Founding of Moscow. Moscow (Moskva) is first mentioned in the Chronicles of 1147. Russian history traditionally states that Prince Yuriy Dolgorukiy of Suzdal founded Moscow in this year - an event honoured by his statue on Tverskaya. By 1147, wooden fortifications, commonly called "Kreml" in Russian, had been built on the Borovitskaya Hill overlooking the Moskva River. In order to protect Moscow from rival princes, circular defensive wooden fortifications were erected north from the Moskva River around the Moscow Kremlin. By 1367 these walls reached as far out as the current "Boulevard Ring" and incorporated the fortified monasteries of St. Peter, Nativity and Sretenskiy. These wooden walls were eventually replaced with stone walls, which came to be known as Kitaygorodskaya Stena (Chinatown Wall), Stena Belogo Goroda (White City Wall) and even further out, Zemlyanoy Val (Earth Wall). The south and east approaches to the city were protected by the river and a series of fortified monasteries: Novodevichiy monastery (southwest), Donskoy and Danilovskiy monasteries (south), Simonov and Novospasskiy monasteries (southeast), and by Andronikov monastery (east).

The Kremlin. The Kremlin is the heart of Russia. It is a focal point for Russian Government offices, including President office. It is the main religious and historical center of the country.
   Throughout many centuries the great Russian princes persistently monitored the outlook of the Kremlin (the chronicles indicate that the fortress was given a name of its own, the Kremlin (Citadel), in 1331) attaining great importance to this mission. The Cathedral Square with its Cathedral of Assumption (Uspenskiy sobor 1475-1479) whose walls remember weddings and coronations of the great princes and then tsars and emperors, became its center. The years of 1484 to 1489 saw the construction of the Church of the Deposition of the Robe (Tserkov Rizopolozheniya) and the Cathedral of the Annunciation (Blagoveshchenskiy sobor). The latter is the "face" of the Tsar’s palace. Together with the Facets Palace (Granovitaya Palata) these buildings face the Cathedral Square. Granovitaya Palata is the main Hall of the Palace, and represents the entrance to Russia as a whole. The Red Steps, a part of the Facets Palace, is known as the gala entrance. In this Palace diplomatic missions were received, grand dinners were served, clerical discussions were heard. Women were not admitted, the tsarinas had their own gala hall named the Golden Chambers. The Golden Chambers are 400 years old, and are surmounted with four churches containing eleven domes under one roof. For about 500 years Arkhangelskiy Cathedral the burial-vault of Russian princes and tsars has been occupying one of the most prominent places among all the other churches and cathedrals of the square. For a long time no building inMoscow could challenge the height (81m, about 241ft) of Ivan the Great Belfry with the famous King of Bells at its foot. Since the 17C a great many more buildings appeared on the territory of the Kremlin. This was the time of appearance of the Phylaret Belfry (Phylaretovskaya Zvonnitsa), the Terem Palace (Teremnoy Dvorets), Patriarch’s Court, the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles (the Queen of Cannons Tsar Pushka a magnificent souvenir of the 16C is situated nearby). The grand architectural design of the Arsenal, dominating the living section of the northern corner of the Kremlin, became a symbol of the triumphant reign of Peter I (1702-1736). The construc-tion of the Senate in 1787 is considered to be the apotheosis of the empire architecture of Moscow, the masterpiece of Matvey Kazakov and Russian Clas-sicism as a whole. One of the most breathtaking halls in Moscow, the Catherine Hall with its dome facing the Red Square, has become the state symbol of the country. It was Russia’s desire for the Parliament to be implemented in the construction of the Senate. Currently, it serves as the residence of the President. The Great Palace (called Bolshoy Kremlevskiy Dvorets) situated near Borovitsky Gate and designed by Kon-stantin Ton appeared in the first half of the 19C. It is world famous for its magnificent hall - the George Hall (Georgiyevskiy Dvorets). The construction of the Armoury Chamber took place at the same time, but the collection of treasures was established in the 16C. There is a unique collection of diamonds (Almazny Fond) on the ground floor of the building which has been on exhibition since 1967. The School of Red Commanders was built during the years of Soviet rule in 1932-1934.
   The Kremlin Palace of Congresses (the State Kremlin Palace) was erected in 1961.
   Free access to the Kremlin began only in 1955. All the excursions about the Kremlin begin at the entrance to Kutafya Tower (one of the 20 towers of the Kremlin) near Metro station Aleksandrovskiy Sad.

Kitaygorod (Chinatown). Northeast of the Kremlin walls lies an area known as Kitaygorod which translates today as Chinatown, even though Chinese people never lived there. Its origin was a large trading area and market, called Bolshoy Possad. Early on, however, lack of space forced it to move outside of the northeast Kremlin walls. By the end of the 14th century, this Bolshoy Possad had been settled by traders and was defended by a deep moat and a high wattle-fence (baskets filled with earth). The old Russian dialect word for wattle-fence was "kita" from which, some scholars believe, "Kitaygorod" got its name. In 1530’s the original earth and wattle wall was replaced with a thick red brick wall: its 2.6 kilometer length encompassed the area now bounded by the Moskva and Metropol Hotels, Lubyanka Square, Metro Kitay Gorod and then down to the Moskva River east of the Rossiya Hotel. By the turn of this century Kitay Gorod had become Moscow’s business and commercial center. Financial institutions, banks, a stock exchange, and trading offices, were concentrated mainly in Ilyinka Ulitsa (street), while dozens of shops and large stores lined Nikolskaya Ulitsa. The part of Kitai Gorod from Varvarka Ulitsa, the oldest street in Moscow down the slope to the Moskva River is known as "Zaryadye" and is known for its many small churches and medieval buildings.

Red Square. Krasnaya Ploshchad (Red Square) came into being only in the late 1490’s when Ivan The III razed the trader’s houses and stalls which had sprouted up outside the northeast wall of the Kremlin. The square was used mainly for religious processions and, of course for public executions and royal proclamations. The ambiguous term "Lobnoe Mesto" meaning "forehead" was used to describe the raised circular stone platform used for both purposes. This huge square of 73,000 square meters - really a long bent rectangle - is bordered by the Kremlin (1490’s) and Lenin’s Mausoleum (1930) on the southwest, the Historical Museum (1870’s) on the northwest, GUM (1890’s) and Staryy Gostinyy Dvor (1790’s) on the northest and St. Basil’s Cathedral (1560) on the south-east. Over the centuries, the "Upper Trading Lines" was constructed on the northest side of the square between Ilyinka and Nikolskaya Ulitsa. This ill-built structure, which sheltered 1200 small shops under a common roof and a muddy earthen floor, mercifully burned down in 1825 and in the 1890s, later was replaced by a new three story glass-domed Victorian shopping arcade, now known by the name "GUM" and full of boutique shops. The beautiful St. Basil’s Cathedral (or the Pokrovskiy Cathedral) was erected on the Red Square by Ivan the Terrible in commemoration of the subjugation of the Tartar Khanate in Kazan in 1552. Lenin’s Mausoleum was built in 1930 by Stalin.

Belyy Gorod (The White City). The third ring of fortifications after the Kremlin and Kitay Gorod was the White Wall (Belaya Stena) with its 27 towers including 10 gate towers - all built from white stone. Some scholars trace the origin of the area’s name "Belyy Gorod" (White City) to these white walls, others attribute it to special tax privileges of its residents. At the end of the 1700’s the white stone walls were dismantled and replaced by the broad tree-lined Bulvarnoe Koltso (Boulevard Ring). Now all that remains of this wall are the names of the gate towers given to Moscow squares: Nikitskiye, Sretenskiye, Myasnitskiye, Pokrovskiye and Yauzskiye.
   Belyy Gorod has four distinct parts, each with its own special character. The west part situated between Kropotkinskaya Embankment and Tverskaya street is a large cultural center populated with scientific and cultural institutions such as the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the Russian State Library, The Moscow Conservatory, The Moscow State University and Manezh Central Exhibition Hall. Here, too, stood the monumental Christ the Saviour’s Cathedral of Russia, its golden cupola visible from all over Moscow. The cathedral, which took 43 years to build, symbolized the victory of the Russian army over Napoleon and was financed by donations from the grateful citizens of Moscow.
   In 1931-32 the Cathedral (as well as dozens of other Moscow churches) was barbarously destroyed by dynamite in Stalin’s effort to eradicate religion. In its place was to be built a gigantic Palace of Soviets, 315 meters high topped by a 100 meter aluminium statue of Lenin. Fortunately because of unstable soil, the already excavated foundation could only be turned into a huge heated swimming pool. In 1994, Mayor Yuri Luzhkov and the City of Moscow, along with private donors and starved babushkas collecting kopecks for a blessing, pledged to rebuild the main building of the Cathedral in time for the 850th anniversary - just three years away.
   In the eyes of many residents the north part of Belyy Gorod is the real center of Moscow. The area is bounded by Tverskaya street, Strastnoy and Petrovskiy Boulevards, Neglinnaya and Kuznetskiy Most street and the north edge of Kitay Gorod. Some of Moscow’s largest department stores - TsUM, Detskiy Mir (Children’s World) and Petrovskiy Passage - as well as the National and Savoy hotels are here. The symbolic center of Russian theater - the famous Bolshoy Theater (1821-24) along with Malyy Theater (1824) and Central Children’s Theater (1882) are situated around Teatralnaya Ploshchad.
   The north-east part of Belyy Gorod, between Lubyanka and Myasnitskaya street, has long become a business center of Moscow which is not surprising as its streets are just a continuation of Kitay Gorod - the business center of Moscow.) Here, as in Kitay Gorod, you can find the Moscow Post Office and the Central Telephone Station.
   The south-east parts of Belyy Gorod, stretching from Maroseyka street down to the banks of Moskva river, is an area of quiet residential streets and alleys dotted with dozens of churches.

Manezhnaya Ploshchad (Manege Square). On one of the sides the square is barred by the building of the Moskva hotel and on the other side by the building of Manezh (Manege) which was built in honour of the 5-th anniversary of the victory over Napoleon. Today Manezh is the Central Exhibition Hall. Aleksandrovskiy Sad (Garden) and the building of the History Museum are the limits of the square on the other two sides.
   After the reconstruction which began in 1992 the sight of the square has drastically changed and became one of the favorite places of the city residents and foreign guests. The major features of the reconstruction are: an underground shopping mall and an artificial river-bed with fountains decorated with balustrades and sculptures of characters of Russian fairy tales.

Teatralnaya Ploshchad (Theater Square). This is one of the focal squares of the city. Its name is connected with popular theaters of Russia which surround it - the Bolshoy and Malyy theaters, the Central Children’s theater. It has become a tradition that the veterans of the Great Patriotic War gather in the garden near the theater on May 9 (Victory Day).
   A monument to the great Russian play write stands near the Malyy theater.

Tverskaya Street. One of the main and the longest (2.5km) as well as one of the oldest and now one of the most prestigious streets of the city. It is sometimes called Moscow Champs Ellysee. A large number of shops, hotels and theaters are situated here. The founder of Moscow -Yuriy Dolgorukiy- is situated in front of the city hall. Tverskaya street begins near metro station Okhotnyy ryad and ends near metro station Belorusskaya. In the 12C this was the route from Tver and from the end of the 15C from Novgorod.

Arbat Street. The oldest part of Moscow. Situated between two squares Arbatskiye vorota (metro station Arbatskaya) and Smolenskaya (metro station Smolenskaya). In Arabic "Arbat" means "outskirts". In the 15-16CC there was a route from Arbat street to Smolensk. At first this street accommodated regiments of streltsy (soldiers of the regular Russian army in the 16-17CC) and tradesmen. Later Arbat became a street of merchants and tradesmen. From the middle of the 17C Arbat is one of the most aristocratic streets of the city.
   In the years of 1974-1986 the street was reconstructed into a pedestian-walking street with numerous cafes, shops, restaurants, galleries, souvenir shops and jewelry shops. Now Arbat street is often called "Moscow Monmartre".

The State Tretyakov Gallery. The largest museum in Moscow established in 1856 by P.M. Tretyakov as his private collection of paintings by Russian artists. In 1892 he donated the collection to the city and after 1918 the gallery was nationalized. The collection of the gallery is constantly being enriched by numerous private collections as well as by systematic purchasing of exhibits. Now the gallery accommodates over 125 000 works of art.

Kolomenskoe. It is the former summer residence of Russian Czars and Grand Princes since 13C located one-half hours drive from the city center. Today it is a historical and architectural State Museum Reserve. The architectural ensemble of the Estate includes a tent-roofed Clock Tower and the Entrance Gates, the Bell-Tower Church of St. George the Victor (16C), the Church of the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan (17C), a water pumping tower (17C).
   The most outstanding monument on the grounds of the Kolomenskoye Estate is the tent-roofed Church ofAscension (16thC) The Museum’s stock repository includes icons, drawings, old Russian printed books, items of metal works, woven fabrics, etc.
   Today the Reserve is one of the best places to see folklore festivities, collections of Russian handicrafts, exhibition-sales of ancient and modern articles of art.

Poklonnaya Gora. Situated to the west of Moscow and has been historically considered to be a strategic hillock. This was the very place where Napoleon awaited the deputation with the keys from the Kremlin but in vain. In commemoration of these events a panorama-museum Borodinskaya bitva (The Battle of Borodino) and Kutuzovskaya Izba (Kutuzovskiy Hut) was constructed on Kutuzovskiy prospect. Near it is the Triumphalnaya Arch - the symbol of victory of Russion troops over Napoleon - constructed by O. Bove on the example of the Parisien arch in Ellesey Fields. The memorial was opened in 1995 in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Vorobyovy Gory. Situated in the South-western part of Moscow. The name originated from the name of the settlement Vorobyovo (16C). In the 17C Andreevskiy Monastery was built at the foot of Vorobyovy Hill. In 1949-1953 the complex of the Moscow State University n.a. M.V. Lomonosov was built. It consists of 27 main buildings, sport grounds, a botanical garden and a park. The main building of the University with the adjacent buildings comprises faculties, scientific libraries, laboratories, university museums, clubs, students’ campuses, a hospital.
   A beautiful panorama of Moscow can be seen from the viewing sight on Vorobyovy Hills.

Moscow Today. During the last six years, Moscow has changed greatly, rapidly regaining its old glory and a new dynamism. In recent years 8 monasteries and about 300 churches have been restored, new metro stations opened, a large number of first-class hotels have appeared and boutiques, department stores, and supermarkets pop up like mushrooms in the nearby forests. Dozens of art galleries, theater companies and cafes enliven the cultural scene. Yet it is impossible to picture the city without its broad boulevards, bridges, embankments, fountains, art museums and hundreds of gilded domes. We hope this short historical tour of Moscow will entice you to explore the busy streets and quiet land of Moscow - guided by our Traveller’s Yellow Pages Walkers Map of Central Moscow.