Moscow

Here is a bird’s eye view of Moscow from atop the Kremlin’s Vodovzvodnaya Tower.  Moscow’s Kremlin, a complex of structures along the Moskva River, is the heart of the Soviet Union’s government. The word kremlin means “fortress inside a city.” You will understand that meaning as you take in the walls and towers that surround the Kremlin. 

The original Kremlin was a wooden structure, but in the 14th century it was rebuilt in white stone. Even later, much of the white stone was replaced with whitewashed brick.

The Vodovzvodnaya Tower stands almost 62 meters high and was built in 1488 by Italian architect Anotonio Gilardi. The tower contains a water pumping machine that was installed in 1633. 

If you look beyond the Kremlin’s white-walled and green-roofed structure, you’ll see an area where a number of golden domes rise into the sky. This is Cathedral Square. Three cathedrals, two churches, and the Ivan the Great Bell Tower stand together on the square.

Look down. The river you see winding alongside Moscow’s Kremlin is the Moskva River. This river is about 503 kilometers long and flows right through western Russian as well as through the heart of Moscow.

The river is a popular route for both private and commercial boats, but it does freeze over during the frigid winter months. 

As you gaze up the river, you’ll see the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. This 103m-high white-walled and copper-domed structure is the world’s tallest Orthodox Christian church. Tsar Alexander I ordered the cathedral built in 1812. 

Also called Spasskaya Tower, Saviour Tower is easy to recognize by the illuminated red Kremlin star at the top of its wooden spire. This Gothic-inspired tower was built in 1491, and contains the official entrance to the Kremlin. Until 1658, it was called Frolovskaya Tower.

But when an icon of the Saviour was placed above the gate facing Red Square, the name was officially changed. This tower is so important to the Russian people that it is used as a greeting place for all foreign leaders who visit Russia.

If you turn your gaze to the right, there in the distance you’ll see the Bolshoi Theatre, which is home to the Russian opera and ballet. The theater, which features a neoclassical façade, has been rebuilt several times over the years. 

Turn your gaze to the left of the Saviour Tower and look out toward the far end of the river. There, on the left side, you’ll see the dark silhouette of one of the city’s seven Stalinist skyscrapers, the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building. 

 If you look at Red Square directly across the street from Saviour Tower, you’ll see Saint Basil’s Cathedral. This fancifully painted brick building, which was built in 1560, was designed to suggest a bonfire. The structure is actually a collection of ten churches. 

The Bolshoi Theatre company was founded in around 1780 by Prince Peter Urusov and English impresario Michael Maddox. Performances were originally held in a private home and then in the Petrovka Theatre.

The Petrovka Theater was destroyed by a fire in 1805, and a new theatre—the New Arbat Imperial Theatre—was built in 1808. Unfortunately, this theatre was also destroyed by fire in 1812. 

The Bolshoi Theatre, built in 1821, has featured performances by many greats, including choreographer Alexander Gorsky, conductor Sergei Rachmininov, and singer Fyodor Chaliapin. 

The statue that stands above the Bolshoi’s entrance depicts Apollo riding a four-horse chariot. Apollo was the Greek god of, among other things, music and dance. The Bolshoi Theatre itself is neoclassical in design. The architecture suggests an ancient Greek temple.

If you look to the left side of the theatre, off in the distance you will see the top spire of the Vodovzvodnaya Tower. This tower was originally built in 1488 but needed repairs after being blown up by Napoleon’s troops in 1812. 

Look into the far distance behind the Bolshoi Theatre and you’ll see a structure reaching high into the sky. This is the Ostankino Tower, a 540m-tall radio and television tower built in the late 1960s. 

As you stroll to the west away from the Kremlin, you’ll see a great statue rising up from what seems the middle of the river, where the Moskva River and Vodootvodny Canal merge. 

The statue doesn’t really rise from the water, but stands upon a small man-made island to create that illusion. Standing 98m-high, the statue depicts Tsar Peter the Great, who reigned from 1682 to 1725, standing on a tower of ships.

The statue was designed by Zurab Tsereteli and erected in 1997. However, not everyone liked the statue. You will notice that you cannot walk right up to the base of the statue, and there is a good reason for that. 

Across the river to the left of the statue of Peter the Great is the Luzhniki Olympic Stadium. This oval-shaped stadium can seat over 78,000 people. The stadium was first built in 1955 and was originally named Central Lenin Stadium.

Located right next to the Kremlin and Red Square is Manege Square. This square, which was created in the late 1700s, is rich in history and architectural treasures. 

It is a large, open area where people come to relax, stroll, and meet up to enjoy lunch at a café or to go shopping at Okhotny Ryad, the nearby underground mall. Famous landmarks form the square’s borders.

The buildings of Moscow State University stand on the north side of the square. The Hotel Moskva stands to the east, and  the State Historical Museum to the south.

Look to the east of the Kremlin, and you’ll see a large open area. This is Red Square. Red Square was not named for the red bricks you see in the surrounding buildings.  Its name comes from the word krasnyi which used to mean beautiful, but has since changed to mean red. 

To the right of Red Square you’ll see a triangular shaped neoclassicist building. This is the Senate Palace. This building was built between 1776 and 1787 under the orders of Catherine II.

To the immediate left of the Senate Palace you’ll notice a small, square structure located along the edge of Red Square. This is Lenin’s Mausoleum, or tomb. Vladimir Lenin was propelled to the role of Russia’s leader by the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.