MOSCOW STROLL

BACK IN USS... RUSSIA - OCTOBER 2001

Take your books (Dostoyevsky, Gogol, Tolstoy, Pushkin, Chekhov, Mayakovsky and some other Russian writers will do), and prepare to visit or re-visit Russia. You may compare some of the photos here with those taken during the first visit to Moscow and posted at "Blogtrotter Revival - The 70's"

Let's start again with the LOMONOSOV UNIVERSITY.


"MOSCOW UNIVERSITY - The building is still impressive, and the star on its top weighs 12 tons!"



"LUZHNIKI - Panoramic view over the Luzhniki district of the city, including the new Luzhniki sports stadium and the beautiful Novodevichy Convent"


The NOVODEVICHY CONVENT or "New Maidens Convent" was founded by Vasily III in 1524 to commemorate the recapture of Smolensk from the Lithuanians in 1514. As most of all other Moscow's monasteries, was built not merely as a religious center but as a fortified structure with the express purpose of defending the city from Tatar and Pole attacks.



"NOVODEVICHY, situated a short walk from the Luzhniki Stadium, inside a bend in the Moscow River, was also a temporary home to Boris Godunov"


Then, you can get back to the KREMLIN. See it from outside, before entering the space allowed to visitors.


"KREMLIN - The Kremlin's redbrick walls form an irregular triangle around Moscow's ancient citadel and are 2,235 meters in length, 19 meters high and up to 6.5 meters thick"


"TOWERS - At sunset, we can see two of the Kremlin's three corner towers: the Nabatnaya (Alarm) Tower, round in shape and situated opposite St. Basil's Cathedral, whose bells were rung as soon as there were any signs of enemy detachments approaching the fortress; and the Gothic-spired Saviour's Tower, built in 1491, which is the most remarkable of all Kremlin's towers (67.3 meters tall). Legend says that its gate had miraculous powers and saved Moscow from invasion many times. So, as people walked under the tower they would doff their hats in respect. When Napoleon rode through the gates in 1812 without observing this custom, it's said that his horse shied and his hat fell off..."



"ROOM WITH A VIEW - 642 Kempinski Hotel at sunrise"

Inside the KREMLIN there is a lot to be seen, though two thirds of it is closed to private visitors


"THE CATHEDRAL OF THE ASSUMPTION is the Kremlin's oldest and most important church, and was the place of the coronation of the first Russian Tsar, Ivan the Terrible, in 1547 . Its perfect proportions set the tone for the Kremlin's magnificent Cathedral Square ensemble"


"WHITE CHURCH - Behind the impressive Cathedral of the Assumption, on the right hand side of the photo, stands the minimal white Church of the Deposition of the Robe, built by craftsmen from Pskov between 1484 and 1486"




"THE IVAN GREAT BELL TOWER soars above the Kremlin complex to a height of 81 meters. It was built for the Kremlin's Assumption, Archangel and Annunciation Cathedrals, which did not have their own belfries, on the site of Moscow's first ever bell tower, which belonged to the 1329 Church of St. John Climacus-under-the Bells"



"THE BELL AND THE CANNON, two curious structures: the Bell is 6.14 meters high, 6.6 meters in diameter and weighs some 200 tons; the Cannon is 5.34 meters long, weighs 40 tons and has a caliber of 890 mm. The Bell was never rung. The Cannon was never fired!"



"FRESCOES, ICONS AND CHANDELIERS - The cathedrals' interiors have beautiful frescoes, icons and chandeliers to show"

Get back to the STREETS


"ARBAT STREET - Early morning"


"Rebuilted CATHEDRAL of Christ the Saviour, at the same site of the original Cathedral, which was built between 1839 and 1881 and demolished in 1933. No more outdoor swimming pool!"


"PETER, THE NAVIGATOR - Just close by, you can see the statue of Peter, the Navigator. Not to be confused with Henry!"


"RIVER Moskva at sunset"

Finally, don´t forget to pay a visit to the MUSEUMS and ART GALLERIES


"PUSHKIN MUSEUM - Kandinski, Malevich and Chagall are among my favourites, but I haven't seen a lot from them in Moscow. A visit to the Tretyakov Gallery and the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts is, anyhow, a must"