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Sights & Museums
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Moscow originated as a wooden fort built on a hill at the confluence of the Neglinnaya and Moscva rivers in about 1147. During the Soviet era it was of course the showpiece of Russia which has resulted in a complex city with 15th century churches sitting next to modern office blocks, narrow crooked lanes and long broad avenues, rich museums and modern department stores and a population of 12 million people. It has an indefinable buzz which permeates through the city 24 hours a day making it both fascinating and exciting. There are innumerable restaurants, a wide range of hotels and a wealth of historically important monuments including of course the magnificent Red Square, the glamorous Kremlin, festive St Basils Cathedral, refined New Maiden Convent, variety of art galleries and even the KGB Museum!
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Red Square
Red Square is the heart not only of Moscow, but of the whole Russia. Originally a commercial center, it has been at the very center of Russian history since the 15th century, from Ivan the Terrible's confession of his misdeeds to the people in 1550, to great demonstrations, executions and the great parades of the Soviet Union's military might. The name has nothing to do with the colour of the adjacent buildings as in old Russian "red" originally meant beautiful! Red Square is a large open square in the center of Moscow. It is located in front of the Kremlin's western wall. The square is fenced in the State Historical Museum building, the GUM building, and St. Basil Cathedral.
Kremlin
A visit to the Kremlin is, no doubt, the highlight of Moscow tour. You might be surprised how many ancient and magnificent structures one can see within its walls: 15th century cathedrals (the coronation, wedding and bury place of Russian rulers), bell-tower, Patriach's Palace, Grand Kremlin Palace and of course the richest museums - Armoury and Diamond Fund. The Armoury has a fantastic collection of insignia of Imperial power, precious clothes, ceremonial harness and unique collection of imperial carriages.
The 17th century throne of Alexey Romanov covered with a mosaic of turquoises and 900 diamonds, a pheloneon of Metropolitan Platon decorated with 150,000 pearls (it took the embroiderer 2 years to work on the pattern!), the famous Faberge eggs - one can't help admiring the priceless and luxurious items.Diamond Fund possesses unique collection of diamonds, among them - "Orlov Diamond" (186.62 carats), found in the 17th century in India, bought then by Count Orlov and presented to Catherine the Great. |
Novodevichy Convent and Cemetery
The convent, with its churches and graves, is one of the most peaceful places to escape to on a nice day in Moscow. The red and white crenulated walls and golden domes of Novodevichy Convent make it one of Moscow's most beautiful monasteries. Novodevichy was founded by Vasily III in 1524. The convent is rather like the Kremlin in miniature. Many wives and widows of Russian tsars entered the convent and handed over all their jewels, pearls, gold and silver. The cemetery, adjacent to the convent, is awash with the graves of many famous people such as Chekhov, Gogol, Bulgakov, Mayakovsky, Eisenstein, Shostakovich, Scriabin, Khrushchev, Molotov, Gromyko, and Stalin's wife, among others. |
Danilovsky Monastery
Danilovsky monastery was the first monastery to be founded in Moscow and the first one to be reopened after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This ancient monastery was founded in 1282 by Grand Prince Daniil of Moscow, who became the honoured saint later on. It is the residence of the Patriarch since 1982. |
Cathedral of Christ the Savior
 On December 25, 1812 Russian Emperor Alexander I signed an order, according to which it was supposed to build a temple dedicated to Russia's victory over Napoleon in Moscow. Iosif Stalin ordered to destroy the temple on 1931, has been rebuilt in 1994-2000 . The new temple was to symbolize the feat of Russian people and to become a gratitude to Providence for saving Russia. |
Andronikov monastery
St. Andronicus Monastery of the Savior founded in the beginning of the 15th century by Andronicus, who was the follower of Sergey Radonezhsky, the monastery for many centuries played an important role in the religious life of the country. In the early 15th century Andrei Rublev became a monk of St. Andronicus Monastery. There he created a plenty of splendid icons and painted the walls and vaults of the Savior Cathedral that is nowadays one of the oldest monuments of Moscow stone architecture. In St. Andronicus Monastery of the Savior Andrei Rublev spent the last years of his life and in 1430 was buried on the monastery territory. The opening of the Museum took place in 1960. Nowadays the Museum is proud of its rich collection that features icons of the 14-19th centuries including works of Moscow, Novgorod, Tver and North Russian icon schools. |
Poklonnaya Mountain
The Poklonnaya Mountain was first mentioned in chronicles of the 16th century. It was on Poklonnaya Mountain that Napoleon was vainly waiting for the keys to Moscow. During World War II the solders passed by the Poklonnaya Mountain leaving for the front to defend Russia. In 1942 it was suggested to put a memorial on the Poklonnaya Mountain, but during that time it was absolutely impossible because of the war. Its solemn opening was dated for the 50th Victory celebration that took place on the 9th of May, 1995. The memorial complex includes the Central Museum of Great Patriotic war, the Victory Monument, and three temples of three religions constructed in memory of those who died during the war. Saint George temple was constructed in 1995, the Memorial Mosque was put up in 1997, and the Memorial Synagogue was erected in 1998. |
All-Russian Exhibition Center (VDNKH)
It is a very large complex containing exhibition halls, rest area, and a giant trade center. The unique ensemble of the exhibition area had been forming for several decades. The first All-Union Agricultural Exhibition was opened in Ostankino on the 1st of August, 1939. The exhibition occupied 136 hectares and looked like a town with a large park, ponds, numerous pavilions and agricultural constructions. |
Moscow University
On January 25, 1755 Empress Elizabeth signed the order, according to which the University was founded. It happened on the day when Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the day of Saint Tatiana. Since then Tatiana's day is celebrated as the day of Moscow University. Originally, the University was housed in the drugstore building on Red Square. In 1950-1970 the University complex was put up on Vorobievi Mountains. It housed all the faculties of Moscow State University, and only four faculties stayed in the buildings on Mokhovaya Street.
Nowadays Moscow State University named after Mikhail Lomonosov is the largest classical university in Russian Federation. |
Metro
The first line of Moscow metro was opened on May 15, 1935, at 7 a.m. Some Muscovites were waiting for metro opening all night long, as they wanted to be the first ones to try the novelty. Some stations were designed by outstanding Soviet architects. Among them was A. Shchusev, the author of the Mausoleum in Moscow. The grand stations looked like palaces. They were decorated with stained-glass windows, paintings, majolica, and even sculptural groups. Stations were faced with marble, granite, and other various stones. |
Kolomenskoye
 To have a rest from the city's buzz, we offer you a tour to Kolomenskoye. This is a beautiful royal country estate in outer Moscow on the bend of the river; accessible by boat in the summer, it makes for a pleasant half-day excursion. You'll enjoy a walk in century-old oak-trees grove, visit small but interesting museums containing Russian wood-carving and tiles, picturesque 17th century church, Peter the Great's wooden cabin, where one can compare his height and a hand's size with those of the emperor with the help of special notches inside the cabin, made once by Peter. Being very tall (over 2 meters), he is known to have had surprisingly small feet and hands. Summer visits to the place can include folk music performances, horse riding.
Kuskovo
In 1919 Kuskovo Estate used to be the summer residence of Sheremetyev Counts. The architectural ensemble of the estate had been formed by the middle of the 18th century. Magnificent constructions such as the Palace, Grotto, Hermitage, Great stone conservatory, old church, and Italian and Dutch houses survived until nowadays. At Kuskovo there is also a very well preserved French regular park with ponds, pavilions and marble sculptures. In 1919 Kuskovo Estate got the status of the State Museum, and since 1938 it was consolidated with the only Ceramics Museum in Russia. |
Tsaritsino
Architectural and park ensemble of Tsaritsino is a remarkable historical and cultural monument of the 18th-19th centuries. Constructed in the Gothic style, it was intended for the residence of Catherine II. In 1776-1785 grandiose construction works supervised by architect V. Bajenov took place on the territory of the estate. In 1797, in a year after Catherine's death, construction works were stopped. In the 19th century Tsaritsino became the place for folk festivals. The new pavilions were put up. Some of them survived to present day. In 1927 Tsaritsino was turned into a State Historical, Architectural, Artistic and Landscape Museum-Preserve. |
Ostankino
 The golden age of Ostankino Estate started at the end of the 18th century, when Count N. Sheremetyev, the wealthy patron of art, became its owner. Sheremetyev was very fond of theater. He decided to make Ostankino his summer residence and move the theater troupe from Kuskovo. To realize his idea, Sheremetyev ordered to put up the palace-theater in Ostankino. After the October Revolution the estate was nationalized and turned into museum. Annually Ostankino Museum-Estate becomes the place of Sheremetyev Seasons festival. The goal of the festival is to present old opera masterpieces to modern public. |
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Tretyakov gallery
The Tretyakov gallery is a unique collection of Russian art, comprising 6000 canvases, 3000 icons, 1000 sculptures, 30000 drawings, watercolours and engravings. Its founder, Pavel Tretyakov, a Moscow merchant, began collecting the finest works of Russian artists in 1856. In August, 1892 Tretyakov presented the collection and the Gallery to the city of Moscow. In 1898 Tretyakov died. After his death a new facade designed by Vasnetsov was attached to the old estate. This Russian styled facade became the symbol of the Gallery. Besides the main Russian styled building the State Tretyakov Gallery got a new museum complex in Krymsky Val. The exposition of the branch museum is totally dedicated to the Russian art of the 20th century. |
Pushkin museum of Fine Arts
Pushkin museum of Fine Arts after the Hermitage in St Petersburg possesses the finest collection of non-Russian art. The museum was opened in 1912 in the presence of Nicholas II. Nowadays there are over 560,000 works of art exhibited in the halls of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. The museum treasures Egyptian mummies, antique amphorae and craters with images of Greek and Roman gods and heroes, old steles and sarcophagi, paintings by Rembrandt, Botichelli, Canaletto, Guardi, Tiepolo, impressive collection of Little Dutch Masters, impressionists, postimpressionists and modernists,with works by Monet, Renoir, Gaugin, Cezannes, Picasso and Matisse, and many other works that form the gold collection of world art heritage. |
Museum of Private Collections (branch of Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts)
The Museum was founded by Ilya Zillberstein who returned to Russia many pieces of its cultural heritage from abroad. Being to Europe and especially to France in the early 20th century he used to meet there Russian families of artists and famous collectors in emigration, and they donated him some of their private collections of art which they wanted to be returned to their Motherland. Among these masterpieces is an exclusive early 19th century collection of portraits of Decabrists (the Nobility Rebellion in St. Petersburg on December 14, 1825, whose participants were exiled to Siberia) by one of them, Nicolay Bestuzhev.
There is also a large number of landscapes by Repin, Serov, Vrubel, Polenov, Shishkin and some other world-known Russian artists, as well as some ancient Russian icons of the 16th - 18th centuries. |
Romanov Chambers
In the middle of the 16th century, having married, a famous boyar Nikita Romanovich Zakharjin-Jur'ev received a luxurious dowry: an estate not far from Kremlin. Thanks to its location right behind the rows of stores which surrounded Kremlin, the whole region was called "Zaradye" (literally - "behind the rows"). Although he was playing one of the leading parts at Court, Nikita Romanovich could hardly imagine that his patronymic will soon give the name to the new royal dynasty, and his grandson Michail Fedorovich Romanov, born in this chambers, would become the "tsar of all Russians".
In mid-19th century Alexander I ordered to restore the primeval decoration of the chambers to open one of the first museums in Moscow - "House of Boyars Romanov". |
Russian Army Museum
The Central museum of Armed Forces is one of the world greatest places to see military history. It was founded in 1919. There are 24 rooms showing the history of the Russian Army and Navy from the beginning of the 18th century until today. The collection includes over 800.000 military and historical objects.
An outdoor display with 200 samples of weapons and battle vehicles (armoured train of 1918-1920), T-34, JS-2 tanks, BM-13 "Katusha" rocket launcher (1941-1945), modern artillery, rockets and missiles, T-80 tank, S-300 antiaircraft launcher, SU-24 supersonic bomber, MIG-29 and SU-27 fighters, Soviet and American SS-20 and Pershing-2 missiles, armored vehicles and others.. “Stalin’s Bunker” is a branch of Central museum of Armed Force. |
Museum-Panorama Borodino-Battle
The Museum “Borodino Battle” is located in the historical area of Moscow, where many significant events took place in 1812 , the year when the French troops under the command of Napoleon stepped into Moscow. It was not for the faint of heart for the Russian army to make the French abandon the capital, but thanks to the skilful operations of the Russian commander Kutuzov it did manage to save the city and the whole country . The panoramic canvas shows the battle and the terrain effects, as well as the skilful use of theatrical lighting and sound, which helps to create a powerful illusion of space. |
Leo Tolstoy House-museum
The musem was opened on November 20, 1921. It is located in the estate where Leo Tolstoy and his family had spent 19 winters between 1882 and 1901. Every piece of furniture and interior decoration of the house is authentic (more than 4,500 items). |
Cold War bunker
The entrance to the Tagansky Protected Command Point is concealed in an unassuming 19th-century building a few minutes’ walk from a busy intersection. Given a paper pass by the guard, visitors take a high-speed elevator down to the formerly secret headquarters located 60 meters- almost the height of a 20-story building - underground. At that depth, conversation is drowned out every few minutes by the roar of metro trains passing overhead. |
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