works of Russian national art from the 11^th century to the present. The Gallery’s collection includes 40,000 canvases, drawings and sculptures by Russian and Soviet artists. The Gallery was founded by Pavel Tretyakov (1832-1898), an eminent figure in Russian cultural life.