Red Square (Krasnaya Ploshchad) is the most famous city square in Moscow. The square separates Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter, known as Kitai-gorod. As major streets of Moscow radiate from here in all directions, being prolonged into major highways outside the city, the Red Square is often considered the central square of Moscow and of all Russia.

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The Intercession Cathedral (or The Intercession, Pokrovsky Cathedral, better known as the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed or St. Basil's Cathedral) is a multi-tented church on the Red Square in Moscow traditionally perceived as symbolic of the unique position of Russia between Europe and Asia.

The composite center of the Red Square - the Mausoleum - is a monument-tomb, in a Mourning hall of which there is a crystal sarcophagus with Lenin's body. When it became known about his death it was decided to build a Mausoleum by the Kremlin wall. The project was carried out by architect A. Shchusev. By January 27, 1924 a temporary Mausoleum was erected. It was a cube, crowned with three-level pyramid. In spring of the same year it was replaced by another temporary Mausoleum, also wooden.

The Kremlin is the ancient center of Moscow. It is located on Borovitsky Hill on the left bank of the Moskva River and considered one of the most beautiful architectural ensembles in the world. For many centuries the Kremlin has been the vibrant heart of Moscow, the holy of holies in the Russian state. It was here, on the Borovitsky Hill, that the history of the Third Rome began.

The five-domed Uspensky (Assumption) Cathedral, Moscow's main church, was the focal point of religious movement. This cathedral, with its five gorgeous cupolas, was built as long ago as the reign of Ivan Kalita. By the end of the XV century the church had become dilapidated, and in 1472 the Pskov architects Kryvtsov and Myshkin began construction of a new cathedral.

The Annunciation Cathedral was the family church of the Tsars. It was here that they married and had their new-born heirs to the throne baptized, and the cathedral's senior presbyter was the Tsar's family confessor. The church was built between 1484 and 1489 by the architects Kryvtsov and Myshkin. This breathtaking , nine golden dome cathedral served as the private church of the Russian Tzars and Royal aristocracy. It was here that all religious services were held for the members of the ruling families. Here, they married and their newborn heirs were baptized . The cathedral is an incredible constellation of churches and chapels dating back to the 14th to the 16th centuries and is the second oldest cathedral in the Kremlin.

The stunning five-domed Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel was the last of the great churches to be built on the Kremlin's Cathedral Square . For over three centuries, until the capital of Russia was moved to St. Petersburg in 1712, the cathedral served as the burial place for Russian czars , from Grand Duke Ivan I ( 1328-1341) to Tsar Ivan V (1682-1696), the half brother of Peter the Great. Amongst others, the Cathedral is the resting place of the Moscow Prince Ivan Kalita, who moved the seat of the Orthodox Church from Vladimir to Moscow in 1326 , Dmitry Donskoy, Russian leader who was the first to defeat the Mongols in 1380 and Mikhail Romanov, the founder of the Romanov dynasty, which ruled Russia for over 300 years. The tombs of the notorious Ivan the Terrible and his sons, Ivan and Fyodor, are hidden away in a chapel behind the iconostasis and are not accessible to public. From the turn of the 18th century, the bodies of Tsars from Peter the Great onwards were rested in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg . The bodies laid to rest in the Archangel cathedral all lie in the stone sarcophagi, carved in the 17th century. Bronze encasements were added in 1903, with inscriptions of the names and dates in intricate Old Slavonic script.

Built by the Italian architect, Marco Bono in 1505- 1508 for the Kremlin's Assumption, Archangel and Annunciation Cathedrals, which did not have their own belfries, this magnificent, white tower was later raised to its present height by the addition of two extra levels and soars above Kremlin to a height of 81 meters. Looking from its highest view point, one can see almost across the whole city of Moscow .

Granovitaya Palata (the Faceted Chamber), the oldest secular building in Moscow which has survived to the present day. It was built between 1473 and 1490 by the architects Mark and Pyotr Fryazin. The walls of the building are made out of faceted stone, which is what gives it its name. It was the tradition to hold coronation feasts here; Ivan the Terrible celebrated the subjugation of Kazan here, while it was also in this palace that Boris Godunov received the Danish Prince John, to whom he was trying to marry off his daughter. During the reign of Catherine the Great, the Lawmaking Commission worked in this palace on the compilation of a new code of state laws.

Founded in the early 1800's as the Imperial Court Museum , today, it is the richest museum in Kremlin boasting nearly 4,000 exhibits dating back to the 12th century. The State Armory is also the oldest museum in Russia and is now home to a staggering collection of priceless artifacts and royal treasures dating back to the 14th century.

Ivan III ordered to construct a special building to store the considerably enlarged treasury. Soon the two-story stone building with high-pitched roof and large cellars was erected between the Archangel and Annunciation Cathedrals. It was called "kazenny dvor" (Treasury Court).
Initially the Treasury Court served not only as a repository but also housed numerous workshops where all sorts of things were made for the everyday use of the royal court.

This is truly an amazing collection of enormous diamonds, jewels and precious stones on display since the 18th century Imperial Russia to the present . A present from Count Orlov to his mistress, Catherine the Great (1729-96) in the form of Orlov Diamond is certainly the highlight of the collection as is the Shah Diamond, given to Tsar Nicholas I by the Persian Shah .

Originally the church was built in 1636 in the name of the Kazanskaya Icon ( one of the city's most precious icons) to commemorate Tsar Mikhail Romanov's victory over the Poles and Lithuanians in 1612. Like most churches in Moscow , Kazan Cathedral was destroyed by the Bolsheviks its 300th anniversary in 1936 . The Breathtaking replica of the church was re-opened on November 4th 1993 during the celebrations of the Icon of Kazan and has been hosting regular church services ever since.

Also known as the Kremlin Garden in the beginning of its construction before it was renamed in 1856 after Alexander I, Alexandrovsky Garden was one of the first public parks in Moscow . Laid out in the 19th century by the Russian architect Osip Bove, the garden stretches along the northwest wall of the Kremlin, where the Neglinnaya River once flowed. The river now runs beneath the garden, through the underground pipe. A shambled grotto was added to Bove's design underneath the Middle Arsenal Tower in 1841 . The garden's cast iron gate and hurdle were designed in honor of the Russian victories over Napoleon . During the Moscow winters, the park also served as a famous place for winter sledding.

Moscow 's most celebrated and internationally acclaimed Opera and Ballet Theater . It was commissioned by Catherine the Great in 1776 and since then was home to legendary performances and celebrated premieres by some of the world renowned composers.

An architectural marvel, and also a home to a world renown company by the same name. The company was founded in 1776 by Peter Urussov and Mikhail Medoks. Initially it gave performances in a private home, but 1780 it acquired the Petrovsky Theatre and began producing plays and operas.

Kitai-Gorod is one of the oldest historical parts of Moscow. It joins the Kremlin from the east side, and Moscow River - from the south side. In the north it borders with Okhotny Ryad, and in the north-east - with Old and New squares.

Lubyanka Square is best known for Aleksey Schusev's large yellow brick building which has been the headquarters of the KGB in its various incarnations. The square was renamed Dzerzhinsky Square for many years, in honor of the founder of the Soviet security service, Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky, nicknamed Iron Felix. A monumental statue of Dzerzhinsky was erected in the center of the square.

Moscow Manege is a large square building which gives its name to the vast Manege Square adjacent to the more famous Red Square. Designed by Spanish engineer Agustin de Bétancourt with a unique roof without internal support for 45 m on top pillars, it was erected by the Russian architect Joseph Bové from 1817 to 1825. Its style is Neoclassical in white and yellow colors.

State Tretyakov Gallery is the national museum of Russian fine arts of X - XX centuries and is home to the largest collectrion of Russian Art in the world. The museum bears the name of its founder - Moscow merchant and textile manufacturer Pavel Tretyakov.

The Cathedral took many years to build and didn't emerge from its scaffolding until 1860; elaborate frescos by some of the best Russian painters continued in the interior for another twenty years. The Cathedral was consecrated at the very day Alexander III was crowned, May 26, 1883. A year earlier, Tchaikovsky's '1812 Overture' was debuted there. The dazzling golden domes of the newly built Cathedral of Christ the Savior are visible from almost any point in Moscow 's center . The original Cathedral was built by the Konstantin Ton between 1839 and 1881 to commemorate Russia 's victory over Napoleon In 1933 the church was demolished on Stalin's orders . It was created again , just as magnificent, in the 1990's

The Epiphany Cathedral at Elokhovo, Moscow is the vicarial church of the Moscow Patriarchs.

The original church at the village of Elokhovo near Moscow was built in 1722-31 for the tsaritsa Praskovia Ivanovna. It was there that Alexander Pushkin was baptised in 1799. The present structure was erected in 1835-45 to a Neoclassical design by Eugraph Tyurin.

 

The Arbat located between Arbatskie Vorota Square and Smolenskaya Square is one of the most famous pedestrian streets in Moscow, filled with artsy cafes and restaurants. The Arbat is also one of the symbols of old Moscow, which was celebrated in poems, novels, songs and movies.

The elegant designs, extravagant marble and mosaics, countless sculptures and chandeliers that grace the stations of Moscow 's subway system have given it the name of “underground Museums” and "the people's palaces". Built during Stalin's rule, these metro stations were intended to display the best of Soviet architecture and demonstrate the prosperity of the Russian people.

All-Russian Exhibition Center is a permanent general-purpose trade show center in Moscow. It was initiated in the times of the Soviet Union and known under the name VDNKh, which stood for Russian "Vystavka Dostizheniy Narodnogo Khozyaistva SSSR", or "Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy of the USSR". The term "VDHKh" is still in use, including the name of a Moscow Metro station (VDNKh).

Poklonnaya Hill is the most significant monument constructed in honor of victory in the II World War and carries a memorable granite with the inscription: "Here there will be a monument to the Victory of Soviet people in Great Patriotic War".

The museum building was constructed at the historic place which had once been the village of Fili (suburb of Moscow) where on September 13, 1812, in a wooden log hut belonging to a peasant (Frolov by name), the council of war was held, and the fate not only of Moscow but also of entire Russia was at stake.

Europe Square located near the Kiev Railway Station was solemnly laid out in September, 2001, when the birthday of Moscow was celebrated. It was constructed as the part of the Russian-Belgium cooperation project. As Moscow government implied, Europe Square would symbolize Russia 's aspiration for integration into the European Union. The project was supervised by the chief architect of Russian Academy of Science Yuri Platonov.

Commonly called the Moscow Beauty, the tower is a free-standing television and radio tower in Moscow, 540 m (1772 ft) in height, designed by Nikolai Nikitin. Its construction began in 1963 and was completed in 1967. It held the record for the tallest free-standing structure in the world for a decade, until the CN Tower was built in Toronto, Canada . It remained the highest freestanding structure in Eurasia.

Moscow State University 's central building stands high on the Vorobyovy Hill (the Sparrow Hills). This massive gothic building was commissioned by Stalin along with 6 others structures across Moscow known as "The Seven Sisters". Built between 1949 and 1953 , thousands of laborers were employed for construction of the project .

M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University often abbreviated MSU, MGU) is the largest and oldest university in Russia , founded in 1755. As of 2004, the university has some 4,000 staff teaching 31,000 students and 7,000 postgraduates.

The Seven Sisters (called "vysotki" in Russian) are a group of seven Stalinist skyscrapers in Moscow , Russia. They were built during the last 10 years of Stalin's rule in an elaborate style combining elements from baroque Kremlin towers, Gothic cathedrals of medieval Europe, and American skyscrapers of 1930s. The “Vysotki” are comprised of:

• Moscow State University;
• An apartment building on Kotelnicheskaya Naberezhnaya;
• Hotel "Ukraina"
• Hotel " Leningrad "
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• The Ministry of Heavy Industry
• An apartment building on Kudrinskaya Square.

One of the most beautiful Moscow convents, founded at the beginning of XVI century. For 400 years the Novodevichy Convent was the witness and the participant of important historical events, connected with the names of Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Sofia and Peter I.

Donskoy Monastery is a major male monastery in Moscow, founded in 1591 in commemoration of Moscow's deliverance from an imminent threat of Khan Kazy-Girey's invasion. Commanding a highway to Crimea, the monastery was intended to defend southern approaches to the Moscow Kremlin.

Kolomenskoe is a former royal estate situated several miles to the south-east of Moscow downtown, on the ancient road leading to the town of Kolomna (hence the name). The scenic area, overlooking steep banks of the Moskva River, has become a part of Moscow in the 1960s.

 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.
   Long time ago the village Chernaya Graz (Black Dirt) was located on the site of Tsaritsino. It belonged to the Kantemir Princes. In 1775 Catherine II bought the estate, and it got the modern name.

The State Arkhangelskoye Estate Museum is located in Krasnogorsky district of Moscow region, 20 km to the west from the capital. The estate is an outstanding example of the Russian manorial architecture and is famous for the estate's magnificent beauty and unique art collections.

An extensive estate, or manor, of the Counts Sheremetev, originally situated several miles to the east of Moscow but now forming a part of the East District of that city. It is a favorite place of recreation for Muscovites, and one of the few XVIII century palaces preserved in the Russian capital.

A former summer residence of the Counts Sheremetev, originally situated several miles to the north from Moscow but now a part of the Moscow North-East District.

Founded in 1282 by Prince Daniil Moskovsky, it is considered to be oldest monastery in Moscow and was not only a center of religious and spiritual life , but also a powerful defense fortress whose walls defended Moscow from enemy attacks .

18th and 19th century are said to be the heyday of the ancient Danilovsky monastery. A bell-tower and some new churches including the Trinity Church (Tserkov Zhivonachalnoy Troitsy) were erected then. The Trinity Church (1833) was one of the last creations of Moscow master of architecture Osip Bove. .