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It's no understatement to say that Moscow has been the hot seat
of numerous historical events, with most of these taking place under
the roof of the city's - and probably country's - most famous landmark,
the Kremlin. In itself a magnificent citadel of cathedrals, spires
and glittering onion domes, this stunning architectural ensemble
neatly sums up the city's long history of Tsars, communism, cold
war, perestroika and reform. This is James Bond backdrop at its
best. It is also a huge contrast to the ultra-modern high rises
and shops springing up across the city. And so it is that, apart
from the odd cheap (albeit lethal) bottle of vodka, this is a vastly
expensive city, with Russia's nouveau riche mingling with the country's
poorest. But it's only by exploring all its intriguing nooks and
crannies that you'll really get a flavour for Moscow and see what
this fascinating city is really all about.
Climate
July and August are the warmest months in Moscow and the main
holiday season for foreigners and Russians. Summer days are long
and can be wet. By the end of November Moscow is frozen most of
the time and serious snow arrives in December and stays until April.
Spring arrives fast and with a great thaw.
City sights
Arbat: The Arbat, once the quarter of court
artisans, is also a good place for a stroll, passing elegant buildings,
Stalinist eyesores and a pedestrian precinct complete with buskers
and souvenir-sellers.
Central Moscow: A visiting 19th-century French
aristocrat, the Marquis de Custine, described the exterior of St
Basil's Cathedral as a sort of irregular fruit bristling with excrescences,
'a cantaloupe melon with embroidered edges'. The exterior is so
magical that the interior is a bit of an anticlimax. Nearby, you
can still pay your respects at Lenin's tomb. Bordering Red Square,
the magnificent GUM (State Department Store) was built in the 19th
century to house 1000 shops. The hefty building north of Red Square
is the stuff of nightmares and airport novels. It housed the KGB
and the notorious Lubyanka prison.
A walk up the city's most famous thoroughfare, Tverskaya Ulitsa,
reveals 19th-century palaces, 1930s apartment blocks and glimmers
of colour bouncing off the domes of half-obscured churches. The
Arbat, once the quarter of court artisans, is also a good place
for a stroll, passing elegant buildings, Stalinist eyesores and
a pedestrian precinct complete with buskers and souvenir-sellers.
As much a fabulous museum as it is an underground transport system,
Moscow's famous metro survives in all its constructivist glory,
with more chandeliers than Buckingham Palace and enough marble to
fit out the kitchens of the world. Forty-four of its stations have
been designated as architectural landmarks.
Gorky Park: Stretching almost 3km (1.8mi) along
the river, Gorky Park is full of what is to be seen rarely sometimes
- the happy Russian. Officially the 'Park of Culture', named after
Maxim Gorky, is the original Soviet park - part ornamental and educational,
part funfair and amusement park and a good place to escape the hubbub
of the city. In winter the ponds freeze and the paths are flooded
to make a giant skating rink - you can rent skates if you take along
some ID, such as a passport. But that's not all. Gorky Park has
a small amusement park with two Western roller coasters and almost
a dozen other terror-inducing attractions (aside from the Peter
the Great statue). Space buffs can shed a tear for the Buran, the
Soviet space shuttle, which never carried anyone into space. The
park has a number of snack bars and, behind the amusement park,
a 2000-seat German beer hall.
Museums: The Pushkin State Fine Arts Museum, in
the southwest of the inner city, boasts a broad selection of European
works from the Renaissance onward - mostly confiscated from private
collections after the revolution. The Tretayakov Gallery, near Gorky
Park, has the world's best collection of Russian icons and a fine
collection of pre-revolutionary Russian art. The Central Artists'
House, next to the new Tretyakov Gallery building, is one of the
places you're most likely to find good contemporary art. Past shows
have ranged from 19th-century sacred art to the works of Gilbert
& George. There are also numerous literary museums, usually situated
in the houses of famous writers, such as Tolstoy, Pushkin, Dostoievsky,
Gogol and Lermontov.
Novodevichy Convent: The Novodevichy Convent (New
Convent of the Maidens), a cluster of 16 sparkling domes behind
turreted walls, has Moscow's (if not the world's) most prestigious
cemetery: it's the resting place of Chekhov, Eisenstein, Gogol,
Khrushchev, Kropotkin, Mayakovsky, Prokofiev, Stanislavsky and Shostakovich.
In Soviet times Novodevichy Cemetary was used for some very eminent
people - notably Kruschev - whom the authorities judged unsuitable
for the Kremlin walls. Other famous remains were here interred again,
when their original cemeteries were destroyed under Stalin.
The convent itself was originally popular with noblewomen, who
would often retire here, but it was also used as a prison for rebellious
royals, including Peter the Great's half-sister and his first wife.
The Kremlin: The Kremlin is the stronghold of
Russian political power. Here, Ivan the Terrible and Stalin orchestrated
terrors, Napoleon watched Moscow burn, Lenin made the dictatorship
of the proletariat, Khrushchev fought the Cold War, Gorbachev unleashed
perestroika and Yeltsin dreamt the New Russia. The Kremlin occupies
a roughly triangular plot of land covering little Borovitsky Hill
on the north bank of the Moscow River, probably first settled in
the 11th century. Today it's guarded by high walls. Red Square lies
outside the east wall. The Kutafya Tower, which forms the main visitors'
entrance, stands away from the Kremlin's west wall. Most visitors
are surprised to see so many churches in what was, for decades,
a den of militant atheism, but the Kremlin was once the centre of
Russia's Church as well as its State. Start with Archangel Cathedral
(the royal burial church), Assumption Cathedral (the burial church
of religious leaders) and Annunciation Cathedral (icons, icons everywhere).
Ivan the Great Bell Tower is a famous Moscow landmark, visible from
30km (20mi) away, with the cracked Tsar Bell at its foot. The towers
lining the Kremlin include the Tower of Secrets (the oldest) and
the Gothic and Renaissance Saviour's Tower.
Special Events
Moscow's festivals have shaken off their 'joyous workers' march'
image and are now shaking booty with the best of them.
Public Holidays
New Year's Day (1 January), Russian Orthodox Christmas Day (7 January),
International Women's Day (8 March),
International Labour Day/Spring festival (1 and 2 May),
Victory (1945) Day (9 May),
Russian Independence Day (12 June),
Day of Reconciliation and Accord (7 November).
A great many festivals are derived from the Orthodox churches tradition.
Orthodox Christmas begins with midnight mass on 7 January. Orthodox
Easter, known as Paskha, falls some time in March or April - it
begins with a midnight church service, after which people eat special
dome-shape cakes and curd cakes and swap painted wooden eggs.
In odd-numbered years, the Moscow Film Festival hits the city's
screens in autumn. The Russian Winter Festival is pretty much a
tourist affair, with 'troyka' rides, folklore shows, games and vodka
and is celebrated between 25 December and 5 January. Sylvestr is
the Russian New Year celebration and it's the main gift-giving festival
of the year, with presents placed under the traditional fir tree.
Muscovites see out the old year with vodka and welcome the new one
with champagne. |
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