Moscow

Moscow, the capital of Russia is located on the river Moskva in the western region of Russia. The real flavor of Moscow is situated in all the small nooks and crannies on every street. Russian contrasts are more present here than in any other city in Russia. Ancient monasteries and ultra-modern monoliths stand side by side and the new Russian millionaires and the poor pensioners walk side by side in the same streets. Moscow's streets are lined with small monolithic department stores and beautiful churches that are being restored after the vandalism of the Soviet era and the hard-line atheism. Every visitor to Moscow is irresistibly drawn to the Red Square, the historical and spiritual heart of the city, so loaded with associations and drama that it seems to embody all of Russia's triumphs and tragedies. The Kremlin, broads and glitters in the heart of Moscow. It thrills and tantalizes whenever you see its towers against the skyline or its cathedrals and palaces arrayed above the Moska River. The Kremlin is surrounded by a beautiful residential district that is known as the Belvy Gorod or the White Town. The Belvy Gorod was the very heart of the city during the sixteenth century, and even today it has a strongly medieval feel.



Moscow is also well known as the site of the Saint Basil's Cathedral, with its elegant onion domes. The Patriarch of Moscow, whose residence is the Danilov Monastery, serves as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Moscow has a surprisingly number of no less than five airports, which are all situated about 30 to 40km from the city centre.
Red Square - Russia's Glorious Heritage
Not only is the Red Square a popular Moscow attraction, but is flanked by world known sites and tourist attractions. Contrary to popular belief, Red Square received its name through the Russian word for “red”, which centuries ago meant “beautiful”, and not due to a communist symbol or the red Kremlin walls. Red Square came into being during the reign of Ivan III at the end of the 15th century. Named after the Trinity Cathedral, the Red Square was formerly known as Trinity Square, and is believed to only have had the name change at the end of the 17th century. St Basil’s Cathedral is now located in the site where Trinity Cathedral once stood. St Basils Cathedral is situated along side the eastern wall of the Kremlin, with its spiralling bright coloured onion domes. Also located around the Red Sqaure, is the Kazan Cathedral, Russia’s National Museum, the GUM department store and the 1990 replica of the Resurrection Gate. The Red Square served as Moscow’s meeting place. Hear people used to crowd to meet friends, hear Government announcements and celebrated church festivals. During the reign of Peter the Great and Ivan the Terrible, the Red Square was used for public executions, and on the Red Square platform named Lobnoye Mesto, the Tsar would some times address the people.
When Peter the Great moved to St Petersburg in 1712, the Red Square became dormant as Moscow was no longer the Russian capital. The new communist regime, the Bolsheviks, moved the capital back to Moscow in 1918, and turned the Red Square into a parade ground and memorial cemetery. The Lenin Mausoleum was built in 1924, where the embalmed body of the communist founder was laid to rest. The new communist regime was focused on the goals on the Soviet, and saw no space for the historical Kazan Cathedral or the Iverskaya Chapel with the Resurrection Gates, and destroyed these buildings to make space for demonstrations and military parades. The GUM Department Store and Historical Museum were also in line for destruction, but the outbreak of World War II saved the buildings, as attention was diverted the war effort. The Red Square was home to many military parades but most significant was the parade on 7 November 1941. Nazi troops were advancing on the Moscow capital, and the Russian soldiers paraded on the square and marched off to lines to defend the capital. This action lifted the spirit of the Soviet people and renewed their confidence in the war. Hundreds of Soviet troops again filled the square in June 1945, but this time it was to celebrate their victory over the Nazi’s and German banners were thrown down in front of Lenin’s Mausoleum. The Red Square is surrounded by history and beauty, which provides education and endless attractions for the visitor. It is still used as a place of celebration, but instead of victorious parading soldiers, it is filled with excited, chanting concerts goers
Lenin's Mausoleum - Preserving the Past
Lenin’s Tomb or better known as Lenin’s Mausoleum is situated in Red Square in Moscow, and is where Vladimir Lenin’s body can now be found. Since his death in 1924, Vladimir’s body has been embalmed and kept for display. On January 21st 1924, the day Lenin died, over 10,000 telegrams from around the whole of Russia was received, asking the government to preserve his body for future generations to view. Two days later Professor Alexei Ivanovich Abrikosov, a well-known Russian pathologist and anatomist embalmed Lenin’s body to keep it from decomposed until the burial. That very same night Aleksey Shchusev, an architect, was given the assignment to design and build a tomb, in three days, to accommodate all the well-wishers that wanted to say their last goodbyes to Lenin. Five days later it was decided that the tomb should be placed at the Red Square, next to the Kremlin Wall. By January the 27th, Shchusev built a tomb of wood so that at four p.m. Lenin’s tomb could be placed there. In a month and a half, over 100,000 people went to visit. By August 1924, architect Konstantin Melnikov designed Lenin’s tomb, making it an upgraded and larger version of the first. In 1929 it was realized that Lenin’s body could be preserved for longer then had first been expected. It was then that it was decided that the wooden mausoleum would be replaced with one made of marble, porphyry, granite and labradorite. In October 1930, Aleksey Shchusev, I.A. Frantsuz and G.K. Yakovlev finished off the stone mausoleum and only in 1973 was sculptor Nikolai Tomsky taken on to design a new sarcophagus. The Head of the Moscow Garrison, in January 1924, ordered that the Guard of Honor be placed outside the mausoleum but after the Russian constitutional crisis of 1993, the Guard of Honor was dissolved. Between 1924 and 1972, more then 10 million people visited Lenin’s tomb. At one point many people questioned whether Lenin’s body was still real due to its waxed appearance. His body was suppose to be “rejuvenated” annually by Russian undertakers and although some parts of his body may have been partially fake merely for the sake of presentability on a whole the body is suppose to be authentic. The Embalmers regurlarly remove the body to moisturise Lenin’s features and inject preservatives and treat him to keep him in this preserved state. The tomb can be viewed between 10am and 1pm every day except Monday and Friday. No photos or video’s can be taken and one must expect a long line to see Lenin.
Facts about MoscowArea: over 1,091 sq km
Location: European part of Russian Federation, between the Oka and the Volga Rivers, on the Moskva River.
Geographic coordinates: 55 45 N, 37 37 E
Population: approx 10,407,000 (2005 est.)
Foundation: 1147, by Duke Yuri Dolgorukiy
Climate: The climate varies from intensely cold winters to swelteringly hot summers.
UTC/GMT Offset: UTC/GMT + 3 hours
Area code: 495
Major attractions: Kremlin, Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, Poklonnaya Mountain, Cathedral of Christ the Savior.